*UPDATE* No longer 24... Share Your Wisdom/Facepunches!

[eav]

Hi all!

Been browsing for a while, but just getting around to sharing my situation now. I don’t have a lot of exciting things going on numbers wise currently (that I believe), but I outlined a Hypothetical move budget as well. Overall, I’d like to hear your wisdom/facepunches/advice as I am approaching a life change and moving across the state to be with my serious boyfriend. I am in the job search now and am hopeful about making the same as I do now, a ~5k cut in pay is possible as COL is lower there.

Life Situation: Age: 24 (single, no dependents)
Gross Salary/Wages: $55,000  (Net pay is 1,539 2x a month)
Assets:
401k (invested in as low-cost options as possible 10% contribution 3% match; 90/10 AA) – 12,310
Taxable (100% S&P 500 index) – 3,952
Roth (100% S&P 500 index) – 3,910
Savings (Discover online) – 10,475
Emergency Savings –  3,500
Total Assets: 34,147

Notes:
-   Own a 2010 Corolla with 30k miles, but don’t classify it as an asset ~ 8,000
-   Once the move is over, I plan on maxing my Roth with any savings money I have over about 3-6 months of expenses

Liabilities:
Student Loan: 20,340 @ 3%, 5 year fixed, just refinanced through SoFi – love it!
*Happy to have paid off 20,000 in 1.5 years on this but I have been making just the standard payment for the past 5 months to save up extra cash for the move. Once I’m settled I could go back to paying as much as possible monthly or let it ride until I feel comfortable paying it off in full at some point.

Current Expenses:
Rent – 300 (live with Mom)
Student Loan - 390
Groceries – 200
Gas – 45
Auto Ins – 111
Restaurants – 120 (~30/4 x a month)
Starbucks -  35 (I know, it’s a luxury! 2.92/ 12 x a month)
Gifts/Random Shopping - 100
Travel to Boyfriend – 70

Hypothetical Move Expenses – AKA punch me in the face since I’m daydreaming and also don’t know what the real-world costs
Rent (1200 a month total for nice 1br apartment with parking in town so we can walk places) – 600
Renters Ins - 10
Utilities   - 100
Student Loan - 390
Cable/Internet - 50
Phone - 60
Groceries - 200
Gas – 80 (anticipating this being higher than now with not working from home 2x a week)
auto ins    - 111
Gym?   30
Eating Out- 200
Gifts/Random Shopping – 100

Other financial Goals on the horizon:
1. Traditional wedding ceremony/reception in about 5 years – will not be paid for by family and will be larger than I’d like. I’d prefer a small beach wedding followed by a month-long honeymoon if I’m going to spend 30k :)

2. Real Estate investing – Outside of a personal residence which I consider an expense vs. an investment I’d like to have a multi-family unit and maybe some college housing to manage and possibly become my full-time gig once I have kids so that I can take a few years off/possibly retire from desk work. This type of work does suit my personality. Goal here would be to buy in about 4-6 years.

3. Become FI in my 40’s!

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts!

[CrispKale]

Not at all saying your relationship won't last living together or marriage but these days you have a 50/50 statistic where money is the #1 partnership fight and so its better to have a solid individual cushion so as to not find yourself living paycheck to paycheck starting all over in your 30's.

I'm sure you've calculated the below figures out on your own in the decision making but just to be sure:
From what I see current expenses come to 1371.00, new expenses will be ~1931.00 a 560.00 a month increase while at the same time taking a hypothetical 10% pay cut. After the move as expenses have increased and pay has decreased you will only have about 1/2 of your current play money to divide between a RE Fund, the wedding, student loan prepayment, accruing a sufficient emergency fund, and contributing to your Roth. Below you can contrast the time decay of waiting and saving or moving now. I'm assuming in this you accumulate your EFund first as if something happened to your partner after paying the full rent on your own you would only have 1-200.00 to last the month in which you'd have to ditch all other savings for future. If you happen to not like the place or living situation you do not want to find yourself unable to have choices.

                                                              Delaying Move:               Taking Move:
1. Fill 6 month E Fund bucket:                   4.73 months                    9.64 months
2. Pay off SLoans:                                     9.73 months                    17.09 months
3. Wedding Fund:                @15,000       7.15 months                    12.21 months
                                            @30,000      14.30 months                    24.41 months

Fully paying off these expenses while taking the move would put you about 3-4 years out from now( + if adding in Roth savings also) where you'd then be debt free and able to funnel all your savings towards an RE Property. As I don't have any information about the RE market where your looking as far as rent availability, prospects, ratio's, etc I'll leave that out of my answer.

Not the most fun or impulsive opinion I know but I like to play it safe and If it were me I'd not move until the SLoans were fully paid off and the EFund was fully funded (about 1 year), then move and decide in that new living experience if it is right for myself, potential future family, and the partnership to save for a wedding or RE property or both.

What ever path you decide best wishes and Good Luck!!

[swashbucklinstache]

very small note that your car insurance may change in a new location and you get a few free quotes to check this now. nothing that I'd let change my decision or anything but one more piece of available data. Also if you can swing it pay it 6months at a time if you get a discount.

[Loretta]

I’m sure the boyfriend is a lovely dude and you’ll be together forever, but when you do move in together keep a little cash in reserve just in case you need to move out unexpectedly.  #girlpower #femalefinancialindependence

[eav]

Wow – thank you all for the responses!

On the boyfriend points I’m keeping my wits about me that anything could change on the drop of a dime, BUT he’s awesome and is also a natural saver. I think being on the same page financially is so important for a relationship, whether that be both savers or both spenders.

@ CrispKale
So cool you did that breakdown. I’m so prone to feeling like I’m doing okay and not really getting into the nitty gritty numbers. In an ideal world I would have my student loans paid off before the move but it has been two LONG years of distance and we are done with it. There’s a good chance I would get/create a side job to make an extra 500 bucks a month hopefully to throw at the loan and build up the down payment savings on a property.
Another thought I have is the fear of having too much cash in comparison to invested assets. I feel like being my age, it would be easy to weather possible job loss with minimal time between work if that happened. I see the amount of emergency fund I have as increasing with age where a lapse in work would be harder to manage as time goes on. Also, saving for so many things at once – 1-2 homes, wedding, car replacement, etc I feel like I would have way too much cash. I’m probably thinking about this wrong though.

@swashbucklinstache
Yes, I should look into this! I’m moving from the Philly burbs to Pittsburgh so maybe I could squeeze out a few bucks there.

@LorettaLynn
Totally agree on this! Also, until marriage I plan on keeping finances separate other than a joint account for bills possibly or just go Venmo route. Still wondering how to approach wedding saving when the time comes…take each other’s word for it or make an account. We’ll see!

[shelbyautumn]

Totally agree on this! Also, until marriage I plan on keeping finances separate other than a joint account for bills possibly or just go Venmo route. Still wondering how to approach wedding saving when the time comes…take each other’s word for it or make an account. We’ll see!

Personally, I would go the "take each other's word for it" route. Tons of people get married after only knowing each other for a year (or less) and when they get engaged come together and say "I have X amount that I can contribute to a wedding". You two can look at your finances together without actually sharing the account, too.

Good luck to you!

[CrispKale]

Good to hear about the side hustle that puts you in a better position as if at all possible you want to keep moving your incoming salary upwards or at least the same as to where you are currently if increasing expenses. As to worrying about too much cash, If your looking to be cash flow positive it will take some time currently -20k, and with wedding potentially -50k. Of course you can just concentrate on the minimum payments while saving for an RE property/wedding but the more obligations you carry the less wiggle room you'll have, as long as your comfortable and understand the risks sounds as if you'll do just fine.

[eav]

Yeah, I think I will stand for the "take each other's word for it" route once it becomes closer. No need to mingle finances before marriage. This could be a great pre-marital trust exercise lol

Overall, I do feel like I am trying to spread myself too thin with goals that all require lots of cash in the bank. I need to think about this in order of priorities which are ironically in the opposite order of what I originally posted as I thought of them:

1. Financial Independence – Throughout my life I want to stick to a constant positive trajectory in net worth at least hitting the milestones I set for myself. There will be expensive years, but I hope them to be overshadowed by the lucrative ones.
2. Real Estate Investing – Major goal and possible lifestyle improvement of managing this and not being chained to a desk. However, would not stretch too thin to achieve and put #1 in jeopardy or make a hasty bad decision.
3. “Average” Wedding – while the boyfriend pushes for a larger wedding I do feel that his own financial goals (primarily real estate/business ownership) will be put before a large wedding as well. 30k is a ton of money to spend on this even if each of our incomes doubled tomorrow.

I will be sure to update as well once employment/living expenses are figured out!

[kingsbaker]

Hi -
A few things...
You don't mention children in your future plans.  Is this a definite thing you and your partner have discussed and are on the same page? 
Facepunch alert.  It is YOUR wedding... you can do whatever you want.  Ride horses up the beach and recite your vows with only the moon as a witness. 
One thing about your money is you have to set boundaries for it.  If you don't want a large wedding and don't want to pay for one then don't have one. 
It is your life and your money own it. 
If your parents or your partner's parents want a big wedding, they can foot the bill. 
Also regarding student debt -punch it in the face for another year and knock it out. 

[eav]

Hi @kingsbaker!

Yes, I/we would like kids one day but can’t see having a bunch...maybe 2?

The wedding thing really does need to be discussed further to come to a compromise. I don’t want to take away his dream of having a big day to celebrate with friends and family, but at the same time my disdain for the giant money/time suck should be recognized and appeased! I’m not going to press the issue as we’re both just enjoying dating life, but when it comes up I’m going to make sure an agreement is reached where I'm not just conceding to what is expected. If we do it at a standard venue with ~100 guests I could cut costs in every way imaginable and feel good about it.

Regarding student debt...I really, really want to pay them off now and if I had another year at home they would be gone by then. However, with this move and current income/expense uncertainty I feel like I should be focusing on saving until those things are figured out. My mom did say she’s giving us a $1,000 gift for the move, but she wants to get us a “nice” mattress which will eat up most of that unfortunately. Mentioning it since things like that would give me a push to make a large lump sum payment before the move knowing some of the expense is being covered.

[MustacheAnxiety]

Thanks for clarifying on the wedding being DFH's dream.  I would agree a compromise is in order and you should be willing to pay for part of it.  Also good on you for not teasing him mercilessly for being a pretty, pretty princess that wants a fairytale wedding.

Wedding, etc.:

There are tons of great ways to have an alternative wedding, spend less, and still be surrounded by all the people that really love you.  If I were you my goal would be to spend 12K and consider and gifts a bonus but not expected or relied upon.  Don't sell it as an "average" wedding, sell it as better/special/exercise in creative thinking.  If it wasn't a "wedding" you should be able to throw the mother of all blowout extravaganzas for 12K.

A few alternative thoughts (basically anytime you can substitute something generally nice (like a restaurant or a park) for something wedding specific (a hall) you will get something better, more memorable, and a boatload cheaper.
1) Rent a house somewhere picturesque and have a wedding/backyard bbq/pizza party/catered party (just tell the caterer it is a grad party to avoid the massive upcharge), buy your own liquor and hire a bartender, consider an ipod/phone and see if you can borrow some pro-audio speakers
2) Have a small wedding with close Family/best friends and follow up nights out to celebrate with Friends and more distant relatives.  Cheaper plus you actually get to talk to the people who are celebrating your marriage. 
3) Have a destination wedding/honeymoon.  That way you can be open invite but only the people who really love you will show up.  Still pricey per person.
4) Do it up with a traditional wedding at a non-traditional venue (a public park? your favorite restaurant) - somewhere you can buy your own liquor and pay very little for the location

Also consider an alternative to a traditional engagement ring.  It fishtails nicely with your lobbying for a non-traditional wedding.  Sapphires and rubies (corrundum) are still super hard and great everyday stones plus you can get identical lab created ones for super cheap.  If you are set on a diamond, manmade ones (still identical little balls of carbon) have been coming down in price a lot and are a nice choice ethically http://d.neadiamonds.com/.  Is there an option to get an heirloom?  You could be super non-traditional and get an engagement couch or TV.

Mom's 1K:
Help turn your Mom's 1K into an awesome gift with a little leg work.  Costco sells perfectly nice mattresses all rolled up in little boxes (if you are into memory foam) for $300.  https://www.costco.com/Blackstone-12%22-Queen-Memory-Foam-Mattress.product.100417731.html

Pair that with a little craigslisting and you can get a quality mattress, solid wood bedroom set, and solid wood kitchen table and chairs for $1K.  And your mom should be super pleased at all the wonderful stuff she bought you.

Regarding a cash on hand emergency fund, I will be a dissenting voice as I don't think you need much of one.  Maybe a couple months expenses, 3 tops ~4K-6K.  I wouldn't say this is an age thing (other than you may have lower expenses while younger) more a mustachian/dual income thing.  If you are living on less than one paycheck, you can take a job loss without dipping into savings.  If you are investing a bunch of money and there is suddenly an emergency sale on real estate you can always pull out some of your investments.  You are hard-working and clever so if a car breaks down you can (a) fix it yourself, (b) get a new to you car for under 5K, (c) bike/carpool to work for a while ...

Budget:
I am giving you a facepunch for wanting an apartment with parking that lets you walk "places" but also gives you parking.  Kind of sounds like places = bars.

You also get a facepunch for listing cable, c'mahn, just get internet, and a high-def antenna, and one of netflix, amazon prime, whatever is cool now.  Ideally about $25 pp.

Lots of apartments come with free gyms.

You can do better than $60 a month for a phone - check out posts/threads on Google-fi, republic wireless, even T-mobile and Sprint should be cheaper.

Utilities - Try to get an apartment that comes with free gas and water (they tend to be better deals overall)

$200 seems like a lot for going out to eat.   MMM has a blog somewhere about pre-partying/eating so you can still go out and get something with friends but keep it cheap.

Overall, it really isn't a bad budget at all for a goal of FI in your 40s, especially if your salary grows along the way.  But in my experience, I really liked my work in my mid 20s and now in my mid 30s I am pretty over it.

[eav]

Hi @MustacheAnxiety! You’ve given me a lot to consider here!

Re: Weddings –

I LOVE the idea of renting out a home and having a large party there with catering, maybe a BBQ/smoker theme along with apps and a bartender. Sounds like a lot more fun to me than awkwardly dancing in a reception hall. On the other hand, a destination wedding would be ideal so that the guest list gets cut for us since many invitees wouldn’t be attending. I will definitely be suggesting these!

Re: Engagement Rings –

We’ve discussed this briefly and I drove home the point that whatever ring it is DO NOT FINANCE IT. Spend whatever you feel compelled to, but no monthly payments! Diamond is pretty much a non-negotiable for me, but price needs to be reasonable. I found a ring I LOVE for 2,900 USD which I would feel comfortable with. The only thing I have working against me is that his friends are buying 15k rings on credit and he may feel the need to spend more because of them. But I truly do not even want a ring that expensive, it's insanity.

Re: Mom’s 1k –

I will bring this up with her as it gets closer since I agree an $800 mattress and box spring set is a waste. I’ll frame it in a way so she sees how many things that could buy instead of basically just buying a boring mattress :)

Re: Cash on hand

Agree on this. I think keeping 4-6k in my bank savings account would cover any medical/car expenses (had both this month, unfortunately) or serve as a cushion for monthly expenses if needed. I feel like as long as I maintain that amount and keep growing assets otherwise, I shouldn’t find myself scrambling for funds.

Re: Budget…Drumroll

LOL all I want is to be able to walk to a park, a take-out place/restaurant and be able to walk to buy a coffee. $600 would be a hard maximum as we’ve been seeing places that would bring each person’s share to $450 or $500. Spoiler: the cheaper places we've seen would not cover utilities or have a gym, so that may be a wash between the two.

I am going to blame cable on the boyfriend since if I was moving to my own place I would only have internet and Netflix and be fine as I did in college. However, being an obsessive basketball/baseball/football fan having cable is pretty much non-negotiable for him. He goes further to buy the on-demand sports packages through the networks, but I will not be paying for that. This is basically his one splurge, so I can accept that, and I get to enjoy watching Bravo TV 😊

Based on some companies I am interviewing with the phone may be completely paid for (current company gives $50 a month reimbursement). Having good cell service is required for my job, so I will need to look further into cheaper options if not covered by the company.

Hoping and praying utilities and gym would not be an expense!

200 should be the max for entertainment for the month – if we see a movie, tickets to a local event, dining out. I am going to talk to him about keeping a 1x per week max on eating out of any kind as a couple (between take-out and dining out). This should help expand my cooking repertoire as well! I plan on both of us bringing leftovers to work daily.

Thank you for all of those great ideas!

[nurseart]

Just to pop in real quick re: weddings. Everyone is unique, I just loved how we did ours and like to share whenever I can.

We had the wedding we wanted, outside at my parent's place bordering on the national park with the 30 people we really wanted there. We provided BBQ and had our friends who were great cooks bring sides (sort of a directed pot luck). Friends were happy to bring a dish instead of a gift and we were thrilled to only spend $1500 for the wedding, quit our jobs and do a 4 month round the world trip for about 25k all in. The wedding is great day but MAN that trip changed our life and was probably the best part of our marriage to date. It's been two years ago and we still talk about it almost daily.

It's about the marriage, not the wedding.

Will some people be annoyed? Will you feel pressured to do something else? Sure. But my friend just got married, she, her husband and her parents spent 60k+ and there were still people who were offended they weren't invited or thought this or that should be different.

[eav]

Update time!

Thank you all for your input on my situation. It’s been an exciting/stressful/fun few months. I thought I’d share an update of how my life is set to look in this transition:

Job – After interviewing and getting offers I wasn’t completely thrilled with, I asked and was approved to work remote full-time in my new city at the same salary. Weight has been lifted of my shoulders and this will make the transition MUCH easier. I’ll re-assess the job front short after moving next month though, where the search would be 1,000x easier.

Total Income – 55,000 annual/3,078 monthly net

Living expenses –
Rent – 387 (my half of rent for a 2br house in a town with good public transit)
Cable/internet – 56 (113/month for cable locked in for 2 years. Not great but not terrible considering I love TV and bf needs network sports)
Other utilities – 100 (estimate for my share of electric/gas/water)
Student Loan - 390
Phone - 50
Groceries - 200 - may be going over this as working from home will mean lots of cooking and eating at home more than I normally would
Gas for car– 50
auto ins    - 111
Eating Out- 200
Gifts/Random Shopping – 100
Renters Ins – 10 (estimate as this is TBD)
Gym? -  30 (estimate – I think I’ll need to join a gym to get out of the house and have some human interaction)

Total Expenses – 1,684

Costs for furnishing the house are projected to come to about 3,000 for the both of us which I’m pleased with. We're at the halfway point!

Overall, I’m happy with the situation, and should have a lifestyle that allows plenty of monthly savings while still enjoying life a little.

Thanks again!!

[eav]

Updating for the fun of it one year later!

• I’m now 25, still in relationship, still driving my Corolla.

• Went from working remote at my old job, to a new job back in December making ~13k more total comp (62,400 base, plus 10% bonus). I was dumbfounded at making more money in a lower cost of living city.

• 401k – $520 monthly (10% cont. with some abysmal employer match)

Monthly net income – 3,302

Monthly fixed expenses:
-   Rent – 387 (my half)
-   Student loan $390 (balance is 12,700 @3%)
-   Auto Insurance - $85
-   Gas - $50 (this is an overestimate, I barely drive)
-   Groceries - $240 (a bit on the high side for my share, but we do cook often)
-   Internet + Youtube TV - $60 (my half of the combo)
-   Cell Phone - $57 (I pay my mom)
-   Utilities – $86 (my half of average combined water, gas, and electric)
-   Renters Insurance - $6
-   Restaurants – $150 (have one solo take-out night a week; buy an occasional coffee, may get lunch at a food truck at work)
-   Random spending - $150 (gifts, clothing replacement, etc. Most months I wouldn’t hit this amount, but it would be made up for come Christmas time when I go on gifting overload.)
-   Travel/Vacation allocation - $100 (covers one larger trip a year, with multiple smaller family visits)

Fixed spending – $1,761

Monthly post-tax savings/investments:
-   Roth IRA Contribution - $500
-   Brokerage account - $400
-   High-Yield Savings – $300
-   Additional Student Loan payment: $300

Assets:
-   401k - $21,801
-   Roth – $16,169
-   Taxable Brokerage – $9,198
-   HYSA - $12,276

Liabilities:
-   Student Loan - $12,700 @ 3% interest.

[bbqbonelesswing]

I was dumbfounded at making more money in a lower cost of living city.

After seeing how much you pay in rent for a 2br, I'm dumbfounded as well! That's a great one-two punch, having a high income and LCOL. If you can keep that up for a few more years you'll be able to build up some serious savings.

One question I have is why keep the car? You are paying a few thousand per year for insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. but living in an area where it sounds like there's good public transit. Could you and the boyfriend split one car?

[eav]

I was dumbfounded at making more money in a lower cost of living city.

After seeing how much you pay in rent for a 2br, I'm dumbfounded as well! That's a great one-two punch, having a high income and LCOL. If you can keep that up for a few more years you'll be able to build up some serious savings.

One question I have is why keep the car? You are paying a few thousand per year for insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. but living in an area where it sounds like there's good public transit. Could you and the boyfriend split one car?

Yes! Looking back at my first case study post I am SO glad we went with a much cheaper place. Paying $600 a month would be fine, but the feeling of having your fixed costs so cheap is very freeing.

On the car situation, that is a great question! So...with this new job I am driving since I'm working north of downtown which would require taking either bus or "T" to downtown and then getting another bus to where I work. That may make me lazy, but I am okay with that. If it was one bus/T ride if I was working downtown I would totally use public transportation. One of the downsides is where I work...but that just about constitutes the bulk of my driving if I'm not buying food or going to a rare appointment.

Also, boyfriend is out ALOT working a second job at a bar (he loves working and I cannot relate) so with his car gone most of the time I'd feel a little trapped at the house with no car. Those are my lame-o excuses.

[slow hand slow plan]

Hi,

Great update and good job!
You could get a much cheaper phone plan through Metro, google FI or republic wireless. You might want to shop around your internet;  120$ sound high

[eav]

Hi,

Great update and good job!
You could get a much cheaper phone plan through Metro, google FI or republic wireless. You might want to shop around your internet;  120$ sound high

I'm looking to get on my own phone plan soon, so I'll definitely look into cheaper options!

We actually just switched from Comcast Internet + Cable over to Verizon internet (cheaper and faster) plus Youtube TV which shaved about $20 off the cost for the new year. This is definitely a maximum I'd want to spend, so we will evaluate again next year for sure. Having a boyfriend who needs the ACC Network along will all other sports is quite pricey.

[eav]

Updating 2 years later. Clearly I suck at maintaining things.

I’m now 27 and still driving my Corolla! I'm now buying a home...see more on this later.

Still working remote from the pandemic. My company is wishy washy on what's to come, so who knows if it will stay this way. I'd be happy never going to the office again. Mainly due to its location. Work is....still work. I've realized I'll see no tangible change in work satisfaction until I switch job functions and get out of client-facing work. Who knows when that will happen.

Spending has risen since I've last updated due to a couple things:
- We got cats. We love them and I never knew how awesome cats are. I'd say for 2 kittens we spend ~$75 average a month
- I drink on weekends. This is new-ish for me but I've been enjoying a monthly wine subscription for a whopping 90 bucks for 4 bottles a month.
- Takeout 1x a week ~$20 Occasionally this doesn't happen, but it usually does and I always look forward to it.

Assets:
-   401k - $47,249
-   Roth – $35,756
-   Taxable Brokerage – $17,106
-   HYSA - $25,453
-   Company Stock - $13, 104
-   HSA - $4,401

Liabilities:
-   Student Loan - $12,700 $0 just paid off!

But....I'm about to get myself into a mortgage if all goes well with closing. Accepted offer is $250k and we're past inspections and appraisals. Mortgage would be for $225,000 at 2.75%.

It's a great "young couple" house in a walkable area with lots at our fingertips. I'm excited to have a walkable lifestyle again. However, we're thinking this house would be pretty short term for us living in ourselves, and we'd probably put renters in it in a few years. Once we have kids I'd rather not walk up quite as many stairs to the front door with an infant, buy in a "good" school district, and I'd like to have off-street parking. But, with how many options we're considering for places to live when we have a family, I'm glad we bought in a very rentable area and not the suburban dream just yet.

I think that covers everything. Very happy with how far I've come since I last posted!

[FIRE 20/20]

It looks like you have over $140k in assets at 27 and seem to have the rest of your life in order - including a partner who is also a saver.  Give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back!  With some overly simple and somewhat pessimistic calculations (continuing to invest $1500/mo., 6% returns, $625,000 each for a goal FIRE number) you should be on track to FIRE around age 40.  Obviously things could move that forward or back, but that's a pretty sweet position to be in at this point.  While 40 years old probably seems like an eternity from now for you, as someone on the other side of that I can say that being comfortably retired in my 40s is an absolutely amazing place to be. 

[maisymouser]

Updating 2 years later. Clearly I suck at maintaining things.

I’m now 27 and still driving my Corolla! I'm now buying a home...see more on this later.

Still working remote from the pandemic. My company is wishy washy on what's to come, so who knows if it will stay this way. I'd be happy never going to the office again. Mainly due to its location. Work is....still work. I've realized I'll see no tangible change in work satisfaction until I switch job functions and get out of client-facing work. Who knows when that will happen.

Spending has risen since I've last updated due to a couple things:
- We got cats. We love them and I never knew how awesome cats are. I'd say for 2 kittens we spend ~$75 average a month
- I drink on weekends. This is new-ish for me but I've been enjoying a monthly wine subscription for a whopping 90 bucks for 4 bottles a month.
- Takeout 1x a week ~$20 Occasionally this doesn't happen, but it usually does and I always look forward to it.

Assets:
-   401k - $47,249
-   Roth – $35,756
-   Taxable Brokerage – $17,106
-   HYSA - $25,453
-   Company Stock - $13, 104
-   HSA - $4,401

Liabilities:
-   Student Loan - $12,700 $0 just paid off!

But....I'm about to get myself into a mortgage if all goes well with closing. Accepted offer is $250k and we're past inspections and appraisals. Mortgage would be for $225,000 at 2.75%.

It's a great "young couple" house in a walkable area with lots at our fingertips. I'm excited to have a walkable lifestyle again. However, we're thinking this house would be pretty short term for us living in ourselves, and we'd probably put renters in it in a few years. Once we have kids I'd rather not walk up quite as many stairs to the front door with an infant, buy in a "good" school district, and I'd like to have off-street parking. But, with how many options we're considering for places to live when we have a family, I'm glad we bought in a very rentable area and not the suburban dream just yet.

I think that covers everything. Very happy with how far I've come since I last posted!

Wow, congrats on that student loan payoff and thanks for coming back- I love down-to-earth case study updates! And a new house must be so exciting.

I would like to encourage you to reconsider your wine subscription- at $90/month that's $1,080 a year. A helluva big expense for something as unnecessary as EtOH, and subscription services are definitely not the cheapest way of trying out higher-end wines. I'm not someone who really enjoys drinking, so I guess it's easy for me to say, why not try out some four buck chuck at TJ's instead for your regular wine-sipping and splurge on a $20 bottle of wine once a month? You're not close to maxing out your 401k so if it were me... I'd feel better throwing money toward that. That said I recognize everyone has vices. My bees certainly cost me more than $90/month. Though they do make me feel all warm and cozy inside, and maybe someday I might be able to make mead out of their honey.

[bbqbonelesswing]

I would like to encourage you to reconsider your wine subscription- at $90/month that's $1,080 a year. A helluva big expense for something as unnecessary as EtOH, and subscription services are definitely not the cheapest way of trying out higher-end wines. I'm not someone who really enjoys drinking, so I guess it's easy for me to say, why not try out some four buck chuck at TJ's instead for your regular wine-sipping and splurge on a $20 bottle of wine once a month? You're not close to maxing out your 401k so if it were me... I'd feel better throwing money toward that. That said I recognize everyone has vices. My bees certainly cost me more than $90/month. Though they do make me feel all warm and cozy inside, and maybe someday I might be able to make mead out of their honey.

+1 from me on this. It's cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) to ditch the subscription. You can go to a store like Total Wine and they will help you pick good new bottles out every time, if you're interested in trying new things.

Otherwise, this won't make a huge difference to your lifestyle. You're killing it. Great job.

[Dicey]

One of my brothers is in the wine biz and the other works for Costco. Restaurants aren't doing their normal volume, so wineries that never did are selling to Costco and at great prices. Your $90 will get you more than four good bottles a month. Don't drink more than that, stockpile it for when prices normalize.