Browsing tag: blogging

I had originally hoped to buy a house one or two suburbs over, ever so slightly closer to the city (it was a bit of a long shot, to be honest).

I’m glad I didn’t. It worked out for the best.

I love that there are so many great places to run and walk with the pup (and a dog park around the corner). Two major cycleways/walking paths, one that passes horses and vineyards. A short bush/forest trail, even.

I love that we are close to crazy cheap supermarkets and grocers, and down the road from an amazing bakery.

And I love the fact that I can actually get a seat on the train (because it fills up FAST along this line).

I live nearly equidistant from two train stations – they’re about 20 minutes walk from home, though one is slightly closer and can be easily done in 15 at a brisk pace. The train station is just a couple of minutes from my office at the city end. And the train is just so darn civilised – it’s smooth, great for people watching and occasionally there’s wifi.

There is a bus stop practically on my doorstep but it’s slightly more expensive and less frequent. Plus, traffic.  Ugh. There lots of roadworks on nearby so it takes forever to get to the motorway (but at least once on the motorway it’s fine, plus the sea views and the horses near the onramp are easy on the eye). It is a longer walk at the city end to my office (10-15 minutes) but slightly less walking overall still, and it’s more sheltered if it’s raining.

This week’s links

Luck matters – more than you might think

The biggest wastes of time we regret

Every dream starts with this

Simple pleasures

Why we read

Succumbing to lifestyle inflation

A better approach to networking

Convincing a partner to get a better job

And a succinct but bang-on summary of the Auckland housing market

There’s quite a few things I need to furnish my house, but it will be a slow process as I’m on a tight budget.

As with clothing, my preference is to buy second hand and get better quality.

I find myself walking a fine line, though. Obviously, I want pieces that are solid and in good shape, that look presentable. Not necessarily pristine – after all they’re going to take a battering in my household! But I don’t want items that have already sustained actual injuries in the line of war, like rips and tears.

This week’s links

PSA: fill up your own cup first

The funnel of financial privilege

What money is really for

Income as power

A millennial and baby boomer trade places

What travel does for (and to) you

When you find yourself surprised by what you want out of life

A life without writing

The comments on this post are really quite excellent

That is all.

(I also: Packed a bag and went to stay with my parents. Then had to move all of my stuff out for real, into storage, because our flat broke up when our head flatmate/tenant/leaseholder decided to leave. Delivered a massive project at work that has been in progress since I started there. Ran an 8.4km race without training for it. Let’s just say been a manic few months.)

This week’s links

On tough choices, blind spots, and the men in our lives

Powerful women and the men who love them

Life gets shitty, so save your money

The secret to being happy at work

The everloving quest to control our lives

How to make difficult decisions

What your dreams are telling you about your life

How to choose a career path

Fighting to save a marriage

How to make time for friends when your schedule is tight

Money lessons for our daughters

So many good reads this week, as you can see, but this was one of my favourites – the author of the Fuck Off Fund piece is back, this time talking Suck It Skills:

“Here’s how I finally got more money and more power: I found something more valuable to give in return.

Money is a kind of power: the power to pay your bills, the power to move around at will, the power to feed oneself. And power — political power, authority, money — costs something to gain.”

So far, Project Me First (2016) is going well.

I find it fascinating – from a dispassionate, observational perspective – to see the effects of stress ebb and flow, manifesting physically. Eczema, fatigue, the crimson tide … they’re a surprisingly reliable barometer. (I’d also bet my blood pressure has been on a wild rollercoaster, not unlike the stock markets.)

This week’s links

Control and codependency – on struggle in relationships

You can’t read/watch/do everything

Lies my anxiety told me

You’re an impostor but so am I

Beating the employment blues

Taking a sabbatical – the best call ever

Kesha and feminism

Luck vs smarts

The price of politeness

Questions to ask before changing careers

Living off the grid

Travelling while married

I still don’t get contouring…

What’s your price?

It’s been far, far too long since I wrote about food. It may be some time longer, but for now i must share a few new finds:

Kampung Style, Glen Eden – good homey Malaysian food, up on the train station platform

Divino, Parnell – a humble cafe/restaurant with surprisingly great Italian dishes (thanks to the blog commenter who recommended it!)

Baduzzi, Wynyard Quarter – crayfish meatballs – that is all.

This week’s links

The Toast’s Mallory Ortberg talks about money!

How to actually wear everything in your closet

Planning your career for babies

When you don’t want to stay home with kids

Do good work and the money will come – if you have enough followers

The one thing ruining your relationship

Freedom from frugality

Life is short, etc

And a few highlights from this great Dear Artist linkup:

Vocation =/= exploitation

It’s not the struggle that’s interesting

Creativity is your greatest asset

I may be the only person in Auckland enjoying this current heat wave. (Yeah, 30 degrees is scorching for us.) This weather was made for:

• beach trips (except to Mission Bay, since the sand is annoyingly shelly and I spotted a condom in the water last time I was there. WEST IS BEST)
• homemade punch (sheer deliciousness, and sneaky fruit intake is a bonus)
• movies (I have greatly enjoyed The Big Short, The Good Dinosaur and The Force Awakens)
• fun, frothy books (latest: Walking on Trampolines and Out to Lunch)

This week’s links

Everything is fine

Our worst gigs ever

Career off-roading

I’m a disgusting sleeper

Will I ever feel financially secure?

When we’re not on the same page about money

Career conversations we should be having

Money and happiness

Be more successful: stop believing things are permanent

The post I wish I’d read about earning more

If there’s one good thing to be said about angst, it provides excellent creative fodder. To everyone who’s commented, tweeted, emailed recently – I shouldn’t be surprised when these things resonate. Nobody is special. Pretty much everything in the human experience is universal, and someone’s been there, done that.

This week’s links

It’s been an emotional week around the world. But as Prudence says, let sadness be turned to love, fear to peace, paralysis to purpose.

Zen and your finances

Myers-Briggs personality types in the personal finance blogosphere

A daughter’s tribute

What are your weird frugal habits?

A healthy way to aspire to a better life

You have enough

 

This post is brought to you by Budget cheap car rental Auckland

That girl with the weird name, Essena O’Neill, has been blowing up the internet, ripping the lid off life as an Instagram celeb. Normally I’d be part of the cynical backlash, but right now, her original point is resonating so hard with me.

It’s really embarrassing to admit, but there’s this girl I know through mutual friends. She’s younger, hotter and a makeup artist to boot, and constantly posts amazing selfies. We aren’t Facebook friends, but every so often I look her up, stalk her profile and come away feeling terrible about myself every single time. Call it self-flagellation. And while I rarely click into the Discover tab on Instagram, when I do it’s always filled with girls showing off their perfect bodies – clearly these aren’t straight up photos, but they just feel so much more real than, say models in magazines. And I’m 27 freaking years old. I’m so glad this stuff wasn’t around when I was a teen.

Social media is awesome, but it definitely goes two ways.

More links

The dream of disposable income

Gratitude in the face of failure

What are you REALLY good at?

Being a feminist earning less than her partner (the polar opposite of my problem) or stuck in a gendered marriage

Literally. I’m a magnet for insects. It’s been a week since we were in the Coromandel and only now has the swelling and itching dissipated!

This week’s links

There are two ways you can squeeze your budget 

The life you want – no matter it looks like – costs money 

On not giving up, even when times are tough and stressful

The six pillars of mental stability

The underrated art of coping

Would you go back to a former employer?

The three types of interview questions 

Rebuttals to the relentlessly chirpy sex-positive movement, take one and take two