Author Topic: Celebrations Thread  (Read 1648332 times)

Veosaber

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #950 on: April 26, 2015, 10:51:46 AM »
Lurker here, finally have a proud moment I would like to share.

I passed the $50,000.00 net worth landmark!

It has taken two years out of school starting with nothing and paying off my car to get this far.  Onwards and upwards!

nereo

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #951 on: April 27, 2015, 08:22:17 AM »
I passed the $50,000.00 net worth landmark!

It has taken two years out of school starting with nothing and paying off my car to get this far.  Onwards and upwards!
Welcome Veosaber!  Congrats on having a positive net worth (NW) so early in your career. 
Kept it up - the next $50k will be a little bit easier, and then the next $50k easier still, and then....

protostache

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #952 on: April 30, 2015, 11:01:05 AM »
DW and I paid off over $14k of debt this month, killing her student loan and my car loan. Now we just have the mortgage and an extra $400/mo of cash flow to either throw at the mortgage (244k and 29 years left @ 4.25%) or our stash.

notoriusjt2

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #953 on: May 01, 2015, 02:09:22 PM »
Wife and I paid off $13k worth of student loans this year alone. While it feels empty sending someone that much money and not having anything to show for it, its a huge relief not to have to pay that crap every month.

choppingwood

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #954 on: May 02, 2015, 09:31:46 PM »
Wife and I paid off $13k worth of student loans this year alone. While it feels empty sending someone that much money and not having anything to show for it, its a huge relief not to have to pay that crap every month.

Having an education is something to show for it....

Great that you are making progress paying off the loans.

Marus

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #955 on: May 04, 2015, 09:15:49 AM »
When I put together a balance sheet I realized I passed $50,000 new worth!  Yay :)

I finally got a bike trailer and used it to get groceries.  Now I'm trying to think up cool camping or kayaking trips I can go on with it. It's exciting to think about getting around without a car.

lovesasa

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #956 on: May 05, 2015, 02:58:30 AM »
A few mini wins...
  • Got a 13.8% raise starting in July*
  • Decreased to 4 days a week*
  • Got a tutoring student for Saturdays starting next school year (a friend is moving and asked me to take over)
  • Opened my first investment account (unfortunately after having to withdraw my contributions to my Roth IRA)
  • May have found a new apartment that will be a little more than HALF of what I'm paying now
  • I was under budget for April despite some unexpected large-ish expenses!

*All I had to do was put in my notice to leave at the end of the school year and not react to a counter offer for 2 weeks while I decided... My non-existent negotiating skills for the win?

(Edited for a typo)

nereo

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #957 on: May 05, 2015, 09:40:34 AM »
A few mini wins...
  • Got a 13.8% raise starting in July*
  • Decreased to 4 days a week*
  • Got a tutoring student for Saturdays starting next school year (a friend is moving and asked me to take over)
  • Opened my first investment account (unfortunately after having to withdraw my contributions to my Roth IRA)
  • May have found a new apartment that will be a little more than HALF of what I'm paying now
  • I was under budget for April despite some unexpected large-ish expenses!

*All I had to do was put in my notice to leave at the end of the school year and not react to a counter offer for 2 weeks while I decided... My non-existent negotiating skills for the win?

(Edited for a typo)
It's amazing what kind of bargaining power you gain when you don't need to stay.  Or to put it another way: "He/She who can walk away holds all the cards."

Pooperman

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #958 on: May 05, 2015, 10:14:20 AM »
A few mini wins...
  • Got a 13.8% raise starting in July*
  • Decreased to 4 days a week*
  • Got a tutoring student for Saturdays starting next school year (a friend is moving and asked me to take over)
  • Opened my first investment account (unfortunately after having to withdraw my contributions to my Roth IRA)
  • May have found a new apartment that will be a little more than HALF of what I'm paying now
  • I was under budget for April despite some unexpected large-ish expenses!

*All I had to do was put in my notice to leave at the end of the school year and not react to a counter offer for 2 weeks while I decided... My non-existent negotiating skills for the win?

(Edited for a typo)
It's amazing what kind of bargaining power you gain when you don't need to stay.  Or to put it another way: "He/She who can walk away holds all the cards."

Very true! I was put forward for a new position by a recruiter. It was something I was very interested in, but they screwed up the interview process. Salary originally was 70-75 (still above what I get now), but due to the screw up and telling the recruiter that I wasn't sure if I should work for a place that would screw up interviews like that, the salary will now be 80-85. They are very interested in me and the final interview is tomorrow. Will report back as winning the position will be a celebration! Also, it comes with less stress than what I do now. Double win.

lovesasa

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #959 on: May 05, 2015, 10:29:35 AM »
A few mini wins...
  • Got a 13.8% raise starting in July*
  • Decreased to 4 days a week*
  • Got a tutoring student for Saturdays starting next school year (a friend is moving and asked me to take over)
  • Opened my first investment account (unfortunately after having to withdraw my contributions to my Roth IRA)
  • May have found a new apartment that will be a little more than HALF of what I'm paying now
  • I was under budget for April despite some unexpected large-ish expenses!

*All I had to do was put in my notice to leave at the end of the school year and not react to a counter offer for 2 weeks while I decided... My non-existent negotiating skills for the win?

(Edited for a typo)
It's amazing what kind of bargaining power you gain when you don't need to stay.  Or to put it another way: "He/She who can walk away holds all the cards."

Very true! I was put forward for a new position by a recruiter. It was something I was very interested in, but they screwed up the interview process. Salary originally was 70-75 (still above what I get now), but due to the screw up and telling the recruiter that I wasn't sure if I should work for a place that would screw up interviews like that, the salary will now be 80-85. They are very interested in me and the final interview is tomorrow. Will report back as winning the position will be a celebration! Also, it comes with less stress than what I do now. Double win.

I always hear these things, but it's amazing to see it in action! After two weeks of thinking I was actually willing to accept just the 4 days a week with no raise, but my boss added the raise herself. I probably could have gotten a bit more if I were better at this "negotiating" thing but I was mostly in shock... 80% time for the same pay is already a decent "raise" per hour and then she added the raise I was going to ask for before I thought about leaving.

Ironically, this has definitely indoctrinated me to the power of having "FU" money, which makes me all the more eager to stay and save more... So I can really be free to walk away, when I'm ready to.

That's great that you were able to get an even higher offer for what sounds like a job you're excited about! They must really want you. Good luck in the next step! Definitely let us know how it goes. :) Do you mind if I ask what field you're in?

Pooperman

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #960 on: May 05, 2015, 10:34:33 AM »
A few mini wins...
  • Got a 13.8% raise starting in July*
  • Decreased to 4 days a week*
  • Got a tutoring student for Saturdays starting next school year (a friend is moving and asked me to take over)
  • Opened my first investment account (unfortunately after having to withdraw my contributions to my Roth IRA)
  • May have found a new apartment that will be a little more than HALF of what I'm paying now
  • I was under budget for April despite some unexpected large-ish expenses!

*All I had to do was put in my notice to leave at the end of the school year and not react to a counter offer for 2 weeks while I decided... My non-existent negotiating skills for the win?

(Edited for a typo)
It's amazing what kind of bargaining power you gain when you don't need to stay.  Or to put it another way: "He/She who can walk away holds all the cards."

Very true! I was put forward for a new position by a recruiter. It was something I was very interested in, but they screwed up the interview process. Salary originally was 70-75 (still above what I get now), but due to the screw up and telling the recruiter that I wasn't sure if I should work for a place that would screw up interviews like that, the salary will now be 80-85. They are very interested in me and the final interview is tomorrow. Will report back as winning the position will be a celebration! Also, it comes with less stress than what I do now. Double win.

I always hear these things, but it's amazing to see it in action! After two weeks of thinking I was actually willing to accept just the 4 days a week with no raise, but my boss added the raise herself. I probably could have gotten a bit more if I were better at this "negotiating" thing but I was mostly in shock... 80% time for the same pay is already a decent "raise" per hour and then she added the raise I was going to ask for before I thought about leaving.

Ironically, this has definitely indoctrinated me to the power of having "FU" money, which makes me all the more eager to stay and save more... So I can really be free to walk away, when I'm ready to.

That's great that you were able to get an even higher offer for what sounds like a job you're excited about! They must really want you. Good luck in the next step! Definitely let us know how it goes. :) Do you mind if I ask what field you're in?

Currently IT consulting (Salesforce Business Analyst), transitioning to (Sr.) IT Admin (also Salesforce).

arebelspy

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #961 on: May 05, 2015, 11:25:11 AM »
I had some success this past weekend at a longtime hobby of mine, something I'll rarely, if ever, be able to do once I'm FIREing and traveling around the world.

It was quite gratifying.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

nereo

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #962 on: May 05, 2015, 11:33:48 AM »
I had some success this past weekend at a longtime hobby of mine, something I'll rarely, if ever, be able to do once I'm FIREing and traveling around the world.

It was quite gratifying.
ok cryptic... what's your "longtime hobby" that you won't be able to do once FIRE & traveling?

arebelspy

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #963 on: May 05, 2015, 11:37:14 AM »
I had some success this past weekend at a longtime hobby of mine, something I'll rarely, if ever, be able to do once I'm FIREing and traveling around the world.

It was quite gratifying.
ok cryptic... what's your "longtime hobby" that you won't be able to do once FIRE & traveling?

Juggling geese. Baby geese - goslings.

I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

nereo

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #964 on: May 05, 2015, 11:55:45 AM »

Juggling geese. Baby geese - goslings.
I tried juggling kittens once, but it turns out they are little more than teeth and fangs...

Rheagar

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #965 on: May 05, 2015, 01:09:55 PM »
Just made the switch from ATT to Consumer Cellular, reducing our cell phone bill from 100 to 60/month. Service will be virtually identical, they even use ATT's network!

iamlittlehedgehog

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #966 on: May 06, 2015, 02:16:08 PM »
It may not count for much but we figured out our debt free date! Without a (prospective) inheritance - February 2017, with the inheritance it will be August 8, 2016. We are putting off our honeymoon until we are debt free so it'll be even more special!

Pooperman

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #967 on: May 12, 2015, 12:43:47 PM »
New job!

nereo

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #968 on: May 12, 2015, 02:30:38 PM »
New job!
Given this is the "Celebrations Thread" and not the "Crappy Things That Have Happened To Me" thread I take it you like your new job... congrats, what is it?

1967mama

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #969 on: May 12, 2015, 02:53:06 PM »
My husband hung up a load of laundry while I was away -- serious badassity!

Pooperman

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #970 on: May 12, 2015, 04:28:02 PM »
New job!
Given this is the "Celebrations Thread" and not the "Crappy Things That Have Happened To Me" thread I take it you like your new job... congrats, what is it?

Well I got a new job and I'm happy about that since that is the one I wanted for about a year now. I start in June and have my notice today. Comes with a 25% raise which brings my total salary to double what it was for my first job. In two years! Salesforce admin/systems analyst is the position.

chicagomeg

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #971 on: May 12, 2015, 07:55:47 PM »
New job!
Given this is the "Celebrations Thread" and not the "Crappy Things That Have Happened To Me" thread I take it you like your new job... congrats, what is it?

Well I got a new job and I'm happy about that since that is the one I wanted for about a year now. I start in June and have my notice today. Comes with a 25% raise which brings my total salary to double what it was for my first job. In two years! Salesforce admin/systems analyst is the position.

And you got to make the 1000th post in the celebrations thread, that must be good luck! Congrats!

Ferrisbueller

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #972 on: May 14, 2015, 04:53:57 PM »
Got a $15,000 bonus today and got my employer to increase their contribution to my 401k to $860 per month (up from $550 per month)

I did have a bonus day lunch - KFC $11

jdgj

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #973 on: May 16, 2015, 09:32:01 AM »
I was wrestling back and forth between paying off the used car loan in June or now.

Then the normal paycheck came in, and I decided. Fuck You Loan!

So, no used car loan anymore. Attempted to sign into the website to double-check (the bank account shows the debit card payment), and apparently it's an error to have an account paid off on their website. I'm not going to complain!

I am going to do a little bit more maintenance & repair on the car, and then sell it to get a more-Mustachian car. I still cannot bring myself to actively choose a manual gearbox, but I have gotten some more practice this year.

One loan done! 2 more to go.

protostache

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #974 on: May 17, 2015, 07:42:46 AM »
I was wrestling back and forth between paying off the used car loan in June or now.

Then the normal paycheck came in, and I decided. Fuck You Loan!

So, no used car loan anymore. Attempted to sign into the website to double-check (the bank account shows the debit card payment), and apparently it's an error to have an account paid off on their website. I'm not going to complain!

I am going to do a little bit more maintenance & repair on the car, and then sell it to get a more-Mustachian car. I still cannot bring myself to actively choose a manual gearbox, but I have gotten some more practice this year.

One loan done! 2 more to go.

Yay for paying off cars! As of last month ours are paid off too and it's such a relief to be down to just the mortgage.

As for current celebrations, DW switched her accounts over to joint and mine should finally be done processing the paperwork tomorrow. I feel like this means we're operating much more like a team instead of a partnership (a la the recent thread by the same name), which makes me sort of irrationally happy. As a result of the combo we just opened our first taxable account and pushed our investment balance over $100k for the first time.

jdgj

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #975 on: May 17, 2015, 07:35:59 PM »
I was wrestling back and forth between paying off the used car loan in June or now.

Then the normal paycheck came in, and I decided. Fuck You Loan!

So, no used car loan anymore. Attempted to sign into the website to double-check (the bank account shows the debit card payment), and apparently it's an error to have an account paid off on their website. I'm not going to complain!

I am going to do a little bit more maintenance & repair on the car, and then sell it to get a more-Mustachian car. I still cannot bring myself to actively choose a manual gearbox, but I have gotten some more practice this year.

One loan done! 2 more to go.

Yay for paying off cars! As of last month ours are paid off too and it's such a relief to be down to just the mortgage.

As for current celebrations, DW switched her accounts over to joint and mine should finally be done processing the paperwork tomorrow. I feel like this means we're operating much more like a team instead of a partnership (a la the recent thread by the same name), which makes me sort of irrationally happy. As a result of the combo we just opened our first taxable account and pushed our investment balance over $100k for the first time.

Yay for six figures! I am way off the mark on investing. I am still in the get out of debt phase, so moving into the investment stage will take a little time (hopefully not too much longer though, maybe a year or 2).

Rheagar

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #976 on: May 18, 2015, 06:48:45 AM »
We just crossed 150k in investments. We are creeping up on 250k net worth, should happen by the end of the year easily!

CongoKid

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #977 on: May 18, 2015, 11:22:31 AM »
Just received and accepted a promotion and pay raise for a move to a city with a cost of living 50% less expensive than my current post.   Live on the Indian Ocean and bump your savings rate to 65%, I'll take it!

protostache

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #978 on: May 18, 2015, 02:53:44 PM »
Just received and accepted a promotion and pay raise for a move to a city with a cost of living 50% less expensive than my current post.   Live on the Indian Ocean and bump your savings rate to 65%, I'll take it!

65% is amazing! What service are you in, if you don't mind me asking?

ender

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #979 on: May 18, 2015, 09:10:49 PM »
As for current celebrations, DW switched her accounts over to joint and mine should finally be done processing the paperwork tomorrow. I feel like this means we're operating much more like a team instead of a partnership (a la the recent thread by the same name), which makes me sort of irrationally happy. As a result of the combo we just opened our first taxable account and pushed our investment balance over $100k for the first time.

That's such a great feeling :)

CongoKid

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #980 on: May 21, 2015, 01:02:02 AM »
Just received and accepted a promotion and pay raise for a move to a city with a cost of living 50% less expensive than my current post.   Live on the Indian Ocean and bump your savings rate to 65%, I'll take it!

65% is amazing! What service are you in, if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks Protostache....I'm in the international non-profit sector where a lot of costs are covered by the organization (e.g., housing, utilities) so it's much easier to get a higher savings rate.  I'm trying to take advantage of this for the years i'll be overseas.

link_417

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #981 on: May 30, 2015, 12:25:13 PM »
Reached my first mini-goal of $5k net worth! 

I reached $0.00 NW last year and have been trying to reach my first goal of $5k NW before the halfway point of the year.  I kept fluctuating up and down around $4k and thought I would never break $5k, but last night I realized I forgot about the HSA my employer funds -- an extra $1.2k :)  I'm shooting for $10k by the end of the year.


protostache

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #982 on: June 01, 2015, 10:21:31 AM »
In January 2007 I graduated college, moved across the country, got myself a fancy apartment all by myself, and bought a brand new car. I've tracked every penny that I've spent since that May, starting when I bounced a rent check and found myself with no cash and a heck of a lot of debt. This morning I made a stash chart for the first time:



A few notes:

  • The green investment bars start at the start of my Vanguard history. I rolled a previous 401k into a new vanguard account and also at some point rolled a Roth IRA into it, but I don't have any history of what those accounts were invested in.
  • The initial debts where $20k car, $20k student loan, and $4k credit card.
  • The asset dip in mid 2010 is when I paid off the car in one chunk. The student loan got paid off quickly in 2011.
  • In 2013 and 2014 we spent large chunks of savings on family-emergency-related travel, paying cash for our wedding, and putting a down payment on our house (mortgage and home equity not included in this chart).
  • The new debt in 2013 was my new car, which is now completely paid off.

Mikhial

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #983 on: June 05, 2015, 06:13:14 AM »
I just got $400 I already had written off as gone!

I was roommates with a couple a few years back. That's something I never plan to do again. No matter what, you will be out-numbered so it can make life hard. Anyway, I ended up moving out at the end of the lease, but they stayed and renewed.

As much as I tried, I was not able to get the to give me my portion of the security deposit. They had another couple moving in but it didn't seem "fair" to the new couple to have to pay a deposit. So I was stuck with a deposit on a house I didn't even live in. A year later at the end of the renewal, I tried to get my deposit back. Nope, they're going to renew again.

Last April was the 2nd year after my lease ended. I had already written the money off long ago but I wanted to give one last try. I emailed with no response. A few days later I FaceBook messaged and didn't get a response. Few days later I texted and got nothing. Few days after that I left a voice message.

I figured I could do everything I could and was about to give up. Then a day or two later I got an email saying he wanted to work out an agreement! It took to installments, but I just got my second $200 PayPal transfer last night. That was a happy little surprise :)

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My Hair is no Longer on Fire!
« Reply #984 on: June 05, 2015, 02:12:11 PM »
My name is K-dogg, and my hair is no longer on fire. I’m a 29 year old Canadian female. Over the past 20 months I have paid off 67k in debt.

I never carried debt before entering university at 23, even though I was a bit of a spendy pants. I was fortunate to have always held down a well paying job. Once school started, I was only working 4 months a year in the summer and my spending habits didn’t change.

Here’s my debt breakdown:

National Student Loan - $15,955
Provincial Student Loan - $18,490
Car Loan - $6,200
Visa - $9000USD
Mastercard - $15,000
Credit Line - $3000

When I found MMM about 6 months ago, I was already well on my way to paying off my debt.  But this site, the blog posts, forums and contributors have been so encouraging.

Looking forward, this will be the year I make my first investment. Something I had never given any serious thought to before. Hope to see you all around the forums. I am officially no longer only a lurker!

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Re: My Hair is no Longer on Fire!
« Reply #985 on: June 05, 2015, 02:15:59 PM »
My name is K-dogg, and my hair is no longer on fire. I’m a 29 year old Canadian female. Over the past 20 months I have paid off 67k in debt.

I never carried debt before entering university at 23, even though I was a bit of a spendy pants. I was fortunate to have always held down a well paying job. Once school started, I was only working 4 months a year in the summer and my spending habits didn’t change.

Here’s my debt breakdown:

National Student Loan - $15,955
Provincial Student Loan - $18,490
Car Loan - $6,200
Visa - $9000USD
Mastercard - $15,000
Credit Line - $3000

When I found MMM about 6 months ago, I was already well on my way to paying off my debt.  But this site, the blog posts, forums and contributors have been so encouraging.

Looking forward, this will be the year I make my first investment. Something I had never given any serious thought to before. Hope to see you all around the forums. I am officially no longer only a lurker!

Wow, good for you! If you can pay off that amount of debt that quickly you should have no trouble accumulating a nice net worth.

K-Dogg

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #986 on: June 05, 2015, 03:39:11 PM »
Thanks Kestra! The last 2 years has definitely been the highest earnings years I've had. That will lower a bit now with oil prices so low, but I'm still making out pretty good. I've been very lucky to avoid layoffs which are very common in my type of work.

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #987 on: June 06, 2015, 01:29:10 PM »
 
 checked investments and realized i was 15k further ahead than i had thought. great feeling and had to push my year end goals up and pushed my fire date to 18 MONTHS !

Cougar

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #988 on: June 06, 2015, 01:31:13 PM »
Reached my first mini-goal of $5k net worth! 

I reached $0.00 NW last year and have been trying to reach my first goal of $5k NW before the halfway point of the year.  I kept fluctuating up and down around $4k and thought I would never break $5k, but last night I realized I forgot about the HSA my employer funds -- an extra $1.2k :)  I'm shooting for $10k by the end of the year.

congrats 1.2k  !

i bet you make 10k this year. once you start serius saving it always piles up faster than you think in my experience.

link_417

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #989 on: June 06, 2015, 08:07:48 PM »
Reached my first mini-goal of $5k net worth! 

I reached $0.00 NW last year and have been trying to reach my first goal of $5k NW before the halfway point of the year.  I kept fluctuating up and down around $4k and thought I would never break $5k, but last night I realized I forgot about the HSA my employer funds -- an extra $1.2k :)  I'm shooting for $10k by the end of the year.

congrats 1.2k  !

i bet you make 10k this year. once you start serius saving it always piles up faster than you think in my experience.

Thanks, Cougar!  I have a bunch of expenses coming up because of this move but once I'm settled, it'll be full speed ahead :D

iamlittlehedgehog

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #990 on: June 08, 2015, 09:06:31 AM »
We payed off our first credit card in 8 weeks! We slammed about $150 on it a week and just closed it. Plan on having a card cutting ceremony tonight :)
We can't brag about this to anyone other than my Mustachian family but it feels good and finally feels like we have some momentum to paying off our debt!

protostache

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #991 on: June 08, 2015, 10:08:51 AM »
We payed off our first credit card in 8 weeks! We slammed about $150 on it a week and just closed it. Plan on having a card cutting ceremony tonight :)
We can't brag about this to anyone other than my Mustachian family but it feels good and finally feels like we have some momentum to paying off our debt!

Congrats! That's awesome.

Did you actually close the account yet? It's usually best practice to leave the account open with zero balance, since average age of accounts is a large component of your credit score.

iamlittlehedgehog

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #992 on: June 08, 2015, 10:28:46 AM »
We payed off our first credit card in 8 weeks! We slammed about $150 on it a week and just closed it. Plan on having a card cutting ceremony tonight :)
We can't brag about this to anyone other than my Mustachian family but it feels good and finally feels like we have some momentum to paying off our debt!

Congrats! That's awesome.

Did you actually close the account yet? It's usually best practice to leave the account open with zero balance, since average age of accounts is a large component of your credit score.

Thank you! Hopefully we can knock it the next one this quickly too :)

We went ahead and closed it. It is actually my DH's CC and his credit score is high enough it can take a hit and we have no credit dependent purchases anytime soon, and this was a pretty low limit card (maybe 2k?) so the impact on our total utilization ratio is pretty minor. We intend to keep my card open then later down the line open one with better benefits. This card had almost zero rewards and we only opened it because our 12 year old moodle slipped a disc and had emergency vet bills (we are working on an emergency fund too)
« Last Edit: June 08, 2015, 10:44:47 AM by iamlittlehedgehog »

Cougar

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #993 on: June 08, 2015, 08:15:01 PM »
We payed off our first credit card in 8 weeks! We slammed about $150 on it a week and just closed it. Plan on having a card cutting ceremony tonight :)
We can't brag about this to anyone other than my Mustachian family but it feels good and finally feels like we have some momentum to paying off our debt!

Congrats! That's awesome.

Did you actually close the account yet? It's usually best practice to leave the account open with zero balance, since average age of accounts is a large component of your credit score.

congrats and this is what i do. i have cards sitting in my file cabinet that i never use. i actually got a letter from one tell me if i dont use it in 2 months theyre going to close it for me.

Sister C

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #994 on: June 13, 2015, 11:41:15 AM »
My wife has started making mustachian comments!  She was initially skeptical so I didn't push the mustachian ideas I was discovering here. But over the past six months or so, she's seen me make changes in my own behavior (biking to work, tracking finances, aggressively paying off the student loan, no longer buying beauty products etc) as well as a larger change in my attitude (away from convenience/waste, not chasing luxury, towards more stable sources of happiness).  She's commented recently on how good it will feel to pay off the student loan, how we don't need more stuff to be happy, how having less stuff would actually increase our happiness, and how our life is already incredibly luxurious.  Love it!

Rural

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #995 on: June 13, 2015, 12:32:02 PM »
Got next year's contract, and it includes a small raise, apparently some of it a very competitive merit raise. (Some is promotion-related, as I just got  tenure and promotion to associate professor.)

G-dog

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #996 on: June 13, 2015, 12:36:10 PM »
Got next year's contract, and it includes a small raise, apparently some of it a very competitive merit raise. (Some is promotion-related, as I just got  tenure and promotion to associate professor.)

Congratulations on getting tenure! It's a big hurdle Prof. Rural
And congrats on the raise.

Rural

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #997 on: June 14, 2015, 07:42:59 AM »
Got next year's contract, and it includes a small raise, apparently some of it a very competitive merit raise. (Some is promotion-related, as I just got  tenure and promotion to associate professor.)

Congratulations on getting tenure! It's a big hurdle Prof. Rural
And congrats on the raise.


Thanks, G-Dog. The tenure's been awhile so ATM I'm more excited about the raise, but tenure also means I'm not automatically fired for not getting it, so it's a Good Thing!

OttoVonBisquick

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #998 on: June 14, 2015, 10:25:11 PM »
Hey all! A few small things to celebrate:

1) Went to a Goodwill store to find pants (which I did, $5!) and walked away with pants, a breadmaker, and a clothes iron (for said pants after a wrinkly wash) all for $15!
2) Really paid attention to price, and bought a ton of food (maybe 1.5 or 2 weeks worth) for $55
3) Researched up and am practicing hypermiling (engine braking, mainly), to look forward to higher-than-40-MPG-as-usual mileage
4) Just realized that by taking the train every day to work (for free!) I save SO MUCH on gas and future repairs!

5) I posted for the first (now 6) times today! I am already deeply excited about this forum community, and really am looking forward to meeting everyone here.

1967mama

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #999 on: June 15, 2015, 03:37:51 AM »
Welcome, @Otto!

Nice job on the food shopping! (and other celebrations too)