I don’t think I should ever right down my goals for the public to see again. I’m not serious about that, I think some accountability is good, and now I need to reflect on the past six months and present everything I have accomplished (or rather didn’t accomplish).

First though I want to put forward all my excuses for not writing for the past 6 months. I was busy with work, I was busy with our house, I was busy with our pets, etc., etc., etc. In reality I wasn’t too busy, I think being too busy is a cop-out. It isn’t that I didn’t have enough time it is that I didn’t prioritize it. I know why I didn’t prioritize as well, it is because I wasn’t happy. I’m of the millennial generation, but one of the earlier ones, where when we were growing up there weren’t safe spaces, being depressed wasn’t something you could talk about. I think things have gotten better. That being said I don’t think I was depressed, I just wasn’t at my best.

When I started pursuing FIRE in 2017 it happened because I had taken a vacation for the first time in about 5 years. We were able to unplug and I left work completely behind. When I came back to work I realized I really enjoyed my time away and I wanted more time to be able to do that. My current job (of which my last day is the day after tomorrow) is one where there is a constant pipeline of work with each new chunk of work having a deadline that starts counting down as soon as you finish the last chunk and I have a quota of how many chunks I need to complete every pay period. This meant even when I left work I was always thinking in the back of my mind about work. That kind of stress just saps the energy out of me so I want to do is Netflix and chill. I realized this shortly after I wrote my goals post in January.

So without further ado lets look where I am half-way through the year:

Financial Goals:

We are definitely going to blow through our proposed budget. As of July 1st we have spent $56,727. That being said there are some mitigating factors:

• $3,764 is reimbursed business expenses
• $1,094 is state income taxes for 2018
• $2,091 is for a supplemental property tax bill

So, still not great, but could be worse?

In better news, I have maxed out my TSP (typically I would do this over the year to get the matching, but I am leaving this job so I wanted to make sure I stash away as much tax-deferred savings as possible). Lady Kit is now able to contribute to her 401k and we have set it up so this will be maxed out by the end of the year. My new job matches 6% on their 401k through Fidelity (not sure which funds I will have access to yet). Additionally, I will have access to pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax options. I am hoping my new employer will still match even if I only contribute to after-tax (since the TSP and 401k share the same elective deferral limit). I will also have access to an HDHP again, unfortunately, we have just about hit the deductible so we’ll have to hit it again at the new company (though the deductible is $300 lower.

The best new on the financial front though is the new job is a steep pay increase ($50,000 more). I was a little worried I overshot and asked for too much, but they came back and offered me $3,000 less than I asked for (I would have up to $30,000 less than my asking).

Mental Goals:

I definitely have not read two books a month (I haven’t read a single one this year). However, I am going camping next week and expect to read a couple of books while we are out in nature (sitting around camp in the evening).

I haven’t read 5 blog posts a day every days, but I am probably averaging at least one a day. I also spend quite a bit on the financial independence sub-reddit.

Lastly I have not posted at least two articles a week, but I am up to at least two articles a year!

Physical Goals:

More setbacks here. Along with being mentally sapped from job that also meant I wasn’t motivated to get out exercise either. I have actually gained some weight, gotten slower, and can do fewer push-ups and pull-ups.

However, I have a few weeks off before starting my new job so I am using some of that time to build some habits that will hopefully make it easier to continue once I start my new job.

Spiritual Goals:

One area I have made progress in. I’ve been slowly going through the Bible. I’m definitely not full-fledged converted Christian, and I am not sure I will ever be, but it does at least give me some perspective on other people’s views. I’d also like to learn about other religions as well.