by Hope
Having my engagement end so abruptly last year not only threw me for a loop emotionally, but financially as well. Now don’t get me wrong, we had not intermingled our finances at all. But we had plans, lots of plans. And all those plans included two incomes. We had planned for three years of hunkering down and focusing on building. Then…
Well, you get where I’m going. I’m back to party of one and figuring out what this next phase of life will look like.
Three years to go
We had decided on the three years because of Princess. She has three more years of schooling. And I hesitate to make any major moves until she is done and launched. This may be the mama bear in me, but I don’t like the idea of being somewhere I can’t get to her quickly should the need arise.
Because this reason hasn’t changed, I am committing to three more years here in this home. And then, I will figure out the next move.
Start preparing now
With that decision made, I know that I have several BIG dreams. And they are just dreams right now. But knowing that, it is time to sit still and focus on being prepared for what’s next. I don’t have a lot of BIG areas I can cut back anymore. Over the years, I have cut back almost everywhere.
So now, it’s time to look for the small things I can cut back.
What areas have you found where small changes have big effects?
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
