So the reason I started this blog is because I felt like I’ve read all the personal finance stuff (lies) and felt like I was seeing the same advice over and over again (truth):
Earn more.
Spend less than that.
Invest.
Repeat.
And that’s a good thing. It highlights the fact that taking care of money is “simple but not easy,” and it’s incredible to see all the creativity in sharing similar ideas in compelling ways.
But I also started to wonder about things like:
- Well, does everyone really have equal ability to stop spending money on makeup and beauty, or are certain people at an advantage because some bodies are considered “low maintenance” because of societal standards?
Some people can’t afford to spend less.
- Would the cost savings of moving to a lower cost of living area outweigh the alienation (and even lower sense of safety) that I would probably feel?
- We talk about personal finance being “personal” but isn’t it also just super systemic? Doesn’t our race and gender and ablebodiedness and class and all that other stuff play such a huge, inextricable role in it all?
- Where are the stories of all the single folks who made it to financial independence?
- And what actions can we take to even the playing field, even just a tiny bit?
I also started to notice a ton of parallels between sustainability and personal finance stuff:
- Like the big three things that are the most expensive also happen to be the big three that have the biggest environmental impact
- And the two most basic behavioral concepts that we can use to reach our financial goals can also be applied to being more sustainable (or changing any behavior really)
And I started to think even more about the systems around us and how the way the world is set up right now isn’t necessarily the best – it’s totally arbitrary. Maybe it’s our current faux-Darwinistic system that makes us think that the way we are now is the only way and the best way, but it isn’t necessarily.
And all the best personal finance wisdom is based off of all these relatively new economic tools that are kind of untested in a rapidly changing world.
I wanted to imagine what a new world could look like. And how we could maybe plant some tiny seeds right now to bring it to life (#cheesymetaphorsforlife).
And I just couldn’t stop myself from thinking about it.
For years.
Until I decided it was time to stop furtively jotting down notes on scraps of paper and notes in my phone and put it out in the world to see what would happen.
You might think I’m just an annoying snowflake SJW witch or whatever. That’s ok.
But if you want to join me in asking big, huge questions that start with “why” and end with “why not” and thinking about what tiny things we can do and want to follow as I learn and stumble and evolve out here on the internet, I’d love to have you along for the ride.
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