I have really slowed down writing my own blog posts here, relying on guest posts lately, my last post was a week into the coronavirus quarantine over 2 months ago! If you had told me I would still be working from home I would say you are crazy, but here I am sitting in my sun room/office typing out a post. In general, 2020 has been a really weird year and we are only in June! To highlight just how weird this all is, we are in the middle of a government mandated quarantine with businesses shut across New York State, however, people are assembling in large crowds to protest a tragic death at the hands of a police officer (and a lot of those protests have turned violent mutating into multi-state riots).
In my little bubble, I have been working at home since March 17th, it is freaking June 1st! The earliest I slated to go back to the office. I stopped producing net worth statements nor have I been investing in my dividend growth portfolio. Honestly, I went into full ostrich mode, and it has really helped my sanity. Took a lot of pressure off myself, which means while i have stayed happier I have not been as hard on myself.
Every time I go to complain about working from home, I am reminded about how much I actually don’t mind it! I am working out 3 to 5 times a week, lunch is always health (although I am hurting for all you can eat Indian buffet), a ridiculous amount of kid time, have gotten stuff done around the house/backyard without a commute.
Normally, half way through the year I would take a look at my annual goals and objectives, but at this point I really just don’t feel like it! Given the past 3 months of my life those seem like a lifetime ago. Instead, I want to jump back into regularly blogging with what’s going on financially.
First and foremost, financially The Wife and I are doing good. I have been very busy with work, and the partners at my firm have really instilled the stability of our firm and my job. That has taken a lot of the stress off my shoulders. I completely understand that I am fortunate especially given our current unemployment levels. The Wife’s business has really suffered during this time, but the way we are set up we have had a lot of cushions built in. It’ll be interesting to see where it lands as the year goes forward. While her business has declined, my small law practice has been really busy since the beginning of this pandemic. The Governor signed into an executive order allowing for virtual will signings, and since everyone is home anyway it has been great helping people get that part of their life in order. During this time I have not had any problems with my tenant which is fantastic. She really has been easy over the past 8 months or so, and I hope it stays that way.
The Wife and I have decided to push our timetable forward a year and get a pool! We always wanted a pool but when The Wife got prices back in January they seemed way out of our league. A pandemic have shown us that we are going to figure out the financing! As we get closer I am going to work through my financing options and share where I end up. Interestingly, I have found a way to possibly use the cash value of my life insurance to provide a financing option that may be below the pool finance interest rate. Notwithstanding, I am getting ahead of myself.
In terms of other changes that have happened since I last wrote:
- I have also been cooking/bbqing a lot more than I ever have in the past for the family.
- I have been working out multiple days a week usually with the Peloton (which I would absolutely recommend), but I have also started a weekly Hero WOD challenge for a few buddies which has been interesting.
- Been playing cards almost every Wednesday with colleagues and buddies which has been fun.
- The Wife and I have implemented a movie night with our son on Tuesday nights and our Daughter on Thursdays. It is amazingly cute how much they each look forward to it! So far we have watched with the boy, Mighty Ducks 1 and 2, Naked Gun, Goonies Jurassic World and Jurassic Park. My daughter’s movie choices have been a little less entertaining for me.
- My dog has been LOVING life getting multiple walks a day and has her playmates home all day, everyday.
I have at least another month working at home, and at this point we are in a pretty good routine. It’ll be interesting to see what the new normal looks like I have to head back to the office on a daily basis.
