I recently went through a stressful week because I was selling my studio flat in the suburbs of Paris. I had a buyer lined up back in June, but it took forever for the lawyer to draft the contract, and we only got around to signing the sale at the beginning of August. You’d think…
We talked about how saving is the first step towards financial independence. To eventually become financially independent, you need to save a decent amount of money. Just like starting a diet, you should begin with small, manageable steps. It’s unrealistic to aim to save $2,500 each month if you only earn $3,000. Every bit counts,…
This post is part of a series called the “30 Steps Program to Financial Independence.” Yesterday, we discussed how to prioritize your spending. The idea is to allocate a larger portion of your income to things that are important to you and cut back on secondary or unnecessary expenses. For instance, my priorities include traveling,…
According to Airbnb, the average earnings for people renting out rooms in New York City is around $21,000 a year. That’s a significant amount of extra income for about 10,000 hosts! Imagine what you could do with an additional $21,000 each year. It sounds great, right? But what would you be willing to give up…
Can you believe I made $140 from two old, beat-up bikes that were just sitting in my mum’s storage last week? It took some elbow grease to fix them up, though. One bike had a broken brake, and the other needed a few minor repairs. Honestly, I wasn’t sure anyone would want to buy them….
This post is part of a series called the 30 Steps Program to Financial Independence. **STEP 8: AUTOMATE YOUR FINANCES** To achieve financial independence, you’ll need significant savings and smart investments to generate passive income over the years. However, saving has to be consistent and regular. You can’t save $20 at the end of the…
I’ve lived in several apartments over the past three years, including one in Casablanca, Morocco, and another in Antigua Guatemala, a charming colonial town that’s a UNESCO Heritage Site. Both places were popular with tourists, so I decided to look into renting out my space to travelers and discovered Airbnb. This platform lets you list…
This post is part of a 30-day series called the 30 Steps Program to Financial Independence. When I could no longer tolerate my job, I began to seriously consider what I wanted to do next. I needed to find work that I loved and that would support the lifestyle of freedom and travel I desired….
I recently read J.D. Roth’s brilliant and touching article about his journey of self-transformation, starting from his days in primary school where he was bullied and labeled as a geek. Initially, he found happiness within his small group of geeky friends, but then he realized that there was a social hierarchy, and geeks were ranked…
Is it Worth Renting Out Your Extra Room? I grew up in a large family, where holidays meant sharing cramped spaces, with all the kids in a big dormitory and seldom showering. Later, I lived in on-campus housing and small apartments, often with two to seven roommates. Whenever I’ve lived alone, I’ve hosted couchsurfers or…