2020 Update: Continuing On Our Path, Changes, and New Plans

And just like that . . . 2019 is over.  Everyone seems to be discussing resolutions and reflecting, not only on the past year, but the last decade.  As we enter the New Year, my thoughts are also focused on goals and accomplishments, including the past progress of this blog and how my wonderful readers are really overdue for an update.

Our Year

The Smith Family had an intense summer, filled with wonderful highs and some depressing lows.  Having a large family comes both with joy and a steady source of stress.  It has been difficult to process the roller coaster of emotions.  Writing about everything we went through might have been helpful at the time, but all my energy was focused on surviving and fighting for the best interests of my family.

Everything seemed to go downhill around the time that we had to say goodbye to our 15-year-old German Shepherd in May.  Summertime quickly became too busy and we were overwhelmed with activities, work, chores, and taking care of all five children.  Mr. Smith and I argued a lot and were both exhausted and frustrated with the “Ground Hog Day” feeling of life.

The highlights of the summer included watching Goofball and Tornado play on the same baseball team.  A super fun (although not especially frugal) joint birthday party for the kids.  Free trips to the zoo with our gifted annual pass and to a local amusement park with annual passes we scored for a great deal at the end of last summer.  Finally, we enjoyed a much-needed vacation to Maine after a two-year hiatus.  I’m working on some posts about these special events to share with all of you in the near future.

Fall was a busy, transitional time for us.  The oldest two returned to school and Trey started a free, half-day Pre-K program.  We were able to enjoy the frugal family fun like playing in leaves and visiting a pumpkin patch.  The pumpkins we carved came from a local farmer for a super-cheap price.  Mr. Smith was ready for the weather change with a giant stockpile of scavenged wood to keep us warm.  Our family also enjoyed a lovely, simple Christmas.

Frugal Living and Financial Update

We are continuing to work hard to keep our expenses down, while paying off debt, and investing for the future.  I am working on a post with more details, but the summary of our financial status is: dramatic improvement from just a few years ago.

We have started spending a bit more money, on small expenses that help us enjoy the here and now a bit more – instead of constantly minding every penny.  For example, Mr. Smith has been paying for haircuts this year.  I used to get stressed out trying to find time to cut his hair myself when all of the kids were occupied.  It would take a while to complete, because I took my time so as not to mess up with my very limited hairdresser experience.  Now, he spends $10 to $15 every few months and it makes life a little more manageable.

Plans for the Future

One of the biggest events on our horizon is moving to a new house.  This three-bedroom home has stretched to accommodate us as much as possible.  We need more space, but we’re also hoping to build a forever homestead with more options for things like gardening, solar power, and raising chickens.  There were some discussions about moving by fall of this year, because Goofball will be graduating to middle school and Trey will be starting kindergarten.  However, it will make more financial sense to wait one more year and fix up our current home to use as a second rental property.  2020 will be a year of home improvements and continued frugality to save up for a new home.

The other main goal for our future was an epic road trip across America with semi-retirement in 2022 (when Mr. Smith and I turn 40 years old).  In deciding to adjust our priorities to make life a bit more enjoyable in the present, we’ve decided to go on a smaller-scale road trip in California in February.  My employer is allowing me to work part-time, remotely (using two weeks of vacation over a four week period).  My sister moved to Los Angeles about five years ago, so some of the time will be spent visiting her home, for the first time.  We will be spending much of our time in the National Parks, with our yearly park pass already purchased while in Maine this summer.  This trip will be a wonderful adventure for our family.  It will also help us to survive the winter, when everyone is tired of the snow and the kids are climbing the walls inside our home.  This trip will allow us to see new places and the kids can run free in the great outdoors.

You can expect to see many posts about our upcoming California adventures in a rented RV.

Happy New Year to all of my readers.  Thank you for continuing to follow our journey.  What are your big plans for 2020?