As I’ve said previously, our Ultimate Dream Fund is named because it is our dream to retire early, and we need the funds to make that happen! One day, this fund will provide us with the money to live on when we leave our 9-5 jobs and time will be all ours. That’s the biggest motivator for achieving our goal. Being able to spend our time with our family is what we’re doing this for; there’s nothing more meaningful to us than that. I keep reading about people who have managed to retire early already and it’s very interesting to read! I cannot wait until we get to share things like that too ? but, I do need to remind myself to enjoy the present too. However, with one toddler running around all day and another boy on the way, there’s no danger of that at the moment!
I continue to post updates on our fund for two reasons. One, so that I can show that living a frugal lifestyle means that we can retire earlier than we should do and still live a good life on the journey. Secondly, to keep me motivated for the long haul. This journey is going to take us a long time, but it’ll be worth it in the end. This plan also includes us being mortgage free, so that our monthly outgoings are reduced and manageable. Also, when I feel like I’m not doing enough, I look back at the posts and see how far we have come ? think of this as my online diary, so to speak!
I have been looking at increasing my online income, so that I can save a bigger amount each month towards our early retirement dream. I have recently began a very exciting course by another UK personal finance blogger about earning an income online – as Emma has built up a six figure empire – and I’m learning so much on it. If you want to have a look and perhaps start your own online earning journey, have a look at her course here.
The dividend income we received in August has already been reinvested so that it is working hard for us. A post will be up on Friday about what we received – it’s a good one! Receiving dividends throughout the month means that I get multiple small pay checks each month. For doing nothing! I still love the dividend investing approach. Over time, the percentage reinvested will increase and so the amount needed to be saved from income will decrease, or we’ll be able to speed up the process! All of this is within my stocks and shares ISA which is with Hargreaves Lansdown. It is very easy to use and I’d definitely recommend them.
As of August 30th, our Ultimate Dream Fund looks like this:
Look at that. We’ve finally got our first year of early retirement saved! I wish there was a jumping up and down emoji I could use right now. Yes, it has taken a lot longer than I had originally calculated, but at least we’re finally getting somewhere. Woohooooo! 🙂 The fund has increased by £922.91 and I put in just under £700 throughout the month so a good month there too. Can you tell I’m pleased? 🙂
Finally, here is the fund’s progress since I started it in June 2015:
How was August for your savings/investing targets?
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Congrats on having the first year saved!
Jumping up and down (virtually) here on your behalf!
I have set up my savings account and will start to put money into it this weekend 😀
That is amazing! Well done on saving so much so far, you will smash your target I’m sure 🙂
Congrats on 1 year saved! That’s awesome!
I also was looking at your graph, and it looks like you’ve doubled your savings since last year. That’s super impressive! 🙂
Wow, that’s amazing! How long have you guys been saving for now?