American Dream? Why? with Aja Rutledge | Ep. 44

• Aja describes leaving corporate America as a gradual process rather than a sudden decision, comparing it to 'turning a massive ship.' The catalyst came from consistent dinner conversations with her son where she realized she was modeling dissatisfaction with her career while teaching him he could do anything.

I was teaching him like the etiquette of conversation... consistently as he would ask me, how was your day today? I would be like, it was all right... he started picking up on this and being like, why is it never good?

• Multiple factors converged: her remote team was forced back to office, she sold her suburban house after pulling her son from the local school due to concerns about the school-to-prison pipeline, and both decided homeschooling was the better path. With no remaining ties, geographic freedom became possible.

• Aja researched cost of living globally and discovered the massive disparity between US expenses and international options, leading her to attend a world schooling conference in Mexico as her entry point.

• Tiffany and Aja discuss how people from other countries recognize the US cost of living advantage, but Americans often don't realize the reverse opportunity. Aja notes that even with a six-figure income, the mental, emotional, and physical toll wasn't worth it compared to her new freedom.

Why were we struggling there? And I wasn't struggling. I mean, clearly I had a six figure job... But that all comes with a price... When I removed that, it was exactly what you're saying. Like, why was I doing that?

• Aja used proceeds from her house sale as a financial buffer while transitioning away from corporate work. She secured freelance work through Upwork doing HR systems profile writing, working only 20 hours weekly—enough to cover all Mexico expenses without touching savings.

• The key insight: she didn't need to replicate her US income because her expenses dropped so dramatically. The work fit around life rather than dictating it.

• Aja's US monthly expenses were approximately $4,500-4,700. In Mexico, her maximum monthly spend was $1,200 (including housing, food, transportation, entertainment), with a conservative budget around $900. She recommends Numbeo.com for comparing actual local costs between cities worldwide.

The most that I had ever spent in a month was $1,200. And that was everything... housing, gas, internet, food, transportation... eating out way too much, going to the movies, taking trips to other towns.

• The critical strategy is earning American dollars while living in a lower-cost country. Aja warns against earning local currency, which eliminates the arbitrage advantage. Quality of life improved not just from lower bills, but from reduced financial stress and increased time freedom.