Category: Spending Money

Emergencies, Financial Independence, Gratitude, Learning New Things, Life and Money, Life in Japan, Personal finance in Japan, Spending Money, The Psychology of Money

Flexibility

What constitutes an emergency, I wonder? Right now, I’m on a plane bound for Tokyo, but this was not the original flight I booked. My flight was scheduled to leave at 10:10 am with Jetstar Japan. However, due to mechanical problems, the flight was originally delayed. On further questioning, the ground staff said that at that point, it was difficult for the people in charge … Continue reading Flexibility

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Cash Payments, Gratitude, Learning New Things, Life and Money, Personal Finance, Personal finance in Japan, Spending Money, The Psychology of Money

Arigatou Your Money

I was listening to the Stacking Benjamins and the Afford Anything podcasts last week and they both had Ken Honda on the show. Ken Honda is known as the Mari Kondo of personal finances in Japan. He is one of those people who is financially independent but still works because he loves what he does. I’d never heard of him before–and I live in Japan. … Continue reading Arigatou Your Money

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Life and Money, Money, money mistakes, Products, Spending Money, The Psychology of Money

My Addiction to iPhones

This is going to be a very cringe-y first-world type of post, but I am hoping to come away from writing this with some kind of lesson in money management or life in general. Last month, I dropped my phone in the toilet–after I had just peed. I quickly grabbed it out of the toilet bowl, dried it off with some paper towels, and wiped … Continue reading My Addiction to iPhones

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Investing, Life and Money, Personal Finance, Real Estate Investing, Risk, Spending Money

Money in Bank Accounts

This week is the last week of September, which means three more months left to finish the goals I wanted to accomplish for the year. When I started early on in January, I knew I didn’t want to fill my plate with too many unnecessary projects. I deliberately chose the goals that I thought I could easily accomplish in a year. The biggest goal was … Continue reading Money in Bank Accounts

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Business Dealings in Japanese, Investing, Learning New Things, Real Estate Investing, Risk, Spending Money

Moving the Needle

In the previous post, I talked about taking a big step toward financial independence by buying property. It took me years to actually build up the courage to jump on this idea. I have the capital already, it took me a while to become comfortable with spending all my hard-earned savings in one big move. Today, I took the first step by signing a contract … Continue reading Moving the Needle

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Installment Payments, Life and Money, Spending Money

Recurring Payments

Ugh. I am chagrined to say that we have been suckered into committing into recurring payments. After the last blog post boasting about not wanting to get involved with installment payments, my husband went out and got himself an iPhone 8. Karma? Yeah, it likes to bite you in the ass. Alright, I didn’t buy the phone, but hubby did and it was a lot of money. My … Continue reading Recurring Payments

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Credit Cards, Debt, FICO Scores, Installment Payments, Spending Money

Credit Cards and FICO Scores

The other day, I got an email from CreditKarma, which is a website that monitors your credit score and credit activity. I live in Japan, so I really have no use for it, but I’ve always prided myself on my excellent score. I may not be good at handling my money, but the one thing I did right was using my credit card wisely. I … Continue reading Credit Cards and FICO Scores

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Cash Payments, Life and Money, Personal Finance, Spending Money, The Psychology of Money

Show Me the Money

Yesterday, I went to the drugstore to pick up a few items. When I went to pay for my purchases, I ended up with a total of ¥1,014. I took out a ¥1000 bill and searched for change for the rest of the total. I came up with the ¥4–but even after spending a minute to look every where, I still couldn’t find that ¥10 … Continue reading Show Me the Money

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Life and Money, Life in Japan, Life in the US, Saving, Spending Money

US vs. Japan Life

In June, I went on vacation and went back to the US for a visit. I had the opportunity to go back home for ten days. My nephew was graduating high school and it was one of those milestones that the whole family celebrated. I wanted to witness him finishing high school surrounded by family and friends. Though it was a short visit, I couldn’t … Continue reading US vs. Japan Life

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Cash Payments, Financial Independence, Life and Money, Life in the US, Personal Finance, Spending Money

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems

I was talking to my mom and sister the other day through FaceTime. As we were chatting, my nephew came into view and suddenly said, “Mom, I need money to pay for my yearbook.” “Alright,” my sister replied. “When do you need it?” “Tomorrow.” She, naturally, flew into a rage. “I told you to tell me these things earlier because I have no money right … Continue reading Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems

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