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As I’m trying to reach my own kind of Financial Independence as a Per Diem PACU nurse, I realized sacrifices need to be made…
1. Car
For the last 6 years, unfortunately, the thought of driving a “nice car” had me in a chokehold.
From 2019 to 2022, I leased a Lexus RX350h for $400/month + about $400/month in gas. After that, I leased a Tesla Model Y. This was during that wild time when there was a 6+ month waitlist to get a Tesla. I can’t believe I fell for that. The Tesla was almost $800/month, but at least I wasn’t paying for gas lol.
After my lease ended, I bought a $23,000 certified pre owned 2023 VW ID.4 with very low mileage. I put $10k down and got a 2.99% APR for 3 years. My new car payment is $234/month.
I could probably pay off the remaining balance using some of my emergency fund, but since the APR is low, I decided to route that extra money instead to my HYSA or investment accounts earning more than 4% annually.
2. “Fancy” multiple vacations
If you’ve read my other post about: How I Budget my Per Diem Nurse Salary, you probably had that eye roll face like girl, you’re complaining about being paycheck to paycheck but you spend this much on vacations?
Yeah. I used to take a lot of vacations. Probably trying to fill a void or maybe I was just low key depressed while being overexposed to social media where everyone seems to have unlimited money and time. Who knows.
This year is mostly staycations. I live in Los Angeles and I’m close to so many awesome places like San Diego and Santa Barbara, and I realized I really need to explore my own beautiful state.
Although, let’s be real, traveling around California is actually expensive. Hotels here are so much more expensive compared to outside the US. My strategy is to use my credit card hotel and travel benefits to offset costs.
Read: My Credit Card Strategy as a Per Diem Pacu Nurse
3. Buying treats for people at work
I think it’s the Filipino in me that likes to feed everyone at work. Potlucks, random cravings like Porto’s cheese rolls, boom I buy two dozen so I can share with everyone.
Nowadays I’m very intentional with how I spend money on food. During work potlucks, which you know there’s always one in healthcare settings, I still contribute, but I usually join someone already ordering a catered size tray of lumpia or pancit.
I typically just chip in $20 to $30, which feels way more reasonable.
4. Downgrading from Nanny, Au Pair, expensive daycare to a Coop Preschool
When my son was 3 months to 1.5 years old, my aunt watched him and I paid about $2,500/month.
When he turned almost 2, I realized he needed more socialization and stimulation, so we hired an au pair who could take him to parks and libraries and hang out with other kids. That cost around $2,100/month, not including additional costs like bringing her on vacations.
This year my son is enrolled in a full time daycare preschool costing $2,370/month. But honestly, I realized I can’t really afford that anymore.
While mildly panicking and trying to figure out childcare, I stumbled upon a local coop preschool.
I toured the place and instantly fell in love. It’s half the price of his current preschool. The difference is parent participation is required. There’s some volunteer work in the classroom, and it comes out to about 2.5 hours per month, which honestly feels doable and not bad at all.
5. Spending money eating out to buying better ingredients and cooking more at home
Dining out used to be one of my biggest luxuries. My partner and I love trying different restaurants in LA, especially Japanese restaurants.
Now we’ve severely cut back on dining out and shifted that money toward groceries. Inflation hit restaurants hard. One dinner can easily be $200 to $300, depending on where you go. Obviously, we’re not talking about Chipotle for our weekly dinner out.
And have you noticed the crazy tip culture here in the US? Almost $50 to $60 per meal. It’s gotten so expensive to eat out in LA that I genuinely don’t know how people afford it or how restaurants are even surviving. It’s honestly sad how many beloved LA restaurants are closing every week.
So instead of one expensive dinner, we buy better ingredients and cook at home. Luckily my partner is a great cook. Meanwhile, I can confidently make a short rib stew and chicken katsu, my two staples.
6. Picking up extra jobs
What’s more of a lifestyle downgrade than having to work a second job? Kidding. Kind of.
Since I only work three days a week, instead of doing nothing, I applied for an easier RN gig just to get a little closer to that financial independence thing I’ve been yapping about.
I haven’t started yet, but it seems easier than picking up extra shifts at my ASC, which can get insanely busy. I’ll let you know soon if this gig is legit.
Read: Day in Life of ASC Nurse
So yeah. As a 40 year old nurse, I’ve had to sit down and tell myself you need to dial down the lifestyle upgrades if you want to be Financially Independent sooner.
Thankfully, as a more mature nurse and person, I’m clearer on what actually matters to me. I don’t care about impressing anyone anymore. What’s most important is time with my family and setting myself up financially so I can worry less about the future.
