We don't have a kitchen table...

$1600. 

That’s how much we dropped on a kitchen table that lasted less than a year.

To fill our empty kitchen space, we’d probably need to spend another few $thousand.

The bummer-ness of this particular expense got my wheels turning:

• Do we need a fancy table?

• Do we care about having a fancy table?

• Do we want to allocate a huge portion of our budget to a dining set?

If we’re being honest, most people's answer is probably: yes, duh….we’re not Neanderthals.

But, for us, the answer was no. 

This realization raised a question that sparked a mindset shift.

The question: How much money are we spending on things that we’re “supposed” to have and conveniences we may not need? 

For starters, we were about to spend thousands of dollars on a dining room table that didn’t Marie-Kondo-Spark-Joy in us. 

We were leaving Costco with receipts that resembled the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Then there was Amazon. Hulu. Netflix. Apple. Peloton membership (PSA: this fitness program only works if you actually get on the bike. Rude.) Insurance. Healthcare runarounds. Botox (Okay, I still get Botox…I just get it in countries where it’s cheaper—see below).

The list went on…

Now for the mindset shift: Maybe if we stop spending on things we “should” have or think we need (but don’t), we’ll be able to allocate that money toward the life we want.

And that’s what we did.

We started what I like to call puzzle funding.

Step 1: We took the pieces (of cash) from (stupid things we don’t care about that are costing us a ton of money) and put them toward (what we actually care about). This way, our life puzzle looks a little more how we want it to look—and not how other people think it should look.

Step 2: We researched how we could spend less on things we do want. For example, Botox in Greece was 60% less than it is at home. A plastic surgeon did it, so I looked like a newborn baby for three months. Dental care in Mexico is just as good, and we don’t have to shell out $9 million dollars every month for insurance.

The result: We re-arranged the spending belt, which meant I could get Botox AND afford sailing lessons in Greece.

Now, we still don’t have a kitchen table.

And—ya know—we may never get one. 

But, we are headed to England next month.

And that feels more fun to me.

Quick plug: Knocked-up Money offers much better FREE advice on family finances than I do. Check it out:

Thanks for being here! Now, let’s go somewhere!

Ashley R. Cummings

Mom: Child, what have you liked and not liked about worldschooling in Greece and Mexico?

My Child: Here are my pros and cons.

Pros:

• The views 

• The art

• The fun

• The friends

• The food

• The school

• The ocean

• Whale sharks

• The school play (I was Peter Pan)

• Playing on the malecon

Cons:

• The bullies*    

• Jellyfish

• How the school play went (preparing was hard)

*Quick note: My son had trouble with a couple of bullies along the way. He’s a highly sensitive and very kind child. So, when someone is being mean, it doesn’t compute in his little brain, and he takes it very personally. I’m happy to report, that he went from feeling pretty sad about it to learning confidence, not letting it get to him, and also adopting strategies to turn the interactions from being negative to being more positive.

One way we did this was through Building Legends. This program includes 5-minute daily lessons that help children build confidence. I couldn’t recommend it more.

Here’s a little clip of my son talking about the program and how it helps him:

Featured Location: La Ventana, Mexico

I kinda don’t want to tell anyone about this magical place, but since my subscriber count is still intimate, I feel like I can share.

You’ve heard of Cabo, but have you heard of La Ventana (2 hours north)?

Highlights:

• Windsurfing

• Swimming with rays

• Natural hot tubs right on the beach

• Margaritas

• UTVs

• Joy

Are we connected on TikTok? Let’s!

Here’s a little Greece fun for you:

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