The Second Best Money I Ever Spent

The U.S. stock market was in a record-long bull run at the close of 2021. Despite some wavering in the fourth quarter of 2021, it mostly still was chugging along. 

Then I FIRE’d at the end of the year. . . . And apparently ruined everything by doing so. Sorry, fellow investors!

Da’ bears

See, just after 2022 started, U.S. equity markets (in which we have a substantial portion of our investments) reversed course. An official bear market would be declared later in the year. 

Now, when I FIREd, my initial plan was just not to work. Beyond that, I had some ideas and semi-formed notions of what I’d do with my time, like volunteering. Generally, though, I was perfectly happy to wait for the universe to come to me. 

Although almost everyone had I’d been predicting a bear market for at least five years, as 2022 dawned, I expected the bull run to continue at least for some time. I also anticipated doing some FIREy things in 2022. In no small part because while we’d hit our FIRE number and then some, we anticipated withdrawing far less than at a four percent rate (as it turned out, we ultimately withdrew hardly anything). 

In short, we had good reason to believe that we had some room to maneuver. 

Brain power

But my brain is a squirrelly little thing, you see. It was not pleased with the downturn that 2022 was delivering. Downright ornery, in fact. In response to my plans for 2022, it said, “You shall do no such things.”

Mere nervousness as Q1 unfolded later gave way hunker-down mode. I became more conservative in our spending, and even took a part-time job. 

That first year of my FIRE life was good, to be sure. But it coulda been better had I done some FIREy things that cost monies. Lotsa monies even. 

I recognized and lamented that. As fall 2022 progressed, I decided enough was enough. . . . To a point, albeit a big one. 

Two things animated me, and my proposed solution. First was the knowledge that Thing One (The Elder) was to graduate high school in spring 2023 and be out of the house/off to college a few months later. Second was the long nagging memory that around the time I was Thing One’s age, I took a backpacking trip overseas that I desperately and almost immediately upon returning wanted to do again . . . and again . . . and again. 

So, I hatched an idea and pitched it to The Missus: that Thing One and I take an extended overseas backpacking trip together. To my mild surprise, The Missus all but immediately blessed the plan.

My lizard brain still was unhappy with the financial fallout that 2022 was delivering. But my rational brain wrestled the lizard into submission. 

Happy New Year

Enter 2023. 

While I learned some valuable things about my investing self in 2022 that helped with my mental fortitude as to finances, U.S. equity markets made about as abrupt a turn—in the opposite direction—at the beginning of 2023 as they did at the start of 2022. 

My mood brightened considerably. 

So (not that it mattered in the end) as I proceeded with planning our trip, I did so with increasing relief. 

Relationship matters

Now, Thing One and I have always had a good relationship, but I know I get on her nerves. Part of that’s natural for a parent and a kid her age. But part of it’s just me and the fact that I’m an annoying and irritating dolt, for sure. I’ve also long known that there’s no doubt that Thing One is closer to The Missus than to me. I say that more as a matter of fact than with significant remorse. 

So, far and away my biggest concern going into the trip was that by the end of it, Thing One would never want to speak to me again. And/or vice-versa. 

As we took off for the trip, I felt excitement and nervousness in almost equal measure. 

We recently returned from our travels. We saw amazing things, ate a lot of fantastic food, and met many cool people. What’s more, Thing One’s eyes were opened to myriad possibilities, and her horizons were expanded. From these perspectives, the trip went about as well as I possibly could have hoped.

But that was far from the best part. 

See, the best part was that Thing One and I bonded like we’d never bonded before. I know her a lot better now than I did going into the trip (and I knew her pretty well to begin with). Likewise, she knows me better than she previously did, too. We also have invaluable shared memories of this trip that we’ll gleefully carry with us and be able to reference for the rest of our lives. 

I mentioned in my last post that having the freedom to show up for important events, with no job-related worries, is one of the biggest bonuses to FIREing. And it is. But the luxury of being able to take a trip like Thing One and I took, with no job-related worries, is right up there, too. 

In short, the money I spent on the trip was very, very, . . . very well spent. Invaluable even. 

Funny thing, too. Thing Two (The Younger) looked on at me and Thing One on our trip with understandable envy. As a result, he’s already planning his post-high school graduation trip. That makes me smile. Whatever the cost of that trip, I know it’ll be money extremely well spent.  

And in the end . . .

Dear Reader, you may be thinking, “What the flute?! Blogger guy titled this post, ‘The Second Best Money I Ever Spent.’” Second! So, what was the best money he ever spent?! Well, Dear Reader, that’d be the money I spent to woo and marry* The Missus. 

* The Missus and I enjoyed the incredibly good fortune to have our wedding weekend paid for by others. But, hey, all the pre-wedding wooing was on my dime!