I liiiiiiivvvveeeeeee

Hi. 
One year and one day ago, I announced to the inter webs that I’d quit my job. And then I immediately plunged deep into the abyss, never to be seen or heard from again. 😬 Until now, of course. 

The last time we talked, I told you that I wasn’t sure how my new career as a freelance writer intersected with MissFunctional Money, but that I would update you when I did know. Apparently, it took 366 days to figure that out. Sorry ‘bout that.

There are lots of long-winded reasons why I hit pause on this little project, but the short answer is two-pronged: 

1.) I needed a break. 

In case you haven’t noticed, this *gestures generally toward Planet Earth in 2020* has been a lot.

I had enough to deal with. We all did.  I didn’t feel like I would truly be helping people (or myself) by adding to the noise just to feel like I’d put something out there. So, I pretty much removed myself from twitter, my MFM Instagram account, and my regular blog-reading roll for a whole year.

2.) Freelance writing took up my time + writing capacity.

As I predicted, I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to write for clients, try to build a business, and also write for fun on this blog. More about that below. As much as I’ve lurrrveeddd connecting with y’all over the last couple of years, it just didn’t feel like my energy was being put toward the most productive project.

[Insert melodramatic “But whyyyyyy am I heeereeeeeEeeEeeEeerrrreee??” moment]

Anyway. 

The end of December always brings around the deep reflection posts and goal-setting for the new year. I’m not going to do that here, but I will offer a brief recap for those of you who wanna stick around and find out. In the same spirit as the last time I put up an MFM post, I’ll write this FAQ style!

Here we go:

Did your freelance business totally flop?

No. (GASPS!)

I will say it was a strange year to start a new business, but I’m so fortunate that my work is done at home on the computer. I imagine it would’ve been a suuuuuper tough year to start a head massage business.  

You said your goal was to double your income. Did you?

LOL. No. 

I allllmost matched my income from my previous copywriter role at an ad agency, which feels good, considering that I worked entirely on my own time and way fewer hours than 40/week. While the total income is nowhere close to the bar I’d set for myself, I still say that working for myself was the right call. I’m WAY too used to the flexibility now and I’m not sure I could go back to the way it was!

I seem to recall that you live in a one-bedroom condo with a very large man. Did you murder your husband during lockdown and now write to us from prison?

No. He’s an angel of a man. And although he couldn’t work for seven weeks and was stuck at home… while I COULD work and was also stuck at home… we managed. In fact, we spent a lot of time on the water. Like a lot. Again, very, very fortunate that we live in a place where we have lots of “escapes” outdoors. 

Are you still teaching Pure Barre?

Yep.

Even during the pandemic??!

Yep.

Are you insane though?!?!?!?!

Nahhhh. Pure Barre studios all handled things differently. My studio owner was definitely an early adapter — she bought the fancy live-stream equipment in March and we started doing livestream classes to a private Facebook group. (Super strict rules in-studio — like only one person allowed in the studio (the teacher), lots of time in between classes, heavy sanitation in between, etc.)

As we learned more about the virus, we evolved a bit. Fast-forward to now and we do have in-person classes with strict rules about class limit, spacing, masks, sanitizing, blah blah blah. My studio’s owner did a wonderful job of trying to keep spirits up throughout our little community any way she could, and I’m so grateful I had barre for my sanity in this season!

Also, teaching a full class while demoing the whole thing certainly boosted my stamina 🙃

Any other money updates? (Because you know, this is a money blog, SC. Get with the program.)

Ah, sure. Here are the highlights:

• Had to slow down student loan payments for a hot second and only pay the minimum (vs. double, which was our pre-pandemic norm). We back, though. 

• Unfortch, my husband’s student loans are private, not federal — so we didn’t get any grace period. 

• Speaking of those DEVILS, we refinanced student loans. 

• Twice.

• SoFi was all, “We aren’t sure you’ve earned a lower rate, despite you diligently paying us hundreds of thousands of dollars on time, every single month, over the course of several years.” So we were all like, “K, we’ll be transferring to Laurel Road. See you never.” So we did. And we got a much lower rate. I’m not one to bash any one brand, so let me just say Laurel Road has been a great experience so far, and screw you SoFi. I hate your stinking guts. You make me sick. You’re the scum between my toes. 

  But that’s all I’ll say. 

• I’m opening a SEP IRA for my long-term savings (now that I don’t have a 401k through work. That original 401k money has since rolled over into a Vanguard IRA).

• Our health insurance coverage changed midsummer, and we now pay a nauseating amount. We’ll be switching soon. Sigh. I’m not trying to be dramatic but I would rather sit through a self-directed, one-woman experimental drama called “Strange Noises Produced By Me” than research health care options.
  

So… What’s been the best part of this new venture of working for yourself?

Owning my time.

I love being able to work around my husband’s funky work schedule and having a random weekday off to do fun stuff (ain’t nobody at the beach on a Tuesday mid-morning!). Also, just knowing that the work I do is directly correlated to how much money I’ll earn. It’s a simple logic, but I am a simple human. 

What’s been the worst part?

No more free beer from the agency kitchen. YIKES. That, or the existential dread and the fear that I’m not doing enough. But probably just the beer thing! 

In sum:

I’m incredibly grateful for a healthy family, good jobs, and lots of support in all areas of my life. I know everyone doesn’t have that right now. Believe me when I say I’m counting my blessings. 

It’s been a heck of a year. And we’re all drained. (By that, I — OF COURSE — mean that we’re all drained from emotionally processing not one, but TWO new albums from Taylor Swift.) But despite it all, I hope you’ve had some bright spots in your year. And if you feel like you’re getting hit from all sides, know that you’re in my prayers. 

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading this self-indulgent post. I’m kicking MFM back into gear and hope you’ll continue to hang out with me on here. 

Do sign up for emails if you haven’t already, because that’s where the updates (and book + music recs) are!

Cheers to a fresh start.