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Was I a HENRY Nurse in the First Place?
When I started this website in 2024, I was hanging out a lot in the Reddit sub called r/henryfinance. HENRY stands for High Earner, Not Rich Yet. Most of the people posting there work in tech, some in law and other high earning careers. From what I gathered, the minimum income to be considered a HENRY in that sub is around $200,000 annually.
That is not the norm or even close to the average compensation for a nurse. Unless you are working in Northern California, where from what I hear nurses can reach over $200k in base compensation.
When I had the idea to start this website, I was making about $153,648 annually as a Registered Nurse in Los Angeles. I was working 92 hours per month as a Per Diem nurse, plus another job that brought in about $2,500 per month.
So no, I was not quite above the $200k mark, but I felt like it was close enough to consider myself a high earning nurse.
Read:
Day in Life of an Ambulatory Surgery PACU and Pre Op Nurse
Is Per Diem Nursing Right for You?
Fast Forward to the 2025
In 2025, things changed a bit.
I cut back on my work hours so I could spend more time with my toddler.
I remember telling someone before that my favorite phase of motherhood was the newborn stage because my son was mostly sleeping, eating, and pooping.
Then toddlerhood came.
And man… I did not realize how much I would love this phase.
I am not saying it is easy. The tantrums will drive you nuts. But toddlers are so much more interactive. The smiles. The laughter. Playing with you.
I love exploring new places with him, going to restaurants, parks or even different countries together, and seeing how he interacts and plays with other kids, especially with his cousin.
My god, they are so cute.
Because of that, I decided to decrease my work hours and spend more time with him while he is still a toddler.
I realized this phase of childhood is so short. And I just want to enjoy it.
So I Started Looking at My Expenses
Once I made that decision, I had to figure out ways to live on a lower income.
In 2025, these are the changes I made.
1. Moving From Per Diem to Part Time for Benefits
I moved from per diem to a benefitted part time position, mainly to get free healthcare.
My per diem rate was $92 per hour, but it dropped to $77 per hour when I moved to a benefitted position.
However, this change saves me about $900 per month in insurance premiums, which helps offset the lower hourly rate.
What I really like about this position is the schedule.
I am only required to work 20 hours per week to be eligible for benefits. The best part is that I work two 10 hour shifts per week, which honestly is my dream work schedule.
Now obviously, I cannot afford to live on 20 hours per week, so I usually pick up one extra shift.
So most weeks I work about:
3 days a week or roughly 30 hours per week.
The extra shift is completely on my own terms. If I feel like working, I pick it up. If I do not feel like it, then I simply do not sign up for an extra day.
2. Returning an Expensive Leased Car
I returned an expensive leased car and bought a certified pre owned car for about $23,000.
Before, I was paying around $800 per month on the lease.
I paid a down payment of $13,000, so now my car payment is about $300 per month for 36 months, and I secured a very low interest rate. Technically, the required monthly payment is around $230, but I pay extra and round it up so I can pay it off sooner.
3. Installing Solar Panels
I used $20,000 from my emergency fund to install solar panels on our house.
Our LADWP utility bill was pretty high. We were paying around $1,400 to $1,600 every two months, which comes out to about $700 to $800 per month just for utilities.
I am expecting the solar panels to cut that bill at least in half, maybe even more.
Based on my rough calculations, I expect the investment to pay for itself in about 3 to 4 years.
And that is not even counting the California solar rebate, which ends in 2025. I have not fully calculated that part yet because honestly I am terrible at math.
4. Eating Out Less
Eating out has become so expensive anyway, and honestly the quality is not getting any better. Some places even feel like the quality is getting worse.
Since I am home more now, I have more time to go to the grocery store and cook more meals at home.
It is a bit cheaper and definitely a lot healthier.
5. Changing Childcare to an Au Pair
We switched our childcare from a relative to an Au Pair.
Because hiring an Au Pair qualifies me to contribute to a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, I was able to contribute $5,000 per year to that account.
That comes out to about:
$208 per paycheck
or
$416 per month
That $5,000 is taken out pre tax, which lowers my taxable income. Then the following year I get that $5,000 reimbursed back.
So technically, because of this setup, our childcare costs went down from about $2,300 per month to roughly $1,884.
The End Result
With these changes, I am now able to save about $2,500 per month.
After cutting my hours and working around 30 hours per week, my income is now about $9,240 per month.
And because I am making less income while also maximizing my retirement accounts, I am paying less in taxes.
So even though I technically took a pay cut, with the savings from these lifestyle changes, it has not been that bad at all.
I am able to live comfortably, though not lavishly, as a mom of one here in Los Angeles.
I know things will get a little easier in the budget once my son starts public school. Part of me honestly cannot wait.
If I am being real, the last few years I kind of made it my personality to be a “HENRY nurse” and making a lot of money became part of my identity. So now that I am making less, I do feel a little lost at times.
But I remind myself that money is not everything. Of course, we still need it. But as long as I am able to pay the bills, save for the future, and still have extra to spend on what I truly value, which is time with my family, then that is what actually matters in the end.
And at the same time, toddlerhood is such a short and sweet stage. Right now, I just want to slow down and really enjoy it.
