My Birthday…And One Year In

Well, my birthday has come and gone…and I’m now 29 years old. Although I have grown a year older chronologically, I have grown many years cognitively. I have been enlightened. I have seen the light, and am no longer in Plato’s cave. I have found budgeting, saving, dividend growth investing, living frugally..and I believe I have found the path to financial independence. I have been on this journey for a year now, as I started the dividend growth portfolio one year ago with a little over $7,000. Let’s review the year.

I started with $7,000 as I’ve mentioned a few times, and as I talk about in my About Me page. I have now grown my Freedom Fund to just over $32,000, which I feel is a big accomplishment after my first  year of full-time investing. I started with early investments into Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson. I now have investments in 15 different companies. I started with receiving $10 monthly dividend checks and am now on the cusp of monthly triple-digit dividends. I’m on a path that I’m going to see to the end. I’m glad that my readers are going to follow along and hopefully be inspired to walk their own journey.

As I look forward to the next year, I feel nothing but excitement. I would love to see my portfolio double by this time next year. I’m anxious to stay true to my budget and hopefully slash expenses further. I’m hopeful to cut my rent down to an acceptable level. I’m going to challenge myself on thinking outside the box in order to live happily and still cheaply. I want to see if living car-free is possible. The world is full of opportunities. I’m ready to take advantage of as many as I can.

Everyday is a new dawn. The sun rises and opportunity knocks. I’m always ready to answer that door.

Are you?

Oh, and by the way. I did celebrate my birthday in a budget-conscious way. I went to Firehouse Subs, where I received my free birthday sub. Excellent!

Thanks for reading.

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6 Comments

  1. Happy birthday DM! I have been reading your blog and comments around the internet for several months now. I have very much enjoyed following your journey. You and I have incredibly similar perspectives when it comes to investing and financial independence. My dividend journey started almost a year ago as well! Best of luck for the next year!

  2. Anonymous,

    Thanks for the comment! I’m glad you stopped by. I’m glad you enjoy the journey. So, you’ve been at it for about a year now as well? That’s great. I wish you the best and stay in touch.

  3. Happy Birthday DividendMantra. I also try to live frugaly (at least frugaly according to my concept of frugality) but don’t you think that a 17 dollars gift to your father in his birthday and a free sandwich in a fast food store in yours is TOO MUCH FRUGALITY? I just try to start a debate. Please don’t understand my comment in an unkind way. I follow your blog with interest.

  4. Oculista,

    Thanks for stopping by and commenting. No offense taken. I don’t think that my choices are too frugal, but my view on frugality may be quite different than yours and others. I know people that spend less than $700 a month and think I’m wasteful. So, it’s all a point of view. I think that balance is important with anything in life, and living in extremes can be taxing. Again, it’s all point of view. I’m glad you follow the blog with interest. Take care!

  5. Happy Belated B-Day. I don’t think a free sandwich on you b-day is too frugal. Heck, my perfect b-day would be dinner and a movie. Of course that is over $50 buck now, but still not extravagant. I don’t know where the $17 gift to your father comes in, maybe another posting, but I know whenever my siblings and I go in on a gift for dads day or b-day, my father always says not to get him anything (we still do). I would rather have my kids make a homemade card or just call and say happy b-day instead of buying something for me.

  6. me myself and I,

    Thanks for the belated b-day wishes! I didn’t think the free sub sandwich was too frugal, and really enjoyed it! I agree that homemade gifts are cheaper, more practical and more heartwarming (personalized) than commercial items. Thanks for stopping by!

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