wall chart

The large corporation I work for is a good place for getting accustomed to uncertainty and change: I’ve had three different managers in the past year. This post is later in the week than usual because I’ve been working longer hours again. However, I’ve been enjoying some new assignments and I haven’t let the hours impact my exercise or slow(er) food commitments. There’s also a conscious SLSR goal behind it.

Initially, my plan was to move home in the fall of 2016. Working through the exercises in Your Money Or Your Life a few months ago was a necessary eye opener: there was no crunching current and estimated savings to make that fall 2016 date doable.  I estimated I would need to keep my salary for an additional 6 months and to increase by savings. So I updated my timeline to spring 2017 (I’d also determined this is a better fit with Nova Scotia’s winter).

One of the YMOYL exercises was creating a large wall chart that shows my monthly job income and my expenses over time—everything between those two lines is savings and I want to increase that distance, right?  I’ve got to drop that expense line more and more. OR lift the income line as well. I figure I’ll have one more promotion in the next two years—so the sooner I get it, the sooner I’ll start adding more $ to the SLSR capital. Working a little harder right now is not a reversal of the plan. It’s all about the plan (and not at the expense of my health).  Also, the tiny house purchase is still TBD and the cost was not included in the Spring 2017 up-date.

It was good to get my goals down on paper first, but I procrastinated in looking at the real number$ it would take to fulfill them. Now when I walk by the graph, I say “Hi Wall Chart”* and am thankful it is a frequent reminder of what and how I’m doing. I’ve been lowering my expenses, but I think it’s a sensible choice to aim to increase my salary soon to help reach my goals quicker. I am strongly motivated because the exit sign is in sight.

*I was inspired after re-watching the 1989 film “Shirley Valentine” (recommended!) in which Shirley frequently talks to a wall.

References:

• SLSR: simpler living semi-retirement.
• TBD: To Be Determined
• YMOYL: Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez with Monique Tilford
• winter post
• tiny house dreams post