Author Topic: Celebrations Thread  (Read 1648390 times)

Le Poisson

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1400 on: December 29, 2016, 08:22:38 AM »
Isn't it a great feeling when things begin to click! Congrats on getting so much debt killed off!

zephyr911

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1401 on: December 30, 2016, 01:13:36 PM »
NAILED IT.
#nailedit

(see bottom right)

arebelspy

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1402 on: December 31, 2016, 03:42:15 AM »
NAILED IT.
#nailedit

(see bottom right)

Bottom right is awesome.  Top left is awesomer.  :)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Cherry Lane

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1403 on: December 31, 2016, 08:19:52 PM »
NAILED IT.
#nailedit

(see bottom right)

Nice!  Did you manage that manually or let DFAS do it for you?

Cherry Lane

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1404 on: December 31, 2016, 08:23:55 PM »
Did my year-end financial review today.  If I count mortgage principal payments as savings, my after-tax savings rate was over 75% this year, for the first time!  (Cash flow/post-tax income shows only a 57% savings rate).

Didn't have to replace a roof this year and didn't spend 2 weeks in Ecuador, so that helped.

Cherry Lane

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1405 on: January 01, 2017, 05:53:25 PM »
Another day, another Celebration:

I retired* today!

*from my "side-hustle" job; I still have the full-time job for another 15 months or so. 

It is probably more correct to say I transferred from the Ready Reserve to the Retired Reserve.  At least I think I did.  My retirement flag arrived in the mail a few days ago, and my notice of eligibility for retired pay at age 60 arrived a few days before that, but I haven't seen any actual paperwork saying I'm retired yet.  I'm still calling myself retired!

dr72

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1406 on: January 02, 2017, 03:43:56 PM »
This seems like the best thread for this post.  I found this blog at some point last year and read all the posts and started to really think about what we spent money on and what we actually needed.  We've come a long way since, and by the end of this year will be debt free except for student loans and a mortgage, which is a huge improvement but we're still not close to being real  Mustachian's like so many of you. 

The best part of this continuing journey was the feeling I had last week.  My boss let me know that upper management was probably going to "change their minds" and change the requirements and experience required for my job and that I had something like 3-9 months before they would let me go.  It was the first time I've been in that situation where I wasn't in a panic, wasn't worried, and didn't immediately feel like throwing up.  I felt .. fine!  We've simplified our life, reduced our expenses, and are relatively debt free which means I don't need to panic and I can take the time find a job on my terms and not scramble for just "anything". 

Thanks for all the posters in this forum, as a lurker and someone who rarely posts, this forum is very helpful and inspiring.

Decided to post an update now that 2017 is here. 

My last day at that job was 12/31/2014.  In the past two years we've continued to make progress in fits and starts towards a FIRE goal.  We essentially lost half our income with my job loss and yet two years later I sit here saving almost 3x as much money a month, despite making some decidedly non-mustachian decisions.  The biggest changes to me seemed minor at the time but compound over time.  Drop cable tv, get OTA.  End up watching a lot less TV.  Drop lawn service, doing more yardwork.  Making informed decisions on our choices, on everything from insurance to food to clothing.  Trading services with a contractor to do work at my house for a much reduced rate in exchange for business and accounting help.  Taking side jobs.  Walking more and spending more time with the kids. From prepared meals 4-5x a week due to both working to prepared meals ... once a month?  Becoming a better cook.  I don't agree with everything MMM advocates but I think everyone can learn something that will help them. 

My hope is people see this and realize there is a path between the status quo and the complete lifestyle of MMM and that as you move along that spectrum you'll probably find increased happiness and freedom.  There's no one "right" stopping point, but if I can encourage you to at least try it, I think you'll find, like me, that you'll discover what's more important in life.

NinetyFour

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1407 on: January 02, 2017, 06:46:29 PM »
That's an awesome story--thanks for sharing!

zephyr911

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1408 on: January 03, 2017, 01:33:48 PM »
Nice!  Did you manage that manually or let DFAS do it for you?
I had to set it at one biweekly amount at the end of last year, then drop it by a few bucks to the amount seen there, to hit exactly. Otherwise I'd have gone over and had to do a form to get the excess back.

Bottom right is awesome.  Top left is awesomer.  :)
I try to raise it a little each year. I'm actually opting out of CFC this year but only after working out more direct (and flexible) arrangements to support the same causes. :)

Cherry Lane

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1409 on: January 03, 2017, 01:46:35 PM »
Nice!  Did you manage that manually or let DFAS do it for you?
I had to set it at one biweekly amount at the end of last year, then drop it by a few bucks to the amount seen there, to hit exactly. Otherwise I'd have gone over and had to do a form to get the excess back.

See, I have mine set at $693 biweekly.  Then the last pay period only $675 was deducted, because DFAS won't actually let you go over.  No manual intervention is required.

Check2400

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1410 on: January 03, 2017, 03:29:52 PM »
Cashed out my annual disbursement for the side business, which put me over $100,000 in liquid (not real estate) net worth--up from -$80,000 in 2012. 

But the real celebration is that I get to go over and throw down the gauntlet in the Race from 100 to 250K.
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/race-from-100-to-250k/

Who wants to join me in the class of 2017?

Izybat

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1411 on: January 03, 2017, 05:26:08 PM »
I just sent a decent sized check to pay off one of our debts. I won't feel totally confident in it until the check clears and I have written proof that it's paid off (they've been shady), but I can't wait. So close I can feel it.

letthelightin

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1412 on: January 03, 2017, 07:44:09 PM »
I have a few wins I'd like to share!

I set a stretch goal to hit 200k total net worth by the end of the year, and we crossed that point in November!

In December, we purchased a new-to-us car, paid for with cash (I never imagined we'd be able to do that!).

A few days after buying the car, we discovered a (very unexpected) leak in our roof, and were facing a $5k+ repair bill. Thanks to YNAB and MMM, we were able to get through it with cash we had saved up- we didn't have to go into debt or cut back on any of our normal savings/retirement contributions for the month. The best part of the whole situation was the relief/surprise in DH's face when I was able to reassure him that we would have no problem covering the roof repair, and that we could still get Christmas gifts for our kids (instead of just a big red bow on the roof of the house, ha!). He knows we have "enough" money, but is generally disinterested in personal finance, and just prefers I handle it all.

Although December was a terrible month for our finances, it definitely had its upsides. DH finally got his first real taste of the freedom and security our frugality is providing. Our net worth did reach my stretch goal, even if it was immediately sucked back down again. And it was thrilling to see that while we were spewing a firehouse of cash on one side, our retirement accounts just kept marching onward and upward in the background.

I am so thankful for everything I have learned from this forum! 2016 was a great year for us.

onlykelsey

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1413 on: January 04, 2017, 05:00:52 AM »
DH finally got his first real taste of the freedom and security our frugality is providing.

Congrats, that's big in your journey to getting him on board.

Sometimes I wish my husband understood how much work I was doing in the background to make our security and stability possible.  I think historically family has bailed him out, so he doesn't have a real appreciation for safety nets.

Dollar Slice

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1414 on: January 04, 2017, 08:33:24 AM »
As of end-of-day mutual fund prices yesterday - my NW is officially past a quarter of a million dollars :-)  All of it in liquid assets.

I can't tell anyone I know IRL so I have to celebrate it here...

NinetyFour

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1415 on: January 04, 2017, 09:27:30 AM »
As of end-of-day mutual fund prices yesterday - my NW is officially past a quarter of a million dollars :-)  All of it in liquid assets.

I can't tell anyone I know IRL so I have to celebrate it here...

Woo hoo!!  Yay!!

G-dog

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1416 on: January 04, 2017, 09:32:01 AM »
As of end-of-day mutual fund prices yesterday - my NW is officially past a quarter of a million dollars :-)  All of it in liquid assets.

I can't tell anyone I know IRL so I have to celebrate it here...

So cool! Woohoo!

 You can share at an MMM meetup too!

Dollar Slice

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1417 on: January 04, 2017, 10:19:46 AM »
Thanks!

You can share at an MMM meetup too!

I've never actually been to a meetup, unless you count hanging out with MonkeyJenga one-on-one. Maybe I can get her to come over and do an Angry Life Cheerleader routine in person for the occasion. ;-)

G-dog

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1418 on: January 04, 2017, 12:03:32 PM »
Thanks!

You can share at an MMM meetup too!

I've never actually been to a meetup, unless you count hanging out with MonkeyJenga one-on-one. Maybe I can get her to come over and do an Angry Life Cheerleader routine in person for the occasion. ;-)

That works too!

Maybe at one of the concerts you go to, when it's so Lou's that no one can hear anything (asuuming this happens) you can scream:
"I HAVE A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS BITCHES!"

zephyr911

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1419 on: January 04, 2017, 12:20:06 PM »
See, I have mine set at $693 biweekly.  Then the last pay period only $675 was deducted, because DFAS won't actually let you go over.  No manual intervention is required.
Right, $693. That's where I was. I changed it in early Dec just in time for the last check to hit, because everything I've read as an Army employee said it was possible to over-contribute.
I came very, very close to the max last year, but this was my first time being lined up in this exact situation, so I bumped it down at just the right time. Chances are I'm gone this year or I might devise an experiment next time around (try to go over by $1, etc).

Saskatchewstachian

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1420 on: January 04, 2017, 03:46:51 PM »
Just "spent" 5 figures buying index funds!

I've bought index funds before and have a little 'stash growing but have never been able to invest 10k or more all at once! Great feeling to be able to tuck that much away in one fell swoop :)

NinetyFour

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1421 on: January 04, 2017, 06:43:09 PM »
Nice!!

Counting_Down

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1422 on: January 05, 2017, 01:56:44 PM »
I checked mint this morning - we just crossed 700k stash, and are a paycheck away from a 900K NW.  FI for us is 1.2M stash, so we have a few more years to go, but it will be cool to cross 1M NW - hoping that's this year.

When I started my MMM journey I was single and originally pinned my FIRE number at 650K (I was a baby and didn't understand that was LIQUID/INVESTED DOLLARS) not just NW.  Well, even though me turned to us, and we negotiated a new FI target, its cool to have passed my original goal officially (twice if you include the NW target, then the updated stash target).

Happy new year!

FirePaddle

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1423 on: January 06, 2017, 01:28:45 PM »
I'm just getting really excited to join the club, very soon...

It's not our final number, but it's close, and it's just a very neat milestone to be so close to reaching. We're already discussing with our employers about going less than full time soon, so we can have more time to do things we truly enjoy.

OutlierinMA

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« Reply #1424 on: January 07, 2017, 09:40:54 AM »
Congrats to all above for reaching various milestones!
The best part of the whole situation was the relief/surprise in DH's face when I was able to reassure him that we would have no problem covering the roof repair, and that we could still get Christmas gifts for our kids (instead of just a big red bow on the roof of the house, ha!).
This to me is the best part of mustachianism; I remember my first root canal about 10 years ago, and I had plenty of cash savings and remember clearly how relieved I was that the root canal was not a financial emergency.

I have a major event to share. I stopped working October 15 (having given the boss 2 months notice!), but feeling guilty for leaving, the week before I left I agreed to come back a few days a week February through April for tax season. I immediately regretted it, but was too much of a wimp to take it back. Before Xmas I let them know I may not return, but again was too big of a wimp to be final, even though I knew it was stressing me out to have this hanging over me. Anyway, I finally let them know yesterday. (YAY!!)

As if I didn't feel guilty enough for quitting, now I feel guilty for stringing them along, though that wasn't the intent. In fact, until I emailed yesterday I was considering working the two days a week just to avoid actually quitting. My stomach is actually in knots right now.

In spite of my ongoing guilt I am very happy to be officially retired! Such a relief. I am wondering, has anyone else had this kind of guilt around quitting?

I don't know why I feel so obligated to my employer, who has fired plenty of folks without too much concern over the years. By giving them two months notice in August I forced them to get serious about hiring replacements, after years of telling them I'd like to cut back, but not being able to do so due to staffing issues. So I know my guilt isn't rational.

Really needed to share about this, thanks for "listening".




Izybat

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1425 on: January 07, 2017, 01:01:37 PM »
I finally totaled up our "net worth". I put it in quotes because I don't include our house in the calculation, for several reasons. (We plan to sell it in a few years and buy a smaller one, for starters. Also, we have no idea what it's currently worth.) Our assets are actually over $100k!! Now granted, we still have debt to pay off  (about $36k), so our net worth isn't actually over $100k, but it's really, really nice to see that number.

RNwastash

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1426 on: January 10, 2017, 12:33:07 PM »
I officially went part time at work!! My husband and I decided that we can still max out our 403b's and make extra payments on our mortgage and still go on frugal vacations while I work part time.  My quality of life has improved since my trial part time basis for the last month.  Yay!!

couponvan

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1427 on: January 11, 2017, 02:15:40 PM »
I officially went part time at work!! My husband and I decided that we can still max out our 403b's and make extra payments on our mortgage and still go on frugal vacations while I work part time.  My quality of life has improved since my trial part time basis for the last month.  Yay!!

Congratulations!  I think PT is the best of both worlds. 

ysette9

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1428 on: January 12, 2017, 09:25:48 PM »
I added up our numbers last weekend and with the latest market exuberance, we crossed the $1.5M mark. Holy crap! It feels frothy though. I'm just waiting for the markets to remember that the dude who is slated to be in charge next is erratic and irrational and that might not be great for the country. Time will tell though. The markets usually go in the opposite direction as I think they should.

Dicey

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1429 on: January 14, 2017, 02:15:13 AM »
Congratulations! Unfortunately, Donald doesn't need to be good for the country for him to be good for the stock market. This is great news for the stock market, because there's no way in hell he's going to be good for the country.
Oh, MJ, I hear you.

katstache92

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1430 on: January 17, 2017, 09:45:54 AM »
Yesterday was my six-figure day!  I finally crossed over the 100k mark in investments!!

I feel a little giddy typing that.

arebelspy

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1431 on: January 17, 2017, 11:35:11 PM »
Yesterday was my six-figure day!  I finally crossed over the 100k mark in investments!!

I feel a little giddy typing that.

Congrats!  :D
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

chaskavitch

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1432 on: January 18, 2017, 01:10:22 PM »
We got rid of our cable TV last month, which will save us about $70/mo.  All we ever did was complain about commercials anyway, so it's a doubly good thing.

Also, my tIRA at Vanguard just got above $10,000, so I qualify for Admiral pricing.  Now all of my accounts are super inexpensive!  Yay VTSAX!  This was the last one lingering down below that value because it was a rollover from a PERA account from grad school, and I was only putting money into the Roth IRA and ignoring the traditional. 

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1433 on: January 19, 2017, 06:06:05 PM »
Just set my husband's 401k contributions to max out for 2017.

With the tax deductions from the 401k contributions plus the employer match, it's like he'll be getting a $10,000 bonus :D

I already knew about the advantages of contributing to the 401k, but somehow thinking about it as a $10,000 bonus really makes it more awesome. Perhaps the word "bonus" is more exciting/visceral than "match" and "deduction."

Rural

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1434 on: January 20, 2017, 09:45:51 PM »
Husband got admission letter and assistantship offer to an R1 PhD program close enough for weekend visits. And the stipend is a living wage, and tuition and (I think) fees are covered.


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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1435 on: January 23, 2017, 02:20:01 PM »
Submitted the last of my expenses for 2016 - later than I should have, but I was sick at the end of the year, and we've been swamped. 

Regardless of timing, they're in.  I should be getting a decent amount back (reimbursements for items purchased, as well as mileage.)  It'll go straight to my CC, of course!

Inaya

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1436 on: January 23, 2017, 02:34:10 PM »
Boss set up a one-on-one meeting out of the blue. I thought I was going to be on notice for my work quality slipping (due to school work and medical issues). Turns out I got a promotion! Time to see if I can actually prevent lifestyle creep!

Izybat

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1437 on: January 23, 2017, 04:51:27 PM »
Just got notice in the mail that one of our debts has officially bitten the dust!

NinetyFour

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1438 on: January 23, 2017, 06:14:57 PM »
Just got notice in the mail that one of our debts has officially bitten the dust!

Woo hoo!!  Great work!

PJ

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1439 on: January 24, 2017, 12:56:32 AM »
Boss set up a one-on-one meeting out of the blue. I thought I was going to be on notice for my work quality slipping (due to school work and medical issues). Turns out I got a promotion! Time to see if I can actually prevent lifestyle creep!

Congrats!

Two celebrations in one day for me ... well, 3 actually!  One I posted this afternoon, and two I'm adding this evening.

Sat down with the team at work to discuss our budget for the coming year.  I'm paid slightly above our scale, so the recommended cost of living increases don't automatically get applied to my salary.  Leadership has to support the raise, and submit a request.  Which, I found out tonight, they did.  Since I get paid stipend plus separate housing allowance, I took the opportunity to mention that my rent also went up this past year.  They agreed to include that small increase in my housing allowance too.  Utilities are more expensive these days too, but I didn't push my luck - our budget for the organization is pretty tight, and I worry about equity issues with our other employees.  (We allocated some improvements for them too though.)

happy

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1440 on: January 25, 2017, 04:47:33 AM »
Howdy PJ, nice to see you post again ( or maybe you are just hanging out on different threads to me these days...anyway Hi!). And congrats on the raise and getting stuff done.

PJ

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1441 on: January 25, 2017, 12:32:51 PM »
Howdy PJ, nice to see you post again ( or maybe you are just hanging out on different threads to me these days...anyway Hi!). And congrats on the raise and getting stuff done.

waves

Hi happy!  I am only recently back again, so don't worry, you weren't missing out.  I've dipped my toe in a couple of places over the last couple weeks, mostly in Throwing Down the Gauntlet section - Uber Frugal January/February and Eat All the Food threads.

It's nice to "see" you again too!

FirePaddle

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1442 on: January 25, 2017, 04:34:46 PM »
We joined the double comma club today! Our house is worth ~$220k with ~75k left on the loan, so we're feeling good about those too! I think our FIRE number is somewhere between, well, $1M and $1.4M, depending on where we live, but we're thinking about part timing it soon to ease into it. Exciting!

MommyCake

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1443 on: February 06, 2017, 10:00:36 AM »
My credit score finally got back up to 700!  Yay! 

(I know some here say credit score is irrelevant, but I will need a mortgage for another investment property next year)

Slinky

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1444 on: February 13, 2017, 03:52:06 PM »
$50k in my 401k. Yay.

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1445 on: February 14, 2017, 10:55:30 AM »
Finally, FINALLY opened up that Roth IRA. Started off at $3100 and hope to shovel in another $4-500 before Tax Day.

Goal for next tax year is to max it out.

This also brought my projections much closer to 100% at my target date (FireCALC 96.8%, Fidelity 100% and my spreadsheet 99%).

chaskavitch

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1446 on: February 14, 2017, 03:13:43 PM »
We got rid of our cable TV last month, which will save us about $70/mo.  All we ever did was complain about commercials anyway, so it's a doubly good thing.

Also, my tIRA at Vanguard just got above $10,000, so I qualify for Admiral pricing.  Now all of my accounts are super inexpensive!  Yay VTSAX!  This was the last one lingering down below that value because it was a rollover from a PERA account from grad school, and I was only putting money into the Roth IRA and ignoring the traditional.

This is a good year for us so far!  Last week I got a promotion that comes with a 13% raise, so I'm going to up my 401k contributions from 14% to 17% (at least, maybe more if DH doesn't mind).  AND DH got a new job today, with a $10,000 raise, a chance for a 10% bonus every year (historically 5%), and a 401k option that will match 4% after a year. 

MommyCake

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1447 on: February 15, 2017, 03:17:14 AM »
I handed in my resignation letter yesterday.  I have been telling my boss I can't work unplanned OT because I have to get my baby from daycare.  He keeps making me work late anyway and said yesterday that it would not change.  My passive income exceeds my expenses, so I pulled up my already-drafted-and-waiting letter and emailed it in.

I feel relieved, and nervous. 

happy

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1448 on: February 15, 2017, 06:07:51 AM »
Good on you MommyCake! I wonder what his response will be? Who knows the power of FU money. Keep us posted...maybe you'll have a story for the FU story string.

Cherry Lane

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Re: Celebrations Thread
« Reply #1449 on: February 15, 2017, 04:00:54 PM »
Hooray, MommyCake!  Do let us know how that is/was received.

As for me, it turns out "the market" gave me a lovely Valentine's gift yesterday:  a second comma.  Maybe I'll go buy some discounted chocolates today to celebrate.