MONEY
Budgeting and Tracking Expenses // Daily Habits
On maart 18, 2019 by MerelTo reach my goal of becoming financially independent, February (and the rest of the year, obvs) was dedicated to spending wisely. In order to start doing so, the most urgent smart goal on my list was to find a way to make tracking expenses easy and fun. So easy and fun, in fact, that I can
SPANISH
Learning Spanish // January Review
On februari 11, 2019 by Merel2019 has been off to a good start. I decided to start the year with one of the most practical of my goals: Learning Spanish. It consisted of the straight-forward resolutions of taking classes, doing my homework, and making some additional efforts on a daily basis. Executing these resolutions take quite a chunk of time
ADVICE
Stretch Goals, Smart Goals, and Daily Habits
On februari 4, 2019 by MerelLast year (doesn’t it still feel funny to say that?) I stopped reading fiction and instead, spent my time on books about personal growth, self care, business, psychology, productivity… about happiness, in short. One topic that is touched upon in almost all of these books is goal-setting. And the authors pretty much all agree about
MONEY
February: Spend Wisely // Money
On januari 28, 2019 by MerelIt’s almost February, so it’s time to introduce the resolutions that go with my Second Commandment: Spend Wisely (find my Twelve Commandments for 2019 here). The topic of money is one I’m burning to tackle as quickly as possible. If it weren’t for my lousy Spanish, it would’ve been the topic for January. This is not
BOOK CLUB
Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge // Book Club
On januari 21, 2019 by MerelEvery month, I try to read a book related to the theme of the month. January, however, is dedicated to Learning Spanish. But reading a Spanish book seemed a little too ambitious. Therefore, I decided to take the opportunity to read a book I expected to be, in another way, very relevant for January, the
SPANISH
Learn 10 New Words a Day // Daily Habits
On januari 7, 2019 by MerelHappy 2019 everyone! Hopefully you haven’t fallen off the bandwagon with your New Year’s resolutions already. If you did, read on, because jumping back on may be easier than you think. Because I admit, I finished Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge (this month’s Book Club book) already quite some time before the new year started. I just
SPANISH
January: Never Stop Learning // Spanish
On december 31, 2018 by MerelDon’t judge, but I’ve been living on Gran Canaria for almost two years now (April 21st is my GC anniversary) and I don’t speak a word of Spanish. Yes, I can say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’, in formal and informal ways. I can order a glass of wine, even specify the color and flavor (important things first,
PERSONAL
The Twelve Commandments
On december 24, 2018 by MerelHow to give shape to a Happiness Project? What is happiness and how do you gain more of it? According to the multiple definitions of ‘happiness’ researchers and philosophers have been adopting, we apparently barely comprehend the term. However, in Gretchen Rubin’s words: “Even people who can’t agree on what it means to be ‘happy’ can
PERSONAL
The Happiness Project
On december 17, 2018 by MerelHappiness. I’ve never given it a lot of thought. I always considered myself quite a happy human being. With a happy life, a happy boyfriend, and two happy cats. Why think about happiness? I think the happiness-thoughts started to come after we (that is: happy me, happy boyfriend and the two happy cats) moved from