Weāre wrapping up our first week of our one month stay in Italy and my parents leave tomorrow.
Progress on making over our Puglia home has been slow, but with three sets of hands and a solid week of work, weāve achieved quite a lotāpainting two rooms (well, one bedroom and one corridor), hanging curtains (how does that make such a difference?), and upcycling the furniture left by the previous owners while we wait to make more permanent changes and larger purchases down the line.
Thereās still so much to do and Iām trying really hard not to get overwhelmed.
But now the ball is rolling and Iām in my painting/DIY-era, so letās do this!
Have the best weekend ever,
-Tess
Money:
Ready to analyze the shit out of your debt reduction journey? Iām not here to gatekeepā¦ you gotta know that my all-time favorite tool for helping my money coaching clients with their debt is actually one that is completely free for anyone to access and use! Itās the Vertex42 Debt Reduction Calculator. I pay for the professional license to work it into my advisory services, but if youāre not ready to go all-in with me to fix those money problems, you can still access this awesome and effective tool on your ownā¦. and you should!
Offline:
I wouldnāt call myself a āchronically onlineā personā¦ I donāt ever go on TikTok (because when I do, three hours disappear in a blink of an eye), I stay off all social media on Saturdays and Sundays (feels goodā¦ rebellious even), and Iām not so tapped-in to the memes and trends (thanks to my lack of TikTok use).
But I would probably call myself a āchronically tuned-inā personā¦ meaning, Iām almost always listening to a podcast. Driving in the car? Podcast. Walking to the Train? Podcast. Cooking dinner? Podcast. Working out? ā¦Music? Nahhh, put on a Podcast!
Clearly, listening is my favorite way to consume content - allows me to maintain productivity but not feel soā¦ alone? IDK. Anyway, lately itās started to feel like a problem. Like, ācan I not be alone with my thoughts for 2 seconds?ā kind of problem.
But over the last week, since my parents have been visiting and weāve been working away on house work while consistently being interrupted by a delightful toddler, I havenāt listened to one podcast. And itās felt like a fresh reset.
Donāt get me wrong, I feel a bit out of the political news loop, and Iām simply lucky that my pop culture and reality tv podcasts are on a bit of a summer hiatus, but giving my brain some time to relax and not process anything has reminded me that silence is oftentimes the best thing to tune-in to.
Ironically, Iām apparently late to this TikTok trend as well.
Reading:
If there was one personal finance book I could insist my clients read, it would have to be this oneā¦ Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. It takes a more wholistic approach to thinking about your income, your spending, and what really matters (likely neither when placed in the context of your entire life). Opposed to other personal finance reads which come filled with shame around spending and debt, this one helps you see your spending decisions from a completely different perspective. Fair warning: this book might have you thinking about early retirementā¦ but certainly doesnāt have to! (Itās one of the top books for those participating in the FIRE movement.)
Enjoying:
I just finished Season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty and right when I thought my opportunity to dive into another young love TV series was over for the summer my friend (you know, the one you go to for all the streaming recommendations) texted me with a new suggestion, Maxton Hall on Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer, below.
Work With Me:
Earning over $100k but still feeling financially trapped? I work 1:1 with clients to organize their cash flow, optimize their savings, pay off debt, and still be able to live a little. Stop feeling shitty about your money - letās see if I can help with that.