Hey there! Thanks for being here.
I’m Caren, a Silicon Valley-based writer, but proudly made in Toronto, Canada. I moved to the US in 2006 for work, fell in love, and never looked back. Since moving to California I’ve found a love of fitness, an appreciation for great wines under $10, and an insatiable curiosity about what it means to live well. My curiosity has led me to many corners of the world including studying yoga at an ashram in India (<- true story) and that adventure has never ended for me.
I started Funding Happy in 2017 with an intention to connect with other people who want to live well, but with intention. To me, that means funding the areas of life that bring me immense happiness and cutting back (or cutting out) the things I don’t really care about.
This is an ongoing mindful pursuit of figuring out what matters and what doesn’t. It’s amazing that they don’t teach this concept in school and probably even more amazing that it’s taken me many years to figure out how to do this on my own.
Since I started this journey, life has improved in many ways. Here are a few highlights from 2017 I’m proud to share:
- We (hubby & I) made a six-figure contribution toward our retirement this year (in both tax and non-tax advantaged accounts).
- I sold over $1000 worth of unused clothes, jewelry, and kitchen appliances on eBay & Thredup.
- I took on the minimalist challenge and gave away over 400 items. It was hard!!
- I completed a 30-day shopping ban. That was an eye-opening experience that I highly recommend trying.
- We started planning and tracking our journey to “FI” (financial independence).
As a result of these steps, I felt comfortable stepping away from a very comfortable corporate salary to pursue freelance consulting so I could have more control over my time and the projects I work on.
Today I’m 120% happier than I have been in a very long time. I attribute so much of that happiness to the conscious choices I’ve made this year to put my money where my values are – independence, freedom, creativity, and connection. I hope that by sharing my journey I can inspire others to do the same. I truly believe that if we all took the time to understand what truly made us happy and only focused on expanding and investing in those areas, we’d be a much more connected and healthier nation with a lot less junk and waste.
Imagine that….
Xo
Caren
