My ACTUAL 2025 Goals

The first quarter of the year was about survival and submitting my PhD thesis. That's done now! 

The rest of the year? If all goes well, repairing my life and mental and physical health, as I tie up loose ends from the PhD and prepare for my defence. 

Here are my usual goals, plus some:

Health Goals

1. Plan meals weekly, grocery shop, and cook for the week, every week. DONE for the most part. I of course don't need to while in the US and there were many weeks in there I really phoned it in, esp around PhD thesis submission time or when work got intense. I also didn't want to cook sometimes because my flatmate was in the living room. But overall - yes.
   
   
2. Dr appointments -
   
1. GP 
1. renew thyroid and ADHD scrips in:
• May,
  
• August before US trip, and 
• Nov 2025: check up for blood test, perimenopause, thyroid & ADHD scrips w/ GP. Ask about getting the shingles vax 3.5 years early? Ask if I need any vaccinations for travel or to top up long-term vax like tetanus or Meningococcal vax. Ask about ENT doctors and fixing sinuses. Partially DONE! I got my first shingles vax. I got a blood test and found out I have very low iron. I got my ADHD and thyroid pill scrip renewed. I got a well person check and asked about perimenopause (I got dismissed on that one - will need to go to someone else).
2. Think about switching doctors. The Fono (4.3 stars on google) and
   Victoria Park Medical Suites (4.4 stars on google) have better ratings than my current doc for much cheaper. Deferred to 2026.
3. Cervical swab in May 2025. DONE!
   
   
2. Book and get first mammogram. UPDATE: April 2: I called and enrolled in the programme. The appointment will be made for July sometime in June. UPDATE 2: The appointment is now in August. 21 August: DONE! It was not as painful as everyone says?
   
   
3. Order colon cancer test & send in sample. 21 August: DONE!
   
   
4. Physio. Ask about pain in left inside shoulder and improving flexibility and posture. Deferred to 2026.
   
   
5. Optometry
1. book appointment: DONE! August 2025 
2. get reading glasses prescription updated: DONE! August 2025 
3. ask about dry eyes and convergence insufficiency treatment: DONE! August 2025 Apparently the dry eyes should be manageable via drops and heating pads, while the convergence insufficiency is only aesthetic - it bugs me due to my appearance but isn't an actual medical issue. Something about "adipose skin" near just one of my eyes could be causing it? Note: the new prescription I got is not correct. I had to return the glasses and order new ones with the prescription from 2022. 2026: make sure they measure what I need from reading glasses using the computer or reading from much further away. that may be the issue? 
4. order new computer reading glasses from Zenni DONE! Note: the new prescription I got is not correct. I had to return the glasses and order new ones with the prescription from 2022.
   
   
6. Vaccinations and shots
1. Shingles First shot: DONE! in Nov 2026. 2nd shot scheduled by March 2026.
2. Flu shot - April 2025 - appointment made for April 9 DONE!
3. Bivalent COVID boosters every 6 mo:
   
   • April 2025 - appointment made for April 9 DONE!
   • Oct 2025: if not in US, get in NZ DONE!
4.  Take Buccaline:
• mid-May
• mid-August (before US trip)  Note: still caught something after being on plane to / within the US in August. I'm not sure how great this stuff works...
7. Dentist
   
1. July 2025 check up - DONE!
2. Floss every day - DONE
3. Use electronic toothbrush every day - Almost DONE!  
   
   
8. Dermatologist All deferred to 2026.
1. Research dermatologists & make appt
2. Mole map
3. Treat eczema
4. start skin care regimen and find products that I like. 
   
   
9.  ADHD/Therapy
1. Psychiatrist appt: Book appt for Dec 2025 in June 2025. Special authority expires in Jan 2026. UPDATE: NZ has updated these rules and the 2 year special authority requirement is no longer in effect. Hurrah! https://pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/news/pharmac-funds-new-medicine-and-removes-renewal-criteria-for-adhd-and-narcolepsy-treatments 
2. Research ADHD time, energy, & motivation hacks, make list of 25 hacks to try, and experiment with them within my work. Deferred to 2026.
3. Therapy appt: make once I can afford it again. Focus on emotional issues and someone with experience in ADHD. My last therapist did not understand. Deferred to 2026.
4. Look into ADHD coaches. Deferred to 2026.
   
   
10. Research how to upgrade my mental health. Deferred to 2026.
    
    

 Finances

1. Track spending.
• Update net worth every month - DONE! I haven't posted here but I have kept careful track and written up a summary for each month.
• Aim for $350K Net Worth by mid-2026 DONE! I passed this mark in August 2025. 
• New Goal: Hit $400K Net Worth by mid-2026. Deferred to 2026.
2. Stay out of debt. DONE!
3. Track peer to peer lending returns (Squirrel & Zagga) each month. DONE!
4. Keep track of airpoints for travel every quarter. DONE!
5. Continue to check in on my credit scores via CreditKarma and NZ credit score company every quarter.  DONE!
6. After using up air nz airmiles, cancel ANZ credit card and get rid of $150 annual fee. UPDATE: Nope, not doing this, not as long as I have international travel planned. The annual fee is more than made up by the travel insurance associated with this card for FREE if I pay for >50% of the prepaid bookings with my cc. I was quoted ~$800+ NZD for my 2025 US trip for a plan with a higher deductible and much lower coverage.
   
7. Use Delta e-ticket funds that expire by 5 Oct 2025. (Used this trick to extend the expiry date and had to use a US VPN just to get Delta to show me flight options). DONE! The new ecert for $333 USD expires on 20 Sept 2026.
8. Update investing strategy. Deferred to 2026.
1. Look into alternate ways to invest. 
1. Explore peer to peer investments in Squirrel.  DONE! started this in March 2025.
2. Invest in more peer loans via Zagga. DONE!
3. Convert large chunk of $$ ($30K NZD) to USD if it hits 0.80 USD per 1 NZD...maybe? Depends on 45's shenanigans. :( Deferred to 2026.
4. Research buying options / put calls as a way to buy US ETFs as a US-NZ dual citizen (mentioned here and here) - this just may be the way to invest in index funds from NZ using NZD! Deferred to 2026.
5. I can invest ~$30K more NZD in my US brokerage before hitting the NZ FIF limit, but I'll want to dollar cost average that instead of just dumping it all at once. Keep contributing $50 USD/mo to US brokerage account. I've decided to invest in Berkshire Hathaway shares until I hit the FIF limit. This fund importantly does not kick off dividends that would be double taxed in NZ and US - only taxed in the US. Deferred to 2026.
6. Figure out what to do with my liquid savings to get better returns. UPDATE: Zagga and Squirrel peer-to-peer lending seem to be my best best for higher returns than my savings accounts without triggering complex US taxes. Deferred to 2026.
2. After #1 is as complete as I can make it, research US-NZ tax accountants and financial advisors. Make list of questions. Create short-list of 5 people to ask questions to in a pre-interview. Deferred to 2026.
9. Ask 5 US-NZ tax accountants / international financial advisors to ask about tax efficiency, investment strategies, review diversification and asset allocation, and independent contracting: GST registration, US SS and Medicare, deductions in both countries. Choose one to try out for 2025-26. Deferred to 2026.
1. Ask advisor q's re: going freelance (e.g., GST, SS tax, tax management and filing).
2. Ask advisor about Kiwisaver - IRS issues re: trusts and PFICs. 
3. Ask advisor how to update retirement plans and goals. My previous goals are detailed here, here, here, and here, but they need to be updated in light of the situation in the US.
4. Ask advisor and research how to update will and trust documents for international situation. Where does my $$ go and how is it transferred/treated across international borders? Who will owe tax? How to do tax efficient estate planning? Potentially get friend of friend to help with this in NZ? 
10. After seeing a financial advisor, review asset allocation and diversification across all of my US and NZ accounts. Deferred to 2026.
11. After seeing a financial advisor, rebalance Kiwisaver and all US investments so that overall, everything is allocated in the proportions that I want them to be. Deferred to 2026.
12. Contribute to charities and support artists I love, e.g. 
1. NZ Geographic - DONE! I even bought my mom a subscription for Christmas. She loves it.
2. Chaotic Neutral / NRB BOTC - DONE! I signed up for their patreon for 1 month at a high tier. 
3. Noobs on the Gooftower - Deferred to 2026.
4. Pod Save America - Deferred to 2026.
5. Try Guys - Deferred to 2026.
6.  Jet Lag the Game/Nebula - Deferred to 2026.
7. Friend's charity - Deferred to 2026.
8. NZ heart association - DONE!
9. NZ coastguard - DONE!
13. File US taxes. DONE! Mailed 10 April 2025
14. File state taxes. DONE! Mailed 10 April 2025
15. File FBAR. DONE! March 17
16. Apply for cc's strategically: see here. UPDATE: I'm currently battling Bank of America to be able to charge my new Air Alaska card to meet the minimum spend. UPDATE 2: Finally completed my spend for Alaska; Applied for 2 more cc's: Southwest and Cap One Venture. In August 2025, trying to hit my min spends on those while in the US. UPDATE 5 Sept: cancelled JetBlue and Air Alaska cc's.
17. Apply for AMEX no fee cc after 3 months of full salary and putting expenses on US cc. It offers 1 Air NZ airpoint per $100 spent, with a bonus 50 airpoints with a $750 spend in the first 3 months. This is a BETTER RATE than the cc I currently have, which offers 1 Air NZ airpoint per $110 spent!! and the fee is $150/year. Why? UPDATE: Rejected.
18. If I do not receive full salary funding, ask to keep my 0.5 FTE hours. UPDATE: This is obsolete now. I will be on 0.3 FTE for my job, with the rest of my salary topped up by other external funding.
19. Renew 2025 renter's insurance. DONE! Prices went down by $78 from last year.
    
20. Contribute enough to Kiwisaver to get government contribution. DONE! This will be done no matter what since I will be making my full salary.
21. File/check NZ taxes (June/July). DONE! I owed roughly $150 - I still think that's better than getting a refund.
    
    

Travel/Experiences/Social

1. Talk to family at least once a week. DONE!
2. Text or email friends at least once a week or once a month or once a quarter, depending on where they fall in the contact hierarchy. DONE! (kind of)
3. Plan Northland trip in Summer 2026 (Dec - Mar). Christmas? Deferred to 2026.
4. Plan Mom & Sis NZ trip for Summer 2026 (Jan - Mar). Note: my sister is not well enough for a big trip like this. This is sadly scrapped. 
5. Plan Rarotonga trip in Fall 2026 (Mar - June). Deferred to 2026.
6. Plan ski trip in Winter 2026 (June - Aug). Deferred to 2026.
7. Plan trips to Hawaii, Iceland, London, and France in Sept 2026 after jobs and leases end. Deferred to 2026.
8. Go to family reunion in the US in August 2025 and home town in Sept 2025.
9. During US trip:
1. Back up personal laptop when at home - clone HDs. UPDATE 4 Sept: DONE!
2. Order Zenni glasses. DONE! UPDATE: Nope, the prescription is allllll wrong. Need to return and get different glasses. DONE! again.
3. Buy stuff on list of stuff to buy while in US.
   
4. Check Experian and Equifax credit reports from the US. (Note for future years: Experian and Equifax made me call in and order my reports: 877-322-8228--they refused me online.) DONE!  
   
5. Watch The OA and Only Murders in the Building with family while at home. HALF DONE! 
6. Make plans and see family & friends: DONE! 
1. distant side of family
2. B 
3. H
   
4. N/J/A in DC
   
5. local aunt and cousins
10. Ask around friends/family about takers for various trips: Northland with friends, ski fields with friends, Queenstown with friends, Cook Islands with friends, Hawai'i with friend, Iceland with friend, England with friends, US national parks, river cruise through Europe with my mom and aunt. Deferred to 2026.
11. Make list of classes I'm interested in (e.g. watercolors, dance), with locations, durations, prices, etc., and start trying them out. Deferred to 2026.
12. Find something fun and social (but safe) to do for Xmas 2025 and New Year's Eve 2025-26. Northland road trip? No. Dad passed away. I am in the US right now after his funeral. 
    
    

Work/Computer Stuff:

1. Back up personal and work laptops AND make image of HD several times a year: January / April / August / October. Update: missed January and have backed up/made image of personal computer in May 2025. DONE!
2. Every quarter, check that the work back up system is working to back up work files separately every week, month, and quarter on the first of each month. Deferred to 2026.
3. Research how to improve my digital security. Ideas: 
1. Invest in a good high speed VPN (e.g. surfshark? proton?) and use most of the time on my laptop. April 2025: Bought ProtonVPN for 1 year.
2. Look into automatic back up systems that don't rely on me manually checking that they are done properly. Deferred to 2026.
4. Finish moving all Google work files to DropBox.  Deferred to 2026.
5. Reduce files on Google Drive (move to two external hard drives) to be able to eliminate my Google One subscription costs. Deferred to 2026.
6. Submit my doctoral thesis in March 2025. DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7. Defend my PhD.  Deferred to 2026.
8. Submit PhD papers and get them published: Deferred to 2026.
1. Paper 1: Code + MA: in draft manuscript form
2. Paper 2: MS - in draft manuscript form
   
3. Paper 3: GE&F's - Submitted and under review. May: Under revision. December: revisions resubmitted. Deferred to 2026.
   
   

Life Upgrades (now that I should have more free time and $$, post-PhD):

1. Smartphone (see below for description of specs I'm looking for) Deferred to 2026.
2. Laptop (see below for description of specs I'm looking for) Deferred to 2026.
3. Air purifier for room Deferred to 2026.
4. Upgrade home office (new chair, desk, monitor): April 2025: have started on this by replacing my keyboard wrist rest and mouse pad and researching curved monitors. I think a 27" curved monitor (1800R curve) should do nicely - now just waiting for the sale to start again (should be around $200 NZD). I actually think my chair is fine. I would like a new desk and monitor, though.
5. Get a maid / cleaning service for a massive move out cleaning, including the oven, to start over with cleaning with a clean slate (literally, haha). April 2025: DONE!
6. Figure out how to involve more dogs in my life. Pawshake? Deferred to 2026.
7. Donate to artists whose work I enjoy. April 2025: Contributed to a Patreon of my fave creators. Trying it out for 1 month then I'll reassess.
   
8. Volunteer for the NZ Green Party. I need to channel some of this pent up frustration about what is happening in the US somewhere. UPDATE: I signed up in March 2025 to help with clerical/admin work. 
9. Research other volunteer opportunities. Deferred to 2026.
10. Consider living by myself in a new apartment with good amenities (tennis court, pool, gym, jacuzzi) if my current apartment complex or apartment is sold. Deferred to 2026.
11. Start paring belongings down to reduce mental clutter and in preparation for move (see list below). Deferred to 2026.
    
    

 Technological details: 

1. New smartphone. Budget: $1K NZD / $600 USD
1. 5G capability
2. works in US and NZ
3. Android
4. USB-C charging port
   
5. eSIM, microSIM, and dual SIM if possible
6. headphone jack (or i could get an adapter I guess)
   
7. really good cameras
8. slot for expandable storage
9. wireless charging capability
10. long battery life
11. replaceable battery
12. small form factor (flip phone?)

            Options: 

• Samsung Galaxy A54? $400
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5? $900
•  Samsung Galaxy XCover7? or cover8? seems to have everything I want except it is large. works with 5G n78 and n40 in NZ, n41, n71 in US; 4G 4, 5 and 66 in US; has main band 3 in NZ also 40 and 28; https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_xcover7-12784.php. Doesn't seem to be sold in the US?

            NZ skinny 5G bands:

• n78 (3500 MHz) and n40 (2300 MHz)
• 4G Bands: 3 (1800 MHz), 7 (2600 MHz), 28 (700 MHz), and 40 (2300 MHz) for 4G coverage, with 3G band 5 (850 MHz) also available.  
  

            US Tmobile 5G bands:

• Band n2 / n25 (1900MHz)
• Band n41 (2.5 GHz)
• Band n258 (24 GHz)
• Band n260 (39 GHz)
  
• Band n261 (28 GHz)
• Band n71 (600 MHz)
• 4G LTE Bands: 
• Band 5 (850 MHz)
• Band 4 (1700/2100 MHz)
• Band 66 (Extension of band 4 on 1700/2100 MHz).
  

 2. New laptop. Budget: $2K NZD / $1.1 USD

1. light and small-ish for traveling - 13 - 15.6" screen 
2. extremely light weight and thin (< 2.5 lb)
3. 2+ TB hard drive 
4. touchscreen
5. full keyboard with number pad
6. touch pad
   
7. upgrade RAM from 16 GB
8. upgrade processor to be able to play the sequel to the only vid game I play without my laptop getting so hot - can I use nvidia instead?
9. ability to open up base and upgrade parts myself
   
10. I really like my LG Gram, so something similar to it would be great 
11. LG gram SuperSlim 15.6" Laptop - Intel Evo Platform Intel Core Ultra 7 - 32GB RAM - 2TB SSD - Neptune Blue: $2K? 
12. why a new laptop? -keyboard -not enough RAM for fave vid game sequel -screen hinge loose
    
    

3. Cheap tablet or similar with lightweight accessories for travel

1. main use case is to research activities during travel, make bookings, email, etc. and watch movies and for entertainment on planes and during down days of travel
2. can use Windows on it to work if needed (e.g. for a conference) - need Excel and powerpoint mainly
3. can pair with lightweight small mouse and roll up keyboard 
4. small. lightweight.
5. powered by high speed USB-C
6. cheap in case of robbery (don't want to have to worry about it).
   

 

 

BREAK IN CASE OF MOVING

My current complex is up for sale. I've had a look at the rentals available over the past year. Any move will result in increased rent and I'd still not maintain my current level of comfort/amenities, so I will need to reduce my expenses in preparation.

 

Here is some of the pre-planning I've done, along with the $4K furniture fund and $5.2K bond and starter rent fund (see sidebar).

 

Start eating down my pantry/fridge/freezer and start reducing the amount of food I have on hand at any one time. 

Look through chattels list from the landlord. What stuff will stay with my apartment? What can I bring with me to the new apartment? Start separating stuff I own vs stuff that needs to stay in the apartment. Is there anything perhaps that I could ask the landlord to sell to me, since the apartment complex is just going to get knocked down anyway and the furniture will become extraneous? I would ask for the beds, nightstands, the new couches, and the dining room table is perfect for a small living room when folded up to its smallest size, yet can accommodate 6-7 people around it expanded when I have game nights. The microwave is newer. I'd love to take some of the wooden shelves too. Basically nearly everything?

Look through my expenses and get quotes to reduce costs, mainly renter's insurance and fibre internet and electricity. Consider unbundling electricity and internet, since I read that they are more expensive when bundled. 

Make list of belongings that I need to move, and what size vehicle and packing materials will be needed.

Start recruiting friends to help me move. 

Start shopping around and meal planning to lower grocery bill - is there any way I can reduce this? 

After the move, investigate if I should enrol in a different medical practice since my current one increased their prices and is no longer considered a low cost medical clinic? https://doctorpricer.co.nz/

Consider changing jobs if I am no longer able to save any money post-move. Are there side hustles or extra jobs I could take on to supplement my current job, post-PhD submission?

Brainstorm ways to diversify my savings, investments, and later income streams, i.e. LendingCrowd peer to peer lending (now defunct), Squirrel, Zagga, call put bets, etc. Set aside a small amount of savings to play with for high risk investments like the above. Figure out what works.

Focus on credit card bonuses and how to optimize post-PhD travel once again.

Investigate how to earn extra income with low effort, e.g.: https://sidehustlescience.org/pawns-app-review/

Look through all of my personal belongings - what can I sell/donate/give away/trash/use up before the move?

1. clothes in:
1. dresser
2. closets
3. under bed
   
2. bookshelf in room
3. nightstand
4. top of dresser
5. small shelf #1
6. small shelf #2
7. on desk
8. in bathroom #1 drawers and under sink
9. in under-stairs storage shelves
10. in garage storage
11. in bathroom #2 under the sink
12. in downstairs bookshelf
13. kitchen pantry, drawers, shelves
14. patio gardening supplies
    

List of furniture to buy secondhand if I have to move to an unfurnished place: $4K budget

1. mattresses, box springs, and bed frames - Queen & Double - $700?
2. nightstands x 3: $100 total
3. wardrobes if no closets or built ins: 2 x $300 each
   
4. dressers or dressing tables x 2: $150 total
5. couches - 2 seater: $50; 3 seater: $150
6. coffee table: $25
   
7. tv stand: $30
   
8. tv: $200
   
9. bar stools: 3x $30 each
   
10. end tables: 3x $20 each
    
11. dining room table and chairs - $150 - $200
    
12. replace my desk: $150
    
13. balcony furniture: $200
    
14. I have: trash cans, other accoutrements (lamps, rugs, vacuum, broom, mop, ironing board and iron, small shelves)
15. I have: kitchen implements (toaster, kettle, pots, pans, baking pans, casserole dishes, cups, mugs, plates, bowls, glasses, silverware, blender, dishrack, mixing bowls, spatulas, measuring cups, etc.): ???
    

March Madness - 2025 Budget and Net Worth Update

Life Update

• I've submitted my PhD thesis now. I covered that event in this post. Two days out, it still doesn't seem real. There are celebrations planned starting this Friday.

• I still don't have a good strategy for replacing Skype. I've started changing my phone number on all of my US based accounts to my TMobile prepaid US number. But that's a huge pain to access. I have to switch out my SIM cards every time. Not very sustainable, plus I only have 30 minutes and 30 texts or something on the $3/mo prepaid plan. Thank GOD I have kept that as a back up. Microsoft really screwed us over with the short notice and timelines.
  
  
• I still haven't used the gym membership that I paid for. I signed up for a class this Friday, though, plus I joined the tennis club which offers free coaching lessons every so often. My friend and I are talking about going to a separate weekly tennis class together.
  
  
• The funding my supervisor and I applied for last November got approved! That will be covered in another post, but I had thought my app got rejected because they took so long to respond (past the date that they said the funding had to start by...). That means I will be getting paid my FULL salary for at least a year. I have PLANS.
  
  
• I'm going to try to open my mind about my flatmate, and start asking him to stop doing the things that annoy me, and/or fix the things.

• I've now made all of the bookings for myself for my family reunion/Colorado trip later this year. I booked it on my NZ cc, which apparently has amazing travel insurance (unlimited medical!) if you book > 50% of the prepaid expenses on the card. I might even keep the card just for this feature.
  
  
• My apartment complex still hasn't been sold. With the 42-day notice period they have to give once they do sell, this means I have a little bit of a time cushion post-submission where I can relax and not have to immediately go flat-hunting, go through my belongings and figure out what to donate, trash, or pack, and hopefully can live a few days without major stressors. I have at least until the middle of May, so I'm not going to think about this unless I have to for most of April.
  
  
• I've filled out and mailed my US 2024 tax forms. I've also completed my FBAR for another year. Yay!
  
  
• Bank of America continues to lock my card for what it thinks is fraud, but is actually me trying to use the Air Alaska card. I have spent many hours on the phone with them. Only part of the saga is covered in this post. The latest is that they said that the phone number associated with my account should get "verified" in their system within 14 business days. I will give it another week and call again.
  
  
• I've made my hair cut appointment, dentist appointment, and enrolled to get free mammograms (I will schedule it for later in the year near my birthday so I always remember when to get it). 
  

March 2025 Budget

I had my 0.5 FTE salary as earned income. 

I have opened and funded my Squirrel peer-to-peer lending account, and started transferring some of my $$ to their savings account, which offers a better interest rate than what I have now with my basic Rabobank savings account.

Income: $3,715.43

Salary: $3,150.22

Lending Crowd repayments: $281.83

Zagga repayments: $8.38

Garage rent: $325

Spending: $2,211.38 (59.5%)

 

Spending categories (budgeted amount in parentheses):

Rent: $1060 - my portion of rent is $265 per week. 

Groceries: $382.42 ($500)

Eating out: $116.06 ($150) I got McDonald's 3x (one time I only got a small frozen coke though), 1 pizza from pizza hut, a large order from wok'n'noodle thai that covered a week's worth of lunches, and ate out at a pizza restaurant with friends.

Charity: $30 ($60) Tix to a charity lottery on auto-buy. I desperately need to win a house, but if I don't, at least the money goes to the heart association!

Cell phone: $22 ($35) The usual top up plus some.

Medical: $38.98 ($100) I bought some eye treatment spray for dry eyes, plus sudafed nasal spray since my sinuses seem so clogged these days. allergies maybe?

Misc: $348.95 ($485)

alcohol, entertainment, fees, gifts: $0

self care: $174.20 I got two massages, plus a brow wax and tint

goods and wants: $29.47. I bought some face masks, gifts for a friend's kids, some ice packs, replaced a small flashlight for the water heater closet, a new fan heater, a 2025 wall planner, two small soft cases for wired earbuds, and a lightweight plastic sleeve for wet bathing suits etc.

transportation: $88. I got Mevo three times.

travel: $2536.79. Paid for from savings (not counted in the March budget).

Feb 2025 Savings: $1,504.05 (40.5%). Plus the usual $50 I save to an account that requires a $50 addition every month to get a slightly higher interest rate.

Savings and Funds Activity Update

• $15K worth of CDs have now matured.  1 year $5K CD has now matured, earning me $261.30 (minus taxes). I started a new $5K CD for 6 mo as that has the highest interest rate right now (4.9% p.a.). The interest rates just keep dropping :( I'll just keep money in term deposits until I can finish my PhD and figure out how to invest instead of keeping tons of money in savings accounts.
  
  
• The money I saved and earned this month went to a $5K Tax Advisor Hire Fund, which is 100% complete now (see sidebar).
  
  
• My Zagga loan was repaid in full, so I now have no loans out.
  
  
• I have started investing in peer-to-peer loans via Squirrel. So far only $400's worth of orders ($100 each) have been filled, with a ~6.5% p.a. return. Worse than the stock market, better than saving accounts. I've decided to keep $10K in savings accounts and invest the rest aggressively in loans like this since I cannot invest in the stock market in NZ.
  
  

Net Worth Tracking

NZ Savings: $136,274.81 NZD

Peer to peer lending: 

• LendingCrowd: $2,863.38 NZD - principal still owed, repaid with interest in weekly installments
• Zagga: $0K NZD 
• Squirrel: $400

Kiwisaver: $103,395.34 NZD. Down by a lot since last month. Oh well. Swings and roundabouts and all.

US investments: $56,088.92 USD. This is down by a lot too but my Berkshire Hathaway funds are still up ~20% since the start of the account last year!

Total Net Worth (Mar 2025): $335,021.31 NZD (a decrease of $7,331.14 NZD)

Submission Day Has Come and Gone. But I don't really care?

The whole thing was a bit anti-climactic, if I'm honest. I hit the button and it was done. My PhD thesis, which I've been working on since 2014 - over 10 years - is now submitted. I thought I'd feel overwhelmed afterward, or relieved, proud, or some sort of very intense feeling. After I submitted my thesis for my Master's degree, I remember feeling the most glorious, wondrous high, so incredibly proud of myself, and generally amazing, even though I was going through a terrible break up at the time. But whatever it is that I'm going to feel about submitting my PhD thesis -- it must not have hit me yet. I'm a bit numb. A bit, "so what?" about it. Of course, I'm glad that I made it to this step while my dad was still alive. And that I didn't have to move in the last year (my apartment complex is still up for sale). Those became my two biggest fears, and my two biggest goals: submit before my dad passed or I had to move. I'd cringe when I heard my dad say he felt badly. I checked what date '42 days from today' was nearly every other day, because 42 days is the notice period they are required to give me to move out by law when my flat is sold. For both of those things, I made it in time, by pure luck and coincidence.. I am vaguely glad that I made it before two things that I have no control over happen.

That feeling was present throughout my entire PhD. I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I never really believed that I would get to this day, the submission stage, to be honest. Too many things have always gone wrong for me in this journey, and, perhaps with the exception of the very first year of my PhD, it never, ever, EVER felt like I was doing the right thing for myself and my life. I am not sure why I saw it through this far. I still expect them to say the thesis is not good enough for the degree. Because, in all honesty, it's really not very good. That isn't me being imposter syndrome-y or self-deprecating, it's me being very genuine with something that I know is true, deep down. The methods I used to collect and interpret my data are on very shaky ground. I had to get extremely creative because key bits of data are missing, and I ran out of time (and samples) to fill in that missing data. I chalk that up to a few issues.

Firstly and mainly, my co-supervisor is absolutely terrible at his job of supervising. (My main supervisor is basically there in name only and has mainly contributed moral support, funding, and help with editing - she doesn't know the specific field I'm in very well, so literally could not help me with much of my PhD.) At every. single. turn. my terrible co-supervisor told me to do tasks that wasted (all tallied) several years. He only seemed to pay attention to my needs when a big deadline was imminent, and then everything was done in a huge rush, which resulted in bad data and lots of mistakes. He missed a ton of meetings prior to me getting my main supervisor involved. More often than not, other experts in the field told me that things he had told me were flat out incorrect. Many times, the advice he gave me conflicted with what he had told me to do previously, and then he would turn it around on me and act like I was stupid for even trying the thing he had told me to do previously. When I would ask his reasoning for doing various tasks and steps, he would sigh dramatically and say "just do it" without explaining WHY I should do something. He'd disparage me and the rest of his students to colleagues at conferences and other meetings. He told me point blank that he thinks PhDs should be miserable and that he tried to make it that way for his students.

I was on my own or downright sabotaged for a lot of my PhD and it shows in the results.

That is where the impact of my ADHD comes in, which is the second reason why my thesis isn't very good. The ADHD reared its ugly head throughout the PhD, but it was in full force especially for at least the past 4-5 months as the deadlines piled up. I failed to meet nearly every single one of those deadlines, even (especially?) when I myself set them. Everything took 2-3x longer than I thought it would, even when I added in buffer time. I completed my Introduction and Conclusions sections within just the past week. My supervisors didn't see the full text of my thesis until last Friday, 3 days before the final deadline. They point blank never saw the fully formatted version. I didn't have time to compile the full references until Sunday night, with the deadline the next day. I thought that task would take ~4 hours. It actually took 12. I had planned to finish all of the formatting and fully complete the final draft by early Sunday evening, get a good night's rest, and then read through the whole thesis in detail and make it tighter and more cohesive in several sections that I knew were weak on Monday before submitting, but I ended up staying up all Sunday night compiling the references and making the final formatting touches on the lists of tables, figures, and appendices. Before I knew it, it was ~3 pm and I was nearly falling asleep at my desk. I hadn't slept in about two days.

The final deadline wasn't until midnight, but there's no way I could have kept working on it and produced solid writing in that state, so it went as it was, weak sections and all.

I called my family and, with them on the phone, uploaded the documents, filled out the short form, and hit the submit button. There were no fireworks, no congratulations screen, nothing. There wasn't even a confirmation email. I am glad I thought to call my family for that moment because otherwise, there would have been no recognition at all of this monumental milestone passing. Maybe that is partly why I feel so nonchalant about the whole thing. 

It's baffling to me that I don't feel anything. The thing that has plagued me for a decade is starting to be over (I still have to go through the review and defense stages before I can call myself Dr and have the degree), and I have no emotional response? Being a PhD student has been a part of my identity that whole time, however imposter-y I have felt about it. I've spent SO MUCH TIME dreaming of what I'd do when this day came. Built up SO MUCH anticipation. Yet I feel nothing? What is that about? 

Maybe it'll hit me later. Til then, I'll be catching up on a decade of sleep.