Only Post Positively About 2009

[testifyoncruises]

Who here had 2009 end up better than you started?

My stocks were up incredibly meaning through my continued investments I have far more return had I just pulled everything out.

My sales were up above target and ahead of schedule.

No new debt was incurred.

Our emergency fund grew to over 18 months.

We were able to give to our chosen charity more than triple than years past.

Let's hear it from other people who had a great 2009!

 

[just4today]

Congratulations! You win

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Congratulations! You win

Um, I had a job all through the year so that was good and I was able to be healthy and see the turn of another year. Oh, and my Dad survived a heart attack last Summer (and watching him go through it made me appreciate him and life more). I have a little less debt than 2008. And I got to go to WDW

 

[apirateslifeforme]

My year definitely ended much better than it started! On January 15, my family lost my 32-year-old cousin to liver failure, and on February 20, I lost my job. However...I returned to school, which I've wanted to do for a LONG time - my second and final semester starts in 2 weeks - and I fell completely in love with my DBF. We actually met around Thanksgiving 2008, but we took it slow and got serious in March or so. We are very much in love and talking about marriage and babies...

Oh, and I also have almost paid off my ex-husband's debt! My bill in September 2008 was about $5k...I now owe less than $400! So 2009 was actually VERY good to me!

 

[NYPDwife]

I'll try to make this as positive as possible seeing that you want to brag about how MARVELOUS your year was:

I got laid off this year. While it helped me spend the summer with my children, I got the benefit of collecting next to nothing on unemployment. Some people weren't so lucky, they didn't get unemployemtn.

My poor husband had to bust his butt trying to pick-up overtime so that he could cover what I make, all while dealing with the idiots who work over at 1 Police Plaza who always seem to make that impossible for the hard working cops. Also, NYC seems fit to keep trying to take the benefits away from the NYPD, so that's fun.

I could go on, but I don't want to be negative.

I'm happy that you had a great year, but posting it on the CB in the manner that you did, is like a slap in the face to people like me.

I sincerely hope you have continued success in 2010.

 

[testifyoncruises]

You only hear on the news about how horrible things were and are. It is not bragging to tell people how horrible things were and are and it is not to also show that there are places that are not horrible. There are plenty of threads on here so what is wrong with a great dose of positivity!

I mean seriously looking at the stock statements showing the beginning of 2009 versus the end, it is reason enough to celebrate.

 

[Arielle22]

2009 started with a bang when my nephew was born at 28 weeks. However he avoided the worst things that can happen to a premie and is home growing and surrounded by a loving family (although he has a feeding tube).

It ended with a bang when my great niece was born with a severe heart defect that required open heart surgery at 1 week old. She came through with flying colors and while she may need 1 more surgery when she is older; right now she is thriving.

In between we went for a 10 day visit to Disney (and got to stay at the Yacht Club ).

Dh and I both still have our jobs (I even got a raise) and our debts are being paid on time.

All in all, a good year for us.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

My 2009 ended so much better than it started because...

Jan. 29 as everyone on the boards read and knows I had cancer surgery, almost died, had 7 blood tranfusions, 15 minutes to live and had a total of 7 surgeries and it ended by...

Praise God, me being in remisssion!! and Dh and I spent Dec. 9-16th at the Yacht Club with free dining!! He didnt even mind pushing me in the wheelchair most of the time.

And my dh is going to work in a different dept. for a boss who actually cares about how I am and wont care if he has to take me for a test, drs. visit etc.

I am alive and God is good.I am so blessed and 109 people gave blood at dh work blood drive last month because of my story so that was great too.

 

[cglaura]

I did not see the op as a slap in anyone's face rather a celebration of good things are possible.

I think while we should have sympathy for those that had a rough time, one should absolutely not feel guilty about celebrating a good year.

I am not going to feel bad about myself because I am doing ok. Period.

My good year:

My mom was diagnosed with heart failure in 1999. She was "given" 5 years to live. She successfully had her 3rd heart surgery this fall and is doing fantastic.

The stomach problems dd was having turned out to not need medical treatment, it was due to stress she was having w/ absent dad (which she bottled up). That is under control and she hasn't been sick in about 7 months.

I continue to work at my main job, self employed web maintenance. However, for extra work I've been lucky to find odd jobs here or there. For instance, the last snow storm I went and knocked on every door I could...with the help of dd we made $950 in two and 1/2 days. So, I guess I'm lucky it snowed in 2009

Sad, but good: We had to put our 15 year old shepherd lab to rest (though that actually was this year). Good because he was in alot of pain and now he is romping happy somewhere. This was taken on the way to the vet, I think someone was guiding his way home

My thoughts go out to those who had a rough year that 2010 turns around for you.

 

[wdwfan16]

LVM, I was not around when you had your cancer problems. I am glad you are doing great!



-----------------------

Lets see:

My toenail grew back. It fell off earlier this year.

My botch eyebrow waxing is finally growing in. Took for ever!!!

I sold all of my stocks in March and bought them back in November.

We are now under 3 years to 2/21/12.

Got a bread maker for Christmas. Never had one before.

Still employed.

My three friends' DH's companies all waited until 2010 to lay them off.

Oh and I almost forgot - DS.

 

[Darsa]

Yeah, 2009 didn't start out so great for us; my DH lost his job and they initially denied his unemployment claim. But it did get better; he appealed and won (I knew he would, they're idiots and made that clear in the appeal meeting); he found a new job working from home doing what his degree will be in when he graduates this spring. It also was able to double as his internship required for graduation, and when he DOES graduate they'll be moving him to full-time status and making a lot more money. He also made the Dean's List last year with a GPA of 3.86; we were all so proud of him for that, since he had always struggled in school.

I also don't really see anything wrong in someone wanting to "look on the bright side" of 2009; there certainly wasn't much to look on last year, so the little that WAS good for people is good to hear about. My stocks took a nosedive; it's nice to know that not everyone had that problem!

 

[terri01p]

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We started 2009 with DH recovering from 28 days in the hospital which included 3 major surgeries, blood clots in his lungs, blood transfusion and more. It was a safe bet even from the start that we'd end 2009 better off than when we started 2009. Here's hoping we end 2010 even better!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Got a bread maker for Christmas. Never had one before.

Sometimes it's the little things that really make us happy!

 

[bettymae1121]

Huh. Well, it wasn't a supper happy fun-tas-tic year, but it could have been a lot worse. DH and I are both in industries that by rights, one of us if not both should be jobless, yet we are both employeed with no pay cuts or benifits reduction, and things look good for '10 as far as we can tell. So that puts us ahead of many. We're lucky, and we know it! My 401k is way way up from where it was just before the crash, glad I stayed the course and didn't change anything. My co-worker pulled out and hardly made anything back yet, according to her.

It wasn't all sweetness and light, I had medical issues that I had to pay a large amount out of pocket for because my HR department made a mistake, DH's truck died and we can't fix it until the weather is warm enough for him to fix it (truck won't fit in our garage, and a mechanic quoted $5500 to fix it for us. Thanks, we'll spend $200 for parts and do it ourselves...).

But on balance we did pretty well all things considered, and we have much to be thankful for. I hope we all have a much better 2010.

 

[testifyoncruises]

We followed Dave Ramsey's plan years ago and lived like no one else so we could live like no one else. We have no mortgage and if both our job's ended tomorrow, we could live for 18 months on our current monthly expenses. This is separate from having an emergency fund for a new "used" car if needed or a new furnace, roof etc.

I just got so excited seeing my year end returns and how the news just blasts away at the negative news they fail to mention how much the stock market alone has returned in a year's time. And for those of us with Roth's and IRAs and other funds, the value of so many of them are worth so much more today they they were at the beginning of 2009.

I have many friends who have started businesses in 2009 and though they are showing a paper loss they are just as far ahead as I am in terms of their plan. And paper losses are a good thing especially come tax time.

 

[C.Ann]

I guess I don't see this thread as "bragging" either - just a nice way to post about the positive things in life as opposed to the negative..

2009 started off pretty bad for me.. No need to go into details, but I can say that 2009 "ended" on a very positive note.. Nothing fell into my lap - I had to work very hard to have the past year end as well as it did - and I'm very proud of what I have accomplished..

I'm happy - healthy - enjoying several activities - made several new friends - looking forward to my return to the lake - and feeling extremely optimistic about 2010..

And the real "kicker"?? None of it has anything to do with money.. I guess that old saying is true: "Money can't buy happiness.."

 

[MAH4546]

Congratulations! You win

Not so fast.

My 20,000 shares in Ford stock I bought at $1.70 outperformed all of tesitfy's stocks combined. Oh, and I have enough money in an emergency fund for a new "new" car. Thinking about a new 7-Series. Who buys used these days anyway?

I win. It's not bragging, after all, I'm just showing people how horrible things aren't.

Somebody top me...

 

[diznygirl]

Not so fast.

My 20,000 shares in Ford stock I bought at $1.70 outperformed all of tesitfy's stocks combined. Oh, and I have enough money in an emergency fund for a new "new" car. Thinking about a new 7-Series. Who buys used these days anyway?

I win. It's not bragging, after all, I'm just showing people how horrible things aren't.

Somebody top me...

My pyramid scheme hasn't been discovered yet, so I've made a ton of $$ and I'm not in jail! I can afford a new "new" car and a yacht, as well as a new "new" place in Cabo.

Watch out 2010!

 

[wdwfan16]

I won the power ball to the tune of $50 million after taxes. I bought enough DVC points to rent a grand villa for the entire year every year at BLT. I am now posting from that grand villa as I look out at the MK.