Hey folks, just popping in for a quick update! I did end up returning to my PT job once I ran out of leave... but I went back at just 1 day/wk and actually used saved vacation days to bring it down to just 2-3 days/month. Then, in the fall, we ended up moving!! Honestly, it's the best possible scenario... the move was for a better job for my husband, but it also brought us closer to the beach (where I wanted to be). I took the plunge and went FT on my freelance work, which has been even better than I could have possibly expected.
We've increased our spending... partially because it's a higher-COL area, partially because I've loosened up a lot (to my husband's great joy!) and have accepted a slower glide to FIRE now that we're in a better/happier position overall. I no longer feel like we need to run away from life, like I did before. So, while I'm certainly even less Mustachian than I was, I'm still calling it a big win overall. My whole goal was flexibility and I feel like we've achieved that.
My freelance work has been overwhelmingly busy for the last month or so, to the point that I'm debating scaling back a bit... but I think I'll just ride it out, because it should calm down once I finish my current big project.
Here are some updated numbers, for anyone who is curious and because I enjoy having them to look back on. LOL.
Current income: ~$200k/yr
Husband's FT job: $80k/yr
My freelance income: ~$120k/yr (estimate)
Current expenses: $8865/month
mortgage/taxes/insurance 1615
water/sewer/trash 130
electric 200
cable/internet 125
cell phones 245
car insurance 120
subscriptions (personal/professional) 95
disability/life insurance 110
after-school care 345
violin & gymnastics 200
Jeep 500
my car 728
gas 80
pets - food, meds 100
horse boarding 400
groceries 645
eating out 430
misc. shopping/fun spending 323
lawn care 105
pool service 105
meds 35
health/dental insurance 1276
charitable giving 950
Total Net Worth: $693k
Assets (excluding home): $612k
- savings $45k
- HSA $25k
- Roths $197k
- Employer retirement accounts $119k
- Rollover IRA $170k
- SEP IRA $44k
- Taxable investments $12k
Liabilities (excluding home): $28k (bought a frivolous/fun Jeep at 2.9% interest, still have a few payments left on my car at 0%)
Home equity: $109k
Yes, our spending is completely insane... but it's working for us right now and still letting us save enough that we should hit FIRE in 8-10 years. My car will be paid off in a few months and I should have it for at least another 5-10 years. (I could easily pay it off today, and I think about doing that pretty often... but it seems silly at 0% interest, even though it would make our monthly budget look a lot better!) After-school care may or may not be an ongoing expense, but we're doing it for the next year because my daughter and I need a break from each other after homeschooling for the last year and a half and we figure it will help her meet more kids in our new neighborhood. The horses are geriatric, so the boarding expense isn't forever. We definitely eat out more than necessary, but we moved from the middle of nowhere to an area with lots of laid-back waterfront restaurants and that's my husband's preferred way to blow off steam after work. All that said, our predicted FIRE budget is only $6k/month due to reduced/eliminated expenses (such as charitable giving, life/disability insurance, after-school care, etc) and the fact that health insurance will hopefully be cheaper.... so we should be on track to get there in 8-10 years. We'll also downsize our house at some point around FIRE, because the current house includes both an office for me and a separate guest room for my in-laws *a non-negotiable for my husband who had never lived more than an hour away from his family). Even if it takes a bit longer, we're enjoying the journey more and we should still get there well before "normal" retirement age, so I'm good with that. (I'm currently 42 and husband is 37.)