Hello Mustachains, I've been a long time lurker. I feel like I have most of my house in order. As in, I spend way more than is minimally necessary, but at least I know where the leaks are.
The current debate over who can actually call themselves optimized finally made me post. Where am I, on the spectrum of badassity?
Background: Single, 36, working for the US Government; living in the PNW
INCOME MONTHLY ANNUAL
Taxable.............$6,887 $82,649
Tax Free............$3,326 $39,908
Gross...............$10,213 $122,556
PRE TAX SAVINGS MONTHLY ANNUAL
Federal TSP.........$1,500 $18,000
trad IRA............$458 $5,500
total Savings 1.....$1,958 $23,500
TAXES MONTHLY ANNUAL
Med/SS..............$527 $6,323
Federal.............$856 $10,268
total Taxes.........$1,383 $16,591 Filling single, no dependents. Expect a 2k refund for 2017.
POST TAX SAVINGS MONTHLY ANNUAL
Vanguard............$2,800 $33,600
Slush Fund..........$400 $4,800
total Savings 2.....$3,200 $38,400
FIXED EXPENSES MONTHLY ANNUAL
Rent................$1,075 $12,900
Tithe...............$720 $8,640
Cell Phone..........$63 $756
Gym.................$54 $648
Electric............$40 $480
Internet............$40 $480
Hulu & Audible......$26 $312
Life Insurance......$15 $180
total Fixed.........$2,033 $24,396
VARIABLE EXPENSES MONTHLY ANNUAL
Auto................$314 $3,770 No loan. It’s just an expensive car
Groceries...........$243 $2,916
Gifts & Community...$241 $2,896
Fun.................$146 $1,752
Professional Crap.............$1,000 Uniforms, re-licensing fees, training fees.
Restaurants.........$154 $1,848
Personal............$87 $1,046
Household...........$70 $842
Travel..............$62 $740 Metro card, Uber, etc. Other 'real' travel is credit card hacking
Alcohol.............$14 $164
Misc................$10 $124 Where does this go???
total Variable......$1,342 $17,098
So, my financial life looks like
Income $10,213 $122,556
- Taxes $1,383 $16,591
- Savings $5,158 $61,900 Savings (pre & post tax)
- Tithe $720 $8,640
===========================
SPENDING $2,952 $35,424[/b]
The Good:
1. High salary; low tax; high savings.
2. No liabilities. Good at travel hacking
3. Negotiated internet down to the bare minimum price offered. Electricity is weirdly cheap in my city.
4. My rent is cheap like whoah. My tiny apartment keeps my purchased down.
5. Good at travel hacking, removing around 3k of expenses/year.
The Really Bad:
1. The car.
2. The cellphone. I own the phone, so why not switch to a cheap-o plan? Laziness and analysis paralysis.
3. The restaurants. 2017's number are actually a pretty big improvement over my pre-MMM days, but it's still shameful. People like to eat, and there's good food in this city.
The Whineypants
1. The amount I spend having fun. My friends like to go out, and do things. I can steer them towards cheap activities about 50% of the time. The remainder, I have to pay if I want to play.
2. Groceries. Laziness again. I don't want to make a price book. I just want to go to the closest store, and get the misery over as soon as possible.
The Things I'm Not Going to Change
1. Tithe. I'm not going to switch to volunteering, because the money is the thing.
2. Gifts & community. I live in a poor area; I'm rich; it's my responsibility to help.
So, what else?
