These days are so fast and so slow at the same time. It feels like they fly by, and I never get nearly as much done as I’d like.

Add to that shorter days of less daylight, and it’s nearly a sunk cost. Despite it, I’m up nearly $14,000 this month and striking distance of $400,000 toward my $500,000 goal — as of now, I’m 71% of the way there. That seems… close.

It felt SO good to take selfies on the beach this month

After hovering around the $300,000 mark for what felt like foreverrr, the stock market is picking up wind. I bit the bullet and used a balance transfer offer on an existing card that’s good until March 2026, so that gives me 15 full months to catch up on my credit cards.

That’s slow going, too. I feel like I spend as much as I earn, and that’s with side hustles and a pretty healthy income otherwise. Having three kids is no joke, and the grocery bills… well. How are berries so expensive?!

December 2024 Freedom update

Link: Track your net worth with Empower Personal DashboardLink: Join Points Hub — the ultimate points, miles, and travel rewards community — on Circle!

2024 was a weird year. It feels like I barely made any financial progress at all. To my credit, there were many, many setbacks like:

Oh I dunno, paying for the birth of a whole new human in JanuaryMoving away from OKC in FebruaryRenting a house in MarchSelling our old house in AprilGetting laid off from my job in JuneSending Warren to kindergarten in AugustHaving more lawyer bills roll in throughout the yearAnd allll the diapers, baby clothes, and little stuff for our entire household

Sweet Beck. I love this baby

Wow, when I type it out like that it seems like a lot. And it was. Also:

I have nothing in savingsHaven’t paid down my credit cardsHaven’t maxed out my Roth IRA

In January, my net worth was ~$343,000. And now it’s ~$357,000. A whole year of ups and downs, and I’m “only” up $14,000. But I know 2024 was a weird year in a lot of ways — not just me.

Little autumn leaf

I feel like I’m ending the year with a big sigh and not a lot of hope for progress in 2025.

Let’s see: I get two checks a month. The first goes to groceries, car, and utilities; the second goes to rent. I have barely anything left over even though I’m working basically seven days a week.

It’s just… hard to feel motivated when I sit and look at it in black and white. And again — I know sooo many are in the same boat right now.

This month’s progress

To recap the last month, I:

Contributed $1,000 to my 401kTransferred $12,000 to a new 0% APR card

I was hoping to tackle my credit cards, max out my Roth IRA, and build up my savings. That now seems sooo insanely optimistic. I feel like I won’t get there for a long time, and that’s kinda depressing for me.

I also got to take airplane window pics again this month

I don’t know what else I can do other than find a new job making more but… have you heard about the bloodbath of layoffs in the content industry recently? I am extremely lucky and grateful to be employed at all.

So — I’m going to keep doing my best and hope for baby steps. To be honest, any progress would make me feel a lot better right now.

By the numbers

Nearly all of my net worth is wrapped up in the stock market. Credit card #2 is the one I rolled to a new 0% APR card, so I have a while on that.

The second I feel like I’m “getting ahead,” my lawyer slams me with a $5,000 bill. Plus student loans — whatever’s going to happen with that under the new administration. I feel like I’m drowning. So, I’m just getting through the rest of this month and year. Hopefully I can turn the ship around in 2025.

CurrentLast MonthChange2024 Goal ASSETS Overall investments$342,394$325,402+$16,992As much as possible Roth IRA total$90,510$86,382+$4,128 Roth IRA 2024$2,700$2,700xx$7,000 (in new contributions) Taxable brokerage + UTMAs$4,354$4,153+$201$25,000 (total invested) Savings$44$141-$97$30,000 Raw land$40,400$40,400xxNo goal, just including for completeness LIABILITIES Car loan $22,890$23,283-$393? Credit card #1 $8,452$8,324+$128$0 Credit card #2 (0% APR)$11,554$11,351+$203As much as possible Net worth in Empower Personal Dashboard$356,870$343,348+$13,522$500,000 (overall goal) Track your net worth with Personal Capital

Short- and long-term goals still include:

Pay off all credit cards Build my savings account again in 2025Work up to 15% in 401k contributions Save $7,000 in my Roth IRA (to count toward the 2024 limit)Is this like, possible?

Bleh and also yay — this was in Antigua

December 2024 Freedom update bottom lineLink: Join Points Hub

Sorry to sound so dour. Everything just feels so heavy, and December is traditionally a “SAD” month for me anyway.

I have $140,000 to go before I hit $500,000. If I can increase my net worth by $10,000 per month for 14 months, that’d put me at my goal by March 2026. That’s not far. Just a little over a year. And anything could happen, of course, so I won’t take mental possession of it. It’s just helpful for me to keep an eye on the end goal.

Still thinking of the sunny Caribbean views in Antigua

Also, I kinda let Points Hub drift over the last few months, but I haven’t forgotten about it. Between the layoff, starting a new job and then another new job (kinda), I’ve been tossed around quite a bit. But it’s still there — and I’d love to have more members.

Join me on Points Hub. No politics, no social media, just points and travel chat with zero fluff. There are a few partnerships and many resources already. Think of it as a Facebook group without having to be on Facebook — and I encourage members to share and use each other’s referral links! Here are the membership options:

Pro Monthly – Just $5/month forever with coupon code OUTANDOUT ->  Join now .Pro Annual – Just $49/year forever with coupon code HALFOFF ->  Join now .Pro Lifetime – $99 one time → Join now .

As always, thank you for reading and following my journey. Hope everyone is doing well!

Stay safe and scrappy out there!

-H.

OUT AND OUT - Out for points. Out for money.