It’s been a while. A little over two months since I’ve last written. It’s been a wild ride. I am now sitting in an office completing my fifth week of work with the best client and team I’ve ever had. We are almost fully moved into our apartment. All that is left is putting paintings on the wall.
Continue reading “Transition Complete: NYC to Seattle”
FIRE Anniversary
I thought the first time I became serious about financial independence was October 2014, but I was looking at a Facebook Timehop today and was greeted with this a link to an NY Times article entitled “Why You Hate Work” and my comment “Thank you for perfectly articulating what I’ve been trying to say. Early retirement here I come!” I don’t remember posting this or what was happening at the time, but apparently exactly one year ago I declared that I would retire early. My FIRE anniversary has come early!
401K vs. NYC Taxes
As you know, I have now maxed my 401K in six months of living in NYC to decrease my large state and city tax bill before we move. But I’ve been wondering how much money in state and city taxes I have saved by maxing this before I leave and how much of federal taxes have I saved by simply maxing this account. Continue reading “401K vs. NYC Taxes”
Dividends & My More Successful Twin
I now have more money saved than my current annual salary. In essence, I have someone that is as qualified and driven as me working for me full time. I now essentially have another Purple running around working even harder than I am to make money. Over time this money-made Purple will far outpace my ability to make money. And I couldn’t be more proud of her. I think of LinkedIn as a digital resume that is constantly knocking on doors asking who wants to hire me. And now I have a monetary twin who is constantly working to make me richer. Continue reading “Dividends & My More Successful Twin”
Apparently I’m A Business Owner
When I learned that Delta had increased their bonus on their SkyMiles credit cards to 50,000 points after spending $2,000 in 3 months from 30,000 points I was initially disappointed since I had applied for and received a personal Delta credit card in December and according to their rules would not be approved if I applied again. Continue reading “Apparently I’m A Business Owner”
Last Day of Work, First Day of Funemployment
It’s official: I’ve quit my job and given my apartment notice. As of right now I have no job and will no longer be welcome in my apartment at the end of this month. We are moving across the country to a city my partner has never visited. The only place on the West Coast he has been was San Diego, CA which is the southern tip of the West Coast while Seattle is the northern tip. Continue reading “Last Day of Work, First Day of Funemployment”
A Year of Savings in 5 Months
As of right now, June 1st, I have saved the same amount that I did in all of 2014. I was shocked when I realized this earlier today because I feel as if nothing is different. I haven’t deprived myself of anything. We still order delivery, have fancy drinks and give as freely as we did last year. I am just as happy if not happier. I mostly can’t figure out where we used to spend so much money that I could save $20,000 in 5 months when last year it took me 12. Yes saving wasn’t a major goal of mine and I did not have the wise guidance of Mr. Money Mustache, Go Curry Cracker and Root of Good’s blogs, but besides changing my cell phone carrier this month (which this month is more expensive than AT&T because of the upfront costs) I haven’t consciously changed anything about my life. If anything I thought spending was increasing as a result of the impending move. I will need to do a more in-depth analysis of Mint.com to see what has changed and where I used to spend more money, but right now I am shocked and ecstatic.
I thought maxing my 401K in 6 months when I’ve never maxed it in 12 would be difficult, but it hasn’t been. With the exception of some unanticipated giving this month I haven’t even had to reallocate funds from anything else to make sure I reach my goal. And it’s currently in sight. By the end of this month I will have maxed my 401K for 2015 and saved about $1,500 that would have originally gone to New York state and city taxes. I’ll post a full analysis of that in a later post, but overall I’m just shocked with how easy this has been. It makes me even more hopeful for the future and my long term goals.
Travel Hacking: The New Frontier
I have a new obsession: travel hacking. I’m not sure how I wasn’t aware of this idea or community before, but there are a ridiculous number of travel bloggers that fly around the world, often in First Class, for almost free. They do this by using credit cards for their large bonuses of points and airline miles to receive free travel. Continue reading “Travel Hacking: The New Frontier”