Cash Fasting began in late 2016, a few months after I started a new job in NYC. At the time, I was making $75K, had $10K left on my student debt of $35K, and was having a difficult time adjusting to a New York lifestyle (my monthly expenses were way too high).
I started this blog after having the idea of “cash fasts“, otherwise known as short-term spending challenges that would help me control my immediate spending. Since then, the blog has evolved quite a bit. I’ve paid off all of my student debt, created a Two Cents Q&A series that peeks into the financial mindset of others in the first decade of their career, and written at length on my take on personal finance.
Do I make money off of this blog? Technically yes, but not nearly enough to cover the costs of running it. This blog is 100% a labor of love. (Seriously, I’ve made less than $30 from this blog in its lifetime- that doesn’t even cover a year’s worth of site costs.)
As with most things in life, the voice of this blog has changed over time. I started with the goal of helping others reduce their spending using my own experience as a guide. I wrote about my frustrations, my goals, and my wins. I acknowledge my failings far more than I do my successes. And in that time, my financial situation has changed. After a few years in the city, my salary has grown considerably; I now have a six-figure income. I pay very little rent. I save a lot more than most New Yorkers are able to, which makes me financially privileged.
I know that makes my story less relatable. However, I feel strongly about improving financial literacy for all. It doesn’t matter how much I make or save now; the difference is that, when I started, I had someone who told me to contribute to my 401(k). Someone who taught me the pros and cons of credit card usage. Someone who introduced me to FIRE.
If you take away anything from this page, all I ask is that you spread the word. Put information in front of those who can most use it. Talk to your friends and family. Break down the social taboo that is not just money, but salary growth and budgeting and taxes and retirement. Money isn’t a competition. Your friends don’t succeed at the cost of your own successes, so celebrate wins. Read writers that you agree with, and writers that you don’t. Empathize. Ask questions. Engage.
Still around? Talk to me on Twitter. See where else Cash Fasting has appeared. If you’d like to read my disclaimer, click here.