pink hair girl traveler tourist take photo of ship building sea porto portugal agirlnamedclara
Money,  Travel

Vitamin Sea in Porto & How Financial Goals Saved Me

I didn’t expect that many people enjoy reading my previous post. One friend even messaged me saying that it’s so refreshing.

So I guess in unprecedented times (or stressful, to some) like this, you’d like to see a similar post. This week, let me take you to Porto, an enchanting coastal city in northwest Portugal and share how my financial goals saved me.

P.S.: the girl on the cover photo is not me, but I like how her pink hair is contrasting with the blue sea hehe…

Porto: Sea, Wine Tasting and Sardines

asian girl smile zara outfit purple hat sunglasses stand deck porto sea building agirlnamedclara summer

I had only two days in Portugal – one in Lisbon, one in Porto. Of course, one day wasn’t enough but I really enjoyed it.

The tour leader took us across the steely bridge for a wine tasting before our free time.

Strolling across the bridge is a must as you can view the sea and town from different angles. If you feel adventurous, you can jump from the bridge and swim!

asian girl smile zara outfit in front of porto bridge summer blue sky sea agirlnamedclara
wooden ship sail porto portugal blue sea sky agirlnamedclara
wooden ship sail underneath bridge blue sea sky colorful building porto portugal agirlnamedclara
boy walking on the bridge porto portugal agirlnamedclara
Quickly jump, boy, we want to see!
porto bridge road people walk on pedestrian agirlnamedclara
wihite wine tasting porto portugal agirlnamedclara
Sorry for the blurry photo. Each of us had a glass of red and white wine ^ ^

There are many sardines in Portugal, so you can expect to see souvenirs in the shape of sardines. When you’re here, remember to include sardines in your meal 🙂

Besides sardines, they’re also famous for cork products. Bags, pouches, wallets, fridge magnets – you name it!

couple traveler tourist look at fish doll souvenir porto portugal agirlnamedclara
sardine fridge magnet cork porto portugal souvenir agirlnamedclara
cork bag pouch souvenir porto portugal agirlnamedclara

Tasting Francesinha, the Traditional Dish of Porto

We had an option to take a cruise, but I didn’t take it as we had to return to the hotel at 7pm. So, after strolling down the city, I sat down to try francesinha, a traditional dish of Porto.

francesinha traditional food porto portugal agirlnamedclara
francesinha is menu porto cafe agirlnamedclara

Beer, hot spicy sauce plus a glass of red wine? Bring it on lol… The food was nice!

To make it even better, while enjoying my meal, I could see the sea and beautiful, colourful buildings. Summer in Porto is always packed with travellers but don’t worry, you’ll still have space to breathe and walk 🙂

colourful houses in porto portugal agirlnamedclara
man look from balcony cable car porto portugal agirlnamedclara

Also read: “Meditation, Travel Movies & How RMCO Changed Me”
Also read: “Tonny Robbins’ Investing Rules of Thumb – Simplified”

It’s OK to be Frugal, Your Financial Goals Will Save You

I’ve always been frugal so I can travel and try to be financially responsible for myself. One of the things I do is to create some financial goals where I put aside some of my income every month in different accounts.

It doesn’t matter how much you put aside. Month by month, it will accumulate and once you knew it, you’ll be able to pay an inpatient hospital bill or buy a good RM3k laptop — without worrying about where to find the money.

That’s what happened to me during the pandemic.

bluetooth usb keyboard silver agirlnamedclara(1)
At first, it’s the internet, keyboard & speed issues…
take time to pray htbb online from laptop agirlnamedclara(1)
Sunday online service – thank God I could buy a new laptop during the 9.9 Sale
(when my laptop was cooperative, after many restarting)

Thank God, I survived three major unexpected expenses: a pay cut, an inpatient hospital bill and a dying laptop. But Clara, you could use credit cards?

Yes, I could but to me, the feeling of having no debt is freeing! And no, I don’t have a credit card :p

Being frugal because you have some financial goals is OK, as long as you’re not stingy. It may be a bit uncomfortable but when in an emergency, you’re not causing inconvenience to anyone.

I hope you enjoy reading this post. Just including the photos while writing the blog made me want to visit Porto again… maybe one day 🙂

P.S: you can set financial goals/retirement plans with a robo-advisor, as I did.

Click my referral link so both of us get a 6-month fee management waiver!

Sign up with StashAway with my link:
www.stashaway.my/referrals/clarat573

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