The UK financial year is so confusing! Making it even more confusing, big businesses here often run their finances according to calendar years, so Q1-4 etc are as you might expect. I’m going back to uni this September, so I’m having to hold the academic year, tax year, and calendar year in my head for all the various financial and task planning I’m doing.
This past month I bought / read / listened to free (or almost free, like $0.99 for example) e-books / audio books from Amazon for my kindle. Note that I personally don't wish to use the Kindle Unlimited service for my free books because then you are committed to a regular monthly subscription cost charged to your credit card.
That said, you may still wish to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited so as to be able to get a specific number of free monthly purchases with a subscription cost. Also note that with a Kindle Unlimited subscription you are then able to access practically anything for free without having to search for "free e-books or audio books". Here is what Google says about using Kindle Unlimited:
"Kindle Unlimited is a way to borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines. There's no due date for books borrowed, so while you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read and hold onto up to 20 Kindle Unlimited titles at a time until you return them."
I log into amazon.ca (since I'm Canadian) and in the top Amazon search bar I enter "free ebooks on kindle" or "free audio books on kindle". Of course one can refine the search criteria even further by adding a word such as "romance", "financial", etc to the end of the search criteria that you type. Easy peasy and mostly costs me nothing.
So for folks from the US you would log in to amazon.com and for folks from the UK you would log in to amazon.co.uk
First! I renewed my passport last week. It was one of the things on my list for Q1. It was the first time I made an appointment and was in and out in under 15 mins. The picture is horrid, but what good is a passport without the worst photo?!
"The Last Dance" is one of my favourite documentaries ever! It's so nostalgic. I have this habit of anytime I watch a particular documentary, I think I can be that person... The Last Dance- I'm the GOAT. Beckham- I'm a soccer superstar. The Beyoncé concert movie- I am Beyoncé... I can't explain it better than that. I get INCREDIBLY inspired.
On Saturday I went to see "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical". It was amazing. I am reading her memoir as well. I am also reading "The Devil's Teeth" by Susan Casey. She is a Canadian journalist, and the story essentially follows her obsession with Great White Sharks. It is my best friends favourite book so I decided to read it.
I've also been spending a lot of time at the cinema in January. I really loved "The Iron Claw". I CAN'T WAIT to see "All of Us Strangers". I LOVE Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
Lastly, I turned 36 on the 21st. It felt like a big deal... not sure in what way yet.
I'm glad you're beyond the illness and back to trekking!
I understand the search for hiking boots struggle, though! I went through that late last year. I went with Altra Lone Peak. After trying many others, these just felt so natural. I hate high-top hiking boots and NEED room for my toes. They make a high-top version of the Lone Peak also. I hope you find something you love soon!
When I was an exchange student at the University of Guelph back in 2000-2001, I actually won a copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. One of our profs decided to add prizes to an assignment and I think my group came in second. I read it. And mostly forgot about it. 🤷♀️
I spent the month consuming a lot of YouTube videos. I've fallen down a rabbit hole of video game resellers. Its actually an interesting market to learn about especially since I've recently gotten into gaming on the Nintendo Switch. I've also started using a new online planner called Notion and find that its nice to finally have a digital planner that is so versatile. I didn't make any big purchases this month. But looking back I did make a lot of little purchases. the little purchases ended up being more money than I had intended or realized I was spending because it was all "little things". I think knowing that I'm going to go into next month with a more conscious eye on what I am purchasing. I'm going to use a 48 hour rule before purchasing any non-necessities.
I love your rename/reframe, especially since you've talked about how you want to increase your income. So having "less" in a title doesn't work at this juncture - it's about inviting and calling in "more." Do you follow fellow Substacker Catherine Andrews of The Sunday Soother? https://substack.com/@thesundaysoother She's sharing content on inviting in more wealth, along with simplifying life. I've appreciated her writing about the nervous system. Thanks, as always, for sharing your words and wisdom!
I can highly recommend the boots below. So comfy and waterproof. Annoying Leah they are currently almost half price. Tempted to buy a second pair but as I have had mine for over 4 years with still no sign of wear. Doesn’t really fit with the idea of trying to reduce items. Your thoughts? Should I buy a second pair to store🤷♀️
Overall, I spent a small one-time fortune on a puppy and all the things he needs. None of these things will need to be repurchased. I chose a tiny breed and had a vet nutritionist create a rotating homemade meal plan that uses the same food we eat. He eats about 4 oz of food a day so his meal costs are very low.
THE PURSE!!! I just went down a landmine reading one post only so far because I'm at work. Thanks for sharing that - the one you suggested reading. I mean I am afraid I will read everything she has written as well! I was subscribed and still am, I guess, to quite a few financial blogs. But I don't read email on my downtime as much because I have so much marketing email and as a low earner who spends five days a week, eight hours a day in front of a computer, no thanks to my free time going through these marketing messages. But I love THE PURSE! Thanks so much! And I always open up your emails. Yours is another favorite of mine!
Omg, I loved The Last Dance! My husband and I watched it last year and it was so good! The 90’s basketball era was the best, such a great time to be a fan for sure! 😊
My consumption was much different this month than anticipated. My birthday is a hard day (Cait, I loved your essay about hard days last year, it made me feel not so alone in the grief of specific days) and I fed the sadness with the second season of Firefly Lane (I loved this series, but do not recommend watching it while you’re already upset!). Needing to lighten the rest of the month I read romance novels. None of them stood out, but they were the balm I needed.
If you liked the Michael Jordan documentary, you might also like Air (feature film about Nike and Michael Jordan).
Personally I’m going to wait to renew my Canadian Passport until they finish the online renewal application. They were supposed to have it available last fall but unfortunately they’re behind. I emailed them and they said they’re working on it.
I love this content Cait! I first discovered your work through your podcast with Carrie and I'm so excited to see you make this pivot/ return into the financial space, particularly with a focus on mindful consumption. Can't wait for the next instalment xx
My meaningful purchase in January was a Le Creuset Soup pot Valentine Edition. It is way too expensive and way too cute! haha I have always wanted a Le Creuset and I am in love with it plus I am making lots of meaningful, intentionally healthy soups! I am still working towards getting my dog's YouTube channel monetized but focusing on enjoying the process of videoing him and his cuteness and not on the money. I don't want to ever be money-driven. I am 61 and if I wasn't money driven before then being retired certainly is not the time now to be! I loved this post of yours.
The UK financial year is so confusing! Making it even more confusing, big businesses here often run their finances according to calendar years, so Q1-4 etc are as you might expect. I’m going back to uni this September, so I’m having to hold the academic year, tax year, and calendar year in my head for all the various financial and task planning I’m doing.
Hi Cait,
This past month I bought / read / listened to free (or almost free, like $0.99 for example) e-books / audio books from Amazon for my kindle. Note that I personally don't wish to use the Kindle Unlimited service for my free books because then you are committed to a regular monthly subscription cost charged to your credit card.
That said, you may still wish to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited so as to be able to get a specific number of free monthly purchases with a subscription cost. Also note that with a Kindle Unlimited subscription you are then able to access practically anything for free without having to search for "free e-books or audio books". Here is what Google says about using Kindle Unlimited:
"Kindle Unlimited is a way to borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines. There's no due date for books borrowed, so while you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read and hold onto up to 20 Kindle Unlimited titles at a time until you return them."
I log into amazon.ca (since I'm Canadian) and in the top Amazon search bar I enter "free ebooks on kindle" or "free audio books on kindle". Of course one can refine the search criteria even further by adding a word such as "romance", "financial", etc to the end of the search criteria that you type. Easy peasy and mostly costs me nothing.
So for folks from the US you would log in to amazon.com and for folks from the UK you would log in to amazon.co.uk
Omggggg. I love this segment!
First! I renewed my passport last week. It was one of the things on my list for Q1. It was the first time I made an appointment and was in and out in under 15 mins. The picture is horrid, but what good is a passport without the worst photo?!
"The Last Dance" is one of my favourite documentaries ever! It's so nostalgic. I have this habit of anytime I watch a particular documentary, I think I can be that person... The Last Dance- I'm the GOAT. Beckham- I'm a soccer superstar. The Beyoncé concert movie- I am Beyoncé... I can't explain it better than that. I get INCREDIBLY inspired.
On Saturday I went to see "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical". It was amazing. I am reading her memoir as well. I am also reading "The Devil's Teeth" by Susan Casey. She is a Canadian journalist, and the story essentially follows her obsession with Great White Sharks. It is my best friends favourite book so I decided to read it.
I've also been spending a lot of time at the cinema in January. I really loved "The Iron Claw". I CAN'T WAIT to see "All of Us Strangers". I LOVE Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
Lastly, I turned 36 on the 21st. It felt like a big deal... not sure in what way yet.
Have a wonderful week, friend!!! 🩷🩷🩷
I'm glad you're beyond the illness and back to trekking!
I understand the search for hiking boots struggle, though! I went through that late last year. I went with Altra Lone Peak. After trying many others, these just felt so natural. I hate high-top hiking boots and NEED room for my toes. They make a high-top version of the Lone Peak also. I hope you find something you love soon!
When I was an exchange student at the University of Guelph back in 2000-2001, I actually won a copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. One of our profs decided to add prizes to an assignment and I think my group came in second. I read it. And mostly forgot about it. 🤷♀️
I spent the month consuming a lot of YouTube videos. I've fallen down a rabbit hole of video game resellers. Its actually an interesting market to learn about especially since I've recently gotten into gaming on the Nintendo Switch. I've also started using a new online planner called Notion and find that its nice to finally have a digital planner that is so versatile. I didn't make any big purchases this month. But looking back I did make a lot of little purchases. the little purchases ended up being more money than I had intended or realized I was spending because it was all "little things". I think knowing that I'm going to go into next month with a more conscious eye on what I am purchasing. I'm going to use a 48 hour rule before purchasing any non-necessities.
I love your rename/reframe, especially since you've talked about how you want to increase your income. So having "less" in a title doesn't work at this juncture - it's about inviting and calling in "more." Do you follow fellow Substacker Catherine Andrews of The Sunday Soother? https://substack.com/@thesundaysoother She's sharing content on inviting in more wealth, along with simplifying life. I've appreciated her writing about the nervous system. Thanks, as always, for sharing your words and wisdom!
I can highly recommend the boots below. So comfy and waterproof. Annoying Leah they are currently almost half price. Tempted to buy a second pair but as I have had mine for over 4 years with still no sign of wear. Doesn’t really fit with the idea of trying to reduce items. Your thoughts? Should I buy a second pair to store🤷♀️
January
Overall, I spent a small one-time fortune on a puppy and all the things he needs. None of these things will need to be repurchased. I chose a tiny breed and had a vet nutritionist create a rotating homemade meal plan that uses the same food we eat. He eats about 4 oz of food a day so his meal costs are very low.
THE PURSE!!! I just went down a landmine reading one post only so far because I'm at work. Thanks for sharing that - the one you suggested reading. I mean I am afraid I will read everything she has written as well! I was subscribed and still am, I guess, to quite a few financial blogs. But I don't read email on my downtime as much because I have so much marketing email and as a low earner who spends five days a week, eight hours a day in front of a computer, no thanks to my free time going through these marketing messages. But I love THE PURSE! Thanks so much! And I always open up your emails. Yours is another favorite of mine!
Consumed
Old episodes of MASH
Hot Apple Cider
Fresh greens from a local farm who has a greenhouse (what a treat in central Canada)
Cold crisp morning walks
Omg, I loved The Last Dance! My husband and I watched it last year and it was so good! The 90’s basketball era was the best, such a great time to be a fan for sure! 😊
My consumption was much different this month than anticipated. My birthday is a hard day (Cait, I loved your essay about hard days last year, it made me feel not so alone in the grief of specific days) and I fed the sadness with the second season of Firefly Lane (I loved this series, but do not recommend watching it while you’re already upset!). Needing to lighten the rest of the month I read romance novels. None of them stood out, but they were the balm I needed.
If you liked the Michael Jordan documentary, you might also like Air (feature film about Nike and Michael Jordan).
Personally I’m going to wait to renew my Canadian Passport until they finish the online renewal application. They were supposed to have it available last fall but unfortunately they’re behind. I emailed them and they said they’re working on it.
I love this content Cait! I first discovered your work through your podcast with Carrie and I'm so excited to see you make this pivot/ return into the financial space, particularly with a focus on mindful consumption. Can't wait for the next instalment xx
My meaningful purchase in January was a Le Creuset Soup pot Valentine Edition. It is way too expensive and way too cute! haha I have always wanted a Le Creuset and I am in love with it plus I am making lots of meaningful, intentionally healthy soups! I am still working towards getting my dog's YouTube channel monetized but focusing on enjoying the process of videoing him and his cuteness and not on the money. I don't want to ever be money-driven. I am 61 and if I wasn't money driven before then being retired certainly is not the time now to be! I loved this post of yours.