In which I begin to fill in another novelty-shaped money-thermometer

Hey so, I think I mentioned that I'd written a bunch of draft stuff that I hadn't got around to publishing.
On my 31st birthday I began writing a totes navel-gazing post:
Today is my 31st birthday (I wrote)

A year ago I decided that 30 was going to be the most amazing year ever - which hasn't necessarily been true. It's been deeply challenging and difficult, and I've had to make some decisions that were very hard for me. On the other hand, it's also been a year where I've paid off my debts, set up a gorgeous house with my partner, participated in kapa haka for the first time, and improved my sewing markedly.
This year I have a couple of goals:
✚ Travel to Paris, Berlin, London

 ... and then I stopped writing. Possibly my train arrived.
But it gives me the opportunity to introduce the Savings Tower! Now that I have paid of my debt, I am indeed most excited that I am saving money for myself instead of paying off debts.
The first thing I am saving for is a trip to Europe. Finally, after spending forever reading about Paris and Berlin and the UK and vaguely planning to *one day* (wistful dreaming face) travel there - I am DOING it. I am, of course, disappointed that hanging out at Shakespeare & Co won't be as exciting as it would have been, say, seventy years ago, or that I won't have the opportunity to run into Anais Nin and Henry Miller.* Or indeed visit a Weimar-era cabaret darlink.
In celebration of my new-found saving abilities I have created another novelty-shaped thermometer. Let us watch it grow together! As you can see I'm already trucking along quite nicely towards the cost of my airfare.



It's super nice to be saving for something lovely instead of throwing money at debt. Nobody ever told me how nice it would be to have assets... sometimes I just login to my bank account to look at my positive balance. Does that make me sound like Scrooge McDuck in his money pit?

*That would, of course, be truly ghastly and dreadful. That was 21 year old Sarah speaking, apols.
Currently playing: Howard by Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele