• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Our YouTube Channel
  • Mile High FI Podcast
  • About Me
  • I ♥ Longmont
    • Cowork In Longmont
    • Live In Longmont
  • Stuff We Like
    • Tesla In Ten Years
  • Best Credit Card Offers
  • Contact
    • Media
    • Guest Post

1500 Days to Freedom

Think different and escape the rat race.

1500 Days to Freedom
  • My Investments! (REAL TIME!)
  • Bucket List
    • Anti Bucket List
  • All Posts
  • Best Posts
  • Guest Post Policy
  • 10 Questions
  • Tesla In Ten Years

2017 Review: ShamWows, Numbers, Dinosaurs, Pictures, Angry Wife!

January 2, 2018 by Mr. 1500 Days 44 Comments

I know what you’re thinking:

Right?

Wait, give me a minute! I put my version together in an easy, short format! It’s just a bunch of numbers, pictures and ShamWows!

Fun!

Order now and I’ll throw in 5 Bonus ShamWows at no additional cost! And if you don’t like the post, I’ll give you a full refund and you get to keep the bonus ShamWows!

Not really.

What the hell is a ShamWow anyway? Oh my, I googled the term. Whatever you do, don’t look at Urban Dictionary’s definitions. Of course, I linked to it because I want you to look at it. You always learn something new over on the good old UB. I use learn in very loose terms here…

Now I’m distracted. You will be too if you just clicked on that link. I’m sorry. Ugggh…

And wow (or should I say ShamWow), this post has really taken a turn for the worst. I’m soaring to new depths of stupidity. Hey, at least this isn’t a typical year-in-review write-up where I toot my horn about blog traffic, my favorite post, blog income or all of the amazing accomplishments of my children. Hell, if the younger one remembers to change her underwear daily, I put a big X in the win column. Set the bar low and you have nowhere to go but up. Or should I say butt.

Have I hit rock bottom yet? I think so.

You realize that the time you’ve spent reading this drivel are precious. You’ll never get it back. You’re also not getting even one ShamWow out of the deal.

It’s OK to click away and never return. If you think that I’ve really wronged you, leave a nasty comment. I’ll cry a little, but don’t worry about me. I’ll be OK. Probably…

 

Random Stats

Now that you’ve made it through the worst introduction in blog history, let’s get on with the show! It only gets better from here!

Without any more nonsense (until the next section), I give you my 2017 in numbers, pictures and an angry wife!

Money!

This blog is supposed to be about financial independence and you can’t have that without money, so here are the juicy stats:

Portfolio on 1/1/2017:

$1,257,128

Portfolio on 12/31/2017:

$1,527,701

Net worth on 1/1/2017:

$1,627,128

Net worth on 12/31/2017:

$1,992,701

If you told me 20 years ago that one day I’d be worth $1,992,701:

Amount we made from private lending and syndication deals:

$23,115

Number of mobile-home parks we bought this year:

1

Cost to live in our current home:

$1,200 per month

Cost to live in a mobile-home park:

Almost nothing!

Mrs. 1500’s reaction when I suggested that we sell our home and move to the mobile-home park:

Fitness

Weight on 1/1/2017:

171

Weight on 12/31/2017:

157

5k time at the beginning of the year:

34 minutes

5k time at the end of the year:

28 minutes

Estimated weight and 5k time if I had more willpower:

148 and 24 minutes

My body:

Estimated body if I had 50% less beer and 50% more motivation:

 

Travel!

New states visited:

6: New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Vermont

New countries visited:

3: Ireland, Scotland, England

Amount of money we spent on hotels and flights:

Less than $100. Thanks credit card points!

Number of hours we slept in a really dirty McDonald’s booth at an airport because we had been awake for 2 days straight because of airline debacles:

6

Dinosaurs!

Dinosaur appearances on 1500 Days:

2,372

Number of formal complaints 1500 Days has received from the DAG (Dinosaur Actors Guild):

27

 

Who Could Forget Our Annual Thermostat Wars?

Average temperature in our home for the month of December:

84

Number of times Mrs. 1500 and I have sniped at each other over the thermostat:

432

Number of times I mentioned the Frugalwoods or Our Next Life who keep their homes at saner temps:

392

Number of times Mrs. 1500 has cared what the Frugalwoods or Our Next Life keep their thermostat set at:

0

What Mrs. 1500 looks like after she realized I’ve turned the thermostat down to a reasonable temperature:

Number of minutes Mrs. 1500 is going to yell at me because I posted that picture again:

14

Random

Number of gangsta rap songs Mrs. 1500 performed on a podcast:

1 (sorry Mad Fientist)

Number of times the Mad Fientist is going to allow us on his podcast again:

0

Number of times a celebrity trolled me:

1

Number of times that I’ve used crappy memes because I lack creativity and can’t come up with anything better:

 

I hope your 2018 kicks ass! Thank you for sticking around to read my silly words!

Join the 10s who have signed up already!

Subscribing will improve your life in incredible ways*.

*Only if your life is pretty bad to begin with.

Thank you!! Please check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Filed Under: Something Completely Different Tagged With: 2017, memes, shamwow

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mrs. Picky Pincher says

    January 2, 2018 at 5:14 am

    Sounds like 2017 wasn’t too shabby at all! Bravo for your health and fitness goals. 🙂 I’ve been getting back on the workout train and, although I hate working out, I do like the side effect, which is weight management. Oh, cruel cupcakes, you tempt me so!
    Mrs. Picky Pincher recently posted…What A Frugal Christmas Week! December 29My Profile

    Reply
  2. Accidental FIRE says

    January 2, 2018 at 5:29 am

    Ha, ShamWow only needs to be explained to a group of frugal cable-cutters who never watch TV. Adept readers will recognize that Scotland is actually not an independent country, but knowing your blog gets massive page views if we keep saying that we might start a war.

    Great year man. Get that net worth back over the 2-mil mark and keep it there!
    Accidental FIRE recently posted…2017 Summary, Proud And GratefulMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 2, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      Doh regarding Scotland! Or maybe I’m just trying to pump up my numbers! Or maybe I was drinking when I wrote it!

      Reply
      • kilt says

        January 3, 2018 at 9:04 pm

        > Scotland is actually not an independent country

        One day, one day…

        Reply
  3. Tanja @ Our Next Life says

    January 2, 2018 at 5:43 am

    Glad to play some continuing role in your ongoing thermostat feud. 😉 Hahahahaaha. Hope you guys had a wonderful new year! It was soooo awesome hanging out with you guys last week — thanks again for being an awesome human.

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 2, 2018 at 6:39 pm

      It was great hanging out with you too! I hope our paths cross many times in the new year.

      Reply
  4. Mike @ Balanced Dividends says

    January 2, 2018 at 5:57 am

    “Mrs. 1500’s reaction when I suggested that we sell our home and move to the mobile-home park”…

    Ha, your next image was great.

    Congrats also on your 1-Jan to 31-Dec-2017 net worth increase – 58.5% increase is incredible.

    Also, it’s nice to see you have a list of balanced goals beyond personal finance. Good luck in 2018!
    Mike @ Balanced Dividends recently posted…Passive Income & Portfolio – December 2017 UpdateMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 2, 2018 at 6:39 pm

      Good luck to you too Mike!

      Reply
  5. Jason@WinningPersonalFinance says

    January 2, 2018 at 6:13 am

    That was the most entertaining round up yet. Mrs. 1500’s rap was great by the way, no need to apologize for it. Congrats on a huge 2017.

    Reply
  6. FullTimeFinance says

    January 2, 2018 at 6:21 am

    Congrats on the progress. As for the rest of this post, I’m left looking for the number of beers drank while writing this post entry.?

    Reply
  7. Budget On a Stick says

    January 2, 2018 at 7:34 am

    ROFL that was probably the most entertaining 2017 recap post yet. Thank you!

    ps Sorry if I added to the thermostat arguments the other day!
    Budget On a Stick recently posted…2017 Q4 Net Worth UpdateMy Profile

    Reply
  8. Physician on FIRE says

    January 2, 2018 at 8:27 am

    Happy New Year, Mr. & Mrs. 1500 and family (and dinosaurs)!

    I look forward to seeing you guys in a few days down at CampFI Southeast. I’ll bring the Shamwows.

    Cheers!
    -PoF

    Reply
  9. Team CF says

    January 2, 2018 at 8:27 am

    Best yearly review ever! Your drawings skills are really improving over the years 😉
    Best wishes for 2018 and good luck with the running preps.

    Reply
  10. Wade says

    January 2, 2018 at 8:43 am

    Happy New Year Mr. and Mrs. 1500.

    Cheers to a 2018 full of cash money and laughter!

    Reply
  11. DocG says

    January 2, 2018 at 10:09 am

    Wow. What a great year. Congrats on the numbers and look forward to your posts in 2018! Maybe more gangsta rap?

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 2, 2018 at 8:38 pm

      I’m thinking we’ll branch out into Death Metal or Emo Screamo for 2018…

      Reply
  12. Tawcan says

    January 2, 2018 at 11:27 am

    Some nice looking numbers…and you’re totally bringing sexy back (ha!).

    Reply
  13. Jason says

    January 2, 2018 at 11:47 am

    Certainly, the financial goals are the best, but I think getting your weight down is the most impressive now if I could only copy that (after I just ate falafel for lunch). Oh well, I can live vicariously through you.
    Jason recently posted…Small Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2018My Profile

    Reply
  14. The Graying Saver says

    January 2, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    Does 50% less beer really give you more hair on the pecs? ‘Cause that’s the last thing I need. All the more reason for me to keep beer consumption steady as she goes.
    The Graying Saver recently posted…Getting a Head Start on GratitudeMy Profile

    Reply
  15. The Friendly Russian says

    January 2, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    The year of 2017 was so good, according to the numbers anyway. Hope the next year will be even better, and yes, I feel your pain about the temperature at the house.

    P.S.
    In my ideal world, a temperature would be around 65F
    The Friendly Russian recently posted…December 2017 Net Worth UpdateMy Profile

    Reply
  16. Greenbacks Magnet says

    January 2, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    Happy New Year!

    Yes, hope everyone has a great 2018! Keeping track of your finances would be a great way to start the new year.

    Thanks,
    GBM

    Reply
  17. Mrs. BITA says

    January 2, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    A very Happy New Year to you and yours! May your 2018 be so awesome that your 2017 wants to run off into a corner and die of shame for being so shoddy.
    Mrs. BITA recently posted…Stats and GratitudeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 2, 2018 at 8:36 pm

      Happy New Year to you as well Mrs. BITA!!! And it was fun meeting you in 2017! Hopefully our paths cross again in 2018!

      Reply
  18. Mr. Fired & Free says

    January 2, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    Congrats on the outstanding year Carl.

    Just curious – will you (or maybe you have and I missed it) be writing about your experience with PeerStreet? I’m an investor there and was interested in hearing how the platform compares to your experience with private lending.

    Here’s to making 2018 a good one!

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 2, 2018 at 8:39 pm

      I signed up for PeerStreet, but didn’t put any money into it. The main reason is that I’ve had better opportunities with private lending. I would like to give PeerStreet a go soon though.

      Reply
  19. JC says

    January 2, 2018 at 2:45 pm

    I think you should try just getting a tan first before going the drastic 50% less beer route. Awesome stuff and entertaining as always.
    JC recently posted…Setting Records | Dividend Update – December 2017My Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 2, 2018 at 8:40 pm

      A tan!?? Nah, I like blinding fellow humans when I take my shirt off!

      Reply
  20. Financial Velociraptor says

    January 2, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    Nicely done on the weight loss! I notched 2.6 pounds of weight loss. That’s terrible. It was about 7 pounds more but I really let myself go with the holiday eating. I’m off to a good 2018 start though.
    Financial Velociraptor recently posted…Sold puts Grub Hub (GRUB)My Profile

    Reply
  21. C Lee says

    January 2, 2018 at 11:23 pm

    Happy New Year and Congrats on the 2017 results!

    Reply
  22. Lily | The Frugal Gene says

    January 3, 2018 at 12:19 am

    This is the best year in review post I think, thanks for the laughs!!! I still think buying mobile park was a good idea. It’s something I’m willing to look into when we’re worth $1.99 mil (ah heck just say $2 mil :p) too except my husband won’t be able to stop me.

    Reply
  23. Mr. Tako says

    January 3, 2018 at 12:29 am

    Haha! Hilarious 2017 wrap-up post Carl! May your 2018 be just as good!
    Mr. Tako recently posted…2017 Year-End Net Worth UpdateMy Profile

    Reply
  24. [HCF] says

    January 3, 2018 at 1:30 am

    This is the best wrap up post I have ever read… I was expecting more memes, but the drawings made a great compensation. Congrats on the results!


    [HCF] recently posted…Funny Friday – Best Of EditionMy Profile

    Reply
  25. Owen @ PlanEasy says

    January 3, 2018 at 5:39 am

    That sounds like an awesome year! So many milestones. Getting called out by a celebrity would be one of my highlights too. Sooooooo close to $2M net worth too.

    You should do a post about how long it took to get to the first $1M and then how long it took to get the second $1M.
    Owen @ PlanEasy recently posted…Attention Financial Voyeurs! See Our 2018 Family BudgetMy Profile

    Reply
  26. Joe says

    January 3, 2018 at 10:00 am

    Nice job in 2017. It sounds like a super busy year for you guys. That’s the best way to spend early retirement Good luck in 2018! Looking forward to reading more about the mobile home park.
    Joe recently posted…2017 Goals and Financial Wrap UpMy Profile

    Reply
  27. Meneer en Mevrouw says

    January 3, 2018 at 11:19 am

    Thanks for wasting my time! And a happy 2018 of course!

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 3, 2018 at 8:11 pm

      Ha ha, no problem! If you need to waste more time, there are like 500 other posts here!

      Reply
  28. Ten Factorial Rocks says

    January 4, 2018 at 4:10 am

    This is one the funniest 2017 recap’s ever! Enjoyed every bit of it! And congrats for ending the year with a healthy net worth. And I am moving to a place where I don’t have to worry about Winter Thermostat settings at all…:-) Have a great 2018!
    Ten Factorial Rocks recently posted…The Big DecisionMy Profile

    Reply
  29. FIbythecommonguy says

    January 4, 2018 at 6:14 pm

    Funny!! Great year end review. Hope your 2018 is just as good.
    FIbythecommonguy recently posted…December 2017: Net Worth Update #9My Profile

    Reply
  30. Caroline says

    January 5, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    Very entertaining! Thank you and Happy New Year.
    BTW, we have the same on-going saga at our house with the thermostat…but I have my ways:)
    Caroline recently posted…Income, Expenses And Goals Update – December 2017 (Part 1)My Profile

    Reply
  31. Mrs. LSF says

    January 7, 2018 at 11:25 am

    I am totally on board with keeping the house at a reasonable temperature! We keep ours at 62 when we’re home and 58 while we’re at work. I just rock the wool socks and multiple layer look to keep warm.

    Reply
  32. Helen says

    January 8, 2018 at 10:07 am

    This post is hilarious, so cool. Shamwows remind me of the lovely movie “Last Vegas” by the 4 guys, the commercial Paddy was watching.

    84 degrees for winter. Probably you folks don’t need much AC for summer. My house used to be 68 degrees in the winter. This year it was lowered to 65. I’m always the one feeling cold. It seems working all right this year so far.

    Reply
  33. Ms. Frugal Asian Finance says

    January 8, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    Haha this is awesome! It must be the most fun yet comprehensive 2017 review I’ve seen so far. Creativity never disappoints!

    P.S. I think the drawing of Mrs. 1500 is cute 😀
    Ms. Frugal Asian Finance recently posted…5 Things We No Longer Do To Save MoneyMy Profile

    Reply
  34. Tabitha says

    January 17, 2018 at 7:41 am

    LOL, definitely the best 2017 in review I’ve read yet!

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      January 17, 2018 at 9:08 am

      Thank you!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on Instagram

Freedom!

My goal was to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 by February of 2017; 1500 days from the birth of this blog (January 1, 2013). And hey look, I’ve since retired!

Investments only (primary home excluded)
1/1/13 (The Start): $586,043
1/1/14 (1 Yr Later): $869,635
1/1/15 (2 Yrs Later): $987,351
1/1/16 (3 Yrs Later): $1,057,961
1/1/17 (4 Yrs Later): $1,257,128
1/1/18 (5 Yrs Later): $1,527,701
1/1/19 (6 Yrs Later): $1,549,440
1/1/20 (7 Yrs Later): $2,035,040*
1/1/21 (8 Yrs Later): $3,379,746**
1/1/22 (9 Yrs Later): $4,762,642
1/1/23 (10 Yrs Later): $3,112,821

2023: Investments only
1/1: $3,112,821
2/1: $3,582,368
3/1: $3,716,852
4/1: $3,861,599
5/1: $3,694,445
6/1: $4,089,141
7/1: $4,384,858
8/1: $4,539,865
9/1: $4,468,622
10/1: $4,353,063
11/1: $4,027,929

Gains: $915,108

Overall
Gains since 1/1/2013: $3,441,886
Net worth***: $4,257,929

* The big jump between 2019 and 2020 was partly because we bought another home, but kept the previous (much more expensive) one as a rental. We have since sold it.

** Tesla.

*** Includes our primary home equity in addition to our investment portfolio.

Finally, we still have about $290,000 in mortgage debt (which I love!). No regrets about the debts!

Featured in

Smiley face

Disclaimer

Investing is risky business. The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only. As with all matters financial, proceed with caution. Do your research and seek professional advice.

Get my annoying emails!

Join 1500 Days! (now 27% less annoying)

Subscribe to get great good pretty ok content by email.

Thanks so much! Check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

All Posts

Read all the posts ever published to 1500 Days of Freedom.

© 2023 1500 Days to Freedom · Privacy Policy · Contact