I started investing $30 a month on a missionary salary. We had $2,000 in our bank account. Six years later, here’s what happened.

It started with one budget. Download the exact template we used to live on $1,200/month in Taiwan and still invest every month.

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Faithful with little.

Building toward more.

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Hey, I’m Owen

I spent years managing a family budget on a missionary income in Taiwan, starting with $2000 in our account and $30 a month going into investments. Six years later, that account holds over $23,000. Now my wife Sarah and I are moving to America for the first time, new country, new financial system, two kids and a tight budget in tow. This blog is the whole story, told honestly, from the middle of it.

We believe that our mindset is one of the foundation parts of building a sustainable and secure finances. Our motto throughout our financial journey as a family is to be:

Faithful with little. Building toward more.

New here? Click the button to know where to start.

Feature posts

I hate to title this first post as “Missionary Money Lessons.” But it is where our story began and it is the truth that our time as missionaries shaped our entire paradigm of money and views on finances…

For six years my wife and I lived on a missionary income in Taiwan — somewhere between $1,200 and $1,500 a month (at the best $2,000), depending on what our supporters sent that month. We had rent to pay, food to buy, a scooter to run, utilities to cover, and we still gave, saved, and invested every single month without fail. Not because we were financial geniuses. Because we had a system — and we stuck to it even when it was uncomfortable.

When we started in 2020 our investment account held a couple hundred dollars. Today — six years later, after consistent monthly deposits that started at $30 and grew gradually over time — that account sits at over $23,000.

investing $30 a month and results
family budget on one income
missionary money lessons

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The same framework that helped us live on a tight budget for six years in Taiwan. Simple enough to fill in together in one sitting.