Long time, no see

Hey, friends

It’s been a while. In fact, it’s been a year to the day since I published my last post on this blog. My timing can’t be any better. Where have I been? What have I been doing? What is happening to Cash Fasting?

So much has happened since April 2019, but at the same time, much has been the same. What’s that saying — the days crawl, but the years fly by? In looking back across the last 366 (heyyy leap year) days, there are things that I’m proud of, and many that I’m not.

Will the blog continue?

Yes. I know the lack of recent posts has been anything but inspiring, but even as I didn’t spend the time to write, Cash Fasting has always been in my thoughts. I care too much about writing and about this subject matter to just walk away from it all. I’ve always intended this blog to be a long term project; in fact, I never meant to be away for this long. But life finds a way to meddle, and I let it get in the way of writing for far too long.

Why am I back now?

I’ve been building up to this over the past few months, and I got to the point mentally where I committed to not letting more than a year go by without publishing anything on this blog. Nothing like a hard deadline to motivate this procrastinator, right? The second motivating factor has been this pandemic we’re all currently living through. My day job keeps me incredibly busy, and since transitioning into a remote employee, I’ve only allowed the lines between work and life to blur further. I reached a point where I decided that I no longer wanted to consume; I want to create.

Imagine yourself at a dinner party, and someone asks you, “What did you do during the Coronavirus pandemic?” I’m not proud of my current answer, so it’s time to change that.

What have I been doing?

Working, and saving money. I wish it was more riveting, but it’s not.

My job has changed so much from when I first wrote about it a year ago. I’m doing things I never thought I’d be able to do, and I’ve grown a lot. I work hard (perhaps too hard), and I’m still all about the dough. After all, I’m trying to pay for a NYC wedding. In cash.

However, I’m reaching the point where I’m yearning for a little more value. Work is, in general, a fantastic way to get that sense of value. I can see when my work is impactful, I have analysts that report into me that I want to help develop, and there’s a clear plan laid out for upward growth. But if I tie my sense of value to my work, then I’m subject to its whims; that leaves me more vulnerable than I’d like. The point is, work gives me complicated feelings, but it’s what I’ve buried myself in the last year.

Show me the money!

Since starting my job last February, my finances have changed significantly. I’ve had a bump in pay, an end of year bonus that was shocking (to me), and saved up more than I thought I would for my upcoming nuptials.

Today I got paid my first ever “big bonus” 😱
I feel like I’ve been living under a professional rock the last few years because I didn’t realize that for some companies, this is a regular thing. Younger me could have been so much more aggressive.

— Cash Fasting (@cashfasting) December 14, 2019

I even hit a small goal I’ve had for years, which was to fund my emergency savings. I’m being far more aggressive with my wedding fund savings, but it was nice to have the feeling of accomplishing this goal, while also still making progress on the wedding, retirement savings, and investments.

Today I hit my emergency fund goal of 10k, which I have spent years slowly adding to (and occasionally drawing from). Feels good. 💪🏻

— Cash Fasting (@cashfasting) April 17, 2020

In my last post from a year ago, I shared my net worth update, which was $169,077. Today, my net worth is $231,924. That’s a Y/Y increase of $62K, which is similar to my prior Y/Y increase of $57K. I’m pleased by this, especially as this is my net increase after the pandemic market fluctuations.

I’m fortunate to have a low cost of living and a high salary, which has helped me pay off my student debt quickly and save (and build wealth) at an incredible rate.

More to come

The post marks the breaking of the dam that is my blogging inactivity. I’ve got much to say, updates to share, and I’ve missed interacting with the blogging community outside of sporadic tweets.

See you all again soon.