Jan. 1, 2017 - 103,000
Feb. 1, 2017 - 106,500
Mar. 1 2017 - 102,500
Apr. 1 2017 - 110,000
May 1 2017 - 112,500
June 1 2017 - 113,500
July 1 2017 - 120,500
Aug. 1 2017 - 131,000
Sept. 1 2017- 131,000
Oct. 1 2017- 131,500
Nov. 1 2017 - 135,000
Dec. 1 2017 - 140,000
Jan. 1 2018 - 160,000
Feb. 1 2018- 168,000
Mar. 1 2018- 168,000
April 1 2018- 169,000
May 1 2018 - 171,000
June 1 2018 - 178,000
July 1 2018 - 180,500
Aug. 1 2018 - 194,000
Sept 1 2018 - 200,500
Oct. 1 2018 - 200,800
Nov. 1 2018 - 184,000
Dec. 1 2018 - 195,000
Jan. 1 2019 - 204,000
Feb. 1 2019 - 217,000
Mar 1 2019 - 226,000
April 1 2019 - 231,000
May 1, 2019 - 246,500
June 1, 2019 - 235,500
July 1, 2019 - 250,500
Thoughts on a graduate who isn't quite yet leaving.
Days in this race: 909
Total time: 2 years, 5 months, 28 days.
Days it feels like since I started-4, 5 months maybe?
Difference in feelings looking from month to month, and then looking at the full listed growth over 30 months: Wowza!
Things that have changed since I started the race: Went from 1 newborn to a toddler and baby. Went from wife's house and my condo to a large lot house we spent 6 months remodeling and financing.
Things that were consistent: Main job and side job income were largely unchanged. Vehicles are still clunking along. Childcare hasn't changed much adding a second. I keep expecting to have to buy a new truck, but keep finding ways to stretch it out.
Financial surprises: I got one lump chunk of change of 8 grand during this race, but also am not counting the cashing out of condo/house since that all went into the new house expenses. The downside surprises were a house that is a much higher mortgage and property tax rate, and I also have taken on the health insurance for the whole family, which is a pretty penny.
Last year was truly the first year that my non 401K savings went into a taxable account-prior to that is was always accounted for in either student loans, down payment/remodels, or hospitals baby bills.
150,000 over 30 months = 5 grand a month. I guarantee you I didn't save that much into direct savings.
Here is my advice, unsolicited, that I've boiled my savings success down to. Take it out of your hands. I can't do a Roth IRA contribution, but the day I paid off my last student loan was the same year I got a pay raise, and the math made it to where maxing my 401k made my take home the exact same. Every pay raise since then has been a direct to me pay raise.
The $30,000 I save on top of 401K largely comes from an end of year lump sum distribution, and I DCA it over the year because the rigidity helps me with the plan, avoids the emotional drops that I am willing to avoid at the expense of the spikes that average it out to an even or better financial decision.
My favorite view on this number, as I approach 37, is that were I to never add another dollar to my retirement, at age 59.5 I'll be at almost 1.2 million. If I only did the current 401k match til then, I'll have over 2.1 million. Current me has fully funded the 'traditional' 'early' retirement me fully (assuming yada yada risk, 7% inflation, doom etc.). That is pretty awesome. Everything going forward is buying extra retirement, and that is exciting.
I'm going to stick around, with permission, a month or two. $500 doesn't quite feel official to me. Or maybe I just want to stay as the bigger fish in a big pond for a bit longer. :)
Topic: Race from 100 to 250k (Read 1335670 times)