I’m Joy, RN, founder of henrynurse.com. I started this blog in 2024 after giving birth and becoming a parent. That experience came with a sudden realization that raising a child in the United States is very expensive, and especially so in Los Angeles.

It also made me step back and question whether I wanted to switch from Per diem RN work to full-time bedside nursing, knowing that it would likely mean barely seeing my child just to afford living and raising a family in LA. That moment pushed me to buckle down and start reading, learning, and researching what a sound financial plan could look like as a nurse while raising a child, maintaining a satisfying career, and still living a good quality life.

As I went through this process, and as someone who has been an RN in Los Angeles for almost 20 years and started my nursing career in 2009, I came to an uncomfortable realization. I had been somewhat careless with how I handled my hard-earned nurse money. In fact, at 40 years old, 2024 was the first time I actually created a real budget.

Looking back, I was in a very fortunate position early in my career. I had an aunt who was a veteran RN who constantly talked to me about saving and investing early as nurse. (Read: Money Influencers Part: 1)  I was also raised by very frugal parents. Now in my early 40s, I often wish I had listened more closely to both my aunt and my parents.