Well its time for the monthly progress report and I’ve decided this will be the last one. The way I manage our money is changing now as we get closer to retirement & I am ready to focus less on the financial side of life and on tracking every cent. Keeping track of our progress every month has really helped to keep me accountable and to stick with saving and debt payoff even when it felt so slow. What I have learned from tracking everything is that small amounts make a difference and that tracking every cent IS important when you’re paying down debt and trying to turn around your finances. So will continue to track our expenses in YNAB but I won’t be doing monthly finance updates here on the blog anymore as our goal has been reached exceeded.
Here’s the numbers:
Mortgage
We are not paying more off the mortgage anymore, instead that money sits in the offset account as our emergency fund/everyday expenses account. A summary of the mortgage payoff since I started this blog is on the Mortgages page.
Monthly Progress:
- current balance: $30,470
- total reduction: $0
Annual Progress:
- start balance: $62,991
- end balance: $30,470
- total reduction: $32,521
Savings:
Our savings are in our super accounts and we both salary sacrifice the maximum amount. I am gobsmacked at how much this has grown in the last year due to a good share market & compounding interest. A summary of our savings since I started blogging is on the
Savings page.
Monthly Progress:
- current balance: $719,588
- up from: $708,860
- total increase: $10,728
Annual Progress:
- start balance: me: $194,374 DH: $368,364 = $562,738
- end balance: me: $259,119 DH: $460,469 = $719,588
- increase: me: $64,745 DH: $119,243
- total increase: $156,850
So 2021 has been a really busy year for me with all my focus being on work. I’m not sorry I did the management job but I’m glad it’s over. I didn’t post much as there really wasn’t a lot to say.
But this last week I have slept so well and I am starting to feel a bit more energised. I started decluttering my sewing room, which I am thoroughly enjoying. I gave the blog a makeover because now I’ll be blogging about things other than work and yes, a lot of it will be sewing & quilting and work around the house & garden.
We spent the year close to home due to Covid, and we all worked at home for several months in 2022. Right now Omicron is just spreading like wildfire here. Our new premier and our out of touch government have just let it rip and they don’t give a toss for those in the community that are vulnerable. I will feel a little safer when we have had our boosters but I’m keen to avoid going back onto campus with a lot of people so I may even leave a bit earlier if I am forced to go back to soon.
Well this is the end for the financial part of this retirement journey. Theres only 12 weeks until I finish at work but essentially all I will be doing is finishing up an handing over, Heres hoping that 2022 is the year that covid starts to lose its grip and we can return to a bit more normal life.
Amen to that! It seems like when we are at the point to be able to travel, it's not safe, not is our travel wanted by places we'd like to visit.
You are such an inspiration to me, although I can't see when I will ever retire. But watching how well you did weekly is a real part of how I am going to try and steer myself this year. Here is a big old thankyou to you, my friend.
Happy New Year! I wish the same. It is about time to go back to "normal". I read somewhere online that, with the Omicron variant spreading so fast and so many people vaccinated, herd immunity may be reached by the end of this year. I hope that is true.
I need to sit down and work out on my financial and personal goals this year. Will make sure to post them.
yes, each time it starts to feel a bit safe we get another strain unfortunately.
thanks Kim, you're pretty inspiring yourself you know! ((hugs))
yes one of the doctors I follow said the same, that Omicron might be the last or close to last serious variant. I hope so!