A Change of Plans

We all have plans.  We all make plans – scrubbing and chiseling them down to the very last detail.  Some plans we ignore (which is a plan in itself), some plans we fear and when all the stars align, some plans we follow. 

That’s how we live life. 

But plans are just plans, projections of what may or not be.  And inevitably, they will always change, things happen, like the virus, and events never end up how we thought. 

Take your journey from childhood to adulthood for example.  Close your eyes and picture yourself as exactly who you are in this moment.  Now think back to when you were in elementary school.  Is the current version of you exactly how you had imagined yourself to be today? 

Of course not.  Because no one can break the barrier of now. 

We’ve made a change of plans. 

Well, I think the original fantasy that I had conjured up for myself was to have the wife and I kickass at work over the next 5 years, cut our costs to a minimum, keep investing boldly and sail off into the FI sunset in only that limited amount of time.  We’d be 43 and have no more ties to the corporate world.  Fate would be sitting in our hands now, and not our employers. 

Happiness achieved – the end. 

Hahaha… yes, yes, yes.  Things are not that simple.  I know. 

It was a nice little fantasy and I wrote about how I got off track in a previous post, “Sometimes We Lose Sight of the Bigger Picture”. 

But, as we all know, things change.  The great wheel keeps turning, the Sun rises and sets, and the world really doesn’t give two fucks about our own self-obsessed miniscule sliver of reality. 

Yet we do, because it is our own little universe.  We reign over the kingdom that is our perception of reality and there is nothing more important to us as we breathe in and out the seasons of our lives.  This is our movie and we landed the leading role – and who doesn’t want to be the hero in their own movie?  And what type of film will it be: comedy, chick-flick, action, suspense or maybe even horror? 

I don’t know.  That’s up for you to decide as we ping pong back and forth between the powers that be. 

But what I do know and have come to learn on too many numerous occasions, is that change is constant, and the unknown will always rear its ugly head when you least expect it.  Because unlike our movie example above, life has no script. 

So, almost halfway into this challenging and adventurous year (to say the least), what has really changed?  In one sense much and then on the other hand not so much.  While some doors close, others open.  Aha!  Yes, you are right to ask what the fuck does that mean Q-FI? 

Well, let me explain. 

At the end of 2019, I wrote in my 2020 Goals Post four major questions that my wife and I needed to address or answer in 2020.  Let me update you on the two most pressing issues and how we plan on proceeding: 

#1 – Adoption 

The two big decisions we’ve been grappling with is adoption and housing, and the former will decide the latter. 

At the beginning of this year we decided that we would pursue adoption.  Natural pregnancy has not been in the cards for us and I have already detailed that struggle here and here. 

So not really knowing anything, we began to investigate private adoption, the process and costs.  However, after a random suggestion we decided to research the foster to adopt process as well. 

Long story short, after learning how great a need there is for foster parents, and both of us being in a position of privilege and able to provide, we decided that this would be the right fit for us.  Fostering would be our new goal, adventure and challenge.  Adoption would no longer be our main priority, but rather an ancillary benefit if it does eventually happen. (If you want a glimpse into how bad the fostering system is in LA, watch The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez, on Netflix.  My disclaimer is that it will break your heart.  So be prepared for some heavy shit before you watch.) 

Moving forward with the fostering process, we finished our training right before the pandemic hit, but still need to complete a few tasks and interviews prior to being officially certified in LA County.  The pandemic has delayed this process, but we are still hopeful that everything will be in line by the end of the year. 

I also can’t talk about fostering/adoption without mentioning that starting a family has a huge impact on your FI journey.  We know that.  But that’s okay.  Because this is what we want.  And working longer for the benefit of another life, should be all the motivation that we ever need. 

However, with this new future addition to our family, we have decided that we will have to move, which brings me to our second goal/decision for 2020… do we rent or do we buy? 

#2 – Housing 

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that we currently rent a one-bedroom house in LA for a steal.  We’ve been there a long time and have an amazing landlord.  If our family was going to remain only a team of two, then we’d probably continue to rent and save here and as I fantasized in the beginning, reach FI within 5 years or less (with the market complying), and relocate to another state. 

But, that’s not the life we want now.  Starting a family has always been a priority and now we can finally achieve that goal through fostering to adopt.  And our move comes down to one thing: 

We need more space. 

So after running the numbers, technically renting would still be the best financial choice, but after weighing all the personal factors, that I’ve written about before, we’ve decided to take the plunge and buy a home.  Maybe this will prove to be great, or a disaster.  Who knows?  But money isn’t everything and the freedom to do what we want is the prerogative. 

Let’s be clear though, this is not an impulsive or emotional buy.  We’re trying to be strategic about it.  We’ll be leaving our long-term home of LA and moving to a neighboring city in San Bernardino County so that I can cut down on my commute and we can take advantage of the lower cost of living in the Inland Empire. (I wouldn’t really call this geo-arbitrage, because even though the cost of living is less than LA, it’s still pretty expensive when compared to out of state options.) 

There will be much change with this relocation, yet good and necessary change.  Some family we move farther from and some family we move closer to. 

But for now, there’s still work to do… 

So here’s the new plan:* 

We work and save as much as we can the rest of 2020, which hasn’t been difficult so far with the pandemic.  But my wife’s furlough did hurt a little, yet with the unemployment stimulus boost things have almost evened out.  Then in Q4 we begin our house search (and we do have some flexibility here – I say we’re buying, but this will depend on the virus and what the inventory supply is at the end of this year.)  Once we have the house (we should be certified for fostering by now), Mrs. Q-FI will take her leave for the new baby and then at the end of her benefits, leave her job and stay at home to raise our new foster baby/child.  It will be painful at first to lose her cashflow from work, but this is what we’ve planned, budgeted and saved for over the past several years. 

Now it’s time to execute – our sights are set, the powders dry and the trigger cocked. 

At least, that’s the goal for now.  Who knows what will happen next month as this world seems to have platonic shifts from week to week?  Hahahaha.  But hey, this is everyone’s new reality.  We all share in the same pandemonium and once-in-a-century hoorah! 

Yet, we have a plan.  And as I said at the beginning, we know it will change.  By how much, we’ll just have to live our lives and see what the future holds… just like the rest of you… 

Stay safe and here’s to a life worth living. 

-Q-FI 

*(I write these posts and my wife reads them after I publish.  So, if I got anything wrong with our plans, there will be an addendum coming per her review…  Haha.) 

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What’s up with your FI plans or current FI living?  Do you foresee any change coming over the next year or two for yourself, virus related or just plain life challenges?