Good afternoon, fellow mustachians! I'm a single 33 y.o. who just bought an efficient house and who commutes 35 miles 1-way to work. I would love to hear your thoughts on my situation, and see if there is any hope for vocational joy and financial independence in my future. I'll start with the numbers.
Income:
Approx. $34k from my $15.90/hr. job and the bonuses we get. After taking out $ for 401k and HSA and my 401k loan, my take-home is $890 per pay period (every 2 wks).
Monthly expenses:
$645 - Payment for Mortgage, PMI, Insurance, and taxes on my house
$120 - Verizon cell plan (I live in rural OH and Verizon is the only company that gets reliable reception there)
$95 - student loan payment
$45 - internet service
$30 - Electric service (thanks, CFL bulbs!)
$150 - gasoline
$250 - food, personal items
Total: $1,335
Twice yearly expenses:
$600 - car insurance (each time)
$500 - propane refill (each time)
Assets:
2006 Toyota Corolla (I own outright)
$3500 currently in 401k
Liabilities:
$7500 student loan at 3.5%
$83500 mortgage for home I just purchased at 4%
$3000 401k loan I took out for down payment at 5% (this is taken automatically out of my check, and was accounted for in my above numbers)
Total: $94,000
Additional info:
-I have a BA in Communications, but am currently not using it. I'm basically an Administrative assistant at a wonderful company, but I really dislike my position as it has no upward mobility, has nothing to do with my degree, is mundane and with ill-defined objectives and is 35 miles from my house.
-I bought my home because it is within biking distance of a relative that I check on 7 days a week. As a bonus, it was a very reasonable price and the tax rates were very low. Moving isn't an option at this point.
-I would love a different job that is closer to my home. Because I'm in a more rural area, I would most likely have a 15 minute commute to any job in this area. I'd actually love to work from home and have no clown car commute, but I'm unsure how to pursue this as I don't have a terribly entrepreneurial sensibility, nor any defined skills like coding, medical transcription, etc. I am able to write reasonable well, I'm great with people, I'm generally creative, and I am a fast learner, so I do have that going for me.
-I doubt any traditional job I get would pay the $15.90 I am getting right now, though I suppose without a long commute, perhaps I could take a several-dollar-an-hour pay cut and still make it.
-I cleaned out my savings buying the house, so I'm building it back up from zero.
I'd love to hear any thoughts you have, and please let me know if you need any other info!