2014 was such a shitshow that I started off 2015 with no real goals in mind. I just wanted to 'coast' and 'roll with it' as much as possible. Life threw several curve balls at me this year and while some of them were not fun to navigate, life has been pretty good overall. I know we still have another month and a half to go in 2015 (and really, who knows what that will hold) but I feel like the year is ending on a much higher and brighter note than it started (thank God!)
I'm also in a much, much better place mentally and emotionally than I was at this time last year, and I am grateful for that. I essentially dumped a few toxic things out of my life and while things are far from perfect, I'm much happier and more content on a daily basis. I have fewer worries and while I sometimes feel down about the fact that I'm not where I expected to be at this point in my life, I also have the feeling that I'm exactly where I need to be.
All of that being said, I really, really want to get my financial life in order, like, now. Again, I'm in a better place than I was a year ago (don't even ask about 3, 5 or 10 years ago) but I still have a lot of 'clean-up' to do and I really want to get the ball rolling on early retirement or early partial retirement...basically I want the ability to work if and when I want and I certainly don't have that option right now. I have a lot of work to do if I want to accomplish this in the next 10 years.
I'm a bit of a free spirit and am not into making concrete plans (the minute you tell me I can't have something or do something is the moment I want it...immature, I know....but it's true.) I know for sure that I want to save at least $5,000 in my emergency fund this year (ideally more) and pay off my loans in full force. I mean, it will probably take years to pay off my loans, but I'd like to start really making a dent in them and not just pay interest every month for the next 20 years. It would be such a relief to have that burden lifted and really focus on the future. I know that getting there is going to take hard work and sacrifices and I'm prepared to make those...but I'm not prepared to never eat out, cut out all food other than Top Ramen and bike 50 miles each way on my commute. Basically right now I want to make reasonable changes that stick for the long term.
I'm not sure I want to post my current net worth (you guys, I actually calculated this today...do I get a gold star?) on the interwebs or my debt...but I do feel like it might be worth it to chronicle my journey and stay accountable (to the three people who check this blog.) If nothing else, it would be a bit embarrassing to be all 'I'm a money-saving machine' one week and then have post about spending $150 on impulse Cheez-It purchases the next. Hopefully there will be more posts in the very near future (although, we all know how good I am about that) and I'll share the changes I'm making in my life and hopefully I'll have a progress update soon.
For the purposes of the blog, I'm going to count my emergency fund as $0 right now (I have roughly one month to six weeks of bills and expenses saved, assuming I keep spending the same level I do currently...but I feel like that's difficult to track since my goal is $5000 in 2016...and the more the better at this point.) I definitely want to make a dent in my loans this year, but I would like a safety net before I jump on in, you know? I'm single, so if something happens and I lose my job or have a major expense come up, I'm covered and don't have to resort to credit cards.
Also, since the holidays are right around the corner, I'm not sure how much I'll be saving until the New Year. I mean, I have no plans to spend like crazy, but I doubt I'll be putting much away...and I'm okay with that (I think.) I'm also traveling this weekend to visit family I haven't seen in a while, so again, saving money may not happen this month (between the $50 train ticket and stopping at my favorite discount health food grocery store on the way home...I'm sure I'll spend some money.)
