A few big things along the way:
- When I started this blog, our kids were 4 & 5. They are middle schoolers now! It's crazy to see the progress
- We were living in Seattle, and now are in northern California
- We bought a house in California, and leveraged the sale of our Washington house to create a flex fund that will make up the difference when I either quit or go part-time. Yeah for having options!
- I was diagnosed with lupus .. . it's changed my life, my priorities, & my focus on energy management so very much
- We've taken our net worth from $670k to $3.6M. More details on that in a separate post, if there's interest
The older I get, the happier I am with my life. I feel so lucky to have a husband I enjoy spending time with, healthy/happy kids, my own family (sister, Mom & Dad) that I get along well with, and more than everything else . . . despite some challenging odds, I'm healthy. I feel incredibly lucky about all of that.
We've made good financial decisions, had a bunch of luck thrown in there, and worked hard. We continue to ask ourselves whether something is a "need" or a "want", and try to in source where possible. We've optimized our financial lives fairly well at the moment (minus our housing costs, those are insane) & are comfortable with the tradeoffs to keep the kids here until they graduate.
And, I'm so excited about the future. The future of a flexible career, the next stage with the kids, and the future of what we will do as we have the time to travel more . . . I've always been worried about growing old, and I wish I could go back & tell my younger self how amazing it is. Yes, I'm not as skinny as I was, and my hair is definitely coming in gray, and the wrinkles. . . oh, the wrinkles! But, I wouldn't trade this phase for any other phase.
Thanks for being along for the ride, & I'd love to hear from any of you about things you want me to blog about. Always happy to share!
Your financial journey is similar to ours, and for very much the same reasons, so congrats on staying the course and not upsizing your life as you went along. And, yes, I'm sure the carrying costs for your Bay Area home are insane, but so is the housing market there, so I'm confident you'll reap significant financial gain should you elect to sell and exit right at some point. (We owned a home there in the 80's, and while it wasn't fun to buy it, it sure was very fun to sell it and enjoy multiple offers. ☺ )
ReplyDeleteLooking back, we have zero regrets that we stayed the course and continued to live below our means over the course of our collective careers. Reaching financial independence along the way was a relief that is impossible to describe!
Thank you! And yes, the bay area is just crazy. I've loved reading your blog & thinking of the future. :-)
DeleteHappy anniversary!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to have discovered you entirely by happenstance last year and I really enjoy what you're sharing about your day to day lives. It gives me little ideas for our own lives!
And I'm most definitely interested in how you grew your NW in this time to go over $3M - I'm doing as much as I think I can but am open to any ideas or strategies I've not paid attention to!
Thank you, & likewise! I'll definitely put a post together soon on our net worth, and how things have worked out financially.
DeleteHappy blog Anniversary. I have enjoyed learning about your journey. It goes to show that even with having high incomes, living beyond your priorities is not sustainable in the long run because you lose options. Cheers tot he next seven. Imagine how different your life will be then!
ReplyDeleteThanks, and yes! Absolutely. We know many of our coworkers who have similar salaries & are still 15+ years from retirement at our age. Which is totally fine, but doesn't have to be the case if you don't want it to be, at our income level.
DeleteHappy Blogaversary
ReplyDeleteIt has been fun to be a figurative participant watching your kids grow and the changes you have made in your life. If I could go back to my younger self, I would tell me to never be reluctant to do what I wanted to because I was worried about what anyone would think. Old me does not give a fat rat's fanny what anyone thinks, which meant I was kind of happy the day I wore purple hair (thanks l'oreal temp. spray) to a luncheon. Next up? Teal followed by rose gold. Wrinkles and gray hair, yep I have them but I just don't care!
Thank you, and you are so correct. I really enjoy the freedom of being my own master, so to speak. It's quite freeing :-)
DeleteI have enjoyed reading your life change over the years. You have made really great decisions. I love living in N Ca and wouldn't change it. My blog tahoegirl.blog was started in 2012, so I'm a year behind. So much has changed and for the better:)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was quite skeptical of the move, but it has worked out so well for us. And, your life has certainly changed. So happy for your continued health.
DeleteHappy blogiversary! It has been a ride, a lot of change but you've handled it so well. You are right though, I do believe (at least for me) this stage of life is the best one!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree - it's hard to argue with freedom & flexibility, plus I'm loving this age with the kids as well.
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