Here’s something crazy – as of today, I’ve been blogging for over 25% of my life!
10 years of blogging, building, experimenting, community, friends, exploration, growth, loss, and just general happiness that we’re all still together here doing our thing and having fun :)
How lucky are we?? And how awesome that someone invented the internet for us?! Haha…
I couldn’t have guessed this a decade ago, but boy am I thankful for this crazy twist of fate and I’m so curious to see what’ll happen next.
Here are the Cliffs Notes version of how we got to this place so far:
- In 2007 went looking for a 2 bedroom apartment to rent
- Got lost and ended up buying a $350,000 house on a whim, 48 hours later, and with no money down or any idea what the heck I was doing
- Went online searching for a budget as I didn’t have one (*blasphemy!*)
- Came across the blogging world and fell in love with the transparency of everyone
- Started my own personal finance blog to have fun and be held more accountable!
- It unexpectedly took off, reaching 25 Million views in total over the years
- Went on to become a full-time, self-employed blogger/entrepreneur
- Increased personal net worth from $50,000 to $800,000+
- Won 12 industry awards, including Blog of The Year and Lifetime Achievement
- Became a Blogging Coach, Money Coach, Podcaster, FinTech advisor, FinTech Judge, Builder, Seller, Shutting Down’er, Husband, Father of 2, and most recently, a Curator
- Launched two philanthopy projects that raised over $110,000 for people all over the country
- Launched the industry’s first searchable financial blog directory now tracking over 1,500 blogs
- Whittled everything back down to the one true love that started it all – Budgets Are Sexy :)
No way I coulda guessed all that, right? Haha…
And if you think it happened “overnight”, think again… It took 28 years and 35 jobs to even get to the START of this journey! Along with a lot of soul searching and stumbling around too…
Before I became a blogger, I became many other things:
- Babysitter
- Lawn Cutter
- Pet Watcher/Walker
- Camp Counselor
- Grocery Store Stocker
- Day Care Worker
- Bagel Maker
- Bowling Alley Attendant
- Prep Cook
- Book Store Associate
- Gadzooks Worker (remember that store?)
- Sandwich Maker
- Construction Site Trash Hauler
- Timeshare Representative (<– The worst)
- Stamp Factory Assembly Line Worker
- Photographer
- Kid Shelter Volunteer
- Assistant Photo Editor
- Photo Editor
- Assistant Photo Editor Intern
- Boat Rental Worker
- Totaled Car Washer
- Dish Washer
- Old Navy Associate
- TV Show PA (Production Assistant)
- Travel Agent
- Airline Ticket Agent
- Customer Service Rep
- Customer Service Assistant Manager
- Realtor
- Customer Service Manager
- Product Manager
- Customer Service Director
- Project Manager
- Graphic Designer
- And then finally… Blogger/Hustler/Accidental Entrepreneur :)
(You can see the full list, along with pay and brief descriptions here –> My Entire Work History)
But the journey doesn’t end here either, oh no!
Even when you do finally figure out where you’re supposed to be in life, there’s still the narrowing it down even further within your field of focus! It’s like dipping your toes into a puddle, only realizing it’s actually an ocean – full of even more possibilities! haha…
And we’ve got a list that showcases what that’s looked like so far over the decade too ;)
Here is the total # of projects I’ve worked on in each of the past 10 years, with emoji’s and all:
1 laptop = 1 project (blog, website, charity, etc)
- 2008: 💻
- 2009: 💻 💻 💻💻
- 2010: 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻💻
- 2011: 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻💻
- 2012: 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻
- 2013: 💻 💻 💻 💻
- 2014: 💻 💻💻
- 2015: 💻 💻
- 2016: 💻 💻💻
- 2017: 💻 💻💻💻
- 2018: 💻
And then here it is again, but this time with more context around it:
- 2008: 💻 <– started a blog, wee!
- 2009: 💻 💻 💻💻 <– oh, you can make money with this? Let me start more!
- 2010: 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻💻 <– what, you can also BUY blogs?? I’ll take 3!
- 2011: 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻💻 <– and 4,5,6,7 – I want an empire, please!
- 2012: 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 💻 <– oh wait, life isn’t fun working 20 hours/day…
- 2013: 💻 💻 💻 💻 <– let’s start shutting some down and selling the rest
- 2014: 💻 💻💻 <– getting closer, but you’re a daddy of two now – keep going!
- 2015: 💻 💻 <– ahh that’s the spirit…. nice and relaxing…
- 2016: 💻 💻💻 <– but you know what, something is off… Maybe adding a podcast will help?
- 2017: 💻 💻💻💻 <– hmm… how about building out all your other ideas you’ve always wanted?
- 2018: 💻 <– you know what, I think you had it right all along in 2008
And so, after 10 years of building and blogging and experimenting, I finally figured out where my heart belonged in the first place: BudgetsAreSexy.com :)
And Lord knows this probably isn’t the end of the line either, haha…
(Shout out to Ty for this one, haha… well played, sir ;))
But here’s the biggest thing I’ve learned throughout all this: the more time you spend doing stuff you LOVE, the more opportunities that come your way.
Maybe not at first, and maybe not so drastically as we often see in the movies or in the media, but by pouring your heart into something that TRULY MATTERS TO YOU, you are asking the world for more of it, and it will provide so long as you’re adding value to the world.
The only difference between how I’m working now vs how I was working the first 28 years of my life is that everything I now do revolves around my “calling.” The money and success are all afterthoughts, but ironically flow in even more because (surprise surprise) you work better when you’re excited!
Not everyone gets to live out their passions, and of course sometimes a job really is just a job, but I truly hope that by virtue of being on this blog you realize just how OPEN this world is for potential out there. And not only that, but how much all of us NEED YOU in this world creating things and making our lives better too!
All the Facebooks and Amazons, iPhones, Teslas – they all come from people’s minds who really believed in what they were working on and would have done it with or without the money that came. And in the blogging world, it was people like Jonathan from My Money Blog and Trent from The Simple Dollar who first opened up my eyes to talking about money and sharing finances online. Without them shining the light, who knows what job # I’d be on these days… Probably #67! ;)
All this to say that life is full of opportunities, and almost every single one of us has the ability to go after something we enjoy, whether we only have one hour to apply to it or a hundred hours.
How far you go is dependent on a bunch of other variables, along with how lucky you get, but if this random mohawked guy can turn his life around like this, I believe anyone can. I didn’t have a lick of experience in either finance or writing (and my past archives clearly show this!) but again, it’s amazing what happens when you just go for something because you’re genuinely interested in it and care.
I’ll stop here before this turns into even more of a novel, but please know I am BEYOND thankful for each and every one of you letting me into your lives over the years, and please also know that I’ve appreciated every last comment and email/tweet/facebook message/skype call/meetup/forum post and any other ways we’ve communicated with each other in the past.
It’s been an honor getting to know you guys, and I very much look forward to doing more of it :)
We’ll see what the next 10 years bring, but if God forbid something happens to me today (hopefully after this blog post goes out!) please know I am one happy guy and only wish the best for all of you too.
If I can ever help with anything, I hope you’ll let me know.
To another 10 years of adventure and happiness!
************
PS: For a look at other things I’ve learned over the years blogging, click on any of the past blogiversary posts (but probably stick with the ones up top, unless you like reading about blog stats ;))
- 9 Things I No Longer Do With My Money
- 8 Fails Over 8 Years of Blogging
- 7 Things I’ve Learned in 7 Years of Blogging
- 6 Years Ago Today…
- 5 Years Ago Today This Blog Was Born :)
- Budgets Are Sexy Turns 4!
- Budgets Are Sexy Turns 3. (Which is 87 in blog years)
- Budgets Are Sexy Turns 2! (holler)
- Budgets Are Sexy turns 1 today! I can’t believe it…
UPDATE: Check out this cool gift brightpeak financial sent me!! How thoughtful is that???
Get blog posts automatically emailed to you!
Huge congrats J! When someone is passionate about something it clearly shows and in your case it’s pretty darn clear. Your story also shows the power of sticking to something when you know it’s what you want to do. It’s a long game, but if the game is fun then who cares!
You know it! I don’t stick to much, but when I find something I love it’s game on :)
Gadzooks?? Must be before my time. What was your favorite job from the line up before blogging?
Lol that meme is hilarious! And so true.
Ahhh thanks for the last load of links! Saves lots of time, now I can just go through all the them! Bloggy time capsules!!!
Congrats J$! Here’s to another 10 years!
Oooh tough question!
I’d say the job that would rank highest would be the airline worker one since I got to take basically free trips anywhere around the world I wanted (!!), but I also liked renting out boats and even washing totaled cars too as it required being out in the sun over the Summer and getting fresh air :)
I’ve actually had a draft post of everything I’ve learned from all those jobs over the years, so maybe I should dust it off and finally finish it up? I’ve taken away something from each of them and learned a ton over the process…
though of course being a blogger is my all-time fave :)
Congrats J$! Love your style:)
Thanks Caroline – I love your name :)
Congratulations on reaching the 10 year mark J! Isn’t it amazing how little changes over a long period of time end up in huge changes? I don’t think myself from 10 years ago would have ever been able to anticipate what things would be like today.
And who knows how we’ll be in 10 years too!
Woo hoo! Ten years! That’s so cool to see how many projects you’ve started up along the way. The entrepreneurial brain at work. :) It’s a great story for my oldest, who’s telling me, “I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up!” He doesn’t quite believe that neither do a lot of adults! :) Life’s a journey, for sure. Here’s to another ten years! (Wow–2028. Feels a long way off…).
Haha, amen to that..
I think I’m just going to tell my kids to go after stuff you love *RIGHT NOW* as who knows how you’ll feel down the road… But as long as you’re enjoying yourself in the moment (and it’s productive!) then the rest doesn’t matter how it plays out, right?
Congrats on the 10 year mark! Wow, that is quite the milestone :) I look forward to a few more decades of BaS!
Thank you! I hope you’ve got a decade in your tank too – always enjoy reading your blog (although even better hanging in person :))
Congratulations! 10 years in the blogging world is a huge accomplishment. Cheers to many more!
Thanks Nicole!!! You too, fellow “budget in your blog name” blogger ;)
congrats on 10 years, that’s an eternity in internet time. I’m coming up on 5 myself this fall. Your last comment there about if something happened to you, struck a thought in my head I’ve had before without coming to a conclusion.
Do you have a plan for your website for after you pass? Even if no one will add new content to it, is there a plan for long term hosting and preservation, which would also allow the income to flow to your family, or would you have it sold and does your wife have instructions for how to handle a sale of the site? I’d like to figure out a way to do that with my blog, but not sure the best way.
Haha I talk to my wife all the time about this actually :)
I don’t have any formal plans in the “what do we do with it afterwards?” phase (i’d probably have her reach out to all my business partners over the years to see if they’d be interested in taking it over maybe?), but the one thing she DOES know is that she has to log in and tell everyone that I’m now flying high in the heavens :) I have a doc w/ all the login info for her for my business stuff, as well as personal and banking stuff too, so she’ll def. have access to it whenever/if ever needed! It’s most important to me that everyone just knows what’s going on as it’s the worst when bloggers disappear and you never know why :(
And then I also told FinCon they need to do an “In Memorial” thingie during the next conference which tells everyone I have departed too, haha… because the scary truth is the longer the conferences go the more of us WILL die out over time! We already lost someone last year and we’re not getting any younger, womp womp….
Congrats! Have been reading the $exy blog for about 5 years on and off, and still enjoy it!
oh wow!! that’s awesome to hear – thanks for telling me man! :)
Congratulations on ten years!
I love how you pointed out the all of the different jobs you did throughout this journey. I feel that a lot of the times now (especially with social media) people see success and believe that it happened instantly for that person. In reality, they have no idea of the long path/struggles it took that person to achieve their eventual success. Success normally isn’t built over night, its usually a constant process of trial and error combined with consistent effort.
Great read!
Yup – exactly. Most of us can write entire blogs on all our failures just as much as our successes, haha… It’s all a part of the game :)
I love seeing the whole list of projects, and then back to square one! But hey, sometimes you don’t know the right way to go until you try it! Congrats on ten years at BaS!
Thanks :) I learned a HELL of a lot too throughout all the other projects as well, and would never take ’em back. They all contributed something to my success, and was a blast working on stuff with other people in the community as well. That’s the only really sucky part about blogging sometimes – it’s not as collaborate as other projects, although you do get to engage a lot with your audience.
Congrats and never forget the woman in the red is just a delusion coded into the software to take away your focus and leave you as an easy prey for the agents ;)
Haha… how true that is!
OMG the big ten! Such a landmark!
Makes me laugh that by taking more time to be with your young family you are circling back to your job #1 on the list; babysitter!
Enjoy.
HAH! That’s actually pretty accurate – never caught that before! :)
Congrats on the huge achievement! With the exception of breathing I don’t think I have been doing much of any of the same thing for 10 years! My dog turns 10 next year so maybe 10 years of walking him? Here’s to another 10 years!
To your dog too! :)
Congratulations on the milestone! Inspirational post. All the best going forward and keep it coming.
Happy 10th anniversary! An increase is net worth from $50k to $800k over the past 10 years is just impressive!
I’m so amazed at the number of projects you’ve worked on and the number of awards you’ve won (no surprise there hehe). Best of luck to another successful blogging year!
Congratulations!! According to the internet you need to buy tin or aluminum for the ten year anniversary for your website :D.
Also, please tell me that you had a mohawk when you worked at a daycare!!!
Haha – I did not. But soon after leaving that gig I did have blue hair :)
Wow. Keeping a blog thriving for 10 years is quite an accomplishment. I’m glad you bought that home without a plan. Thousands of people are better off today because you did so.
Thanks man – me too! Biggest lesson I’ve ever learned as well :)
Big congrats J. Money. I’m not a constant poster, but have been on your ride since 2009. So many great posts, so many great links to other bloggers, so had to say thank you and awesome job! Many sites have come and gone, but there are a handful that I have read since my early days of finding the FI movement…(your) Budgets are Sexy, (your/now John’s) Rockstar, ESI (and John’s original blog), Mr. Money Mustache, Mad Fientist ,and A Simple Dollar have always been on my daily feed and a pseudo life line to FIRE. Early retired in May 2017 and chasing my own passions now. You guys make a difference. Keep following your passions.
oh wow – how cool! you’ve been here for almost the entire ride – love it!
And huge congrats on the early retirement too – many people think about it but not many actually put in the time to make it happen. Well done :)
What perfect timing for me…I found you shortly after giving birth to my son and wondering just how much he was going to cost me…and he turned five years old today. You, sir, changed our lives with this blog of yours and he is going to be so grateful some day! Thank you. Very much thank you!
so cool!!!
that means we both have kids around the same age too then because that was when I started tracking all the $$$$ haha… which I promptly gave up on once kid #2 came out – ain’t nobody gots time to do that! ;)
Congrats J, 10 years is huuuge! I’m impressed. :) Hopefully you’re still around in another 10.
Congrats!! I have not been around all 10 years, but since I have been reading it has been a blast!
Congrats to budgets are $exy 10 year mark!! Woo hoo!
I love how your article talks about chasing passion over money. It’s really true when they say money will follow with passion. Love your advice here.
I’m also more impressed with all the hard work you put behind the scenes that all of us won’t see! Keep it rollin!!
P.S. you were a realtor once?? (I wouldn’t have guessed)
P.S.S. I love that stock photo of the guy checkin the other girl LOL
Yeah, Ty had me ROLLING when he posted that on Twitter, haha… so accurate ;)
Being a realtor was actually pretty fun (and financially rewarding!) but man did you have to be on call 24/7… And you really have to have that hustler mentality too because you’re your own little biz and sales team and if you’re lazy you’ll just never get any clients at all. I did it for 3-4 months and sold 2-3 houses if I recall, but I def. didn’t have the mindset yet and also wasn’t too happy with giving up my night life at that stage of my life :) It would be a cool gig in retirement though and when the kids leave the house. Not only would you not have to care about the $$$ at all, but you’d be respected more too just based on your age :) I had to work overtime to convince people I knew what I was doing at 25 years old haha…. who had never even bought a house before :)
Congrats & I love your style of writing! It is informative and entertaining….so bring on another 10 years!!!
Appreciate the kind words, Lisa :)
Congrats on double digits sir! Super exciting, and so glad to see you just as full of fire as you were a decade ago. The whole internet community is better and richer (literally and figuratively!) thanks to you and your words. Looking forward to the next 10, and the next, and the next…
Thanks Budget Epicurean :) I’ve def. drifted with excitement levels over the years, but thankful to always come back to the original joy of it all and get re-energized again :) I keep learning and getting richer of y’alls thoughts and tips in the comments too! It’s a win-win ecosystem!
Wow! 25% of your life! That is impressive. And your meme game is SO on point! hahaha I, for one, am so grateful for all of the things you have done in the past decade. I jumped into PF blogging and your work has not only inspired me as a blogger, but also in my own financial journey. Can’t wait to see where we all are in another decade!
Awww yayyy!! We make a good team! :)
Awesome milestone, Congrats. Always happy to have coffee with your stories and insights every morning. Keep it up.
When you have a chance, can you list your active projects, just curious to see what am missing out on.
You’re reading my only active project now – Budgets Are Sexy!
First time in 10 years I’m back to just *one* :) (I don’t count consulting one-offs or my coin blog, although you can see that one here if you’re interested in coin collecting – http://cointhrill.com)
Happy 10th! I’ve been with you for almost half the time and have really enjoyed it. I can imagine all the interesting posts you could have written while working those past jobs. I assume you didn’t get too many tips for washing totaled cars.
Haha nope, no tips. But I did get lots of free CDs and other random stuff people left in their cars :) Clothes, toys, phone accessories, loose change, etc… The worst were cars that had blood all over it though and deployed airbags :( Always did my best to not think about it, but you always felt saddened washing those ones down…
Gangstar – Full Clip – “Plus, more than ever I got my whole $h…t together
More than a decade of hits that’ll live forever”
……or at least until crypto destroys the world money system as we know it… :)
Haha… true facts all around.
Man, the ripples you’ve created by jumping in with both feet …
Here’s to another 10 years. May they be more fulfilling than the first ten were.
Thank you sir!! And for always making me laugh with your memes! Still can’t get over this one, haha…
Congrats on the milestone, J! Your passion for not only the subject of personal finance, but the community of people who gather around it is inspirational to so many of us out there.
Appreciate that so much man, you have no idea.
Congrats on ten years. Here’s hoping the next ten are just as successful.
Happy ten years, bud!! What an amazing adventure it’s been all these years, and what a lot of fun it’s been growing up together. I STILL read Jonathon’s My Money Blog to this day but he’s always seemed like a grown blogger ;)
I can’t wait to see what the next ten years brings. May they be full of joy <3
Haha yeah, he does doesn’t he???
Here’s to many great new years for the both of us :)
Been watching this ride since 2011 has helped me immensely.
Thank you and congrats!
Very cool!! Thanks for reading along!
Gotta love the face BudgetsAreSexy made at you when you attempted to chase those other girls. Stick with her, you two are good together.
Haha… true true… but had i done that earlier you and i wouldn’t be friends yet since we met through Rockstar ;)
Congrats on hitting a big 10 year mark. I wonder will blogging be around in 2028? Hosting will be cheaper then I hope. HAHA
Well we know *writing* and sharing thoughts will never go away, so I guess even if blogging per se is gone we’ll just be with the next iteration of it all :) (It would be funny though if we all went back to print!! which I do miss, not gonna lie)
That blogging meme from Ty really nailed it lol , priceless :)
One hell of a run buddy and only wish you the best of success in the next 10 years as well as finding that balance with the family. The biggest lesson I have learned from you is to just keep producing content, well maybe one day I will listen to you and create more than one blog post at a time. The crazy thing is that I am getting work out of it and if I really hustled the possibilities are endless. Thanks for inspiring us all to do better and work harder.
You know it man :) Content mixed with passion is an unstoppable force. And only YOU can share the gems from your brain or else the world would never learn from them! So I hope you do continue pushing them out there for the rest of us.
Congrats! You have worked really hard and deserve all the success.
Congrats for 10 years man! Those are a lot of products you picked up along the way!
I can’t wait to get the 10 year mark in the summer of 2019. Then I’m done for good!
Sam
It’s like hitting your first million, right? :)
Congrats on ten years of consistent, successful blogging!
Rock and Roll! When you started @budgetsaresexy 10 years ago, I bet you never knew there was a guy like me, half-way across the country sitting in a prison cell dreaming of being a writer one day, and who would one day get out, fall in love with mastering money and life, and send you an email asking if I could open up about my life story on your blog. Equally so, when I was in my prison cell 10 years ago, I never knew there was a guy with a Mohawk living half way across the country who was about to start his dream of starting a money blog. I wish I could have sent you a letter from prison ten years ago, and tell you: “Don’t give up on this dream. You’re about to build something very special. There’s people in the world who need you to create your dream, so you can then help other people create their dream.” Thank you for being willing to start the dream you saw in your mind 10 years ago.
If you haven’t read the guest post J$ accepted from me last year, you can read it here: https://budgetsaresexy.com/how-survived-prison-accidentally-found-path-to-wealth/
Love that man – no way either of us could have predicted our last decade, eh? The struggles and the successes! (although one of us struggled much more, I ain’t even going to pretend, haha… so glad you’re on this side of the bars with us man! just the beginning of what’s to come for you :))
Congrats on 10 years! I can’t believe it’s been that long!
10 years, wow! Congratulations and much respect, J!
Wow 10 years of blogging!?
That’s like 60 times longer than I’ve been doing it! (For some reason that math was harder than it seems )
Congrats! Maybe some day I’ll be able to say the same thing :)
all you have to do is keep writing your heart out and you’ll be here much quicker than you wish, haha… cuz ever new year means we’re one year older too! ;)
Congratulations, J! I think you belong in the museum now–really! Blogging is such a labor of love, I have nothing for respect for people who can do it longterm. You’ll need to teach me your ways because I’m struggling with how to blog for even ONE year! Now I gotta scope your 1-year anniversary post and see if I can surpass you :)
haha… you better keep going!!! you’re stuff is so refreshing!! scale back to just once a week or something that’s super do-able – we need you in this world!! :)
Congratulations on the milestone, J. Thanks for all you do. I always appreciate your refreshing and encouraging take on money and really enjoy reading along. Here’s to the next ten. Excited to see where they will take you.
Thanks man! Super nice of you to say!
Congratulations J, you are one of the 0.0000001% bloggers who have made it past 10 years!!!!
But I got a question: 35 jobs prior to blogging? How many lives have you lived? How old are you really? 500 years old? :-)
It feels like it sometimes :)
You should see the list of times I’ve moved! It’s probably close to the mid 30’s too…. Military childhood got me all kinds of A.D.D. up in here haha…
Congratulations. When I started blogging, I had never even read a blog before. I had no idea what I was doing (still don’t really) but once I found Rockstar, I tapped into what felt like the power of the financial universe. Thank you for building us personal finance bloggers a home. It matters more than you know. And with all things, I celebrate those who prioritize their passion first and foremost. Good luck and here’s to another 10 years kicking ass.
You have no idea how happy that makes me!! thank you for telling me that! I spent soooo many hours building that out, and then maintaining it, and it feels so weird being away from it now but absolutely LOVE to hear stories like this as it remind me that it was all worth it in the end. So thank you!! And love that you’re still around blogging too cuz you know you’re one of my faves!
You are a true rockstar! I love everything about this post. To see where you came from and how your brand evolved, changed, and pivoted over the past decade is truly inspiring. Congrats and cheers to the next 10!!
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Congrats J. Does that make you like a grandpa in the PF world? :p
pretty much yeah – which sucks, cuz I still see myself as a 20-something newbie!! :)
Congrats on 10 years of blogging. It’s interesting seeing the ups and downs with the number of projects that you’ve done in the different years. I’ve tried to juggle different side hustles over the years. Last year was when I finally realized I couldn’t do 7 or 8 things at once.
Haha yup – sounds about right…
but the real question is – what have you done about that? :)
I focused on 2 of them. Things have gotten a lot better since.
Congrats on making it to 10 years of blogging J!! When I first started blogging last year I was led to the Rockstar Finance Forum where it was a place all the bloggers hang out and discuss anything that relates to blogging, finance, set up a meet-up etc… I just want to thank you for creating such a concept because it helps all of us gather in one site and share our thoughts.
Cheers to you for 10 years and 10 more!!
Beautiful!!! Way to take advantage of it too and jump into everything! :)
Congrats, J. Money!
You’re an inspiration! Keep up the great work.
Congrats !!
I’ve been reading your blog for…probably 5-6 years and I have to say you are a CONSTANT inspiration to just keep going! It’s awesome that you remain so honest and so genuine throughout all of your success. I feel like you’re still a normal dude! haha. Best of luck for the next 10!
5-6 years – wow!!! That is so cool! REALLY glad you’re still enjoying it over the years and it’s still all coming across okay… It’s hard to tell sometimes when you’re so “in” it, but that makes me so happy to hear – thank you :) And loving YOUR blog name btw! Going over now to check it out!
Wow, J… I didn’t know you were FIRED that many times, in a non-FI sense of the word.
Kidding aside, I remember stumbling upon your blog many years ago. You were talking about what your hairdo taught you about money… Something like that, I thought it was weird, but I loved it nevertheless. More power to you and your blog!
Haha… sounds like something I would write about :)
Happy 10th Blogiversary!!! Can you blow out all those candles?
“Traditional 10th Anniversary Gift
Tin or aluminum. The pliability of tin and aluminum is a symbol of how a successful marriage needs to be flexible and durable and how it can be bent without being broken.”
I’ve got a tinfoil hat for you the next time I see you.
Cheers!
-PoF
p.s. They were trick candles. Sucker!
Haha sweet…. I hope those tinfoil hats come with some nice beers to match too!
Congrats on the 10 years anniversary. And let’s hope that you give us 10 more years of quality posts!
Cheers!
-GTRetire
I consider myself pretty damn fortunate that you were around to give me a boost back in late 2016 when I started my feeble spot of .com. Thanks again, cap’n! I’m glad you’re focusing on the mothership. Expect more guest post pitches in the coming months. I expect you to pick at least of the ten! ;-)
Got nothing but love for ya, man.
Ten years in the game—what an accomplishment! I’ve been following along for the last 5 and look forward to many more. Thanks for taking the leap 10 years ago. You’ve helped so many of us much more than you probably realize. Congratulations!
Thanks for reading for so long! Super cool :)
Big congrats J$! Love that you’ve experimented with many things but know where your heart really is, with BudgetsAreSexy and your family. I don’t doubt something new will inspire you one day though. Know that we’ll all be here cheering you on. Thanks for all you do!
Thanks Amy – you’ve been really good to me over the years. I appreciate that :)
Congrats on 10 years! You’ve done a lot of good to help your fellow blogger out too, which doesn’t always get mentioned. Best.
Thanks man – got a lot of love for the community, no doubt :)
Amazing accomplishment J$! Your blog was one of the first ones I ever read. I’m sure I speak for a lot of the bloggers out there – many of us would have never started our blogs if it wasn’t for Budgets are Sexy showing us what personal finance blogging can be like! Congrats!
Awwww well thanks. Glad you got yours up and running to add some goodness to the world too! It needs as much help as it can get!
35 jobs!!! I love this post. I think I’ve had around… 10 jobs so far? But it is reassuring to know that there are many more out there, and there is hope that everyone can find a good fit one day.
Hopefully I will find a good fit within my next 25 jobs!
Haha, I hope so too :)
Congrats on 10 years, that’s amazing! I like the job list too, it shows a pretty widespread distribution among various industries. I think mine would look similar if I put one together. Good job figuring out what your passion is and finding a way to balance that with family, and other “non-work” passions. It can be tricky balancing that stuff effectively.
Congrats, J! 10 years, WOW! I’m SO glad you started this blog and have changed so many lives. And holy crap, you were a MACHINE in 2011. I could’ve never survived with THAT many projects. Good to know you have a more manageable schedule now.
Sometimes I want to clone myself because you’re so right about: “the more time you spend doing stuff you LOVE, the more opportunities that come your way.”
XOXO :)
Congrats on creating something so wonderful for yourself and the community you’ve created! It’s amazing to see all the offshoots you’ve attempted and retreated from. Here’s to 10 more years!
Whoa — happy blogiversary!