My retirement from this blog

     Photo by susancurrydesign

Hello friends, it’s time to say goodbye for now.  I’m going to retire… from this blog.  

I entered the workforce with my first full time job in 2008, just as the economy was tanking. I’ve always held part time jobs and was used to doing side hustles for extra income.  The problem was that I was never used to saving any money.  I spent every dollar that I ever made, often times on credit.  Money just slipped through my fingers.  I had zero experience with saving money, let alone investing.  

As the economy started improving in 2009, I became hyper focused on relentlessly improving our own financial situation.  I checked out every personal finance book I could get my hands on at the library.  I read personal finance blogs and message forums.  I started credit card points hacking.  After a while I felt like I knew enough to not only implement what I learned on our own finances, but also enough to share this information with others.

I first started this blog in 2012 to help track our financial progress over time.  When my friends or family asked me financial questions or advice, I could direct them to this site as a resource.  I’ve never claimed to be a professional financial advisor and I know that the information I’ve provided may not be for everyone’s individual needs and purposes.  I think I can do a decent job explaining financial concepts.  I’ve enjoyed blogging these past 9 years.  We’ve reached many of our financial goals and now it’s time for us to move on to our next journey.

There are so many great financial resources. There are financial tools, forums, bloggers, podcasts and groups to participate in to help you succeed.  Here is a list of my favorite resources:

I track all of my spending with Mint and ClearCheckbook.  I track all of our investments with Personal Capital.

When I need motivation on how to live a frugal and purposeful life, I go to Mr. Money Mustache.  I get my motivation through the psychology and research provided by James Clear.  The Collaborative Fund has a great blog on the psychology of money.  When I need to learn more about travel hacking, I go to Flyertalk, The Frequent Miler, Doctor of Credit, and the Reddit churning subreddit. When I need a good price on something, I go to Slickdeals.  Bogleheads has a great community of investors. 

My favorite financial podcasts are ChooseFI and Afford Anything.  These podcasts also have great Facebook groups worth joining.

As I bow out of this blog, I would like to leave this quote by Thomas Mitchell:

"One of the best secrets of a happy life is the art of extracting comfort and sweetness from every circumstance...

People are always looking for happiness at some future time and in some new thing, or some new set of circumstances, in possession of which they some day expect to find themselves. But the fact is, if happiness is not found now, where we are, and as we are, there is little chance of it ever being found. There is a great deal more happiness around us day by day than we have the sense or power to seek and find.

If we are to cultivate the art of living, we should cultivate the art of extracting sweetness and comfort out of everything, as the bee goes from flower to flower in search of honey."

Thank you for being a part of our financial journey.  I wish you the best on your financial journey!