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Hey Reader,

Welcome to reThinkable, a weekly newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help you make smarter money moves.

Here are today's highlights:

• Bamboo Trees and Wealth​
• How To Always Get The Best Prices

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Bamboo Tree and Wealth

Bamboo trees and wealth have more in common than you think.

You have to water bamboo every day for 3-5 years before it even breaks through the ground. To most people, it feels like a huge waste of time.

But what's actually happening underground is that the bamboo is building a massive root system that spreads across an entire football field.

Once the bamboo finally breaks through the surface, it only takes 6 weeks to reach 90 feet. That's about 1-4 inches per hour.

If you showed up late to the party and only saw the top, you’d think it all happened overnight. But those 3-5 years of “invisible” work underground was the foundation that made it all possible.

The bamboo tree is the perfect example of Invisible Compounding: your effort produces no visible results for years, then suddenly everything happens at once.

Building wealth works the same way.

You work hard everyday, but your life doesn't look any different. It takes consistency and patience before you see results, but once you do, everything changes.

The difficult part is that when you're grinding with nothing to show, it's tempting to quit.

And I've been there.

The first few years after college were rough. I had a demanding job that ate up all my time, and no matter how much I saved, it never felt like enough.

The first $100 I invested felt pointless…But 12 months later, those consistent $100 deposits turned into a couple thousand.

Month after month I refined my budget, learned which expenses mattered, and moved forward.

One day, I looked at my accounts and realized something had shifted. I had enough to quit my job and start my own thing. The bamboo had finally broken through.

If you met me today without knowing this backstory, you'd probably assume I had rich parents, got lucky, or was just naturally good with money.

But the truth is it took years of invisible work to get to the point where everything clicked.

You might feel stuck because you're comparing your beginning to someone else's middle (or end).

If you stop trying, you'll never give yourself the chance for a "bamboo moment" breakthrough. It would be like the farmer giving up on watering the bamboo seed after 1 year.

Slow progress is normal. All that work is adding up and building your root system. What matters is that you don't give up when progress feels invisible.

Smart Money Move of The Week

How To Always Get The Best Prices

I've been shopping for Christmas presents the past and I've noticed more retailers are selling the SAME things at wildly different prices.

So I started using Google Lens to make sure I'm getting the lowest price. Basically, Google Lens lets you quickly compare prices between different online sellers.

For example: I found this Keurig machine on Kohl's for $179.99. Thanks to Google Lens, I found the exact same model at Walmart for $149.99. That's a $30 difference.

Here’s how you can use it:

• When you’re on a product page, right-click on the product image

• Select “Search image with Google Lens”

• Click on “Exact match” or “Products” to see where else it’s sold

• Then compare prices and save!

Remember to do this before you buy something online. It's the easiest way to stop overpaying and make sure you're actually getting the best deal. I also like to stack this with cashback rewards to save even more money. Here's my favorite cashback reward platform which is currently offering a $50 sign up bonus.

Cool Things From This Week

• Smart money tip of the week: Are you overpaying for your phone plan?​
• Here’s how much you really need to make to afford an average home in 2026.
• We recently realized that anyone can start a "tradition" and the only requirement for something to be considered a "tradition" is to do it consistently enough. That's why we decided to throw our first holiday party this week. The theme was "For The Culture" so each person had to bring one dish from their respective culture. This was a great way for people to try new foods from around the world. We had such a great time that we've decided to make this an annual tradition with a different theme every year.