Welcome! Let’s Live on the (Creative) Edge!

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I’m so happy you came to visit! We are going to focus on productive parenting, functional personal finance, and innovative health insurance solutions.

I also hope to chronicle my family’s journey into Worldschooling – learning as a family while traveling – and sharing personal experiences and tricks for traveling with kids.

I’m McGarrity (yes, it’s my first name), wife of 14 years, and mommy of 2 cherished little ones (Mercedes and Giovanni). I’m a self-employed health insurance advisor, published author, an MBA, a creative thinker, and a movie buff. I’ve been addicted to the written word since before I can remember. I read to my kids, listen to audiobooks, and have multiple library cards. I also love to travel and look forward to passing that passion on to my family.

My Entrepreneurial Journey

“If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you’ll end up working for someone that does.” – Unknown

In 2017, we moved from Hawaii to Florida to escape the cost of living, but stay in a similar climate. For the first time, I had to get health insurance outside of an employer plan and I learned something just about everyone knows: Health Insurance sucks! I was fascinated to find that most health insurance plans are bad, some are worse, and a very few are okay. The research was surprisingly satisfying and, shockingly, I found myself massively excited about stitching ‘okay’ plans together to make a great plan that fit me. The unexpected creativity appealed to me as no other job ever has and I have been blessed to continue this passion as a health coverage advisor. Even better, I’ve been able to support my family and provide jobs to others with the same drive.

But, my new career had a drawback: commission only. And to add to the stress, my husband has been a stay-at-home dad since our daughter was born. His vocation was taking care of at-risk kids, which didn’t pay very well, and he has a hearing disability that limits his job prospects. It isn’t supposed to, but it does. So, I started learning about finances, living frugally, and multiple income streams. I have done side jobs like teaching ESL, transcribing, proofreading, and MLM businesses. Some have been successful, and some have really not!

As I keep finding new ways to earn, save and budget, I’ll be sharing my experiences. All of which is geared toward finding a way to travel with my kids. They have already done more travel than most; my daughter was born in California, my son on Oahu. Both have been on multiple planes and traveled cross-country when we moved to Florida. I have been to 14 countries on three continents, but I’m looking forward to improving on that moving forward.

I’d love to have you join my email community so we can keep in contact. I’m open to ideas and requests for posts as well as constructive criticism!