My last post on this website was back in March of 2021. I’ve had glimmers here and there of inspiration to start writing again, but they were always fleeting.

In my time since paying off all my debt I’ have greatly enjoyed focusing on other things. I was borderline obsessed with paying my debt off during the two years it took. Literally as soon as I made that final payment to my car loan, it was like things in my mind settled. I wasn’t endlessly calculating and forecasting numbers. I wasn’t thinking about every single dollar and where it was going with such vigilance.

My shoulders dropped, I exhaled, and I embraced the mental space to explore so many new things. I got into herbalism, growing my own food, ontology studies, art, … and probably a lot of other things I don’t even remember because they didn’t hold my interest long term!

I was free to explore anything I spontaneously decided looked interesting, and I loved it.

And now, I’m still doing a lot of that, but it feels like it’s time for a shift back to some financial focus, which is the source of my creative stirring to resurrect this website again.

There are two things I have stayed super on track with since I was last actively posting here.

1 – I’ve been a consistent investor! Set it and forget it works wonders for me, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I check my investment totals about three times a year and make any adjustments necessary at that time. I’ve fluctuated between 15 and 20% of my income to investments over the last few years.

2 – I haven’t carried a credit card balance! I do use two cards. One is my United Explorer Mileage Plus card, which gives me free lounge passes, priority boarding, and a free checked bag. The other is my Capital One Venture card, which I use to run household expenses and trade-in points for Airbnb gift cards! I haven’t incurred a single cent of interest on those cards while receiving great benefits.

Now, there are two areas that I haven’t stayed on course with.

1 – I thought I’d have a good chunk of cash in a non-retirement account. And I don’t.

2- I have a car loan.

I’m not beating myself up over these things, but I do want to change them. I’ve been thinking deeply about what direction I want to take my financial focus in 2025 and feel really clear. Past precedent showed me that when I share things publicly here, I stick with it, so here we are! I also really enjoyed all the conversations and comments from sharing my debt-free journey. It brought about some really special connections that I wouldn’t have otherwise had. It goes to show that being able to talk about things that many people find taboo or sensitive without an ounce of shame can be deeply connected.

Near the end of the month, I’ll share my financial goals for 2025, how I plan to reach them, and why they’re even important to me. Every month after that I’ll share progress, missteps, and insights along the way.

I’m fired up! Redirecting my focus towards finances feels incredibly empowering. After all, it’s not about getting things or reaching an arbitrary number. It’s about freedom. It’s about being intentional with my income and where it goes so that I have options. It’s about moving toward a place where I’m not beholden to anyone or anything. It’s about getting to a point where if I want to take six months off of work, I can. It’s about choosing toward fulfillment every single day and having the resources available to me when I need them because I planned ahead. I don’t know about you, but all of that sounds amazing to me.