I was raised to be the classical ‘good girl’ with good manners and a good education who would then go on to find a good husband, have kids and live happily ever after. My money education consisted in being told we didn’t have much, but when it was really needed the money would somehow, misteriously materialise. And as a young adult, I still lived believing in that ‘somehow’ – somehow I would be fine.
At the same time I watched my parents’ marriage fall apart when I was very young, followed by many years where everything was just tense and much was left unspoken.
This led me to develop a fierce sense of independence which still instills how I live my life.
Then I moved from continental Europe to London and fell in love with the place. Happy to have found my new home, I initially continued living with a ‘somehow it will work out’ mentality until life decided I need to get serious about my finances.
Our daughter was born 10 weeks premature. 4 weeks later, while she was still in an incubator in hospital, I was made redundant. I got a generous payout – but I was shocked to the core.
That is when I became serious about financial independence and soon after I started this blog. Now in my mid-40s I am still on this path and have learned to enjoy the journey rather than obsessing about the finishing line.
TL;DR
- I am a late starter on the financial independence journey
- I live in a high cost of living area with my husband and young daughter
- I learned to love the journey and muse about it along the way