It’s been a little more than a year that I have been home so I have been reflecting on how it has gone. Overall, it has been a good year personally, financially and a year of many firsts!
2019, a year of many firsts
I finally got to catch up on sleep zzz! I would get up 5:30/5:45am while I was working but now I am able to sleep till 6:45am…still need to get the kids to school. But the later wake up time, also gave me some time to relax and catch up with Netflix.
I experienced 100% parenting for the first time in my life and loved parts of it and am willing to let go off some. This was really important for me to try, as I felt like I had missed out on this while working.
I travelled with my family to several new destinations that had been on our list, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Yosemite and San Diego. And hoping to continue this in 2020.
I started my own dog boarding and dog walking business, which took off much faster and better than I expected.
Made a cool $1637 of free money by getting rid of excess toys and other stuff we don’t need in the house. And another $2762 from sign up bonuses on credit cards, referrals, etc… Free $$$, chaching!
Our net worth grew rapidly and reached a new high, up 28% compared to 2018, without either of us working traditional full time jobs! I made more money staying home than when I was going to work!!! And that is the power of compounding and index investing. Hoping 2020 continues this beautiful trend.
I started this blog! And while I haven’t been very disciplined about writing articles, I have found it fulfilling and challenging to manage it. I have to say it is hard though:).
And spent double of what we did in 2018 on travel i.e. doing what we love.
So all in all it has been a great year with mostly highs and some lows.
And some lows
I wanted to try and establish a morning routine that included meditation, exercise, a gratitude journal and a plan for the day but found it hard to stick with it. I heard James Clear on ChooseFI about his book, Atomic Habits and he talked about improving 1% everyday and over the long run, you will make a significant change. I have been trying this out and have started an exercise routine in 2020 which I am enjoying. Hoping I can stick with it.
I waffled on whether I wanted to stay home or get back to work. After a lot of reflection, I have come to terms with my need for a job for a feeling of security, as I fear that the market is at such a high, that there has to be a downturn around the corner. I’d like to have capital to invest if that happens and a job will have an important role to play there. I also miss the feeling of achievement and social camaraderie.
As my parents have aged, I have seen medical bills come in. I have realized that I need to have lump sum amount for emergency health expenses. This and a couple of other increases in expenses have made me realize, I underestimated my FI number and I would like to full proof it by taking our savings to the 30X multiple of our annual expenses instead of 25X and building in cushion for our kid’s college costs, need for 2-3 used cars during our lifetime, weddings, healthcare.
As I embark on 2020, I am hoping to spend more time on my health, reading and focusing on personal growth. I also want to catch some live concerts (Billie Eillish, Maroon 5, etc..). I hope to visit Portugal and go on some scouting trips to Ventura (CA), Austin and Portland to determine if I want to take advantage of geographic arbitrage.