It's Lung Cancer

November 7 2025: Just found out that my dad definitely has lung cancer. :( It's so sad. He JUST stopped chemo for leukemia last year. We're so sad.

October 2025: Straddling US and NZ

 Life Update
 

The first week of October was me running around getting last minute visits and shopping and packing together before leaving the US. I can't believe it's the end of the month already - I feel like I *just* arrived back in NZ. 

PhD & WORK 

• My first week back was a whirlwind of getting ALL OF THE THINGS done that I had blissfully ignored for six weeks. I had my inbox in control by the end of the first day back, thanks to my drip feed method of handling emails over my last week of vacation. That was a great strategy, I will likely do it again next year. 
  
  
• I am well behind on all of my ongoing work and deadlines now, but it was worth it to spend quality time with family and friends.
   
• I had my annual review with the head of the school and explained the issues around my job. He confirmed that there is no place for me at the University due to legal issues, but offered to have me become an honorary academic if I start my own freelance consultancy next year. This would allow me to keep certain privileges and benefits, like library access, email access, and probably computer software and lab access and such. 
  
  That conversation was my last hope, so I need to prep for leaving the Uni now. 
  
  In preparation for possibly opening my own consultancy, I did NOT buy a new laptop or phone in the US on purpose. Next year I will probably get to replace those things and get a tax deduction on them. Crossed fingers my equipment lasts until then!!
  
  

HEALTH & LIVING

• I kicked my flatmate out! I was super nervous to do it but got through it. I have been thinking of doing it for sooooo long but the timing was always really off or inconvenient for me. I am so glad I did it, even if it means I'm paying full rent for several weeks. He is moving out the first week of November. 
  
  
• Other news: my LL decided not to sell my flat. This is great for me, but the reason is terrible: she had a bad fall and was in the hospital. They are selling their current house and buying one that has a safer layout and is more accessible to health centres in their old age. 
  
  
• Now that I'm back in NZ, I'm back on my mostly-regular schedule of weekly stretch class, weekly pilates, and 1.5 hrs of tennis. It still isn't enough movement! I regularly wish I could go for a walk after dinner or lunch or even breakfast now but I never want to run into my flatmate, so I don't leave my room! But now that he is leaving, I will have freedom again. I'm really looking forward to having my WHOLE HOUSE to myself!
  
  
• My state banned the uninsured from getting covid boosters, even if you pay for them (!), so I was unable to get my vax when I was due while in the US. I got my booster the first week I was back in NZ. For free. They also threw in the tetanus - diptheria - whooping cough booster apparently I was overdue for. I was WRECKED the next day, though. I could only lay in bed and endure the aches and pains. 
  
  
• My daily migraines still haven't come back. This is great news, as I have been slowly adding my usual supplements (Vit D + K and biosil drops) to my routine since I have been back. I'm up to adding my B12 supplement, and still no reaction. It really must have been the fiber I was adding to my smoothie?? The only other option was that it was something unrelated to the supplements - stress? - or the fish oil caps that I'll add next to the testing regime. 
  
  
• I have a well person check scheduled for next week to see how everything is working. I really need to get a baseline on my health before I go gangbusters on working out and eating clean for the summer. The fainting symptoms I've been having since ~April persisted through my vacation, but were muted. However, I did notice that after driving for a few hours, sitting down, my ears get clogged (?) / start ringing when I stand up. I get a weird whooshing / light headed feeling where the sound comes in and out in waves, like a big fan is overhead. I thought maybe it was sinus or ear canal blockages and cleaned out my ears with Debrox, but that just caused intense pain in one of my ears/jaw. Something odd is definitely going on with me.  
  
  
• My plan to buy a SIM and get Google Voice was a massive failure. The deal (tons of data and minutes and texts for $15) through Tracphone was such a good deal that I think I'll do this next year too - but maybe try Tello as they offer an even cheaper deal. But Google Voice blocked every single account I have, including the new one (which they put on suspension for some reason, I had to appeal to keep it!). Also, they didn't accept the new Tracphone #. So that was a HUGE BUST.
  
  I can't wait until I get a phone with eSIM capability - so much easier!
  
  

TRAVEL, FAMILY, & FUN 

• I am reaping the dividends of fun times and quality time with family and friends from my trip. We are in more frequent contact even though I now haven't seen many of them in 1-2 months. 
  
  
• Dad still hasn't gotten his biopsy (he was feeling too sick when it was scheduled last week), but the docs say it is almost certainly lung cancer. I'm dreading the news. 

• My BFF in NZ just bought a car so life is about to get a lot more exp(a/e)nsive, I think. We're taking it out for a spin to see a new place tomorrow. 
  
  

MONEY THOUGHTS

• I hit my min spend on my southwest and cap one venture cards. Now comes the fun part: travel planning for next September!
  
  
• I cannot reconcile my income with my bank account. Somehow I'm making more than ever before, and still keeping track of every penny. So while my spreadsheet says I should have a bunch of $$ leftover at the end of the month, my bank account says otherwise. The only thing I can think is that my US trip was more spenny than I thought and it is all being paid for from my bank account since I didn't take any $$ out of savings for my trip. I SHOULD have moved my $5K 2025 US fund to my bank account but had a psychological block: I couldn't stand to see my savings decrease and get further away from hitting $400K net worth mid-2026!! 
  
  This impact of not transferring my funds should die down when all of my US spending is paid off and drops off of my credit cards. Maybe December?
  
  But more importantly I need to start feeling OK with spending the money that I saved up for for a certain reason ON that reason. Otherwise I'll just end up hoarding money or feeling like my bank balance is too low.
  
  
• Relatedly - while in the US, I got used to shopping and not thinking of every purchase. This is the mode I go into while there, because I save up the rest of the year. It was great! I've carried that attitude back to NZ a little bit. It's not like I'm spending willy-nilly or not thinking of my purchases carefully, but I am loosening the reins and being more generous, which feels nice. I can now treat my friends and colleagues and students to a drink or a meal once in a while and not feel the pinch, so why not? I'm giving more to charity, and recently I bought a subscription to a beautiful, informative magazine whose editor/journalist does an excellent job fact checking, etc. It felt nice to support media that would otherwise disappear.

 

MONTHLY CHALLENGES

• Food and Exercise: I am back the healthier eating and work out class train now that I've returned to NZ. In November, I want to:
• explore 5 veggie dishes or salad recipes
• go to the farmer's market one Saturday to compare veggie and fruit offerings and prices and buy pasture raised eggs
• get in the habit of taking a walk if it is nice outside after a meal
• eat more salads!
• explore going to more work out classes at different times of the day
  
  
• Medical: I have a lot of goals here, but in November, I want to: 
• see my GP, mainly to get my thyroid and adhd medication prescription renewed, but also to discuss what I need to get done during my well person check, particularly around my perimenopause symptoms
• schedule and get a well person check 
• research physios for my posture, shoulder, and now thumb!
• research dermatologists - in addition to a skin cancer check, I want to get in a skincare routine and explore different products
• research ADHD coping mechanisms, coaches, and therapists.

October 2025 Budget

I am earning a full salary now so things are very comfortable. I was in the US for the first week and a half of the month but mostly in NZ.

Income: $9,011.49

Salary: $8,624.34 (3 paycheck month)

Lending Crowd repayments: $121.93

Zagga repayments: $5.22

Garage rent: $260

Spending: $2,441.96 (27.1%)

Moved to Savings: $2,500 

Spending categories (budgeted amount in parentheses):

Rent: $1,350 (5 rent payments were due)

Groceries: $437.94 ($500)  

Electricity & Internet: $127.24 ($150)

Charity: $149 ($50)

Cell phone: $20 ($20)

Medical: $0 ($100) 

Eating out: $94.21 ($250)

Misc: $263.57 ($959)

entertainment, fees, gifts, travel: $0 

alcohol: $19.50 - I bought a pitcher of beer after our big annual meeting to celebrate with far flung colleagues this week

self care: $155.02 - a massage, various lotions, and 3x pilates classes. My student membership must have expired because now I'm on staff rates. Classes are almost double the cost! 

goods and wants: $6 - I wanted a small flat wallet for my backpack instead of carrying around my big chunky wallet in there. Most of my day to day cards are in my phone wallet.

transportation: $84.05 -  I got 10 scooters to/from work or to the grocery store or to a mevo car. I got a mevo car twice. 

Savings and Funds Activity Update

• I've continued to move money from my Rabobank account to Squirrel's on-call account as it offers a better interest rate than what I have now with my basic Rabobank savings account. Also, now that the national NZ bank insurance has kicked in and covers $100K per bank, I need to transfer at least $3K more to my Squirrel on call account so that all of my liquid savings is covered across both banks.
  
  
• I have $42,382.32 in an on-call account earning 2.25% p.a. in Squirrel, with $4066.52 invested in various peer-to-peer loans at $100 each at 6 to 6.5% p.a. About $3K of the money in the on-call account is waiting to be invested in personal loans at 7% p.a. when they become available (the wait times for those is about a year!). 
  
  
• I made no Zagga investments this month (again). With the housing market being so soft, I just don't...trust it? It is also $1K a pop in investments, and I'm not comfortable putting that many eggs in one basket. I have ONE loan out and I'm seeing how it all works.
   
• I received an email that Lending Crowd was back up and running (?). I have heard no explanation as to why yet, and no one else on the finance reddit boards seems to have picked up on this yet. They aren't open for investors yet but are taking loan applications now. When they do open up again, I'm going to sit and wait for a tiny bit before investing again. Until I hear an explanation of what is happening, what their lending criteria are, etc., I don't trust it not to go defunct again. 

• I've met all of my short- and medium-term savings goals, and then some. In lieu of goals, I have decided to save up for the eventuality that I will have no home and no job next September. This slush fund will also serve as a a start up fund in case I go freelance as well.  

   

Net Worth Tracking

NZ Savings (cash): $145,432.20 NZD (this went down because I realized I had been including my peer to peer lending $$ in this total. That should be counted separately as that $$ is not liquid and available to me to pull out within a reasonable time frame.)

Peer to peer lending: $6,397.24 (Zagga, Squirrel, open principal at Lending Crowd)

• LendingCrowd: $1,458.28 NZD - principal still owed, repaid with interest in weekly installments
• Zagga: $1K NZD 
• Squirrel: $4,124.28 NZD

Kiwisaver: $127,964.98 NZD

US investments: $65,884.14 USD

Total Net Worth (Oct 2025): $383,664.25 NZD

This is an increase of $4,185.11 NZD since last month, and an increase of $41,338.60 since the beginning of the year. Things really start rolling once you get to a certain threshold. I am hopeful to hit $400K by the time my job ends in 2026.