That sounds exciting!!! And don’t forget about everything I”m sure you’re LEARNING too!! Most people never get out of their comfort zone like that, especially after some fails… So cool to see you’re still trying out new things and going after what you want :)

WOW!!! That’s a nice turn around – congrats!

Fast-forward to 2019, after a failed, bootstrapped small biz launch, a slight career pivot, two house sales, and a move to a high-cost, high-tax state:
– Paying off ~$10,000 in credit card debt
– Making $20K less than in 2012
– Paying 2x in rent vs. our 2012 mortgage payment
– Still side hustling, but at 1/4 the work/income
– Refinanced student loans at a lower rate, but that still means $62k to pay over 10 years
– But for the most part, healthier and happier and a mile from the ocean (plus wife’s income is up significantly from 2012 and we still have $40k in bank from home sale that is waiting to be put to good use)

Hoping the 2026 check in is a bit sunnier. Maybe this film I’m making will turn from all expenses to some actual profits.

Today – netwealth over $800k, married to the most wonderful woman in the world, 4 kids (yes, 4…..) and we own our house. Life is great.

Haha… Fun to see the progress over the years though – especially with that $$$!

Fun times of less work and more playing in y’all’s future! :)

married and 5 year old son
No debt
6 year old tacoma
Dual income and own our home
times were good times were bad.
spouse wonders why we are saving $ for retirement
built a cottage and sold it because I felt financially insecure and a little overwhelmed with the task. Maybe spouse was right!

Jan 2019 NW ~2.2 m

married and 11 year old son
cant believe how busy life has been with an active child
12 year old Tacoma
Dual income and in the same house
built another small cottage with 2 partners for some of grid activities when time allows
approaching 49 years old and thoughts are turning to life post work……
Wife still wonders why we are saving for retirement….. Now I’m not sure who is right, but she usually has better instincts than I.

His loss! ;)

He eventually got back together with his first girlfriend (they dated in middle school, then in high school after whatever-it-was with me) and they’ve been together for two years. Bee of 2012 would be beside herself, haha. “He *did* get back together with someone from high school but it wasn’t me?!”

Heyyy that’s exciting!! Go former med student!!

Funny indeed how stuff works out :)

You ever find out what happened to the old boy??

Bee in 2012:
High school senior/college freshman
About $2,000 in the bank, saved for… savings…?
Basically no expenses, not tracking transactions
No debt, had never paid off any debt
No job (ineligible for work study)
No car
Desperately waiting for her second chance with the only boy she could ever possibly love
Planning to move back to her hometown after college and stay there (no reason to move anywhere else when she loved it and that’s where OBSCEPL lived)

Bee in 2019:
College graduate
About $11,000 in the bank, $1150 saved for short-term goals and the rest as emergency fund
Over $1k a month in expenses including debt payback, tracking transactions and reviewing monthly
$30k in debt, $10k of debt already paid
Solid, interesting job
Driver of a shiny happy crossover, 30% paid off
Solid relationship of six years with a man she met in college, when he was was about to start medical school, so:
Living 500 miles away from her forever hometown, and (aside from missing her family) loving her current hometown

(and in January 2019 the about-to-be-med-student of yesteryear passed his last exam to be a licensed physician)