Jet Setter Interview – Daisy of Suburban Finance

 Hello there, this is your pilot speaking! (Why yes, I am calling myself a pilot.)

Today, our Jet Setter Interview is with Daisy, of When Life Gives You Lemons, Add Vodka and Suburban Finance fame.

This series covers Passengers on the Jet Setter Manifest, so we can all learn more about money from the experiences of others.

Drop me a line to be featured in an upcoming Jet Setter Interview, we would love to have you on board.

Welcome on board! Who are you?

I’m Daisy, the blogger behind When Life Gives You Lemons, Add Vodka, a lifestyle design, finance and travel blog, and Suburban Finance, a personal finance community.

Money is for buying stuff, what was the last purchase you made?

I spent $80 at the vet for my daschund, Fern, who had a bit of a medical emergency. As far as “stuff”, yesterday I bought a pair of sunglasses.

Why did you buy that stuff, in particular?

My husband and I are going to Bali and Nepal for our honeymoon, and we’re leaving in just a couple of weeks. My sunglasses broke a couple of months ago and I needed a pair for our trip.

We like airplanes around here.  When was the last time you were on an airplane and where were you going?

The last time I was on an airplane was in June, going to Los Angeles for some fun in the sun with my cousin before I tied the knot in July. It was a nice little break from reality!

What is your current financial goal and how did it come to be your goal?

One of my biggest goals right now is to save $12,000 in 7 months for travel. I’m happy to announce that while I made the goal just a couple of weeks ago, I’ve already hit 50% of it.

This became my goal because I recently took a temporary job opportunity which afforded me a substantial raise and, more importantly, freedom. After the temporary job is over, I will have freedom to travel for awhile for the first time in my adult life.

My husband and I want to meet some big financial and business goals in the next few years, so I want to get a huge chunk of the travel out of my system while I still can.

Who is your favourite person in Top Gun?

I have actually never seen Top Gun! I am not a huge movie person.

Many people harbour some sort of fear of flying.  What do you find the most overwhelming or scary about money?

I don’t find anything scary about money; I actually think it’s a very simple, basic notion that our society complicates and muddles with things like debt. However, something that is overwhelming to me is the idea of saving for retirement in forty years, when I am working to live life differently than most of the population. I’m always trying to figure out how does retirement fit into my long term career and financial goals and how much will I need.

If I was super-rich and gave you $50,000 with no strings attached, tomorrow, what would you do with it?  (I’m pretty benevolent.)

I would put $10,000 into my TFSA, invested in ETFs. I would buy my husband’s fuel efficient truck with the next $10,000. $10,000 more would go on the mortgage, and I would travel with the final $20,000.

As to where I would travel? I would spend 6-8 months in South America, making sure I touched down in every single country but focusing mainly on Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Brazil.

Lots of things “cost peanuts,” what is a small expenditure that you just can’t live without?

Eating out. I mean, I would be able to live without restaurant food but we love to put a portion of our entertainment spending toward eating out. I love food and, despite the cost, think it’s a great way to connect on date nights or dinners with friends.

How long have you been the pilot of your own money? Did you have a job as a teenager? Did you have a lightbulb moment at a certain point in time and take control of your finances?

I have been working without a break (besides vacation) since I was 15. I would say I’ve been the pilot of my own money since I was around 22. My lightbulb turned on quite gradually, but I would say starting my blog and reading other finance focused blogs really helped me move forward financially.

Just a few years ago, I was making ⅓ of the wage that I do now, struggling to save and to stay out of debt, and freaking out at the end of each semeseter when my tuition payment was due.

Now, I have starting investing, making passive income, saving aggressively, and I’ve been able to watch my money grow at an alarmingly fast rate (relative to a few years ago).

Pretend you have a sky-writing airplane (that can write as many words as you want.) What is the main money message that you want the world to hear?

Work hard, play hard! Remember, your money should be working for you. Stay out of debt and don’t be a slave to consumerism and earn more money that what you make at your day job. Money should be fun.

 

Thanks for joining us today, Daisy! You can connect with her on twitter@add_vodka and on Facebook.