Accomplishments of 2015 and Goals of 2016 [Megathread]

I have been a lurker all year here, and decided to come out of the shadows to post this because I can't share with anyone else!

This is long (sorry). 2015 was a 180 year for me. Before 2015, I was barely saving 5% for retirement, and honestly didn't even think about it. I was putting maybe 3% into my 401K and didn't even know what a Roth IRA was until like three years ago. I was living in NYC spending all my money on restaurants, bars, cabs, shows, travel, clothes, etc. (all fun, but irresponsible). Moved to a lower COL due to my husband's new job, but kept my job working remote. I don't think 2016 will have as drastic changes, but man, this year was kind of nuts!

Major accomplishments of 2015 * Saw the light. Never heard of FIRE before. Lifestyle inflation was creeping, I was hating my job/career, I thought stuff would make me happy. And then BAM!! Total mindset changed. Probably forever. Thank you r/fi! * Paid off $6,000 car debt * Bought a house (just closed yesterday!) that was $30,000 under planned budget * Maxed 401K and Backdoor Roth IRA for the first time * The company I've been with for five years was acquired in April. I was given a small sliver of equity and made $55,000 from the sale. I immediately threw $30,000 of it into a Vanguard taxable account * New company has a 5% 401K match (previously no match) * Got a 12.5% end of year bonus (deposits on 12/24!!!) * Got a 6% raise to salary * My first experience churning - opened two credit cards with sign on bonuses that covered a flight to Europe/Israel in 2016 (estimated savings of $3,000 for the two of us) * Started diligently using YNAB * Got rid of my unused gym membership. Got rid of ridiculous monthly subscription boxes. Realized the rationale of "I work hard, so I deserve it!" is stupid and things don't make you happy * Successfully completed a year of working remote for my company, with no known disgruntlement from employer. Saved a ton of money on lunches, work clothes, commuting and my sanity. * According to Zillow, our rental condo has appreciated 29% since we bought it in 2013

Mistakes/Set-backs of 2015 * I think I went a little too intense with my husband on FI. I just got so excited and thought he would too. He is not really interested in an aggressive savings rate or spreadsheets or constant calculations (why doesn't he think this is fun?!). He looks at me like I'm speaking a foreign language when I mention early retirement. It caused a couple big fights because I want to come up with a plan together, and he doesn't. But he is not a big spender and naturally very frugal, and I'm thankful for that. I just need to ease him into it and be patient * Not really a set-back, but we had to buy all new appliances for the rental condo ($1,500) * I'm still struggling getting our expenses down

Goals for 2016: * Continue to get husband on board with FI. This will be a process. He kind of just says "ok sweetie" whenever I bring it up * Rent out condo. We're trying right now. It is a horrible time of year, but we're hoping for something soon * Maybe have a kid (ahhhh did I really just write that?). So save for that shit. * Don't go crazy with buying shit for the new house!! I totally admit I have an urge to "OMGZ PINTEREST I NEED EVERYTHING" sometimes. Yes, we do need some new things for the house. We will take one purchase at a time. We will be thoughtful about every purchase. We will not go over budget * Attempt to stop checking Personal Capital every day

Thanks to everyone on this sub for the awesome advice! My life would be very different if I hadn't discovered this!

/r/financialindependence Thread