After 8 years of blogging...

... yup. It's 8 years today that I was brave enough to start a little blog that I didn't expect anyone to read. It was more for me. To document. To reflect. To plan. To motivate.

It did all of those things.

And a few people read it too.

I had nothing ground breaking to share. No big successes. No advice on investments (seriously, don't ask me! I am still fuzzy on all that after 8 years). No press. No media.

Just me, and my thoughts.

So after 8 years of blogging...

• I know a LOT more than I used to, but still have so much to learn
• I haven't carried a CC balance since early 2009 - but I do have a LOC I am working on
• I still put money in jars. Not 100% of the time - but a great deal.
• I still fake a payday four times a month, since I really only get paid once a month. I dutifully go out and pull out my weekly money. It works.
• I still budget and go over numbers
• I still make mistakes
• and spend too much on my kids
• and college, don't even get me started on this (voluntary) path
• I still get rattled by upcoming expenses, but going back to my spreadsheet is soothing...reassuring.
• I still plan ahead for things like Christmas, Summer, back to school. etc
• I still look for ways to save and ask questions to avoid surprises in things like phone plan, cable bill etc
• I still suffer from poor health but keep valiantly trying to get better
• I still get sad when a favourite blog disappears, or isn't updated
• I still roll change  and cherish its zen like feelings
• I rarely charge to my CC without going home immediately and paying it off
• I rarely buy books or magazines anymore.
• I still buy the occasional lottery ticket and hope and wish
• I still keep reading your blogs and learning from your experiences
• I still read and appreciate every comment, even if I don't answer them all

I don't have a lot new to say these days, and sometimes I go quiet. But every single success I have had moneywise, little or small, owes its credit to this blog and the community I discovered, 8 years ago.