I recently figured out what this dragging feeling I have about my personal finances lately is – it’s an in-between time.

I mean, I titled this blog brokeGIRLrich, because I think I hoped life would go something like broke POOF rich.

Instead, my net worth is a little more like:

There is no POOF in the transition from broke to rich (unless you actually win the PowerBall). It’s an incredibly tedious marathon. And I think I’m just in another in-between time.

The first in-between time was when I finished paying off my loans. I’d gone pretty hard with that repayment schedule and hustled like crazy along the way to pay that sucker off in two and a half years.

The feeling afterwards was a very definite “what now?”

Saving and investing felt a lot less urgent and I didn’t feel the same pull to kick butt at it like I did with destroying my debt. So for a little while, I lived in the in-between.

In reality, I was just catching my breath. Enjoying the occasional Seamless or impulse nail polish buy. And doing some research on what to do next.

The thing is, research takes some time. And also, sometimes, you really do need to catch your breath between life stages.

It feels funny to me now to look back on how I felt immediately post-debt repayment because eventually, the in-between feeling faded.

I set some savings and investing goals and started trying to reach them with the same vigor I attacked the debt. When I would make more, I would stretch those goals. I started getting excited when I would check on some of my savings goal balances or when I’d do the stocks line on my net worth updates.

After a few years of adjusting and playing with numbers, I’m really content with all my savings and investing goals. And for the first year ever, I’m not down to the wire, dumping in a deposit from my last December paycheck to meet them.

A friend of mine pointed out that a lot of my articles lately are kind of like “isn’t it nice to not be broke,” (answer: heck yes) but I also find myself in the in-between again, lacking some motivation and not sure what the next step is when you reach this point.

I crunched some numbers recently and if I kept my savings on the current track they’re on, I could retire in 10 years.

The question is, do I want to? Do I want to retire at 44? Do I even want to do this career for 10 more years (answer: probably not)? And if not, is that worth a couple extra years in the work force (answer: sure)?

It looks like it’s time for some more research.

I gotta say though, it’s nice to recognize that this same feeling has happened once before and I know I can come out the other side swinging.

In the meantime: