September ended up being even worse than I had anticipated with regards to my financial situation. I knew that I would be missing out on two weeks of pay, from spending a week at home and then going on vacation. I also knew that I would only be getting partial pay for another two weeks, due to only being able to work part time for our last two weeks in Massachusetts. What I didn’t anticipate was about $900 in truck and camper repairs which came out of nowhere during our drive back to VA from MA.
Apart from my financial goals, September was an amazing month. It was great being at home for a week to catch up with friends and family, and the free week in Jamaica was amazing. We got very spoiled being at the two all-inclusive resorts. In addition, our two weeks of part time work in Massachusetts allowed us to spend a three day weekend in Canada, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
At the end of September we started our new jobs in Fayetteville, NC, and we have been enjoying them so far. We found two outpatient jobs which is what we really wanted. The clinics where Whitney and I are working are only about 5 minutes away from each other, and we only have about a 10 minute commute to work which is convenient. The campground where we’re staying here is about half of the price we were paying in Massachusetts. We are also both making about an extra $40 per week which is nice.
As you can imagine, I was no where near my savings goal for the month of September, but due to the decreased cost of expenses and increased pay over the next few months, I’m hoping to make up some of that lost ground. I have also considered finding a part time job in the area, but I’m not sure how feasible that will be at this point. In addition, I’m working on a couple bank account bonuses right now, which should equate to a few hundred extra dollars this month.
Even with the financial set-backs this month, I still made some progress overall and only dropped one month on my financial independence estimation timeline. The current projection based on my net worth and savings rate is August, 2020. Also, I now have enough invested that I could live comfortably for 8 years if I stopped working today.
October will be a good month. Not only financially, but also because it’s my birthday month!
Fifth Wheel Physical Therapist 