It’s taken a lot of changes, along with a hell of a lot of growing up to finally stabilize that line, and I’m feeling a lot more relaxed for having done it.
Before the graph started, I had a car crash that left me with permanent whiplash damage, changed jobs, moved houses a bunch of times and spent a lot of money on distracting myself from all of it. I ate terribly, exercised only sparingly and didn’t have a plan other than buy all the things!
The old method was live payday-to-payday, always know exactly how much money I had so I didn’t get in trouble and hope nothing went wrong. I’d always be wanting to buy something to distract myself from the fact that I didn’t know what I wanted to do. It was always a fine balancing act, and I spent a lot of money on not much. Happiness wasn’t bought, just a lot junk food and stuff.
Eventually I found a plan - get into the housing market - I was going to do it this time. The line needed to stabilise, then start to point upwards.
I was helped (a little) by winning a court case against the insurer of the person who crashed into us that day. It gave me a kick start of funds to push into a deposit, that I could easily say “I won’t spend this” and I didn’t, except on my goal. 10th October 2013 I moved into my first place in Tingalpa, and it’s only been up from there.
I’ve said no a lot, and I’ve changed a lot - getting myself ahead on my home loan, organising my finances so I don’t have to keep balancing pennies. I was able to comfortably go on a cruise this past Christmas, and I have other (sensible) travel plans in the short and medium term - something very different for someone who’d never take holidays before.
I swear it’s been physically painful at times to say no to that shiny LEGO set, or the new computer or the parts for that project I’ll never complete, but it’s actually let me spend a lot more time exercising, reading, rediscovering cooking and even working in the yard. Taking pride in my house and mowing the lawn with my push mower is fun and is great exercise - no petrol-guzzling noise-beast here, thanks!
Losing six kilograms in as many months was surprisingly easy once I decided that junk food is a sometimes-food; also that running’s possible even for the broken-kneed when I started on the C25k program (W7D3 with ease tonight!). My next goal is 10km run, do the 100km ride again and reliably do some push-ups.
That’s all I have to say for now, but I guess my point is that with hard work and conscious choices (not tough, that’s a bitch term) it’s possible to do anything.
Even make the thin green line point in an ever-upwards direction!
Net Worth