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The intent
When we embarked on this venture it was for the sole purpose of four things : 1) to help others through sharing our stories 2) to document our joys and struggles to allow us to reflect 3) to provide inspiration and 4) to create community. Our intention wasn’t to create a blog like the hundreds that already exist simply because what was already being done was executed well. If you were in search of detailed analysis you could head over to the Mad Fientist or Go Curry Cracker. If you wanted a thorough understanding of day-to-day financial transparency there was the Root of Good. JL Collins provides an in-depth view of what not to do in his Stock Series. And Mr. Money Mustache blazes the path on the rationale of FIRE. Suddenly it opens up a web of all sorts of rabbit holes to explore. People are writing on some amazing topics – and it’s contagious. Even better some have found a way to monetize it…even if it wasn’t the original intent; Mr. Money Mustache might be the best example.
Like anything, once we started we were full of energy and enthusiasm. We poured hours into putting together tedious checklists, roadmaps, outlines and the likes. It was extremely structured. It was methodical…perhaps a little too much. Truthfully it was a lot of work. A bit overwhelming. Yet we embarked and slowly but surely the pieces aligned. Then came a curveball no one saw coming. Mrs. Spender lost her job after more than a decade at her employer. On the surface there was no need to panic. Financially we were sound. But the setup as a jobshare was the earth shattering elephant in the room. It allowed flexibility in only working 3 days a week allowing her to spend more time with our little guy paired with a nice income. Deep down the thought of change and new routine, particularly with full time work, was a little daunting. So this passion project took a back seat.
timing is everything
Most would agree that timing is everything in life. I would also argue that everything happens for a reason. Rather than succumb to the situation we moved forward with our vacation plans two weeks later taking advantage of the airlines “under two lap child” free airfare rules a few weeks shy of our little guys second birthday and jetted off on a 17 hour flight to Singapore to visit a very close friend. Chalk it up as extremely brave or extremely stupid. But, hey, you only live once and to our surprise our little dude is not only an expert traveler he fairs exceptionally well on long haul flights. At the time of this writing (just over the age of three) he has 52 flights to his name. Certainly no novice.
After returning home from an amazing getaway filled with memories Mrs. Spender was back on the job hunting trail and just 4 weeks later she started a new position for an up and coming company. I don’t think we were expecting things to come together so quickly but we were both grateful it did. Now, however, we had to adjust to new schedules and routines. Change is hard – even if it’s good. Flash forward some months and the year is winding down and the holidays are around the corner so getting into a grove and shifting gears and putting attention back into this ‘just cause’ didn’t seem to be in the fold for 2019. While frustrating, some things just aren’t meant to be. But next year, that’s our year!
December 31, 2019
New Year’s Eve. The days of staying up until midnight and watching the ball drop is a thing of the past for us. Life evolves. Things change. Somehow this year for whatever reason we kept the magic alive and made it till midnight! A good year is bound to accompany this miracle. Every year we have a ritual where we make a list of the things we hope to stay true to over the course of the year. For 2020 the aspirations remained high (like almost every year). To date I think we’ve achieved one and maybe partially another. One item in particular was to be better at posting content on this little side project of ours. Mr. Saver wanted to put up something every 2-3 weeks with Mrs. Spender adding to the mix at least once a month. Epic fail. On so many levels. I’ll be honest in saying that since we embarked on this adventure we drastically underestimated time commitments, between full time jobs with robust work travel and a baby (now toddler) finding focused time really is a scarcity. Not making excuses, it’s just the reality. But that’s exactly why we are keeping this thing alive and not giving up on it. Most of the content is still relevant and we have plenty of good ideas to share. Being fully confident that time will emerge as we navigate this window of life is all the more reason to pop in every now and again. Documenting the journey will be forever ongoing and as previously indicated maybe it’s not so important to get there quite as fast as initially desired.
March 2020
If on New Year’s Eve you told anyone the world would come to a screeching halt by the end of Q1 people would definitely thought you had WAY too much champagne. I had a work trip in February to Cape Verde in Africa with a stopover in Lisbon, Portugal in both directions. Covid-19 was beginning to run rampant and probably more intensely then anyone realized. Upon my return a few short days later things went from 0-60 essentially overnight. I’m sure I don’t have to go in grave detail about how our world was upended. Mrs. Spender worked from home already but spent a few days out in the field each week. I went into an office. Our little guy went to “school”. Suddenly we are all at home in a 1,700 square foot house working, living and trying to survive. The mental anguish that ensued was fierce. The first few weeks each and everyone of us was in bed just past 8 o’clock. If you haven’t tried taking calls and managing a business while chasing a three year old I’ll let you in on a secret, it’s not for the faint of heart. Almost reminiscent of my IRONMAN training days. In no time we found ourselves indulging in some adult libations to wind down almost every night with virtually no mental capacity for any creative avenues – hence the deafening silence on this blog.
The Just Cause
It’s not easy to admit defeat. Indeed 2020 has not been kind but there is solace in knowing it probably hasn’t been for most and we’re all in this together; the same storm but a different boat. I suppose that it would be easy to throw in the towel at this stage. Chalk it up as a valiant effort but acknowledging the failed attempt. The thing is, we have a bit more grit than that. Initially we had some pretty decent traction. Some lucky bounces came our way. Then a few rare life changes popped up and momentum tapered off and next thing you know a once in a century pandemic ensues. Such is life. Things take time. Timing is everything. Obstacles will emerge but the just cause remains. In this space we aren’t trying to emulate anyone or anything. You do you and we’ll do us and we will let the pros do their thing. We will try to do better. So if you want to learn a few things, indulge in the process with us, find how we balance saving with spending [just living] and have some fun along the way don’t give up on us just yet. The journey continues. The path towards financial independence is sound. And the just cause won’t change.
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*You should assume that any links leading you to products or services are affiliate links that we receive compensation from. While it isn’t always the case we want to be transparent if there is any possibility that could result in a benefit to us. Most often our intent is simply to share ideas, concepts or products that we see great value in and hope you might as well. If you’re curious or have concerns head over here where we’ve outlined some things. It’s definitely never a prerequisite to receive compensation when we mention items specifically but if there is an opportunity to earn a little something from time to time we might not object either 🙂
