105 | You can Afford Anything but not Everything | Paula Pant

12/10/18 • 70 min

105 | Paula Pant, creator of Afford Anything podcast and blog, dives into her love for travel, her rejection of the traditional 9-5, and how she built an income to match her lifestyle.

Paula moved to the U.S. as a baby, just after being born in Nepal.
Her only travel growing up was between Ohio and Nepal.
Travel has become a large part of Paula’s life, but her desire to travel only grew in her adult life.
Rebellion is a form of seeking identity.
Once Paula started traveling did she fall in love with travel immediately?
What does Paula consider a legitimate visit to a foreign country?
Two weeks of vacation in Paula’s first few years of work after college felt too limiting.
Paula made a lifestyle change, and then figured out how to fund it.
Learning about and trying out freelance work introduced Paula to the idea that someone could work outside of the traditional 9-5 work.
Did Paula receive criticism when she quit her job to travel?
When Paula traveled for her first few years, she budgeted about $1,000 a month for expenses and chose to visit countries where the dollar goes far.
Paula’s tips for building connection while traveling:
- Stay at hostels – more economical, and more social.
- Meet the American, Australian, British, etc., ex pats, and meet their friends (build relationships, and travel slowly).
How did Paula restart once she returned to the U.S. after her 27-month adventure?
In pursuit of writing what she wanted to read, Paula became a personal finance writer.
When did Paula begin to feel imposter syndrome?
Default to saving, instead of default to spending.
Why does spending money create anxiety for Paula, and how did the scarcity mindset actually push Paula toward financial independence?
Passive income (real estate) was primarily meant to give Paula some financial cushion, instead of a means to financial independence.
Humans crave autonomy, purpose and mastery.
Reading about potential scientific advances motivates Paula to be healthier because she wants to be around to see it.
Self-care is work care.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/105

105 | Paula Pant, creator of Afford Anything podcast and blog, dives into her love for travel, her rejection of the traditional 9-5, and how she built an income to match her lifestyle.

Paula moved to the U.S. as a baby, just after being born in Nepal.
Her only travel growing up was between Ohio and Nepal.
Travel has become a large part of Paula’s life, but her desire to travel only grew in her adult life.
Rebellion is a form of seeking identity.
Once Paula started traveling did she fall in love with travel immediately?
What does Paula consider a legitimate visit to a foreign country?
Two weeks of vacation in Paula’s first few years of work after college felt too limiting.
Paula made a lifestyle change, and then figured out how to fund it.
Learning about and trying out freelance work introduced Paula to the idea that someone could work outside of the traditional 9-5 work.
Did Paula receive criticism when she quit her job to travel?
When Paula traveled for her first few years, she budgeted about $1,000 a month for expenses and chose to visit countries where the dollar goes far.
Paula’s tips for building connection while traveling:
- Stay at hostels – more economical, and more social.
- Meet the American, Australian, British, etc., ex pats, and meet their friends (build relationships, and travel slowly).
How did Paula restart once she returned to the U.S. after her 27-month adventure?
In pursuit of writing what she wanted to read, Paula became a personal finance writer.
When did Paula begin to feel imposter syndrome?
Default to saving, instead of default to spending.
Why does spending money create anxiety for Paula, and how did the scarcity mindset actually push Paula toward financial independence?
Passive income (real estate) was primarily meant to give Paula some financial cushion, instead of a means to financial independence.
Humans crave autonomy, purpose and mastery.
Reading about potential scientific advances motivates Paula to be healthier because she wants to be around to see it.
Self-care is work care.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/105

Previous Episode

104R | Travel Rewards | End of Year Planning

104R | An update from Marla Taner on 2018’s best travel reward options, a hack for keeping your bills low, a review of Monday’s episode with Doc G.

Jonathan tries out a new service to ensure that his bills are staying low.
Billfixers.com is fixing a ‘pain point’ for Jonathan.
How can someone balance simplicity, and a willingness to say yes to opportunities?
Review of Monday’s episode: Purpose, Identity and Connection.
Finding your identity – the story you tell yourself, about yourself – is crucial to finding your space in the world.
Why was Brad was given singing lessons as a gift from a couple at Chautauqua?
Marla Taner joins the show to update about travel rewards:
- She’s traveling to Hawaii for New Years with 9 friends.
- Flight reward deals are not as good during Christmas, but hotels are usually consistent.
- What is the Southwest Companion Pass and what is the strategy to get it?
- - Earn the ability to bring someone with you for free on every Southwest flight for up to 2 years.
  - Must earn 110,000 Southwest rewards points in one calendar year.
  - Current strategy:
  - - Southwest’s Business card comes with 60k points.
    - Southwest’s Personal card comes with 40k points.
- Southwest has good sales on right now.
- What does it take to apply for a business card?
- Barclay Arrival Plus – Marla’s recommendation for beginners.
- Capital One Venture card has added a transferrable-points feature.
- Don’t overspend, look for opportunities to front-load some of your normal expenses to hit minimum spends (i.e., utility bills, or internet, grocery gift cards).
- Marla is joining Tim and Amy Rutherford from ChooseFI Episode 79 in Tempe, AZ for a few days. Want to join?
- Best way to connect with Marla, Tim and Amy is via the Go With Less blog.
  - Join them in Tempe
  .

Next Episode

105R | Solar Panel Cost Analysis

105R | Brian Feroldi joins the show to talk about the costs and benefits of installing solar panels and answers questions about his investment strategies, and Brad and Jonathan recap Monday’s episode with Paula Pant before announcing a new ChooseFI project on the horizon.

For more information, visit the show notes at http://ChooseFI.com/105R