Well Hello!
My name is Holly and welcome to minimalist mindful money. I created this blog to share my passion and knowledge for personal finance and to help other women find their perfect balance between spending, saving and investing for their current vs future selves. In addition to personal finance, my other true passion is travel – I’ve been to an amazing 22 countries and counting! I truly believe in buying less “stuff” so that we can enjoy new experiences with the people we love and meet a lot of amazing new people along the way. As a result, it’s my mission to help others take control of their money so they can live a life that aligns with their personal goals and values.
A Little More About Me
I grew up in a very small town in Southern Saskatchewan with humble beginnings. We didn’t have a lot of money, but I never felt deprived. I had a great childhood – I spent the summers riding bikes, playing baseball, camping with my family and I developed a love of nature, sports and physical health. When I moved away to university in the “big city” of Regina, I had to take out over $20,000 in student loans, and I worked hard to pay off all that debt. I worked many part-time jobs and side gigs to get rid of that debt – anything from customer service, retail, waitressing to cutting grass.
The problem for me with money actually came when I started making more of it – in my late twenties, I was doing pretty well in my corporate role in Human Resources, I developed a love of travel and I was saying “yes” to everything. However, I remember coming home from a vacation and had maxed out one of my credit cards. For someone who was very debt averse, I couldn’t believe I had let myself get there. That was my low point and from that day on, I made it a mission to pay off that debt within the year, educate myself on all things personal finance and never let that happen again.
I’ve been living consumer debt free for well over 10 years, I’ve saved for a down payment on a condo, I’ve increase my net worth significantly (multiple 6 figures), I’ve successfully negotiated my salary (and other rewards) at numerous jobs, I’m currently saving to buy a new car in cash and I still travel the world (and pay for every trip up front).
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you can look after your future self by saving and investing and planning for retirement while still living a pretty amazing current life. You can still travel and buy amazing things – you just can’t have ALL the things. And that’s exactly what living a minimalist, mindful life is all about!
My Background and Credentials
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business with a major in Human Resources and a minor in Finance. I’ve always been interested in Finance, but I liked the “human” element of Human Resources. Naturally, I fell into Compensation, which I believe blends both worlds quite nicely. In my full-time job, I ensure that employees are paid fairly and competitively for their level of work and skills and their competitiveness in the market. Because of this background, I am passionate about pay equity and ensuring that women are paid fairly compared to men, that women are successfully negotiating their worth for each job opportunity and that we understand and maximize all of the total rewards components offered through employment.
My goal for 2023 is to complete a Canadian financial counselling course so that I can become a financial coach and counsellor. This is where I thrive – helping people achieve their goals in a one-on-one setting. Unfortunately, anyone can call themselves a financial coach but I believe you should have some formal education and skills to back that up, which I’m determined to do. So, stay tuned for that!