Flowers from my lovely coworkers.
Last week I turned 24. I had a great birthday. I got gifts and flowers from family, friends, and colleagues. My husband took me out to a nice dinner and we were able to indulge in one of our favourite activities: hanging out in a bar and drinking beer.
All this birthday celebration stuff always gets me thinking about what I’ve accomplished in the past year, and what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year. This year being particularly important since it’s the year leading up to the birthday where I turn a quarter century old.
The Past Year’s Accomplishments
One of the awesome perks of having a blog is the fact that my life has been documented in excruciating detail over the past two years. Every debt payoff triumph, every failure, it’s all recorded on this little website, ready to be rehashed. So, it was pretty easy to look over what I’ve done in the past year. Here are some of the highlights.
Paid Off $22,065
At the end of October last year, I owed $23,186 on my various debts. I still owed $14,207 on my student loans and almost $9,000 on my car. Thankfully, one year later, my student loans have been obliterated (RIP), and my car loan is barely hanging on at $1,121 – I plan on putting my car loan out of it’s misery next month.
Got Married – Debt Free
I also managed to get married and go on a luxurious honeymoon – without going into debt. My wedding was quite frugal costing us only $4,500 and the honeymoon was a freaking blast. Both events were made sweeter because I knew I wouldn’t have to deal with a big bill when all was said and done.
Earned Almost $7,000 In Side Hustle Income
Since the beginning of October last year, I’ve earned quite of bit of side hustle income. I’ve been staff writing for the past year, and the benefits are obvious! I’m really happy to add up this total, as I feel like it’s a solid result for all of my hours of after work effort.
Got a New Job
I’m three weeks into my new job – this accomplishment just squeaked in under the wire! So far, I’m loving it! It’s a lot of work but it’s work I’m happy to do and I really enjoy it.
Next Year’s Accomplishments
I’ve purposefully put off thinking about the future. I just want to get my debt paid off, and then I’ll worry about what I’m going to do with my money. So, this post is the first time I’ve really thought about what I want for the next 12 months. Here are some things I’d like to do before I turn the big QC.
Go to Europe
This is a big goal of mine for the next year. I’ve been across the water twice so far, but my husband has never gone. I’d like to dedicate some funds to finally go to the UK or maybe Germany with him.
Fully Fund My Emergency Fund
I haven’t quite decided what “fully fund” means yet for my emergency fund, but I want to have it fully funded within the next year. It might be a challenge to get this done in 12 months, AND go to Europe.
Start Saving for Retirement
I’m not saying I’m going to be putting a lot of money away, but from what I’ve read, the sooner I start saving for retirement, the better off I’ll be. I’m actually really excited to start putting money away for the future, cause I’m a nerd like that.
Now, these aren’t my 2014 goals or anything, these are just some things that I envision myself having accomplished in the next year. I feel like I’d be happy with my financial progress in life if I could get all of my debt paid off, and these things underway, before I turn 25.
Where were you, financially speaking, when you turned 25?