Why I am a finance blogger who writes about wellness and food.

As you have read some of my posts, you may have noticed that I cover a wide variety of concerns and interests that women in their 20’s and 30’s have. And yet I call myself a personal finance blogger? Well, we are going to look at why I am a finance blogger and how other non-financial areas of your life impact your finances. I believe that you need to be healthy and have your spending under control in order to really be able to focus on growing your finances. 

Who am I 

An accountant by trade, I have been passionate about helping people feel confident and in control of their financial life. So many people, especially women, are intimidated and overwhelmed by the amount of financial information out in the world and are missing out on opportunities to grow their wealth. 

They often don’t understand the terms used and are worried about doing something wrong that costs them money and this indecision results in inaction. People are just not dealing with their money, saving, investing, or planning for the future. 

This is where I come in. By getting to know people, their values, and future financial desires, I can help guide them towards the choices that make sense for them where they are at. I can give them a personal analysis of where they are at and a plan moving forward. 

Helping people understand and really OWN their finances are the moments I love! 

This is why I am a finance blogger now!

When I am not being a personal finance nerd, you can find me introverting at home, spending time with my friends around town, traveling when it is safe to do so, and often reading more about personal finance. 

Why personal finance is a passion for me

I blame my dad for this! He was passionate about teaching others about personal finance. As a middle school math teacher, he incorporated investing, saving, and compound growth lessons in his classroom curriculum. 

I was taught these same lessons, and we discussed more in-depth financial knowledge when I was in middle and high school. This in-depth knowledge about areas of personal finance, with some lessons backed up by real-world examples of real-life with my family, helped me to fully understand the foundation basics of living below your means and putting your money to work to grow for the future. 

So, blame my dad for why I am a finance blogger!

One of my favorite things about personal finance is just how personal it is. You can take two people who both want to save for retirement. But because of their unique situation of earning money, philosophies in spending and saving money, and desired retirement situations the path and advice for each of them is completely different. 

As I moved through college and into the real world as an Accountant, it was during the rise of many of the early personal finance blogs. I devoured the ideas shared in some of the OG’s like Get Rich Slowly, Mr. Money Mustache, Bogleheads Investing Forum, and The Simple Dollar (before it was sold and went to a junk site). 

Yes, I read finance blogs for fun on nights and weekends…. No mocking! 

Between my friends and clients, I began to see that few people really felt comfortable with their financial situations. Either they didn’t feel like they understood what they were doing, or they were so worried about making a mistake, they were not doing anything at all. 

I don’t have all of the answers for everyone. Each person’s goals, situations, and desired results are unique, but I love the challenge of putting the pieces together to find a plan that will work for each individual person.

What does wellness have to do with personal finance?

This is the part of personal finance that gets so interesting to me! Your overall wellness, both physical and mental, plays a huge role in affecting your finances. 

If you are struggling with your mental health, burnout, or life management then you will not have the energy to devote to learning about and managing your finances. 

If your physical health is poor, it will cost you a significant amount of energy to manage your physical health and a significant financial cost courtesy of the broken US health system (a topic for another day!). These costs may prevent you from saving much money when you are younger and it will take longer to grow and gain wealth. 

So by sharing topics that help you make positive wellness choices in your life, I hope you can have the energy capacity to actively manage your finances and reduce your spending on medical and other health-related costs. 

If you are struggling with your mental or physical health, then getting better should be your top priority in life for the moment. Don’t add the shame or guilt of feeling like you need to be a money master. Focus on your health and recovery first. 

This is why I am a finance blogger who writes about wellness topics. It takes more than financial knowledge to be financially healthy.

What do food and meal planning have to do with personal finance? 

The top 3 spending categories for most people are:

1. Housing 
2. Vehicle or transportation
3. Food (both groceries and eating out)

Housing and transportation expenses may be larger than food but are something that you set, and then it remains similar until you make a change. When you rent a place, that rent will stay the same for the length of the lease, and then you will either move or have a small increase. There is less frequent attention or decisions needed for these larger fixed expenses. 

Contrast that to food and you can be all over the place with spending. Eating out or getting delivery is going to cost you 3-4 times more than cooking something at home. 

If your food spending is out of control, then it will be very tough to have your overall finances under control. 

If you’re dining out and food budgets are high, it is easy to make frequent small choices to lower it. You are not stuck in a long-term lease, the changes can be immediate and drastic. 

I see so many people who are spending $500, $800, or more for a single person to eat each month. There are so many ways to cut that spending in half or more, while still eating really good food, going out with friends when it matters to you, and not spending hours in the kitchen each day. 

Once your food spending is under control, you can use the extra $200-$400 each month to pay down debt or grow retirement savings instead of “eating” that money each month. This budget item is easy to control and you can see quick results when you start making some changes! 

I will include some tips on saving money on your housing, transportation, and other living expense costs in the finance section, but those areas are not as frequent or as quick to see results as your food costs. 

This is why I am a finance blogger who writes about food and meal planning. This can be the make it or break it budget category for building future wealth.

Doesn’t self-care cost you money rather than save money? 

Yes, if you look at self-care in an isolated view it does cost you money that you could be saving, investing, or paying down debt. 

However, if you take a big picture view self-care can be a powerful tool to keep you physically and mentally well, give you a few “treats” so you don’t feel deprived cooking most meals at home, and overall give you the motivated energy to actively manage your finances. 

So by spending a little time and money each week on self-care you can keep yourself healthy, keep your energy up, and give yourself the capacity to be actively learning about and managing your finances. Check out my Self-care Sunday email if you want to find out how a self-care routine can keep you healthy and motivated!

What other areas of life affect my finances? 

Well, the answer is probably all of them. I have found if one area of your life is out of control, then that is where your attention is and your finances take a back seat. 

That is totally ok when you are in the moment! 

But if that happens over the long term, then your long-term financial wealth will be impacted. Life should be a balancing act of many different areas. Unfortunately, if your life is out of balance in one area, then the other areas of life will be neglected and ultimately suffer. 

My definition of “wellness” is pretty broad and the topics I write about on Wednesday can cover a lot of ground like work stuff, mental health, entertainment, books, podcasts, self-care, shopping, and more. 

Plus, this is my blog so I can write about anything l want! I will take any suggestions you have, just leave them in the comments below!

So if there is a topic that I think needs attention, I will try to fit it into one of the existing days or just start an Off-topic Tuesday occasional post!

What is the point of this post?

The purpose of this post is 2 fold. First, I had received some questions about how finance, wellness, and food all went together. I wanted to share why I am a finance blogger and my cohesive vision as to how this all comes together to help women in their 20’s and 30’s manage finances and life so they are not overwhelmed by this adulting thing that we all have to do. 

The daily tasks and burden of life should not be so overwhelming that it depletes your capacity to do the things that you love. 

Secondly, I wanted to let you know to keep an eye out for a few minor changes. In each of the wellness and food posts, there will be a specific section talking about how this topic directly affects your finances. I love talking about some of these non-financial topics, but I want to keep the focus on how these tips will help you better understand and grow your financial life. 

I am going to be releasing some financial worksheets and other classes and tools in the next few months to help you begin to learn more about your own personal financial situation and to feel more empowered in your knowledge. 

Keep an eye out for those and you can sign up for my email list to be the first to know about them!

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