Life Update

Back in March, we placed the blog on hiatus.

Mainly due to our busy work schedules, plus a few changes we knew were coming, we just couldn’t keep up with our weekly posts. I knew this would be temporary and, instead of stressing myself out over getting posts out, decided to just take a break.

Thank you to everyone who sent us messages of support and who patiently waited for us to return. It has only been a few months, but it seems like a long time since we checked in. As such, I thought it was a good time to do a life update!

I Quit My Job

For those who don’t follow us on Twitter, about two weeks after the blog went on hiatus, I submitted my resignation at work. My work prefers three months notice, so I did my best to give that to them.

Why did I quit my job? Am I retired?

No, not yet. After a lot of soul searching, long discussions and contemplation, I decided that my job was no longer fulfilling to me and I believed this lack of fulfilment was becoming detrimental to the rest of my life. It was also an enormous reason as to why we were pursuing FIRE in the first place. I plan to unpack this in a future post but the gist of it is, work was not making me happy and I was ready for a change.

I took a risk and submitted my resignation without another job lined up. I thought that the three months notice I gave work would be enough time to find a new job, which brings me to the next update…

I Got a New Job

As I have mentioned on the blog before, I have worked for the same government department since leaving university. While not identical, there is the opportunity to perform a similar role in the private sector and this was something I wanted to pursue. I have enjoyed working in public service, but I knew I would always wonder about the private sector if I didn’t give it a go.

I still wish to maintain my anonymity so won’t reveal exactly the role I will be doing or the company I will be doing it for. I will basically be doing consultant work on behalf of this company to other companies and other government departments. My new employer is an enormous multi-national and the recruitment process has been great. I received a very similar offer from one of their competitors, but for a variety of reasons, went with this one.

I’m three weeks in and so far, so good.

We Moved

Oh, did I mention that none of the jobs I interviewed for were in Sydney?

To put it mildly, Poopsie and I have not enjoyed our move to Sydney. This isn’t the place for us. We thought we could do it for a few years but more and more, we wanted out.

While we have decided to retire in Newcastle, we knew that we would likely need to move to Canberra in the interim to pursue work. The fact of the matter is, if we went to Newcastle now, I would not be able to earn as much money as I have the opportunity to do in Canberra.

So my new job is in Canberra. Poopsie has secured an internal transfer for January 2019. He was able to negotiate with his boss to work one week in Sydney and one week in Canberra for the remainder of the year. Fortunately we have family in Sydney so he is able to stay with them rent free when he is there.

We are thrilled about this move. We love Canberra and can’t wait for Poopsie to be down here permanently.

We Went to Tasmania

Long time readers may remember we had a trip planned to Tasmania in May. This went ahead and we had a wonderful time. We stayed in Hobart this trip as Poopsie had never been there. It was definitely cold but we had a great time.

We also went to Launceston this past weekend to attend my brother’s University graduation ceremony. It was a great weekend and we’re so glad we went.

We Sold Our House

After almost six months on the market, we finally sold our house in Brisbane. We only sold it for $10 000 more than we bought it for. This was a little disappointing, but in the end, we’re glad it finally sold. We walked away with just under $200 000 due to our aggressive efforts to pay down the mortgage (this also includes the original 20% deposit we put down). I will do a post soon detailing how we split that money up.

We Will Never Retire Early

This might be a slight exaggeration, but we have certainly not done well on the frugal front lately. I will expand on this when we do our yearly wrap up (financial year, not calendar year) but we definitely need to get back on track and refocus. Many of you will be glad to hear that this may mean a return to spending reports!

I took these away as our wedding was originally meant to be a secret and, given my sister reads the blog, I didn’t want those expenses listed. But I noticed a definite change in our spending habits when I wasn’t coming onto the blog to defend them. Hopefully the spending reports will help get us back on track.

We’re Back

The blog is back! We will be back to posting but I am not yet willing to commit to a set schedule. I don’t think it will be weekly, but you never know, I may find myself with lots of free time in my new job (very doubtful). We apologise for the unpredictability but we do hope you continue to follow along on our journey!

So, be sure to check in again to read new posts. We announce all new posts on Twitter and Instagram, so follow us if you haven’t already. We have much to discuss, plenty more Australian Blogger Interview Series to publish and stories about our Canberra adventures.

Thank you for patiently waiting for us! Tell us, what have you been up to these last few of months?