GOOD WITH MONEY
How to prioritize your spending, maximize your savings and travel more
Why I Had to Write This Book
Take Control of Your Finances
and Travel More
Do you dream about traveling but don’t know how you can afford it? Keep telling yourself next month you’ll start saving money to start your own business?
I know the feeling because I was there 10 years ago—sitting in my apartment after a few weeks at my first “real” job running the numbers to see why I never had any money left over from my paychecks. I decided at that moment to take control of my finances and spent the next 10 years traveling almost full-time with no debt.
Through my book, I share my story and explain the strategies I used to make the most of the money I already had, make more money and increase my savings while focusing on my priorities. I even talk about how I went to college and grad school without loans, how I save on medical bills and my best travel hacking tips.
ABOUT ME
I am a freelance photographer and writer based in Austin, Texas. I have a master’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Missouri. I write for travel magazines like AFAR and shoot for corporate clients like Facebook. I teach photojournalism and business courses at Texas State University and workshops at the University of Texas at Austin. For five summers, I led student photo trips throughout India and Southeast Asia, and I am currently a photo instructor for Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions. I’ve been to 60 countries and lived in five. I always travel with Alfred, my globetrotting gnome. To view my photography portfolio, please visit AnnaMazurekPhoto.com.
Book cover & illustration by Clare Vacha Web graphics by Miles Walls
What You’ll Discover and Learn
A series of tactics to help you align your spending with your priorities to increase your savings
Over the past 10 years, I’ve maximized my savings to travel the world with no debt, all on an average income of $30,000. Whether your financial goals involve traveling long term, buying your dream house, or starting that llama petting zoo you’ve been dreaming about for decades, these tactics can be applied to your goals!
The book answers questions like:
- How can I afford to travel?
- How can I save more money and prioritize my spending?
- In other words, how can I be good with money?
In three parts, the book will help you redefine your priorities, maximize your savings, and slash your travel expenses.
1. TOP MONEY HACKS outlines detailed steps for mastering money and addresses the “frugal” versus “cheap” debate.
2. TOP SAVINGS HACKS digs into normal life expenses, including how to save on medical costs, paying for college without debt, making coupons worth your while and selling the stuff you don’t need.
3. TOP TRAVEL HACKS is all about trimming costs on top travel expenses and finding the right bank accounts for travel.
Get Inspired to be GOOD with money!
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Read an excerpt from the book...
Introduction
My alarm went off at 10:30 p.m.
It was pitch black outside, and the temperature was well below freezing.
I dreaded getting out of my sleeping bag. All I wanted to do was fast forward 24 hours until I was back in flip-flops and 80-degree weather. Instead, I forced myself to get dressed in five layers of pants and five jackets before putting on my hiking boots.
It was time to summit Kilimanjaro.
Eight hours later, I posed for a photo with the iconic sign to prove I had climbed the tallest mountain in Africa.
Back in the comfort of my flip-flops, the photo instantly appeared on Instagram.
My life probably looks postcard perfect on Instagram—summiting Kilimanjaro, selfies with llamas in Argentina, and sunrise hikes through Japanese temples.
The trouble with social media is that you never hear the backstory or the moments that lead up to that moment. There’s no preface post about what it took to be in that exact spot at that precise moment. There’s no citation of the sacrifices I made to get to that point.
This book is that preface: the backstory of my financial philosophy.
I’m 37 years old. I have been 51 countries and lived in five. The first time I stepped on a plane, I was 19. Travel has been my top goal for as long as I can remember. Every single decision and choice I’ve made in my life has gotten me to this point. Nothing to me was more important than traveling. Life’s too short to NOT do the things that make you feel alive, and nothing make me feel more alive than traveling.
News alert: I don’t have a trust fund. I’m not rich. I don’t sell drugs. I haven’t won the lottery.
My average gross income (before taxes and deductions) for the last six years is $30,492.
From 2012 to 2015, I averaged only $20,000 a year. Yet, I bought a car for $9,000 (that I paid for with my savings and a six-month payment plan) and spent two to six months a year traveling even though I was only making $20,000 annually.
I also have a Master’s degree and no debt. Not even student loans. Nothing.
How did I afford to travel so much?
The secret is simple: I’m good with money.
GOOD WITH MONEY
How to prioritize your spending, maximize your savings and travel more
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