Blog #35 Tactical retreat
Last month I surprised both my self and my roommate by deciding to move back home. This was something I did not plan on doing but was necessary.
I loved where I lived, my little unit close to the city and right by the water. That house allowed me to live out the dream of living in a cool unit with friends, going out and having lots of parties. In the time I lived there for a little under a year and a half but it felt like a lot longer.
I'm so grateful for the big birthday parties and spontaneous nights out that have taken place at the unit. As much as I love the unit and lifestyle, I've realised they are no longer compatible with my goals.
My rent was my greatest expense, and the partying and going out I do as a result of living at the unit was my second greatest expense. I was in a constant state of financial strife and am supposed to be traveling and moving abroad over the next 9 months.
One morning after a spontaneous night out gave me the sobering realisation I needed. I woke up with no money and bills on the way, and thanks to the Sunday scaries I finally truly realised that I could not keep any of this up if I was to be taking my goals seriously.
I moved down from Bayswater to Kwinana on the 17th of February and have since been living with my mum and her partner, my sister and our Jack Russell Daisy. It took me a week or two of living at home to get out of my party ways; the family was quite surprised by how many all nighters I was having. However, I have now settled into a quieter, cheaper routine.
I’m really grateful for my time away from home and would not have changed that for the world. Living out of home was so much fun and helped me grow into the man I am today. I’ll miss the complete freedom living out of home grants you but I’m so glad I have the option to take a tactical retreat and focus on building my savings.
The first 5 weeks or so of 2025, I grew increasingly anxious each week around my finances and the dwindling likelihood of my plans. This anxiety has finally ceased. As I’ve started my second job with Commonwealth, started budgeting, working down debts, and saving, I finally feel like my goals are coming to fruition.
Sometimes we need to make these necessary sacrifices to achieve what we want. It sometimes feels scary and sometimes feels like a step back, but these big decisions are what make our world. I would love to hear about some of your tactical retreats, thanks for reading.
