Let me tell you something I didn’t expect to feel in my 40s: panic when my car made a weird noise. I thought I’d be past that stage by now. You know—the one where you hear a rattle and immediately wonder if your entire month is about to collapse. But there I was, holding my…
Category: Financial Freedom
Starting Over at 40 (Again): Career Shifts, Side Hustles, and the Myth of Too Late
There’s something no one warns you about in your 40s: you might have to reinvent yourself again. Not in the cute “new hobby” way, but in the “my industry changed/I got laid off/I’m burned out/I need more money” kind of way. And when that moment comes, it doesn’t always feel empowering. It feels terrifying. I…
The Gamble I Didn’t Place: How His Addiction Cost Me More Than Money
I was twenty-two, living in Queens, working long hours at a publishing internship in Midtown that barely paid enough to cover my MetroCard. My boyfriend at the time—let’s call him M—lived in Brooklyn. He was charming, unpredictable, and always full of stories about hitting it big. I used to think he had a hustler’s spirit….
What I Stopped Buying to Get My Peace Back
I used to think cutting spending meant going full minimalist. Like, I had to suddenly live in a capsule wardrobe, make my own almond milk, and never set foot in Target again. But every time I tried an all-or-nothing approach, I ended up swinging back hard in the other direction—usually with a cart full of…
Budgeting with Baggage: How I Finally Made a Spending Plan I Could Stick To
I’ve had more budgeting apps on my phone than dating apps. And just like the guys who say they’re “emotionally available,” every budget looked great on paper—until life got messy. I used to think I just wasn’t a “budget person.” I’d try one of those strict templates where you’re supposed to spend 30% on this,…