Life Archives - Page 4 of 30 - Making Sense Of Cents

My Year In Review – Looking Back at 2018 and Looking Forward to 2019!

Last Updated: May 24, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 31 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Looking back on the previous year is always a lot of fun, and it’s interesting to see everything laid out in a one year period. I get to see what I did and didn’t do, reflect on everything, etc. So, I am happy to present my 2018 year in review.

2018 was a crazy year. But don’t worry, it was good crazy!

One of the biggest reasons for the chaos is that we made a major change in 2018 – we went from RVing to living on a sailboat.

That big change made for an amazing year.

Before that switch, we traveled to many new areas in the RV. We also climbed mountains, rode our bikes a TON, hosted several family vacations, then we sold the RV, bought a sailboat, and more.

On top of all of that, Wes traveled even more than I did – he logged over 5,000 nautical miles, sailed all over Europe, as well as sailed the Caribbean. [Read more…]

Setting 2023 Goals- Let’s make this year the best!

Last Updated: December 12, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 14 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Wow, can you believe that the year is almost over? This means you are probably thinking about setting goals and making a list of 2023 New Year’s resolutions.

The new year is always the perfect time for looking ahead and thinking about what is possible in the year ahead of you.

However, only about 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions each year. And, only 75% of those who are setting goals will follow through with them after the first week of the year.

It’s crazy that 25% of people will stop working towards their goals after just the first week!

So today, I’m going to help you learn how to reach your goals and become successful with them in the new year. Let’s make your New Year’s resolutions and goals a reality! [Read more…]

How To Simplify Your Life This Year

Last Updated: May 27, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 19 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Trying to manage your life, especially your financial life, can be difficult in today’s age. Between planning for retirement, paying bills, raising a family, etc. life can be exhausting.

But, one of the best ways to reach your financial goals and relieve some of your stress is by learning how to simplify your life.

Most of us live with a lot of clutter, mental and physical, and these are things like houses filled with too much stuff, spending problems, debt, being unsatisfied with your job, and more. When you are so focused on controlling the chaos and managing the clutter, it’s really difficult to spend time doing what you love.

Living simply is a little different for everyone, but in general, a simplified life means that you are getting rid of any extra mental and physical clutter that is preventing you from focusing on the things that really matter to you.

By starting to simplify your life, you can be in more control of your life, waste less of your valuable time, and be happier in the new year.

I’m not saying that you need to do everything on the list below. Instead, I want you to think about what YOU actually enjoy in life, and work towards getting rid of the things you dislike and those that are not as important to you.

Ask Me Anything

Last Updated: May 24, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 240 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Last year, I published my first Ask Me Anything here on Making Sense of Cents. That went super well, so I decided to make it more of a regular thing!

Ask Me Anything is literally that – you can ask me anything. If you’re struggling to figure out what to ask, here are a few of the topics you may want to know more about:

Personal finance
Blogging
My life
Travel
RVing
Sailing
Being location independent
Business
Making extra money
Questions about my dogs

And so on, and so on.

Seriously, ask me anything in the comments below, and I will take the time to answer every single one. Of course, please nothing inappropriate or creepy. I’ll let you be the judge of what is creepy, I guess, haha!

All right, go for it, ask away!

P.S. If you’re looking to see all of the comments and questions, make sure to hit “Older Comments” or “Newer Comments” below. The comments break apart in pages once there are over 50 comments.

When was the last time you did something that scared you?

Last Updated: May 24, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 33 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I’d be lying to you if I said that our new sailing adventure didn’t scare me.

We are currently around three months into our new boat life. We are very happy with our purchase and the huge life change that we have made.

We are excited for our future, all of the amazing places we will visit, and all of the learning experiences that we will get to have.

However, making this huge lifestyle change has been a little scary for me.

The first month of boat ownership was an interesting one. Before we bought our boat, we were constantly told that there are two best days in a boat owner’s life:

The day you buy you boat.
The day you sell it.

And, for a moment there, I thought that was right, haha!

4 Mindsets That Will Rob You Of Your Dream Life

Last Updated: May 24, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 37 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you your own worst enemy?

Recently, I read a discussion in which people were talking about the ways they hold themselves back and cause themselves to fail at their dreams.

This got me to thinking about all of the habits and mindsets we use, sometimes unconsciously, to hold ourselves back, and trust me, I’m even guilty of some of these.

This is something I’ve talked about extensively on Making Sense of Cents – how you are often your own worst enemy when it comes to reaching your dream life.

We all do have things that hold us back, and I don’t want to overlook or underestimate the difficulties people face on a daily basis.

But, today, I want to talk about a few ways people self-sabotage and may fail at reaching their potential, then robbing themselves of their dream life. [Read more…]

29 Money And Life Lessons I’ve Learned

Last Updated: May 24, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 28 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I always think it’s a good idea to reflect on any life and money lessons you’ve learned throughout the years. While it helps me see what mistakes I have made, it also reminds me that I’ve made good decisions too. Whether they have been good or bad, I’ve learned a lot of valuable life lessons.

I usually just let my birthday fly by, but I realized that my birthday would be a good time to think about the lessons I’ve learned and share them with you.

I published the first of these posts two years ago, 27 Money And Life Lessons I’ve Learned, and last year I added another for 28. That’s one lesson for every year, and now I can add one more lesson, which I plan on doing for each new year ahead of me.

I really think self-reflection is a good idea because we can learn so much from the past, both the good choices and the mistakes we’ve made.

And, I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve also made some great choices. I’ve learned a lot of valuable life and money lessons, and now I am happier than ever. [Read more…]