What story does your cashflow tell you?

Debbie Belgrave

Dec 22, 2024

While many are busy with holiday preparations, I've been reviewing our finances from the past five years. Our income grew by 3% annually, our debt decreased significantly, and we doubled our savings and investments. Now, we can start checking off items on our "dreams list," like a road trip to California and home improvements.

Happy Saturday (before Christmas)!

While folks are baking, running errands or Christmas shopping, I've been reviewing our income and spending... over the last 5 years!

I'm in my happy place.

Tyler asked me what I'm doing. We then found ourselves trying to figure out, "Are kids activities discretionary or non-discretionary?"

If budgeting is a love language we're definitely connecting (or at least I am :).

As I go through this soul-filling, mind-stretching exercise I find that our income and spending over the years highlight a few things:

Our income grew by about 3% per year (somewhat keeping pace with inflation).
Our debt load reduced dramatically over the 5 years.
With our income slightly increasing, reducing our debt and tracking our spending, we were able to take that money and double our savings and investment contributions.

What does this actually mean?

We can start getting to things on our "dreams list" i.e. taking a road trip to California this year, finally doing our deck and fence and developing my tennis skills (something I'm passionate about).

What story does your cashflow tell you?

No need to look over 5 years worth of bank transactions, but maybe start by asking yourself this simple question, "Are the things I'm putting my money towards on my "dreams list""?