Sunshine Blogger Award Nomination

sunshine blogger award logo

Back in November of 2020, I was kindly nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by a very talented FI Blogger and Podcaster, Chrissy at Eat, Sleep, Breathe FI, and Explore FI Canada.

Firstly, I am blown away. Secondly I am extremely honoured to be nominated by such a talented and successful blogger, so THANK YOU Chrissy! I would also like to say I feel serious impostor syndrome, since I’m included in a list of nominees that have the most amazing and prolific blogs. the list of nominees can be found in Chrissy’s Sunshine Blogger Award post.

What is this all about, anyway?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to bloggers by other bloggers to recognize their excellent blogging efforts, and to learn a bit more about the person behind the posts. I dug through The Google to try to find out the origin of this award, but alas, I was unsuccessful. Please comment below if you happen to know where this award began!

Sunshine Blogger Award Rules

When nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award, there are four rules to follow:

    • Thank the person who nominated you. Add backlinks to their blog.
    • Answer the 11 questions they posed to you.
    • Nominate another 11 new bloggers and give them 11 new questions.
    • Include these rules in your post and use the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.

Since I’ve already thanked Chrissy and encouraged you to visit her AMAZING BLOG, Eat, Sleep, Breathe FI, let’s get on to the questions!

Sunshine Blog Award Questions

1. What’s your number one tip for someone just starting out on their financial journey?

Track your money in and out using YNAB. Along with net worth, income vs expenses, age of money, and a bunch of other cool stats. This was easily my biggest win of 2018.

2. If you could start your financial journey over, what would you do differently?

I would start earlier. Like, in my 20s. I started aiming for FI at the age of 42.

3. If you have a partner (or if not, a close friend or family member) what’s one way they’ve inspired you to do better with your finances?

Although my blog is anonymous, I have a small circle of people in my personal life who know about it.  A couple of my friends even follow the blog and provide me with positive feedback which has been very inspiring. Thanks friends!

4. Name one area in your financial life that you’d like to improve on.

I would like to learn more about investing. Right now my strategy is very basic; which is ok. However better investing knowledge would help me grow my FI nest egg even further!

5. Can you share your top three money-saving apps?
    1. YNAB! Although I prefer the desktop browser version as it has more features, the YNAB app is great for reminding me how much I can spend on things while I’m in the store. Psychologically it is very effective for me and saves me tons of $$.
    2. Facebook. Weird but true. Before I buy anything new (well mostly anything), I check Facebook Marketplace to see if I can get it used. This saves me TONS OF CASH. I also sell items on Marketplace which recoups some of my previous money spent.
    3. There is no third. I should work on that.
6. What’s your most unconventional money tip?

Hmmm…great question. There are lots of money tips, but not many unconventional ones. Anyone on the path to FI knows that to optimize expenses, one must constantly challenge them. Particularly monthly expenses like utilities, internet, insurance, bank account fees, etc. Although it’s not exactly unconventional, not many people seem to challenge these regular monthly bills often enough. Instead, they just let their credit card or bank account get charged for years (read: me, 5 years ago). I think it’s really important to check competitor rates regularly and contact your providers to see if your rates for these regular things can be lowered.

7. Other than blogging about money, what do you most enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoy spending time with my family, travelling (pre/post COVID), getting out into nature, playing video games online with my friends, being crafty, drinking coffee, reading other people’s blogs about FI/RE.

8. Tell us something about yourself that would surprise your readers. (It can be anything—it doesn’t have to be money-related!)

I initially began my education studying to be a marine biologist specializing in cetology, but I wasn’t good at calculus. I just REALLY LIKE WHALES. *shrug* Now I have a degree in English Literature.

Whale swimming in ocean
D’awwww!
9. What’s the most impactful eco-friendly (or eco-frugal) thing you do everyday?

Drive my second hand hybrid vehicle to and from work.

10. If you had one environmental wish for our planet, what would it be?

To reverse the damage we have caused through industrialization. This would allow humans in delicate climate areas to thrive once again and give a better chance of survival for all the other species on the planet.

11. Which blog post of yours do you absolutely love, but doesn’t get enough attention? Also: why do you love it?

Probably “How my attempt to reduce waste is saving me money“. I like this post because it helped me realize how much I am doing to help reduce our family’s impact on the environment which makes me feel good. Also I like to re-read it on occasion to remind me about things I’ve gotten a bit slack on doing. I see you, individually packaged stuff in my Costco cart! Historically I’ve just felt guilty that I’m not packing all my waste for a year into a single mason jar.

Sunshine Blogger Award Nominees

Well that is it for the thought-provoking questions! Now on to the fun part: nominating bloggers for the Sunshine Blogger award! Here are my nominations in no particular order. These are all finance-related blogs that I have enjoyed visiting. Thank you for creating cool content! Also, please do not feel obligated to write a post like this one, you can just enjoy being nominated. Great work!

My Sunshine Blogger Award Questions

Here are the questions I pose to you, Sunshine Blogger Award Nominees!

    1. Will you retire early? If so, what will you do after you retire? If not, what is your plan for future work?
    2. What has been your most successful strategy to date financially speaking that could help others starting their journey?
    3. What is a “luxury” you allow yourself on your financial journey?
    4. Name one area in your financial life that you’d like to improve on.
    5. Other than blogging about finances, what do you most enjoy doing in your free time?
    6. What is your favorite “free and fun” thing to do?
    7. Do you have a side gig? If so, what is it? If not, tell us your best money-saving tip.
    8. How do you keep yourself motivated on your journey?
    9. What is your favourite book that has helped you on your journey?
    10. Tell us one thing about yourself that might surprise your readers.
    11. Which blog post of yours do you absolutely love, but doesn’t get enough attention? Also: why do you love it?
Congratulations to all of the Sunshine Blogger Award winners, and thank you everyone for stopping by. Keep it going by visiting all of the cool blogs listed above!

Monthly Financial Independence Report – Jan 2021

Good day All! Welcome to my first monthly report in 2021. I bet you thought there would be no more monthly reports. SURPRISE! I’m feeling a wee bit motivated financially speaking. This is SOMETHING! Continue reading “Monthly Financial Independence Report – Jan 2021”

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