Know Your Blogger Series

Savvy History

I started Savvy History pretty shortly after our first child was born. I was quitting some other side-hustles but still desiring a creative outlet. My side-gigs pre-baby involved guitar lessons and playing live music. I enjoyed them, but had done them for 10 years and saw having a child as a good time to change it up and choose online activities with more flexibility and less travel. My overall mission is to experiment and explore while constantly learning. If I can help others learn about novel topics and interesting ideas along the way, it feels like I’m really on track.
Check out our Q&A with Savvy History here.

Come learn about the blog, Savvy History, and follow her passive income and business journeys.

Each week at Personal Finance Blogs, we publish interviews from amazing bloggers from the personal finance space. This week, we are featuring the blog, Savvy History.
During these weekly features, we are hoping to provide a way for you to interact and learn more about different blogs in the personal finance space.
Below, you can read more about the story behind Savvy History, learn about the author, and learn personal finance tips from Savvy History to help you improve your financial situation.
A big thanks for Savvy History for this interview! Now, we will turn it over to the author for this interview.

Tell us about Savvy History

My first mission was to mingle with strangers on the internet to obtain some honest feedback and discover if I liked writing in a disciplined way. (I do like it by the way!) My overall mission is to experiment and explore while constantly learning. If I can help others learn about novel topics and interesting ideas along the way, it feels like I’m really on track.

I came up with my blog name based on being a multi-faceted dork. I really am a nerd. It has taken me quite a while to accept this and be proud of it. I hope to eventually record 30 songs I have written about inventors, entrepreneurs, and interesting people in history. At the same time, I have a lot to process about my own past. The purpose of the blog is to document a business journey and hold myself accountable. I also hope to share my passive income journey and freelance writing experiences.

What makes you and your blog unique?

A lot of people are drawn to the history angle dominating the blog and they enjoy my blog images. I use black and white images from the public domain, often sourced from obscure artists in the 1800s. I really like shining a light on dead overlooked people. I guess everyone has their thing! I found mine!

Basically, I’m someone constantly on the internet who doesn’t belong on the internet – creating a lot of creative tension within myself and interesting dichotomies to explore in front of others.

What does “being good with your personal finances” mean to you?

At its heart, I think it means having the power to think for yourself. There is no right or wrong way to “do” money. Just like how there is no right or wrong way to live.

Some people leverage debt really well and that helps them become enormously wealthy eventually. Other people are debt-phobic (me) and they can end up alright too. I think its really powerful to mind your own business while also keeping an open mind and surveying the lives of strangers on the internet (ha ha).

What are some habits you practice to keep your personal finances in order?

I’m into mindful living across the board – zooming in and then zooming out on a topic to see how it impacts my family. Specific to money, being mindful means I’m aware of an overall spending and saving plan that could land us in a responsible spot in life.

I like to pay the bills around the same time each month, keep an eye on our accounts, be aware of our general net worth, and explore novel side-hustles. As far as my husband goes, he likes remodeling houses. We make sure we can always cash-flow a project. If we can’t pay for it straight away, we wait until we can. We live debt free and plan to never have debt again.

What are your three articles people should read to get to know you and your message better on your site?

Below are all articles where I am striving to learn from others or learn from my own past (part of why “history” is in my name)!

Frederick Douglass’ First Creative Dollar

George Orwell’s First Creative Dollar

10 Past Business Mistakes: How to Learn From Them

For someone looking to improve their financial situation, what’s your best advice?

It’s been said before, but in the short-term there’s nothing more powerful than tracking your spending. Get real about how much you make and how much you spend each month. See what the gap is, and explore if you think it’s reasonable to save more (if you can) or try something new. Some people find this to be a shocking exercise. I first did it in my early 20s. I learned that I could take some time to be a musician full-time because my side hustle was outpacing my bare-bone expenses. I wouldn’t have had the courage to take that leap without doing the above exercise.

In the medium-term, I would say take your spending and saving seriously and challenge yourself to obtain an even larger picture of your finances, including hopes and dreams. Learn how to track your net-worth (even if it’s in a casual way). I found the world of finance incredibly intimidating at first (and I still do!), but I’m open to learning. If you enjoy it, pick a few powerful accounts that speak to you and follow them so you can learn about finance here and there. For example, I am not a true blue personal finance blogger persay, but I enjoy the PF community online next to my history, music, and creative communities.

In the long-term, I would say find a way to build flexibility into your life using money (even if you thought it was evil at first – ha). For example, COVID has taught me I desire remote work (did I just say that?) Yes! Yes I did! So I will be exploring a sabbatical next year. The only reason I have this option is because of past decisions and the knowledge of how to cut our expenses to the absolute minimum. I share this journey in Instagram stories because I’m still kind of quiet about it and trying to process the life changes coming my way (new baby due in a month along with frightening requirements of classroom teachers this year, ETC.)

What’s an area of your life which has benefited from improving your personal finances? Have there been any areas of your life which have suffered?

I think I’ve become more confident and bold in my creative endeavors and creative dreams. That being said, I know deep down I want confidence that isn’t dependent on my bank account or any number. I’m sincerely jealous of people who have that form of confidence (my past oblivious self probably!) History is full of numerous writers, scientists, and creators who could have cared less about money.

Can’t deny though, there’s a pep in my step when I feel like I can’t be cornered by life or its hardships. That’s partly delusion, but having a savings account helps someone think clearly when times get tough. An odd counterpart to that is I do have options. Options are overwhelming. It’s not the same as suffering by any means, but it creates choices and the realization I have responsibility for my life and what I achieve. Maybe more than I thought? I’m not sure.

Also, I’m at a point where I wonder how healthy excessive social media exposure is related to money when networking in the personal finance space. I want to think for myself, and sometimes I feel like I have to put myself out there in order to be social, but it messes with my creative process – which is a deep dive to pull up something original. I can’t thrive with intermittent interruptions or others’ incessant opinions. However, I learn a lot on social media about money and business and enjoy most of the people there. So I definitely won’t give it up.

In your opinion, what’s better? Renting a place or buying a house to live?

I would have been happy to rent a small little place if I were single forever, but I met a partner who is great at remodeling houses and he has set us up in a pretty posh place. I try not to judge people on this question because the pros and cons are so numerous.

Concerning hard numbers though, I think I did the math on it once. I figured out we would have double the net worth if we had stayed in our small apartment and invested the difference. Then I put that math away because I started feeling ill (ha ha)!

That being said, during COVID, it has been amazing to have so much beautiful space for our son and have a backyard to play in. Also, it feels empowering to own our home outright and have a strong foundation to launch our ideal lives from. Maybe that is old-timey and priceless?

In your opinion, what’s better? Focusing on increasing your income, or focusing on decreasing your expenses?

In the past, I definitely played it safe and went with decreasing my expenses. Now? I think I was kind of into self-torture and a somewhat twisted spirituality built around denying myself of pleasure. Long story.

That being said, decreasing expenses has its place and can be helpful. As a busy mom, I find it easier to cut expenses. Easier isn’t always the answer though. For my own journey, I am now switching my focus. This takes a lot of mindset work. I am looking to increase my income because I think my family deserves better and I am quite frankly capable of more.

If you follow the blog, you will start to see I am beginning to play around with passive income ideas related to printables, KDP, and eventually – dare I admit it – music and online merch. If I find a way to make money online from music in this climate, it will be to astound myself. I like challenges. I don’t plan to ever be comfortable, whether decreasing my expenses or trying to earn more. I’m excited to freelance write as well.

What’s a non-money related interest you have and what do you love about it?

Where do I start?! (Money was actually boring to me for a long time. I thought I could just be frugal and “live above it.” Then my frugal tricks ran out. I only became interested in money once I realized it could ease creative anxiety.)

Anyhow, I really love creative psychology, studying the creative process, and helping other people feel good about themselves and the way their brain works. I love exposing highly sensitive people to the Theory of Positive Disintegration and Bibliotherapy. Both are concepts I came across while studying for my master’s. I’m really thankful for these ideas and the impact they’ve had on my sense of self.

When I say I love history, it’s because I love stories and what they can teach us. I could care less about every important date of the French Revolution. I want non-fiction to reach into our hearts and minds with a bang, pow, and punch. Connecting it to business lessons is one place to start. But I never forget lessons in history exist about love, power, hate, aimlessness, awe, and every feeling imaginable.

I try to take all of the above passions and pack them into music and writing. That’s where I’m really alive.

Why do you believe learning about money and caring about personal finance is important?

I want everyone to feel empowered, especially empowered to leave situations that downright stink. As much as I don’t want it to be the case, money is power. Only with the power to leave can someone put themselves in environments where they can thrive.

For example, my husband had a boss with a bonafide narcissistic personality disorder once. I watched it destroy a little of his soul each day, month after month. Then he was able to quit and come alive again! He watched me go through a similar toxic music situation. We are not dramatic people. We are pretty low-key. We learned narcissists are not worth your time and there is always someplace better to go with someone better to encounter.

Life is too short to put up with toxic junk or residue not worthy of human thought. I look at times when I was so down on myself and so low I didn’t know what to do, but what I really needed was a better environment. I will never forget that lesson. I never want to feel that way again. No one should feel trapped or see anyone else trapped.

How You Can Contact Savvy History for More Information

You can learn more about Savvy History at https://www.savvyhistory.com/, follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/savvyhistory/, and follow them on Twitter at @savvyhistory.

Thank you for reading this interview, and thank you, Savvy History, for providing us with some great personal finance tips!