A Look Back at 2013


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We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! We loved celebrating our girl’s first Christmas and watching her not play with any of the toys we got her, but continue to seek out our phones and remotes like an electronics-seeking missile. It was great to spend time with our loved ones and take some time off from our 9-5’s for a few days.

We’ve only got two more days left of 2013. Can you believe it?! I feel like we spent the majority of this past year riding by the seat of our pants. Each month was full of its own challenges and adventures, and we’re grateful we had you guys to share it with. I think our favorite aspect of this blog will always be reading your comments. So thanks for making 2013 that much more awesome!

And now, a look back at the past year:

Baby Girl's feetOur greatest achievement by far was adding a baby girl to our brood. We wrote about how we made money off our baby, baby costs before and after birth, financial baby steps for your baby, and investing in a 529 college savings plan. And, for the record, those last two sentences used the word “baby” five times.

Hello, UtahWe moved! Aside from having a baby, this was the other big change this year. We also solved our one-car dilemma, discussed the woes of shared-wall living, wondered whether we’d ever find our forever place, and decided not to buy a home in 2013.

Johnny and BabyWe also talked a lot about travel, even though we didn’t do a lot of it (fingers crossed 2014 is a better year for vacations!). Johnny divulged his Priceline Negotiator secrets, we spilled the beans on how we lived in Boston and NYC on a budget, gave tips on visiting NYC on the cheap, and shared the $20 hotel trick.

IMG_0558 (1)Per the usual, Johnny and I also agreed to disagree on a number of financial-ish topics such as thrift stores, minivans, IKEA furniture, haircuts, and high school reunions. We also got back to basics on a ton of financial musts and started the 50 States Project, in the hopes of helping ourselves and anyone else who’s in search of their own forever place. And we celebrated the first birthday of this blog!

Thanks for reading, and here’s to an even better 2014 of Our Freaking Budget!

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7 Comments

  • Reply Becky @ RunFunDone December 30, 2013 at 9:28 am

    We took 2 vacations this year…our “thrifty” vacation was to…..UTAH! We visited all 5 Utah National Parks. It was awesome (and kind of exhausting, but that’s because my husband insisted that we visit all 5 when we had a 1 week vacation…and we drove there from Washington). Anyway, I’m not sure how much you two enjoy camping and the outdoors, but I can definitely recommend that you visit the National Parks near you at some point. (My favorite was Bryce Canyon, while hubs’ favorite was Zion).

  • Reply Miranda December 30, 2013 at 9:48 am

    Happy New Year to OFB! Can’t wait to keep reading in 2014!

  • Reply Alice @ Earning My Two Cents December 30, 2013 at 11:21 am

    Happy New Year! It’s been a joy treading on this financial journey along with you guys!

  • Reply Rob December 30, 2013 at 11:36 am

    And a very Happy New Year from me too, guys. It’s really been great reading about your day to day living. Reminds me of our own lives back when we were your ages. Not to mention that we think so much in similar ways. So thanks for allowing me to share my 2 cents worth of opinion with you and for taking the time to reply to all my comments here. Looking forward to a new year of blog banter with you both. Now all you need to do is to teach Baby Girl how to type so we can read her blogging thoughts along with yours! 🙂

  • Reply Jennifer @ Budgeting in Baby December 30, 2013 at 11:53 am

    Happy new years to OFB!

  • Reply Emily @ evolvingPF December 30, 2013 at 1:22 pm

    It’s hard to imagine a bigger year than one that includes having a baby, changing jobs, and moving states! I’m looking forward to your posts in the next year!

  • Reply Kirby @ TheSimpleMoneyBlog.com December 30, 2013 at 7:43 pm

    What a year it’s been! We just had a quick post that was quite similar. Amazing how much can happen in a year, and hats off to you two for such a successful, change-packed year. Looking forward to reading more from you two, and wishing you a successful 2014!

  • Leave a Reply to Rob Cancel Reply