Someone once told my that my mind is like a parrot, constantly chattering away and sending me in different directions. And they’re probably right. But there are benefits to having a mind that incessantly questions everything. It leads to much probing into those dusty corners of life that often remain unexplored and can result in a life less ordinary.
I belive my ‘parrot mind’ is the reason behind my financial origin story – why I chose to pay my mortgage off early, crave freedom and find so much value in leading a life of creation over consumption.
Early Years
As a child, I was always on the go. I loved creating things, especially out of plasticine. In fact, I was making figures out of plasticine long before Wallace and Gromit were sculpted into existence.
If I wasn’t sat at the table with my modelling clay, I was learning how to sew, trying my hand at origami, decorating stones, baking cookies or peppermint creams or following my Grandad round the garden as he tended to his veg patch.
I remember feeling inspired to create and dreamt of running my own business. I wanted to sell my hand-made creations, I wanted to learn how to make sweets to sell, I wanted to write books and become a published author and the list continued. There was always an underlying entrepeneurial urge to create. Consuming didn’t interest me, I just loved making things.
Late teens & the university years
By the time I went to university, I had a few years of work experience under my belt. I’d worked in a campsite shop, a cafe, a fish & chip restaurant and a lighthouse.
I used the money I made each summer to support myself through university, along with my student loan. But even while at university, my parrot mind continued to nudge me towards a life less ordinary.
Between studying, I learnt how to use eBay and scoured the internet for things to buy and sell for a profit. I stumbled upon a range of discontinued perfumes that I could purchase relatively cheaply and sell for a decent profit. So I bought in bulk and continued to do so until the supplies ran out.
Hamster leads were my next venture (yes, really!). I discovered a gap in the market, so I bulk bought a stash and auctioned them off for a hefty profit. People still give me a funny look when I say that I used to sell hamster leads, but it’s all part of the rich tapestry of life. Explore those dusty corners and you never know what you’ll find!
I also started to make bears – fully jointed mohair ones. I taught myself how to design my own patterns, imported mohair from Australia and even had my own website. However, I soon realised that the time / return ratio wasn’t enough to turn it into a viable business, so it remained a hobby and my creations continue to be gifted to friends and family.
During my summers, I continued to work at the lighthouse. It was a registered charity and mainly run by volunteers. As one of the few paid members of staff, I wanted to give something back, so I researched and wrote a local history book. I applied for funding from businesses to fund its publication and the profits went to the lighthouse. One of my goals was to have a book published before I turned 21 – achieving it felt amazing!
Real life and work
After leaving university, I settled into my long term career. As a teacher of young children, I was able to use my creative talents within the classroom, which I loved.
I’d also bought a house with my partner and was dreaming of being mortgage free. Even while we were still renting, I’d set my heart on mortgage-freedom (you can read more about this here). The idea of paying for something for 30 years (or even more) just didn’t sit right with me. I wanted the freedom to live life on my terms.
To me, being mortgage free was the ultimate freedom. I could live without worrying about how I was going to pay the bills and have greater time-freedom.
From speaking to friends, I soon discovered that this wasn’t the ‘norm’ and that they were happy to continue with their normal monthly mortgage payments. Paying off the mortgage off early wasn’t something they considered a priority. But for me, it came high up my list. Again, it seemed that I was aspiring to a life less ordinary.
Shortly after buying our house, I discovered a book called Your Money or Your Life which introduced me to the concept of financial independence and I was hooked. It put into words many of my underlying feelings about work and money that I hadn’t been able to coherently verbalise.
The explanation of how we trade our life energy for money and the true cost of our purchases in terms of life energy was an eye-opener. It helped me to re-evaluate my spending, as well as consider ways to increase my income so that I could achieve freedom sooner.
I did a range of things to bring in more money, including surveys, tutoring, selling items online and matched betting.
I also created a budget and once I was able to see where my money was going, I figured out ways to use it more effectively (and keep more in my pocket!). This included slashing my grocery and gas/electricity bills, as well as reducing the costs of laundry and cleaning.
Your Money or Your Life also introduced me to the concept of investing, something I’d not considered. After reading Tim Hale’s Smarter Investing, I decided to invest regularly into an index fund.
To cut a long story short, after a break-up and many life lessons along the way, I became a mortgage free, solo home owner in under 12 years.
Achieving time freedom
Regular visitors to the blog may recall me saying that mortgage freedom wasn’t quite what I’d imagined to it be. I’d expected fireworks, but after the initial elation had worn off, life seemed to go on the same as before. I realised something had to change.
A year after becoming mortgage free, I decided to go part-time and I’ve never looked back. The decision has given me the opportunity to reconnect with the budding entrepreneur from my childhood – the one who loved to create rather than consume.
Since going part-time, I’ve created this blog, set up my own tuition business, created Chicken Roulette Press and developed Only A Stones Throw Away with my fiancee.
My dream is to become fully self-employed in the future as I continue on my path towards financial freedom. It feels important to honour my instincts to create rather than consume. So as I move forward, I’ll continue to follow my inquisitive parrot mind and create a life less ordinary. One that aligns with my need for creativity and financial freedom.
This post was written in response to Sovereign Quest’s February Challenge to bloggers to write about their ‘Financial Origins’ stories. Be sure to check out some of the other inspirational stories on there.
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Image courtesy of Kashawn Hernandez on Unsplash.