Our Journey to Financial Independence: Announcing Involved Living Series

I thought I’d delve a little deeper into that big goal I mentioned the other day – how Marty and I are working towards financial independence. This post, along with the upcoming five posts in the series, took me awhile to brainstorm and write. This kind of thing is harder to put out there than a kitchen or bathroom reno, but since it’s something I have been wanting to share for awhile now, I’ve decided to go for it. I think what I was scared of most in sharing this is that I know it opens up my blog to a different kind of criticism, which I haven’t really experienced up until now. I hope it stays that way, but I also don’t want to hold back writing about things that are important to me, and this is such a huge part of our life that I feel strange not sharing it.

Finance is one of those topics that people don’t often talk about in real life, but I think they should. I think the more people talk about it, the better it is for everyone. While this is a home blog, I figure that finance is so intertwined with everything in our daily lives that it is very relevant to all of the choices we have made for our home.

One hesitation I had in sharing this is I really don’t want to come across as boastful. I hope you guys don’t think that. I just think it is very easy to get caught up in doing things the way most of society does them without really questioning why. We’ve gone against a lot of norms, ignored common financial advice, and are working towards a goal that even I first thought sounded impossible. And all of this has been such a blessing for us. It has been life changing, really.

There is no one right or wrong way to go about reaching financial goals, but this is how Marty and I have gone about it. My hope in sharing is that maybe there are readers in a similar position as us who don’t know where to start or who didn’t even realize big goals like this are possible. I’m so excited to share this part of our life, and I think moving forward I want to make sure to incorporate some of these ideas into my future posts – things like simple living, using what you have, and general savings tips and tricks.

What Do I Mean By Financial Independence?

So, what financial independence means to us is being able to cover our basic living expenses off of investments and other passive income. We aren’t quite there yet, but we are only in our 30′s. The crazy thing is – and I still have a hard time believing myself – we aren’t that far off. The reason we started down this path is because we dreamed of a day we wouldn’t have to worry about being laid off or losing our jobs. Who knows what will be thrown at us in the next 5, 10, or 20 years, and we wanted to do everything we could to ensure we were secure.

The biggest factor in reaching our big financial goals hasn’t been our jobs. It is in how we now approach life and financial decisions. Saving is a big priority, and it has become something that is fun and exciting the longer we do it. What we have done hasn’t seemed like a struggle or like I was depriving myself, and outwardly we probably look relatively normal and mainstream to outsiders. I even get to have this decorating obsession, eat great food, and do fun things.

This goal is why my decor style generally falls in the thrifty category, not because we can’t afford more, but because we would rather reach our financial goals sooner. The journey towards reaching this goal has been so much more rewarding than anything I could buy for my home. It’s been an eye opening experience, and discovering how to save more, spend less, and appreciate all that I do have has truly changed my life for the better.

Involved Living

I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about what we have done to be on our way of reaching financial independence – a goal that even I first thought was unattainable.

I will tell you it is not as simple as one little change. It is a lot of little changes that add up – significantly add up – over time.

I used to love shopping, eating out, and buying nice things, and I can honestly say now that I don’t feel like I have sacrificed or that I am missing out by stopping much of it. While cutting back and giving up on a lot of things, I have gained so much more. It has actually switched now so that spending on things can feel like a sacrifice.

I’m writing a new series called Involved Living where I’m going to talk about the philosophies and choices that we have made while on this journey. I’m calling it Involved Living because it is about more than just money – it is our way of life.

In addition to major savings, the results for me have been living a more meaningful and appreciative life, less stress, less anxiety, and more time doing things I truly enjoy. It has completely changed how I look at just about everything in my life. This is a goal Marty and I share together, and we talk about it practically all the time. Having a supportive partner is so important for goals like this, and it has definitely brought us closer to have a big goal that we are working towards together.

Here’s what to expect in my upcoming 5 part series on Involved Living:

1. How We Set Financial Independence in Motion
2. The Most Important Question to Ask About Every Purchase
3. How to Live With Less Without Deprivation
4. The Easy Way to Appreciate What You Already Have
5. DIY is the Key, and for an Unexpected Reason

So, stay tuned for the first post, How We Set Financial Independence in Motion.

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