Hits:
1. Sold my car and have been taking the bus for the last 6+ months. I've been saving over $450/month.
2. Moved into a cheaper/smaller apartment that is located along a major bus line. This bus takes me to/from work directly.
3. Canceled cable. Got a cheap OTA digital antenna. Cool.
4. Cut my cell phone bill by 60%.
5. Have been extremely successful navigating my investments. Reached my goal of receiving $1,200 in dividends for my first full year of investing. Hopefully I'll double this next year.
6. Canceled gym membership. I have been running outside and using a treadmill we have at the apartment. So far, so good.
7. Increased Freedom Fund by about $30,000.
Misses:
1. Got a VOIP cell phone plan on my iPhone. Missed many phone calls and strained my personal relationships in the process. Canceled it and went to a cheap prepaid cell plan. Good stuff.
2. The bus has been wonderful in saving money. But, I have been late to work a few times now. That's something I'm closely monitoring. I may have to buy a cheap ($1,500) car, begrudgingly. We'll see.
What were your ERE hits and misses in 2011?
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DividendGuy
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:58 pm
@bigato
Thanks! I'm doing well. In a vacuum, or a perfect world, I'd never buy a car again. One thing that happened at work is that I very recently (this week) received a promotion and have a bit more responsibility and pay. I'm a bit nervous about this new role, and if I'm late just starting out that could be disastrous.
It is too far for the bike. I'm over 7 miles away and it's really just not realistic down here. The winter might not be too bad, but the summer is just unbearably hot and rainy. Also, there are no sidewalks all the way there. I'm up against a major thoroughfare with older people that are driving impaired.
Thanks! I'm doing well. In a vacuum, or a perfect world, I'd never buy a car again. One thing that happened at work is that I very recently (this week) received a promotion and have a bit more responsibility and pay. I'm a bit nervous about this new role, and if I'm late just starting out that could be disastrous.
It is too far for the bike. I'm over 7 miles away and it's really just not realistic down here. The winter might not be too bad, but the summer is just unbearably hot and rainy. Also, there are no sidewalks all the way there. I'm up against a major thoroughfare with older people that are driving impaired.
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DividendGuy
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:58 pm
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Riggerjack
- Posts: 3198
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 3:09 am
Wow, looks like i have my work cut out for me to keep up with this crowd...
hits:
1.ditched sat dish savings of ~$85
2. kept a renter in the rental house nearly all year, but took a hit on the rent. went from -450 to -750/ month. part of that is reduced rent, part was increased payment on the heloc.
3. locked up heloc at 4.64% over 10 years, vs interest only at a variable rate.
4. prepaid heloc significantly.
5. playing with firecalc, showing that everything will eventually be alright for retirement.
6. nearly convinced myself and my wife that we don't need a new mini.
7. sold company stock out of 401k before it tanked.
8. my wife is up to full scale. double incomes makes everything easier.
Misses:
1. still owe >400k
2. even without company stock, 401k took a loss this year.
3. still have not resolved spare vehicle issues.
4. spending more for the unlimited data plan on cells.
5. still trying to figure out how to cut commuting costs. car (paid off kia rio) plus ferry is still over $400/month. 10 hr days plus ferry lines still comes out to 13.5-15 hours away from home. on the plus side, surfing the phones makes ferry lines seem shorter.
6. bought still another vehicle: a honda ct-90 for my wife to learn to ride. this should cut summer ferry lines, but not expense.
7. still working on finishing the downstairs. 1/2 our house is unused due to remodeling.
8. bought the lot to our north for 1/3 their asking price. still fighting county assessor over valuation. currently, i'll be taxed as though the lot were worth 3x it's sales value. appealing to state level. while this could be a hit, as the plan is to fix some issues with the lot and sell at a profit, at this point it is a nonincome producing property, with significant tax costs.
for 2012:
1. fix valuation of north 5 lot.
2. continue prepaying mortgages/contributing to 401k
3. get further on renovations
4. resolve the extra vehicles issues.
5. cut utilities.
6. clear part of the north 5 to prepare for a garden.
7. clear out alders, plant cedars.
8. possibly buy a profitable rental house.
hits:
1.ditched sat dish savings of ~$85
2. kept a renter in the rental house nearly all year, but took a hit on the rent. went from -450 to -750/ month. part of that is reduced rent, part was increased payment on the heloc.
3. locked up heloc at 4.64% over 10 years, vs interest only at a variable rate.
4. prepaid heloc significantly.
5. playing with firecalc, showing that everything will eventually be alright for retirement.
6. nearly convinced myself and my wife that we don't need a new mini.
7. sold company stock out of 401k before it tanked.
8. my wife is up to full scale. double incomes makes everything easier.
Misses:
1. still owe >400k
2. even without company stock, 401k took a loss this year.
3. still have not resolved spare vehicle issues.
4. spending more for the unlimited data plan on cells.
5. still trying to figure out how to cut commuting costs. car (paid off kia rio) plus ferry is still over $400/month. 10 hr days plus ferry lines still comes out to 13.5-15 hours away from home. on the plus side, surfing the phones makes ferry lines seem shorter.
6. bought still another vehicle: a honda ct-90 for my wife to learn to ride. this should cut summer ferry lines, but not expense.
7. still working on finishing the downstairs. 1/2 our house is unused due to remodeling.
8. bought the lot to our north for 1/3 their asking price. still fighting county assessor over valuation. currently, i'll be taxed as though the lot were worth 3x it's sales value. appealing to state level. while this could be a hit, as the plan is to fix some issues with the lot and sell at a profit, at this point it is a nonincome producing property, with significant tax costs.
for 2012:
1. fix valuation of north 5 lot.
2. continue prepaying mortgages/contributing to 401k
3. get further on renovations
4. resolve the extra vehicles issues.
5. cut utilities.
6. clear part of the north 5 to prepare for a garden.
7. clear out alders, plant cedars.
8. possibly buy a profitable rental house.
hits:
Total transformation of my relationship with money, I mean total. I still am not sure who the guy is who made these changes. He is a different character than I have known all my life.
Paying off all my debt. Priceless
This was my first year of investing and I'm happy with how I did. I didn't lose money and actually did ok. Hopefully I can do even better next year.
Lost 15 lbs this year.
Misses:
The main one here is spending. I have LOTS of room for improvement and this is one of the biggest goals for 2012.
Total transformation of my relationship with money, I mean total. I still am not sure who the guy is who made these changes. He is a different character than I have known all my life.
Paying off all my debt. Priceless
This was my first year of investing and I'm happy with how I did. I didn't lose money and actually did ok. Hopefully I can do even better next year.
Lost 15 lbs this year.
Misses:
The main one here is spending. I have LOTS of room for improvement and this is one of the biggest goals for 2012.
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flitteringleaves
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:56 am
Hits:
- I now have a goal to aim for with saving money, so I'm much more consistent with my savings and my savings don't disappear with a premeditated-impulse purchase.
- After two years I finally got back into the habit of making my own food, which I find to be easier on the stomach (and on the wallet).
Misses:
- I have a tendency to buy expensive, unnecessary items every couple months, but hopefully clearer goals are curbing this.
- I'm not as productive as I could be at work, which leads to it flowing over into what should be my free time. (I have been making some improvement though...on some days/weeks)
- I now have a goal to aim for with saving money, so I'm much more consistent with my savings and my savings don't disappear with a premeditated-impulse purchase.
- After two years I finally got back into the habit of making my own food, which I find to be easier on the stomach (and on the wallet).
Misses:
- I have a tendency to buy expensive, unnecessary items every couple months, but hopefully clearer goals are curbing this.
- I'm not as productive as I could be at work, which leads to it flowing over into what should be my free time. (I have been making some improvement though...on some days/weeks)
-
WorkingRachel
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Aug 01, 2010 6:34 pm
- Contact:
Hits:
- started consistently exercising
- started making menu plans
- net worth increased by $69,000, and hit two big milestones
- Had my first down net worth quarter, in spite of adding to my savings that quarter, which led me to start thinking about trying to decrease the volatility of my portfolio
- my least favorite coworker was laid off, and my second least favorite coworker alluded to a possible retirement in 2012. Third least favorite coworker seems like she might be top on the list for any possible future layoffs. (Yeah, I’m heartless.)
- explorations into alternate jobs may result in an addition to my current job that would interest me more
Misses:
- We are moving in early 2012 and have made little progress in figuring out what neighborhood or suburb we want to move to. In the meantime, I’ve started disliking our current neighborhood even more after a few scary run-ins with people on the street.
- Had a health wake-up call and went on a new prescription drug
- eating out expenses increased by $350
- resent job even more than last year
- spent $325 on tax prep only to learn that I’ve been doing just as well on my own
Seeing it written down it actually looks pretty good.
- started consistently exercising
- started making menu plans
- net worth increased by $69,000, and hit two big milestones
- Had my first down net worth quarter, in spite of adding to my savings that quarter, which led me to start thinking about trying to decrease the volatility of my portfolio
- my least favorite coworker was laid off, and my second least favorite coworker alluded to a possible retirement in 2012. Third least favorite coworker seems like she might be top on the list for any possible future layoffs. (Yeah, I’m heartless.)
- explorations into alternate jobs may result in an addition to my current job that would interest me more
Misses:
- We are moving in early 2012 and have made little progress in figuring out what neighborhood or suburb we want to move to. In the meantime, I’ve started disliking our current neighborhood even more after a few scary run-ins with people on the street.
- Had a health wake-up call and went on a new prescription drug
- eating out expenses increased by $350
- resent job even more than last year
- spent $325 on tax prep only to learn that I’ve been doing just as well on my own
Seeing it written down it actually looks pretty good.
Hits:
- Paid off my mortgage on some land I bought a few years ago, three months ahead of schedule.
- Sold my truck (to pay the mortgage) and bought a much more economical small car.
- Read a lot, learned a lot about investing.
- Spent much less than previously on clothes.
Misses:
- Still spend much more on food than I'd like.
- I'm in school working on a second bachelor's degree, and while I'm only taking 1-2 classes a semester to keep my expenses low, I'm devoting way to much money to education. While I realize school is preventing me from attaining ERE earlier, I can't convince myself to drop out of school with relatively so little time left (and so much time and money already invested).
- Paying the mortgage and school prevented me from saving significantly. This will change in 2012.
Goals for 2012:
- Save at least 70% of my income
- Finish school
- Start investing on a regular basis
- Cut food costs -- this will be difficult, as I adhere to a paleo lifestyle. I'm planning to buy grass-fed meat in bulk from a nearby farm, and possibly learn to hunt. I joined a CSA last year for vegetables, though this seemed a bit expensive. I don't know if I will join again this year. I've been gardening for the past few years -- hopefully I will manage to increase my yields this year, and make soups and preserved dishes to freeze for the winter.
- Paid off my mortgage on some land I bought a few years ago, three months ahead of schedule.
- Sold my truck (to pay the mortgage) and bought a much more economical small car.
- Read a lot, learned a lot about investing.
- Spent much less than previously on clothes.
Misses:
- Still spend much more on food than I'd like.
- I'm in school working on a second bachelor's degree, and while I'm only taking 1-2 classes a semester to keep my expenses low, I'm devoting way to much money to education. While I realize school is preventing me from attaining ERE earlier, I can't convince myself to drop out of school with relatively so little time left (and so much time and money already invested).
- Paying the mortgage and school prevented me from saving significantly. This will change in 2012.
Goals for 2012:
- Save at least 70% of my income
- Finish school
- Start investing on a regular basis
- Cut food costs -- this will be difficult, as I adhere to a paleo lifestyle. I'm planning to buy grass-fed meat in bulk from a nearby farm, and possibly learn to hunt. I joined a CSA last year for vegetables, though this seemed a bit expensive. I don't know if I will join again this year. I've been gardening for the past few years -- hopefully I will manage to increase my yields this year, and make soups and preserved dishes to freeze for the winter.
Hits:
- biking to work, and chipping away at the excuses for skipping a day
- PP up approx. 11%
- S.O. managing her own portfolio
- set up bulk food storage, pressure cooker, iron skillet, home haircuts
- DIY holiday gifts for coworkers
Misses:
- garden and vermicompost regressed due to negligence
- no homebrewing
- not enough exercise
- still have student loans
- still storing a rarely-used car
- furniture, vet, and car maintenance expenses were very high and savings rate suffered
Goals: fix all the misses
- biking to work, and chipping away at the excuses for skipping a day
- PP up approx. 11%
- S.O. managing her own portfolio
- set up bulk food storage, pressure cooker, iron skillet, home haircuts
- DIY holiday gifts for coworkers
Misses:
- garden and vermicompost regressed due to negligence
- no homebrewing
- not enough exercise
- still have student loans
- still storing a rarely-used car
- furniture, vet, and car maintenance expenses were very high and savings rate suffered
Goals: fix all the misses
Hits:
Finished paying off student loan debt and became completely debt free in April.
Paid cash for an engagement ring in June.
Finished the year with a 9.5% ROI in my individual account (gain & dividends)
averaged 65% savings of net income from paychecks since tracking it starting in August. Up to 74% in OCT-DEC with pay raise.
Misses:
401k down 9.2% after switching to a dividend based portfolio during the October low.
Spent more on engagement ring than i had planned too (she's happy!)
consistently overspent on food budget while on the road (I travel 17 days a month for work)
"rent" went up since becoming engaged since I'm now paying 1/2 of mortgage resulting in an increase in monthly budget to $1200 from $1060
Finished paying off student loan debt and became completely debt free in April.
Paid cash for an engagement ring in June.
Finished the year with a 9.5% ROI in my individual account (gain & dividends)
averaged 65% savings of net income from paychecks since tracking it starting in August. Up to 74% in OCT-DEC with pay raise.
Misses:
401k down 9.2% after switching to a dividend based portfolio during the October low.
Spent more on engagement ring than i had planned too (she's happy!)
consistently overspent on food budget while on the road (I travel 17 days a month for work)
"rent" went up since becoming engaged since I'm now paying 1/2 of mortgage resulting in an increase in monthly budget to $1200 from $1060
hits
- net worth up from 12 years to 24 years
- finally invested my savings, and my investment choices did well
- cooking dinner six nights a week, and enjoying it more than eating out
- finally solved the cheap housing thing by convincing my girlfriend to move to Chicago and share a 1BR
misses
- repeated failures to eat healthier and exercise more: becoming fatter and less fit
- 3 of my 5 favorite friends in Chicago moved away; getting discouraged about whether developing friendships is worth the effort
- net worth up from 12 years to 24 years
- finally invested my savings, and my investment choices did well
- cooking dinner six nights a week, and enjoying it more than eating out
- finally solved the cheap housing thing by convincing my girlfriend to move to Chicago and share a 1BR
misses
- repeated failures to eat healthier and exercise more: becoming fatter and less fit
- 3 of my 5 favorite friends in Chicago moved away; getting discouraged about whether developing friendships is worth the effort
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George the original one
- Posts: 5406
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
- Location: Wettest corner of Orygun
Hits:
- Investment return = 16.1% (Excel's XIRR function)
[edit: worth noting that S&P500 was +0.0% and the avg yield was 2.57% of the stocks that have dividends]
- Half of this year's gains are from dividends
- Still ahead of savings goals
- Learning to cook beans (blk bean chili, asstd bean stew)
- Lost 10 lbs with low fat diet in October
Misses:
- Saving rate lower than planned
- Didn't lose any weight during November & December
Neutral:
- Gave in to temptation of dream retirement home
- Leveraged income experiment is treading water
****
2012 goals:
- Get renters into dream retirement home
- Continue saving plan w/revisions from dream retirement home
- Improve strength/stamina
- Lose 30 lbs
- Celebrate my 50th birthday
- Investment return = 16.1% (Excel's XIRR function)
[edit: worth noting that S&P500 was +0.0% and the avg yield was 2.57% of the stocks that have dividends]
- Half of this year's gains are from dividends
- Still ahead of savings goals
- Learning to cook beans (blk bean chili, asstd bean stew)
- Lost 10 lbs with low fat diet in October
Misses:
- Saving rate lower than planned
- Didn't lose any weight during November & December
Neutral:
- Gave in to temptation of dream retirement home
- Leveraged income experiment is treading water
****
2012 goals:
- Get renters into dream retirement home
- Continue saving plan w/revisions from dream retirement home
- Improve strength/stamina
- Lose 30 lbs
- Celebrate my 50th birthday
+ found ere blog and forum
+ discovered my earning power
(yet to be realised fully, need to finish PhD first)
+ realised my ability to live on very little is a strength
not a malfunction
+ started tracking everything and reading up on investing
+ got DH on board for fast-tracking the mortgage
- need to upgrade our living quarters some
- still haven’t got a clear view of when I’ll be FI
- saved less than I’d planned
2012
keep tracking spending related to FI
fast tracking the mortgage even more
start investing, if only to check out taxes
+ discovered my earning power
(yet to be realised fully, need to finish PhD first)
+ realised my ability to live on very little is a strength
not a malfunction
+ started tracking everything and reading up on investing
+ got DH on board for fast-tracking the mortgage
- need to upgrade our living quarters some
- still haven’t got a clear view of when I’ll be FI
- saved less than I’d planned
2012
keep tracking spending related to FI
fast tracking the mortgage even more
start investing, if only to check out taxes
Hit,
Moved again to drop rent by about 30% without giving up much; just ERE overcoming inertia to get a better deal.
Returned to a near abandoned wreck of a stock portfolio, built a watch list, sold canines, bought in slowly, maintained lightly, up 12.8% total with dividends net of commissions. A big thank you to Original George for the inspiration.
Rediscovered the library; bought no books, music or movies last year except for Jacob's book.
Fully funded HSA this year.
Miss,
Income: income is way down, plenty of work if I want it but little motivation. More interesting things to think about. Not burnout, more like brownout.
Junk food: I've gone without for long periods but never have been able to lose my taste for it!
Moved again to drop rent by about 30% without giving up much; just ERE overcoming inertia to get a better deal.
Returned to a near abandoned wreck of a stock portfolio, built a watch list, sold canines, bought in slowly, maintained lightly, up 12.8% total with dividends net of commissions. A big thank you to Original George for the inspiration.
Rediscovered the library; bought no books, music or movies last year except for Jacob's book.
Fully funded HSA this year.
Miss,
Income: income is way down, plenty of work if I want it but little motivation. More interesting things to think about. Not burnout, more like brownout.
Junk food: I've gone without for long periods but never have been able to lose my taste for it!