To get a full background on this journey, please see part 1.
In short, I need to cash flow nearly $40,000 of expenses in addition to paying off my living expenses and my outstanding debt.
I have four main categories of things I am paying for this year.
2022 SET IN STONE EXPENSES
Expense 1 – $8,000
As of this article, I still need to pay off $7,000 of this expense.
I regret this purchase. Severely.
Honestly, I feel like there is a lesson to be learned here. That is…nothing can save you from yourself.
I really would like the universe to stop teaching me all these lessons all at once though as the costs I am racking up this year feels like several slaps in the face.
Expense 2 – $22,300
I am planning to finance a portion of this with a 0% interest credit card. I ended up pulling the trigger early and got approved for $9K.
This is in line with what I thought it would be seeing as my limit on other cards are between $9-11K. My 0% APR card is for 18 months which gives me a lot of breathing room.
The rest of this expense I think I can cashflow from a combination of my W2 job and side income sources.
One thing I can say is true about myself is that I will find a solution. Also, I have many skillsets that are considered “marketable”.
I would feel 100% better if I had a fully emergency fund. Or better yet, if I was actually FIRE’d. However, I do find comfort in knowing that I always have a way to make money.
POTENTIALLY VARIABLE EXPENSES
Expense 3 – $3,860
This has turned into a hot mess and a learning lesson. I thought the whole thing would be a little under $4,000. That is turning out not to be the case.
In total, I have spent $4,206.35
Expense 4 – $5,000
Truth be told, this is an approximation. So far, I have spent $0 out of this “fund”. I think everything in this category will cost be around $5,000 when it is all said and done. However, none of the events have occurred yet so I haven’t had to pay anything.
Expensive asS year
I am learning more and more that life is 50/50. The only things that I can control are my mindset and my actions. I literally have no control over the results.
Let me break this down.
For example, I was going to the gym every day for two weeks and decreasing my caloric intake to around 1,600 calories a day. The result I was hoping for was a reduction in the total pounds on the scale.
That did not happen.
I cannot control how fast the scale moves. I can only control the actions I take.
This is true for everything in life and this has never been more clear to me.