How far have you come since 2012?!

Goooood Fridayyyyy!

Had a fun comment posted on the blog this morning and it shot me down memory lane…

Yo J Money. I’m a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA or Nurse Anesthetist). And I have to say IT’S THE BEST JOB I EVER HAD. I’m in the business to better lives and occasionally save a life so the work can be somewhat stressful at times.

I have been a follower of your blog since 2012. Back then my wife and I were worth a minus $150K and 7 years later we are now a positive $350K plus two kids under the age 4. We feel very lucky to have this career that allows us to build wealth even while going down to 1 income. By my simple calculations, my total compensation is closer to $235K per year: 8 weeks paid time off, 401(k) profit sharing of $25K per year, FREE PPO health plan w/ $6K into a HSA, 1/2 FICA taxes, $5K bonus, $2.5K continuing education fund.

In a month, I’m about to embark on a new adventure: become self-employed as a CRNA. This FIRE community has been tremendous on this journey. Thank you!

– Erik

This came in response to our Highest-Paying Jobs With Low Stress article this week, which is obviously paying off well for our friend here (congrats, brother!), but of course I was wowed at the fact that someone’s been reading my blog for 7 straight years now! Haha…

THAT’S ALMOST LIKE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE COMBINED!!
ONLY WITH MONEY CLASSES EVERY DAY – WOOP!

Of course it also means I’m now 7 years older which make me feel old as balls, haha, but hey – that’s how life works, right? Can only go forward – not backwards 😉

Except when it comes to your memories, which is the point of this rambling today…

Do you remember what your life was like back in 2012?? And how much money you had or didn’t have?? How far have you since come?!

I hope it’s improved if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile or else I’m sucking at my job!, but I also know that everyone’s circumstances are different too and what matters most is that you’re here NOW.

Still, it’s fun to go back in time and remember what life was like all those years ago, so that’s exactly what I’d like to do today before the morning starts to take hold 🙂

*** If you’ve got a pen and paper handy, jot down what life/money was like in 2012 and then compare to how different/improved it is now in 2019! ***

For added effect – feel free to single out the more drastic parts like I’ve done below 😉

I bet you’ll be amazed at how much things have changed! A lot can happen in 7 years!! If it makes you happy – keep the note in your pocket all weekend as a nice reminder of how far you’ve come, and if it pisses you off, well, feel free to chuck it and then curse me under your breath 😉 (Or out loud – it doesn’t matter, I won’t be able to hear you anyways)

Here’s what’s changed for me over the past 7 years…

Back in 2012:

Had no kids
Ate/slept like crap
Invested like crap!
Lived in a house I couldn’t wait to get out from
Had one income stream while the Mrs. headed back to school
Didn’t really know what “minimalism” or “FIRE” was about
Was obsessed with hustling 24/7
Had a net worth hovering around $300k

And then here’s the picture today:

Now have 3 beautiful boys!
We eat/sleep much better, forced by having these same beautiful boys, haha…
I’m finally back to LIVING more than *working* – my biggest area of improvement!
I’m now fully aware, and appreciative of, the benefits of minimalism / FIRE
We’re back to having two full-time incomes again
Along with two more degrees under the wife’s belt!
We finally know what we’re invested in and why
And our net worth has since tripled into the $900k range…

Other stuff has happened over the years too (loved ones dying, projects not taking off, long stretches of ruts/insecurities, gobs of fails), but the point of this exercise is to focus more on the *positives* to remind ourselves that all this work is indeed paying off 😉

Otherwise, why keep at it? We might as well go back to being consumer suckas again as Mr. Money Mustache likes to say and continue our journey on the hamster wheel!

But bleh does that not sound fun…

At any rate, give it a shot and see what you come up with!

Then feel free to share your results with others here so it inspires everyone to keep fighting the good fight… It’s not bragging if you’re asked 🙂

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from Finance http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/how-far-have-you-come-financially/