I’m pretty sure perplexicity isn’t a word, but I’m declaring it one today. Perplexity is a word, but I feel like I need the extra, made up syllable in there, to fully express my confused wonderment.

Financially, I’m solidly in the state of perplexicity.

This isn’t a bad thing. It might look like a bad thing, but it’s not.

You see, it’s been about 6 years since I started making some good financial choices – namely opening an IRA.

It’s been about 3 years since I started blogging.

It’s been a little over 2 years since I paid off all my student loans.

I’ve been the little engine that could, just chugging along, trying to meet all my goals without running into a bridge or derailing or running over any furry woodland creatures that stray onto my tracks.

I set goals that seem kind of tiny to me each year, but as you all know, I don’t make a whole heck of a lot, so they are real goals, even sometimes stretch goals, for me.

Sometimes I get derailed by Whole Foods deliciousness or a new ModCloth dress or a near spur of the moment trip to Hawaii, but for the most part I chug along.

The point of perplexicity is when you finally start to notice things are actually working.

For me, it doesn’t make me want to get up and dance, it makes me tilt my head and view my bank accounts all squinty eyed, thinking there’s probably just a giant math error happening in my favor.

But I’ve checked. There’s no math error. There’s just me prioritizing maxing out my IRA each year, trying to buy some more stock, planning ahead to fund big future purchases like a new car and a house down payment.

Sometimes I’ve stared down my bank account wondering how on earth I’m going to make that amount last until my next regular paychecks start coming in.

Sometimes I’ve hustled my behind off trying to build my blog and pick up freelance writing clients because I knew I wouldn’t reach some of those goals otherwise.

The point is that the constant forward motion, constantly trying to get something done, has actually gotten something done.

My emergency savings fund is just a few hundred dollars short of being funded to my second goal level.

My net worth is on it’s way to surpassing the goal number I had in my head for 2016.

I’m actually likely to have extra money in my bank account come December 31, 2016.

The point of perplexicity is when you’re used to struggling for everything and realize that you’ve finally built up enough of a safety net underneath you. You stop feeling like you’re trying to go up a hill and instead you’re just strolling along the top – the results are the same, you’re still moving forward, it’s just so much easier.

Easy makes me suspicious, but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts. And maybe secretly cross my fingers that now that I’ve made it up the hill, I get to stroll along for a nice long time before coasting down it into retirement.

Hey, a girl can dream right?

But for now, I’m going to keep squinty-eyed checking my net worth calculations and reveling in the slightly pleasant sensation of perplexicity.