Celebrating Your Money Wins & A Plutus Nod – Volume 20

In a wild turn of events, my blog was nominated for a Plutus Award again this year. I still can’t find the right words–or really any words–to do this nomination justice. I am beyond thrilled and totally shocked.

via GIPHY

It was a great reminder to me that there’s always room to celebrate in the money world.

Why wait until FIRE?

Why wait until traditional retirement?

Why can’t we give each other high fives and send virtual confetti now–mid-journey or even at the starting block–rather than waiting until some arbitrary money milestone?

I want to celebrate now, and I know you do, too, because you keep sending me money wins. So without further ado, please fire up your noisemakers and bust out the kazoos for Daniella, Debt Ascent, Tawnya, and Dollar Revolution.

via GIPHY

Daniella from I Like to Dabble

What is your money win?

We snagged (almost) free flights for all our summer travel with travel reward credit cards/points and using the SW companion pass for my wife. I say almost because we had to pay the $11 in fees each way.

Why are you pumped?

Because (almost) free flights!! I am not going to complain about having to pay fees either because our SW RR cards (and that nifty companion pass) saved us over $2,000 in airfare from this summer alone.

What can others learn from it?

Not all travel reward cards are created equally but there are some truly amazing ones out there. Do your research to see which ones can maybe earn you (almost) free travel. Look for ones with the annual fee waived for that first year and has the highest signup bonus for the lowest minimum spend. Then put your already monthly bills (that you can) on that card to easily reach that spend and get your points!

[Penny’s note: I am the most rookie of all travel hackers, and I love reading inspo like this!]

Debt Ascent

What is your money win?

We paid off $51k in student loan debt so far in 2019, and more than $400k since 2014.

Why are you pumped?

Since starting our ascent out of more than $500k of student loan debt 5+ years ago, our remaining balance is nearing $100k. We’re more than 80% finished, and the end is in sight!

What can others learn from it?

If you have a goal that seems too far away or too difficult to achieve, celebrate accomplishments along the way. Progress will come and eventually you’ll get there!

[Penny’s note: I’m just here to shriek, HOW AMAZING IS THIS?! That is all.]

Tawnya from Money Saved Is Money Earned

What is your money win?

I made an extra $3,000 or so teaching 2 1/2 weeks of summer school.

Why are you pumped?

I’ll be able to add more to my investments.

What can others learn from it?

Hack your 9-5 as much as possible. Use your skills to make more money.

[Penny’s note: I taught summer school for six years, and I’ll absolutely go back to it once HP decides he’s too cool to spend summers with his mama!]

Dollar Revolution

What is your money win?

Many may consider it a major money loss, but I consider it a major money win. We had over $15k in household maintenance items this year: AC, furnace, water heater, plumbing issues, washer exploding, etc.

Why are you pumped?

Despite the massive number going out the door, I’m grateful that we had a healthy enough emergency fund saved over the years to weather these storms relatively unscathed. Yes, it stings, but so so lucky that we had sufficient funds to cover it all. There was a point in our lives where that would be absolutely devastating and we would have to go without.

What can others learn from it?

Take an assessment of what issues are likely to become more imminent and start saving for them prior to the emergency actually occurring. It might be sad to part with a portion of your nest egg but be appreciative that you can handle the situation at hand.

[Penny’s note: This perspective is a win in-and-of-itself. The fact that Dollar Revolution can weather a storm like this is remarkable!]

 

via GIPHY

Final Thoughts on Money Wins

What’s not to like about this roundup?

There’s (almost) free flights thanks to Daniella’s amazing travel hacking prowess. And I don’t even know if I can count high enough to really give Debt Ascent credit for all the debt they’ve slayed. 

Tawnya’s point about maxing out your day job can’t be said enough, I don’t think, either. There are countless ways that you can side hustle, and there are also plenty of ways to really explode your 9-5 career, too. 

How could I not highlight Dollar Revolution’s perspective one more time? I am constantly battling with myself over this reality but money is (sometimes) meant to be spent. There’s no shame in parting with it. In fact, it’s worth celebrating in a huge way when you put yourself in their position to be able to float those repairs and emergencies. 

Now that I’m done tossing this digital confetti, please excuse me while I go knock on wood and say nice things to my furnace and water heater. Because I’m happy to celebrate with Dollar Revolution, but I’m in no hurry to join him.

If you’d like to join the money win party, fill out this survey. Whether you are a blogger or a reader or both, you are welcome to party here! (Psst…Wins of all sizes are encouraged! Most days, I’m over-the-moon about finding spare change. But you knew that, right?!)

Also, don’t miss any of these past money wins:

• Volume 1 – Kate, Revanche, Melody
• Volume 2 – Jody, Aitza, Little Miss Fire
• Volume 3 – Sarah, Kathy, Tara
• Volume 4 – Zero, Kat, Mystery Money Man
• Volume 5 – Anna, Debra, Claudia
• Volume 6 – Kate, Are We Adults Yet, Money Saved is Money Earned
• Volume 7 – Leigh, $76K Project, Josh
• Volume 8 – Jill, Verokina, Mr. Green
• Volume 9 – Budget Epicurean, Felicity, Erin
• Volume 10 – Kris, Revanche, Aaron
• Volume 11 – My Plutus Nod & Jo-Anne
• Volume 12 – Amanda, Kudy, Laura
• Volume 13 – Kate, Rich, Emily
• Volume 14 – Cait, Margot, Mr. Flexcents
• Volume 15 – Kate, Salty Old Lady, Dave
• Volume 16 – Saving4XtraRice, Perpetual Money Machine, Zandile
• Volume 17 – Rachel, Cashflow Cop, Kris
• Volume 18 – Gigi, One Frugal Girl, Barnaby King
• Volume 19 – Educator FI, Financial Pilgrimage, Alberto, Hailey

So Tell Me…How are you winning with money lately?