Monday, March 7, 2016

Looking back

Can you believe that February is over and March has begun?  It seems like it was just Christmas.  Time is flying by and I don't know where it has gone.  Two months ago I was frothing at the mouth to pay off the last bit of my student loan.  Now, it's all gone and I'm on to the next hill to climb.  Retirement and it's a big hill.  It's stressful to think about.  I need to save $9,000 this year for retirement.  Less, than half of what I put on my student loans for last year.  It should be easy to do, right? I just need to also save for a new car, pay extra on the mortgage, save for upgrades to the house, donate to charity, etc, etc.   It all seems a bit overwhelming.  I think I'm a bit tired of fighting.

When I start feeling overwhelmed, I start looking back to see how far I've come.  Last year in March 2015, I had no money saved for retirement.  This year, I already have $500.  Last year in March, I had over $20,000 left  to pay on my student loan, this year it's completely gone. Last year in March I had $2,700 in my online saving account, this year I have over $5,100.  My finances are improving, slowly, but surely.  It's hard to see the progress, it's scary to think that I won't ever have enough money or that I won't reach my goals.  And that could happen, but I'm moving in the right direction.  I haven't mastered this whole contentment thing or my desire for instant gratification, but I know that good things take time. 

2 comments:

  1. It looks to me like you've achieved an incredible amount, and it's a really good exercise to look back like you've done here when you're feeling a bit overwhelmed. This is the first time I've visited your blog, and I'm so impressed to see that you managed to pay off $20,000 student loan debt in a year, while still managing to increase your savings pot. Keep up the good work! It will be worth it in the long run...

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  2. Thanks for stopping by visit my blog! I'm so glad to be debt free, but it's very overwhelming to try and build wealth. There are so many competing obligations!

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