2020 year in review
What a year!
2020 has been the most unpredictable year EVER. Earlier this year, I made a HUGE decision to leave my full time job after 7 years. My wings needed to spread so I could fly. It was TIME. ( The picture above was taken on the same day I left )
Prior to this decision, I carefully assessed my finances over and over again until it made sense. I cut back on all unnecessary expenses. My 2020 goals were still standing; I wasn’t going to ignore them.
I still planned to get married, move out of my parents house and meet ALL of my financial goals. I wasn’t too sure what this would look like so I had a plan A, B and C. The first task that I took care of was assessing how much money I needed to save for the wedding and moving that money to the wedding fund. DONE. I was ALWAYS a big saver and had to get out of the habit of hoarding all of my money in my savings. So I paused all saving, keep 9 months of expenses in my savings account and put the rest toward my wedding fund and retirement account.
I really needed to save for furniture and all expenses related to moving out. It was more expensive than I thought. I used the stimulus check to cover moving expenses, new furniture and other household necessities. I did this because I refuse to touch my savings account; didn’t want it below 9 months expenses.
Doing all of this in the midst of a worldwide pandemic presented many unforeseen challenges BUT I kept it moving; I was determined. I waited for these moments and wanted to feel all the feels that came with them.
Once we found a place in our desired area within our budget, we jumped QUICK and was able to move in the next week. Everything happened so quickly. I knew more bills would be added to my plate and I was sure I HAD A PLAN. I calculated numbers at least 50x before we signed the papers. LOL.
One of my financial goals was to max out my ROTH IRA. This was something that I slacked on a lot. I spent so much time trying to research what I needed and what was right for me. Knowing this was something that I should have done years really got under my skin. I presently remind myself “We don’t know what we know” and that’s ok. Its our job to LEARN and APPLY.
My wedding fund was fully funded, I’d max out my ROTH IRA for the year, and just moved in with my fiancé. This was everything I wanted. I’d accomplished my 2020 goals by the summer of 2020. GREAT RIGHT? Not so much.
There was one problem.
I was no longer working full-time. I had 2 part time jobs, and FF2. Many companies had initiated hiring freezes so trying to find a job was HARD. With a degree and years of experience, my thought was “ It would take 4-8 weeks, and I would be back working Full time, “ NO! Okay 8-12 weeks? NO! My emergency fund gave me the security I needed BUT it didn’t fill the void of not working full time. That was the PLAN. I did not have a plan B for this.
This caused A LOT of anxiety and stress. I’d been working at least 2 jobs since age 15. This was not something I was used to. Everyone told me to “ enjoy “ this time off and relax. I tried and It worked for about 3 days and I was back itching to figure out A PLAN. I needed a plan! The pandemic caused so much stress and turmoil for everyone so I knew I wasn’t alone. Each morning when I woke up, I created a plan for the day. I began giving myself tasks to increase productivity. I was able to create content around the clock for FF2 as well as expand my audience.
I knew that my overall situation was not ideal but there were many other people who weren’t as fortunate as I was. From there, I began to shift my mindset to make the most of each day. I worked more hours at my part time, joined an accountability group, joined an organization, began volunteering, started working out, reading more, and working a lot my business. I was BUSY again which made me happy. I had to get myself out of the funk I had experienced for too long. I knew I was my best when I was busy.
I was back at my happy place and accepted the fact that it would look a lot different from what I was used to. Everything was starting to feel “good” again. Foreverfrugal 2 was growing which ignited my heart. My mind still often wondered how long this would last and If I would ever be working full time again. I had so much free time that I learned to love and enjoy it because I “ made “ my own schedule. I loved being in control, still do.
Fast forward to October, I began the process of rewriting my resume, and cover letter to post on job sites. I was still applying to various jobs in the field of education or finance. These were two different career fields where I expressed the most interest. A great friend of mine forwarded me a job at University where she was recently hired. I had been trying to get a position there for over a year. SO I applied and kept it moving; I didn’t think anything of it. I had APPLIED to sooooooo many positions, it became repetitive.
A few weeks later, I GOT THE CALL. I had the phone on speaker with my husband listening because I was in such shock that I really didn’t hear anything after she said “ Tiera I would like to extend to the invite to join…………” an it was like a weight lifted off of my shoulders. I just sat on the floor for about 45 minutes trying to process it all. It did not feel real…AT ALL.
This is what I wanted. This is what I worked so hard for. I deserve this opportunity and would take full advantage of it. I repeated this to myself over and over. I had to process this new normal and pat myself on the back for working hard to get myself toward this opportunity. (There was a 2 hour interview and I was sick the ENTIRE time trying to fake the funk. )
So you guys know whats coming next :)
The NUMBERS….…
I began planning out my paychecks and my financial goals for 2021. My goals was to set the bar HIGH. I was happy to do this especially because it was time to take my finances to the NEXT LEVEL especially after feeling like I was “walking on eggshells in quick sand” for months. I was getting by, but I didn’t feel like I was accomplishing ENOUGH financially. I had to remind myself 1) That we were in pandemic 2) I was fortunate to still have consistent income and 3) I had the help and support of my hubby, friends and family. Things were not as bad as I thought they were, looking back. My business was growing and I able to help SO MANY people with their finances while empowering students to persist through college. I was going to be working full time again while running my business and I still had my side hustle because you know…… MULTIPLE SOURCES OF INCOME is KEY. Funny how this all happened the way it did.
I am sharing my story here in hopes to help someone else. This year KICKED me in my back multiple times. At this moment, I realize that it’s okay to REST and hit RESET. Also, it's okay to reach out to others for support; I actually recommend it! There were many times where I had to pause and give myself grace. WE all deserve grace.
Tiera :)
