This month is an interesting milestone. 3 years ago my mother retired from 30+ years of full-time work. Work she hated. Work that kept her from spending time with me because of a long commute (that allowed my step-siblings to go to a school near their mother). Work that wasn’t very compatible with my own long commute to school downtown. Work that allowed her to retire early at 55. I can’t believe it’s been 3 years already. Continue reading “3 Years.”
LinkedIn Picture Lies
I set up LinkedIn 6 months into my career in 2012 when I was starting to think of my first job hop. That also happened to be the time when I lost 30 lbs in 3 months by starving myself (coincidence?!…yeah I think it was…) As a result, the picture I used showed a skinny me smiling (also wine glasses…you have to show who you are, you know?) I’ve had that picture on LinkedIn since then: 6 years. Continue reading “LinkedIn Picture Lies”
Retiring “To” Something
I’ve heard it over and over again: on forums and countless blog posts that it’s important to not just retire “from” your job, but to retire “to” something: something productive that will fill the ‘hole’ working leaves. I’ve been thinking about this FIRE dogma a lot and I think we should decrease its “truth” status. I honestly don’t think this is the case for me or my Mom. Continue reading “Retiring “To” Something”
An Accidental ATM Fee
It’s about 30 days before my trip to Singapore: my first time in the country. I’m visiting because I was invited by a Seattle friend of mine (and former colleague) who grew up there. We’ll be staying in her Mom’s apartment in its many empty rooms. Luckily I’ve met her mother and got along with her well. It should be a fairly frugal trip all things considered. Continue reading “An Accidental ATM Fee”
2017 State of the Union
This year I had more than just monetary goals. They were:
- Max my 401K ($18,000)
- Max a Roth IRA ($5,500)
- Overall invest $54,500 for a savings rate of 75%
- Have a net worth of $200,000
- Decrease my spending from $22,491.86 to $18,000
- Lose 28 lbs by eating low-carb/high-fat and have a normal BMI for the first time without starving myself
- Determine when I can retire based on my current salary and savings rate
2017 Spending
2017 is at an end. Let’s see how I did with my goal to decrease my spending $4,491.86 from $22,491.86 last year to $18,000. Reaching this goal would prove to me that I can live on $18,000 in retirement though I’m budgeting to withdraw $20,000. The $2,000 buffer would be used for additional healthcare expenses and unexpected costs. 10% of my retirement budget would be a buffer. This safety nets make me feel like I have a warm security blanket wrapped around me. So let’s see how I did!
1 Year of Keto Weight Loss: 45 lbs Gone!
I’ve done it. Previously my longest streaks of weight loss were 3-6 months. The only time I went 6 months the last 3 months included a scale yo-yo while I fought my body’s starvation instincts. I lost maybe 5 lbs in those last 3 months.
2017 Accomplishments
The last few years I’ve started to record my accomplishments throughout the year. Time seems to pass fairly quickly and without documenting it I have a hard time remembering what was different from one year to the next, what progress was made and how I’m advancing as a person. So let’s dive into some of the things that made 2017 unique! Continue reading “2017 Accomplishments”