First 100K – July Update: A Slow Burn Summer
£16,889 and Still Climbing to My First 100K
Some months feel like you blinked and managed to do everything and nothing all at once. That was July.
There were BBQs, birthdays, joint baby parties, and a family-wide mystery illness we passed to each other like some perverse team-building exercise. The kind of month where you wonder how time even moved forward — and then, suddenly, it’s payday again.
Somewhere in that chaos, I checked my investment account and blinked. It had quietly grown.
No heroic effort. No sudden windfall. Just… time doing its job.
I’m now sitting at £16,889.
That’s an increase of £897 from where I started in July — £15,992.
Only £230 of that came from new investments. The rest — a lovely £667 — was just the market doing its quiet little shuffle in the background.
It’s the first time in a while that my account’s gone green again. That subtle shift from “down” to “up.”
A small reminder that momentum doesn’t always feel like motion. But it’s still motion.
The Numbers Bit (But Make It Human)
A Quiet Win: Growth in the Background
There’s something comforting about seeing growth without needing to perform for it. I didn’t optimise anything. I didn’t try harder. I just… kept going.
That’s the win this month: not the number, but the consistency.
Not the £667 of market gains, but the fact that I didn’t panic or fiddle or second-guess.
I showed up. Put in what I could.
And when I checked in, my investments had quietly done their thing.
It felt like being on a train that’s finally pulling out of a station. No rush. Just movement again.
What I Did Well This Month
Consistency, Even in Chaos
I accidentally set my guilt-free spending to £300 instead of £600 this month. A full budgeting error.
The weird part? I didn’t even notice at first. And I didn’t overspend.
That’s the quiet shift I’m starting to see — a kind of trust in myself I didn’t used to have.
Old me would’ve panicked, over-corrected, or punished myself with a spreadsheet.
Current me just thought, huh, that worked out, and moved on.
Even with birthdays, busyness, and budget confusion, I stayed consistent. That feels more important than hitting the “right” number.
Notable Spending: Clothes, Cleaners, and the Rice Renaissance
- Bought replacement clothes — some new T-shirts and shorts. Not exciting, but necessary. I’m finally accepting that holes mean it’s time to replace, not to keep layering cardigans.
- Bought a microwave rice cooker, which feels ridiculous to type, but has brought me more joy than most online purchases. Paired with frozen veg and soy sauce? That’s a full meal in under five minutes.
- Cleaner came twice, and honestly, I wish it had been four times. Walking into a clean home I didn’t personally scrub is what I imagine wealth must feel like.
- Shared joy that didn’t break the bank:
- A proper pub burger on a sunny day
- A brownie and coffee moment with my partner
- My toddler sticking out their tongue and asking for “pudding,” then being thrilled with a banana. (Banana = pudding = happiness. Toddler logic for the win.)
These things didn’t derail the budget. They grounded me. They made the month feel soft around the edges.
What I Could’ve Done Differently
Tesco Meal Deals: Meh
I used to think they were a hack — quick, cheap, done.
This month? Just sad bread and limp lettuce.
It reminded me that “cheap” isn’t always “good value.” And that lunch, even solo at my desk, deserves better than mediocrity.
One Peaceful “No”
I walked away from a full online shopping cart. I don’t even remember what was in it — just one of those mindless scroll-add-scroll sessions. And I didn’t buy a thing.
There was no struggle. No dopamine spike. Just a quiet little nah.
It felt weirdly grown-up.
Spending That Actually Made Life Better
We took a cab to an NCT birthday party instead of braving the heat and the bus with a wiggly toddler. Was it the frugal option? No. Did it make the entire day feel more manageable? Absolutely.
I’ve stopped seeing these decisions as failures and started seeing them as care.
Sometimes money doesn’t need to be maximised — it needs to be kind.
Tiny Wins I’m Celebrating On My Way To The First 100K
Every £1,000 milestone feels like a tiny flag in the ground. This month, I hit £17K (okay, £16,889 — but close enough to feel smug).
Each one of these mini-milestones feels sweeter than I expected.
They’re not just progress markers — they’re little nudges of proof that the slow burn works.
I’ve already decided that if I hit £20K by Christmas, I’m buying myself a Christmas pub lunch. Not champagne. Just roast potatoes, something gravy-drenched, and a quiet toast to compound interest.
Gentle Questions for the Road:
This month wasn’t about dramatic leaps.
It was about quiet consistency, happy accidents, and learning to trust slow progress.
I didn’t do anything heroic.
I invested £230, microwaved some rice, and walked away from a shopping cart.
And somehow — that was enough.
I’m still moving toward that first £100K.
Not rushing. Not obsessing.
Just showing up, month by month, and letting the small things compound.
And now, over to you:
- What’s one small way you’ve made life easier for your future self lately?
- What’s something you spent on this month that actually felt worth it?
- Is there a number that makes you feel calm — even if it’s small?