Cash Payments, Financial Independence, Gratitude, Investing, Life and Money, Life in Japan, Money, Personal Development, Personal finance in Japan, Saving Money, Spending Money

Bonus

Yes, you read that right. My husband handed me a small slip of paper the other day and said he was getting a bonus. Oh, right. It’s December. Some workers in Japan, if you’re lucky enough to be working for an organization that does it, get a summer and winter bonus. Hubby is one of those lucky people. I am not. Sigh. So I look … Continue reading Bonus

RochelleDecember 10, 2020Leave a comment

Emergencies, Failure, Life in Japan

The Third Wave

And in a disappointing, but not unexpected twist of events, the Go-To Travel campaign instituted by the Japanese government has come to a stop–at least in Sapporo anyway. The campaign was meant to stimulate the economy in Japan after these hard few months of asking people to stay home and make sacrifices. I get it. It was hard not to travel during the summer months. … Continue reading The Third Wave

RochelleDecember 1, 2020Leave a comment

Business Dealings in Japanese, Disaster Preparedness, Insurance, Life in Japan, Personal finance in Japan

Our Insurance Lady

“How much do you weigh?” the insurance lady asks me. I give her a number in kilograms. She waves the number away and proceeds to give me advice on how I can approach this application with the best way to lower my monthly rates. If you do X, your rates will increase next year. If you do what I tell you instead (Y), then you … Continue reading Our Insurance Lady

RochelleNovember 17, 2020Leave a comment

Failure, Financial Independence, Life in Japan, Personal Development, Work-Life Balance

Fall: Rebirth and Renewal

Oh, the irony. After my last post about being consistent at writing, I drop off from publishing on a regular schedule and miss basically a month of blogging. Sigh. But such is life. The good thing is that things are cyclical and what I love about fall the most is the feeling of rebirth that it gives me. This is my favorite season because it … Continue reading Fall: Rebirth and Renewal

RochelleOctober 28, 2020Leave a comment

Learning New Things, Life in Japan, Personal Development, Productivity, Retirement, The Psychology of Money, Time vs. Money, Uncategorized, Work-Life Balance

Feels Like FIRE

58 Days. I haven’t been working for 58 days, which is about two months. I still can’t get over that. In a way, it really feels like I’m living the financially independent lifestyle. I get up and do whatever I want. I can choose to read or write a blog. If I want to go for a run, I lace up my sneakers and zip … Continue reading Feels Like FIRE

RochelleApril 29, 2020May 6, 2020Leave a comment

Careers, Life and Money, Life in Japan, Personal finance in Japan, The Psychology of Money, Women and Money

Celebrating Women’s Month

March is women’s month and I am making it known to hubby as often as I can. Just kidding. But in light of what’s been going on around the world, I wanted to celebrate all the awesome and empowered women in my life and also hope that others do so. This is just a commentary on what I’ve observed here in Japan, but there has … Continue reading Celebrating Women’s Month

RochelleMarch 18, 2020May 7, 2020Leave a comment

Financial Independence, Life and Money, Life in Japan, Personal Development, Personal finance in Japan, The Psychology of Money, Time vs. Money, Work-Life Balance

A Moment of Silence

March 11, 2020. Today is the anniversary of the Great Tohoku Earthquake that claimed the lives of thousands of Japanese people. Events had been planned to remember the lives lost this day, but they’ve been canceled due to the coronavirus. Instead, we’re asked to observe a moment of silence. It’s very sad, but unfortunately, that’s how life is. Still, that moment of silence is all … Continue reading A Moment of Silence

RochelleMarch 11, 2020May 7, 2020Leave a comment

Disaster Preparedness, Emergencies, Life and Money, Life in Japan, Personal finance in Japan, The Psychology of Money, Work, Work-Life Balance

More Coronavirus Woes: Lessons I’m Learning

I’m struggling to keep balance. Things are happening at a rate that I can’t keep up. But I’m attempting to keep a level head with all the panic happening around me. The best way to do this is to list what I can learn from this experience: Having multiple sources of income is important I’ve lost two weeks of work. On Friday, around 6pm the … Continue reading More Coronavirus Woes: Lessons I’m Learning

RochelleMarch 5, 2020May 7, 2020Leave a comment

Emergencies, Life and Money, Life in Japan, Productivity, Risk, The Psychology of Money, Time vs. Money, Work-Life Balance

Coronavirus

Okay, I’m jumping on the bandwagon. It’s just inescapable. I’m inundated everyday on the news about the coronavirus and its spread all over Japan. Everyday, new cases are reported. The worrying thing is that it’s affecting even those who had no direct contact with people from China’s Wuhan province. There’s a lack of masks in Japan and all around the world. People are stocking up … Continue reading Coronavirus

RochelleFebruary 19, 2020May 7, 2020Leave a comment