About

Curious about who writes the blog? 

Here is a little bit about me and my money journey.

Handful of thoughts - profile picture - Maria
Profile picture - Handful of Thoughts - Maria

Hi, I'm Maria!

A millennial momma with no desire to work for someone else until I’m 65. If that sounds familiar to you then. You’re in the right place.

Handful of Thoughts is part financial independence, part personal finance, with some momma/parenting stuff sprinkled throughout. It is all experience based with no guru expertise.

Without really knowing it, I have been pursuing financial independence for a few years now. Saving money but never really having a goal. Now I’m saving my money to gain more control of my time. Handful of Thoughts can also help you gain control of your time and money.

Money Past

While I am married to a bit of a spender, I am a natural saver. Throughout our marriage we have slowly converted each other to what we call valuists.

I am constantly trying to be more mindful with both my money and my time. Spending a bit of money to get the most value of my time has now become more of a priority.

I am proud to say that we paid off our $342,000 mortgage in less than five years. A decision that changed the course of our lives and one we never regret. 

Money Present

After we paid off our mortgage we decided to further invest in real estate and buy rental properties. We now own 9 rental properties. 

We manage all our properties ourselves on top of hanging out with our little one and our full time day jobs. Needless to say, life can get pretty busy at times. Having systems and checklists in place really helps with this.

Even though we were once mortgage free we decided to upgrade to a new (to us) home and now have a mortgage again. Being in debt is no fun.  We plan on paying this mortgage off fast too.

Money Future

I know how great it feels to be mortgage-free and how it provides so many options.  I want to help other moms and families become mortgage-free too.

Control of my own time is important, but am not willing to sacrifice my happiness now to achieve financial independence.

Since the birth of our little one, I have a renewed focus on the finite resource of my time. Spending time with her is the reason for my pursuit of financial independence.

Our goal is to continue to save more than we make, align our spending with our values and one day quit our “day jobs.” A big part of this is paying off our mortgage again.

Not sure where to start?

  • I can help you with that.
  • Tracking your monthly expenses is the easiest first step.
  • The Free Expense Tracking Workbook is the only framework you need for not only tracking but optimizing your expenses
Free Workbook? - Yes Please!
Free expense tracking workbook

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