Money Diary #66

Morning: Up a little before 7, and see that Dad has texted me to reach out when I wake up. I text him back, get up, and brush my teeth. Walk around for a while and send an email to a colleague on some questions regarding the longer work project. Air fry bacon and drink cold-pressed orange juice for breakfast. I have a 9 am Zoom meeting, so I get camera ready for that. It goes for a little over an hour, and during the meeting, another project comes in. I finish that project, send it off, and continue listening in on the meeting. After it ends, review the long work project and jot down some notes to discuss with my manager. Since I'm done with meetings for the day, I migrate to the sofa. A few emails come in, and I keep an eye out on my inbox.

Afternoon: Air fry chicken tenders for lunch and drink it with a glass of Coke. Eat tres leches for dessert. Walk around for a bit, do a coconut oil pull & put on some cleanser. Respond to a few emails that come in, watch my inbox, and go shower. Read for a while, and here is what I learn:

• Find "follower" positions: "As I get more senior, I feel like I don't know how to do a damned thing. I was a strong junior, got great reviews, and felt like I was an excellent 'follower.' But this transition to leading projects and making decisions has made me feel clueless. I am close to panicking that I can't keep up this charade much longer."

• What is enough: "You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough."

• The problem with frugal personalities: "The same traits that allow them/us to save prevent them/us from purchasing 'splurge' items because they/we get stuck in the past where $4,000 represented a rather significant chunk of their/our net worth."

• "The corporate culture was empowering": "My positive experience there helped me create my own brand. Listening to its customers, creating unique & memorable experiences, valuing community & interesting content -- those are what made the company a phenomenon, and not just another company."

• Everything is learnable: "She never treated ignorance as an obstacle. It was like everything was doable and everything was learnable and nothing was too hard to do. She made it look, not easy, but she made it look really achievable."

• "There are benefits to staying in your lane": "But she, unlike others, didn't throw in the towel simply because others had come along to steal her thunder. She simply, and by necessity, pivoted towards cult status, which at least came with the safety belt of a loyal fanbase that still sustains her today."

• When 1 week spend = 2 weeks of pay: "My monthly savings are negative, so I must make a decent year-end bonus."

• The ultimate question: "At a certain point (unless you want to buy a 50 foot yacht), is there much of a difference between making $500k and $1.5 million? And is it worth the time and the stress of the higher paying job?"

• "The expensive part is not the money. It is the time": "If someone tells you that he cannot spend 20 to 40 minutes per week to roast coffee now, where can the person find the time to read the manual and play with the $4,000 coffee roaster?"

• Something to think about: 

• "Consider that the stress of the situation is what contributes directly to poor decisions. It's easy to have a clear head when you've got a reliable place to live and money in the bank." 

• "Making ethical choices is expensive and can be a luxury."

• "It's much easier to do the right thing when you're not financially strapped."

Evening: A work project comes in during the early part of the evening, so I log back on, review it, and send it off. Dinner is cauliflower fried rice, cauliflower, egg curry, and ground turkey stir fry. Do a coconut oil pull, brush my teeth, and bed around 11.