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August 2025 – $451k and Pending Home Purchase

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12/9/24 End of Year Preduction

Almost 8 months I predicted I would have $455k net worth by the end of the year. Currently I am about a stone’s throw away from that or up $66k from the start of the year. My goal is closer to $2M come retirement age. That doesn’t necessarily have to be all investments though, one could argue I should diversify just a little bit.

Home purchase updates:
1. Offer made on a home, final selling amount is down to about $351k, my mortgage payment estimage is just under $2,900 including insurance, taxes, and interest. I originally offered full asking price before asking for another $3k which will be covered by a concession made with the agent’s commission.
2. Concessions – There are quite a few including: Replacing 24 year old microwave with stainless steel model, redoing tile in the bathroom to replace cheap fiberglass, replacing defective dishwasher, (didn’t ask for it but cost prohibitive to repair) fixing or replacing the garbage disposal, replacing flex pipes under sink with PVC, installation of a dryer vent in the garage, have a licensed plumber do needed repairs to fix low water pressure, have HVAC system serviced by licensed professional, adding ground and neutral wires to the sub-panel box, cleaning out gutters, repair a damaged sewer cleanout cover
3. Massive cleanout of clothes that either don’t fit or were out of style. Bf helped me with the majority of packing. 90% of things I am not actively using right now are packed away.
4. Setup – Water and electricity switched over, Pest control appointment made, alarm system provider chosen,
5. Furniture delivery date set, ordered a loveseat, sofa, bookcase, and swivel chair from Nebraska Furniture Mart for ~$1,030 plus a $140 shipping charge. I ordered the furniture 4th of July but the prices dropped since then so I was able to place a new order through a super helpful store associate. The chair was on clearance for a whopping $80. If I had just that item shipped it would’ve been $140 to do so but with the other order they were able to just get it added to that.
6. Moving company and time + date selected
7. Electric lawnmower, blower, and trimmer tools purchased. Got an incredible deal for all 3 from Lowe’s. $566 less card cashback and 2% cashback from an affiliate link
8. Bf isn’t moving in with me right away but we decided on $ a rough amount he would contribute toward the payments that would be win-win for him as well as me. Utilities I said could be TBD but planning to cover on my own.

The main thing I’m trying to do right now is make sure not to overextend myself. The lawn equipment I sold some investments to cover. I also pulled $10k from my Roth IRA for a first time homebuyer credit where I won’t have to pay a penalty to the IRS. I really debated for a while whether I should run lean and just let that money grow or keep it as an emergency fund to help me sleep better at night. I chose the latter. Having less than 2 months of cash in hand is cutting it dangerously close. With mortgage payments being roughly $1600/mo more than my rent I knew it would take me significantly longer to build up reserves.

Other notable things this month

-I dropped about $471 on my car after driving hard in the rain caused the plastic undercarriage piece to unlatch from the car and drag on the ground. Also decided to get an alignment at the same time. They had my car for 8 days which I wasn’t thrilled about.
-We saw a lovely artist Mereba live in concert. She’s fusion of different genres, R&B, Rap, Soul, Folk music. Very unique experience, definitely recommend.
-4th of July pool part with friends despite the rain, coincidentally was at Home Depot buying gloves to help bf move into place when the fireworks went off. Got some really good shots in.
-Went to New York for work and saw family for a few days. It was a low budget trip to me. Flights, hotel, meals covered by work during the 3 day period. Then time with my parents doing dinner / eating out regulary and putting on 8 pounds which I subsequently lost in a week.

7/30/20257/1/2025Difference% Change8/3/2024YoY Diff% Change
401K$ 360,084$ 348,738$ 11,3463.3%$ 271,447$ 88,63732.7%
Roth IRA$ 49,304$ 57,216$ (7,912)-13.8%$ 42,544$ 6,76015.9%
Brokerage Accts$ 1,805$ 3,710$ (1,905)-51.3%$ 3,520$ (1,715)-48.7%
Cash$ 35,018$ 23,743$ 11,27547.5%$ 3,759$ 31,259831.6%
HSA*$ 4,901$ 4,691$ 2114.5%$ 3,617$ 1,28435.5%
Total$ 451,113$ 438,098$ 13,0153.0%$ 324,888$ 126,22538.9%
Credit Cards$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!$ –$ –#DIV/0!
Auto Loan$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!$ 7,497$ (7,497)-100.0%
Net Total$ 451,113$ 438,098$ 13,0153.0%$ 317,390$ 133,72342.1%

They say a lot can happen in a year and it’s true. I never would’ve imagined my net worth would be up $133k in a year. Compounding is a powerful force. At this rate if the forces behind my come up continue I will break $500k NW in 2027, $600k in 2029, and $1M in 2032.

Sharing a few pictures…

I had a 70 year old woman that lives on the same block I grew up on who I haven’t seen in 25 years suddenly take an interest in who I was dating. I posted a pic of my great grandparents from around the 1930s and she in all caps had the nerve to ask what would they think if they knew you were gay. Her son is special needs and her other son died in his sleep when he was 7 so she of all people shouldn’t try to tell others how to live their life. Nope. Before that she commented on a pride related post of mine saying she didn’t know I was gay even though I’d been out 21 years at that time. The son also left me a voicemail on fb messenger saying we’ll always be friends but don’t be promiscuous or something to that effect. Just blocked them both. The moral of the story is life is too short and life with peace not drama. Someone I worked with died at age 40 just a day or 2 earlier, I was her boss around 2007/2008. Managing her with a chronic health / lung condition was very challenging but she was still a very kind-hearted person who made lots of friends along the years. I wish the best to her husband and family. The service is about 4 days and 1600 miles away I def won’t be able to attend. Death has become all too familiar over the years, I still like to think in terms of what’s possible in life and living to the fullest.

Signing off, I should be asleep now. This is all uncharted territory for me and I’m taking it one step at a time. I desperately am craving the additional space. 5+ years working from home in my 1 bedroom or living room in a 700 sq ft. is tough. Over a decade living here in general. I’m just done. They never fixed the spot where the water leaked, tub looks so rundown. A friend came by to drop over boxes and was like I can’t believe you stayed here that long. I never invited her over though I’ve known her for about 4 years. No one can say I didn’t sacrifice.

Buying a House! – $438k – July 2025

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Wake up, wake up, wake up
It’s the first of the month (wake up, wake up)
So get up, get up, get up
So cash your checks and come up (get up, get up)

So yeah it’s July 1, 2025, the month of June was a jam packed one. My bf and I went to Porto, Paris, Versaille, Leeds Castle, and London all on one trip. As non world-traveled person I was a little overwhelmed with the notion but decided to plan ahead as much as possible. I call this a once in a lifetime trip. I took over 1,900 pictures, these are some of the better ones.

7/1/20255/31/2025Difference% Change7/1/2024YoY Diff% Change
401K$ 348,738$ 328,591$ 20,1476.1%$ 273,612$ 75,12627.5%
Roth IRA$ 57,216$ 53,866$ 3,3506.2%$ 42,536$ 14,68034.5%
Brokerage Accts$ 3,710$ 3,278$ 43213.2%$ 3,079$ 63120.5%
Cash$ 23,743$ 26,917$ (3,174)-11.8%$ 3,222$ 20,521636.9%
HSA*$ 4,691$ 3,523$ 1,16833.1%$ 3,799$ 89223.5%
Total$ 438,098$ 416,174$ 21,9235.3%$ 326,248$ 111,85034.3%
Credit Cards$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!$ –$ –#DIV/0!
Auto Loan$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!$ 8,853$ (8,853)-100.0%
Net Total$ 438,098$ 416,174$ 21,9235.3%$ 317,395$ 120,70338.0%

Onto the monthly financial updates, I am up 5.3% or $22k thanks to my savings and an uptick in the market. My HSA is asterisked because I don’t think I fully captured the balance in previous months. It’s a good amount on paper and I’m glad the number is going up. To be up $121k or 38% a year just blows my mind though. When I started this blog 13 years ago I was just trying to get to breakeven. My how times have changed. A few days ago I chagned my 401k contribution amount to get the match. No more, no less. It may slow my progress a bit but shit I have some other short term priorities.

So as far as the home buying process is concerned. Let me run it down.
1 – The townhouse I liked but had reservations on due to the fact it was a townhouse with an HOA with a small driveway and over 2200 sq ft. Just too much space for 2 people if you ask me. Not to mention the expected utility costs. Also the adjacent unit was under renovation and who knows what the neighbors you share a wall will be like.
2 – The house I really really fell for. It had a pretty new roof, lots of natural light, vaulted ceilined. However the elderly man had mobility issues and was adamant about doing a leaseback where he’d rent from me until the time the property was sold. Looking back maybe that was a blessing in disguise, it was under 1300 sq ft and a 2/2 and the seller actually raised the price the same day I made my offer. Wild. Then we discovered it needed some major foundation work. Plus there were issues with improper drainage which was apparent with the mud in the backyard and there wasn’t any grass on the property just mulch. So that was a bust, lost my inspection money but got the earnest money back relatively quickly.
3 – House I currently have an offer on. Inspection was supposed to happen yesterday but wasn’t told the bathroom was going to be ripped apart prior to the inspector showing up. Oops. So it might happen today or possibly another day. This property has the foundation work already done along with renovations. Closing is supposed to happen early August. Really hoping third time is a charm. I’ve seen over 15 individual properties and driven past an additional 10 before ruling them out. No duplexes, nothing that looks like someone died or was tortured in the home, nothing with major foundation work needed. It’s a 3/2, over 1500 sq ft. a deck, privacy fence. I’m excited but also a bit cautious about the process especially managing it on one income the first year. One way or another I’ll be out of this apartment by late August.

I will need about $19k at closing, plus the cost of movers, paying the homeowners + car insurance upfront of ~$3,200 and maybe buying a new couch. So let’s say $6k between now and then. Hence why I’m temporarily pulling back on the retirement, maybe until the end of the year and ramping back up for 2026. Six month emergency fund target is $18k and it’s going to be challenging to hit with one income contributing to the mortgage.

On a positive note the bathroom remodel looks pretty nice, that just got finished today. Pardon the dirt inside, that’s leftover from the construction. Beforehand it was this cheap fiberglass stuff that was attached to the wall securely but tapping on it felt cheap and made me think ok how long is this going to last. This also will help with resale value. Also I likely won’t be doing any major home repairs in the first year or so. The big thing as long as it’s in my power to do so is not to put any expenses on credit cards that won’t be paid in full over the course of a month.

I’m supposed to get a detailed inspection report soon likely tomorrow or Saturday. Took notes of things called out by the inspector.
1. Water pressure – low, also some leaking near water main. Gave demo of bathtub and sink water running at same time, sink dropped to a trickle. Is it a major plumbing issue or something minor?
2. Insulation in attic – not fully insulated, makes A/C work harde
3. Electrical box – Safety concerns no ground rod and wiring for some of the outlets
4. Carpenter ants – frass in front bedroom window – needs to be treated.
5. Washer dryer hookup – No vent from where the dryer would physically be, currently located on other side of the building. 
6. A/C 5 ton unit should be 2.5 so may be oversized for the house – inspector to lookup and verify
7. HVAC system not intaking enough air for the unit, temp drops too quickly without dehumidifying the ai
8. Roof – minor damaged from tree branch exposed fasteners
9. Leak in the master bedroom ceiling – Staining but not sure if root cause was fixed
10. Dishwasher – Kitchen – Doesn’t open fully without hitting the oven due to the narrow clearances / handle sticking out of bottom tray. Dishwasher was originally on the opposite side of the sink and moved over.
11.Garbage disposal – not functioning in the kitchen likely needs to be replaced.
12. Microwave – Have addendum for stainless steel, still see the white microwave in there as of 7/4

Foundation looks good but was told I will likely will see cracks in the walls over the next year as it settles. Inspector recommends leaving it for a year then doing the surface-level repairs. There is another home I was going back and forth on but hate the kitchen and kitchen layout though I do like the solar aspect of it. Everything has tradeoffs, I still like what I see overall. though in current state I’d give it a 6.5/10, getting fixes for some of the big items would bring that up to an 8. I don’t want the hassle of trying to address things myself plus some of the basic things will really lower the appraisal of the seller doesn’t address. I haven’t hit the buy button on furniture or appliances yet but weighing different options. I have a couple factors working in my favor but we’ll see. I still want out of this apartment. Fingers crossed on the third one being a charm. My option period ends in under a week. 😬

Anyway thanks for reading this if you’re still out there. Happy 4th of July! Pictures below taken 7/3/25 at a nearby Home Depot parking lot as I was going to buy work gloves. Peace out.

This Is Fine… – April 2025 $376k

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This is fine' creator reflects on 10 years of the comic meme ...

I did a bit of napkin math recently and discovered that outside of my house savings, retirement, rent, HSA, insurance and taxes I’m only living on about 25% of my gross income. That to me is a big sacrifice. On top of everything I’ve been doing the last couple years to get that retirement balance up.

Someone I have been watching videos from on YouTube for years recently lost her government job as a software tester and is now exploring options at temporarily leaving the United States. Matt D’Avella on YouTube also posted a video about why he was leaving the US due to healthcare costs and not really feeling a sense of community. I get that but also think there is a certain level of priviledge associated with it. When the average person can’t afford a $500 emergency, having resources to leave and be able to sustain one’s self is sort of a luxury. Also specific to Europe I’ve read that a lot of England residents are on public assistance. ~23% of pop vs 12.6 in the US.

Home – I see some of the prices beginning to drop. One home I liked went under contract with a contingent offer right after the price dropped around $25k. I felt like a missed out on a huge opportunity but to me even almost $300k is more than I want to spend. If it comes down another $25k that would seriously get me thinking about speeding up my timeline. $2,000/mo is what I’ve been setting aside the last few months and it’s rough doing that while also paying $1300/mo for rent. $3,300 and around $2500/mo going to retirement accounts. Some days I feel like I’m going to break from this short timeline. I easily could blow the money on something but that would be reckless for my future self.

One home in particular I adore the kitchen, but the driveway needs work as it has about 13 different cracks in it. It’s also a townhome with shared walls / roof and an HOA.

Another home is about $30k more or $330k but has so much natural lighting unlike my dark dingy 700 sq ft apartment. It’s a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom home and about 1300 sq ft. The kitchen is huge and the yard is nice too.

For a mere $20k more you can get a 4br/2ba that’s ~2000/sq ft but the interior needs a bit of work and things like the bathroom / kitchen cabnets need work. Some of the flooring looks a bit dated too. My bf and I drove to a few of the units I had looked at online. One was on the same block I lived just over a decade ago. The roads were halfway dug up and the city is putting in a new sewer system which was quite the eyesore. As happy as I was to be moving into a house back then as I’m older I think of how close some of the homes were to one another.

There was another home in the same community but a few blocks over without the road tore up that I liked. It has been on the market over 4 months though and was modernized quite a bit. I liked that it was 1900 sq feet, didn’t share a roof or wall with another building. Didn’t like that the wood covering the floor of the patio area was certainly in need of replacement due to how it it was designed. Or the slightly muddy backyard area but it did recently rain so that’s completely understandable. There is also no fence, instead just some bushes between the yard and the sidewalk which is right on a main road.

Why am I not taking action right now? I have about $17k in cash not $70k for a down payment which is considered ideal. That’s a huge gap. There was just a price cut of $6k roughly 2 weeks ago. It’s one of the more expensive units in the complex so I expect it to drop more.  Based on my current forecast I’ll be at $41k in cash by the end of July. That’s enough for 20% on a $205k home which doesn’t exist at the moment. I still find myself thinking they want how much? For that? And at that interest rate? I know it makes me sound like a Boomer but if the math ain’t mathing I’m not going to just settle or be house poor.

There are a total of 3 people I know who live locally and are out of work. One was laid off around the holidays, another was laid off about a month ago, and a 3rd quit his job out of frustration. A once friend now acquaintance who owed my money posted recently a GoFundMe to get work done on his car. It’s been 20 years and the equvalent of about $730 in today’s dollars, don’t think I’ll ever see that money back.

April 20253/28/20253/2/2025Difference% Change3/31/2024YoY Diff% Change
401K$ 303,119$ 320,732$ (17,613)-5.5%$ 257,260$ 45,85917.8%
Roth IRA$ 49,814$ 52,922$ (3,108)-5.9%$ 39,020$ 10,79427.7%
Brokerage Accts$ 2,494$ 2,321$ 1737.5%$ 2,367$ 1275.4%
Cash$ 17,209$ 14,303$ 2,90620.3%$ 3,392$ 13,817407.4%
HSA$ 3,415$ 3,537$ (122)-3.4%$ 2,693$ 72226.8%
Total$ 376,050$ 393,814$ (17,764)-4.5%$ 304,731$ 71,31923.4%
Credit Cards$ 93$ –$ 93#DIV/0!$ 65$ 2842.9%
Auto Loan$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!$ 13,587$ (13,587)-100.0%
Net Total$ 375,957$ 393,814$ (17,857)-4.5%$ 291,079$ 84,87829.2%

With all the volatility happening in the American economy it should come as no surprise that my net worth is down for the month. $17k to be exact. My cash is up close to 20% from last month though. I have thoughts on what’s happening but you’ve probably seen it a lot already before. I’m still up $85k to a year ago or +29% and am continuing to dollar cost average. My cash stockpile continues to grow to the highest levels they’ve ever been which I’m extremely thankful for. Most of my investing is on autopilot these days, trying to be an active investor in this market is risky and speculative.

March was a fun month, saw a Titanic exhibit, camping in Llano/Brownwood/Fredricksberg TX, saw Enchanted Rock, LBJ museum, some cool little shops. Replaced a dirty air filter in my car in 2 minutes flat. Finished up a season or cornhole and made it to the playoffs.

Here’s to April, hoping it doesn’t rain too much and I can enjoy the outdoors. It’s past my bedtime. Hope you are all healthy, employed, and not stressing about money. Having zero in student loans, credit card debt, no personal or business loans, and low overhead is a blessing.

Ground Zero – My Challenge

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Wild!

1095 days. 45,159.35 remaining.

I graduated from St. Joseph’s College of New York with an MBA at the age of 24 and 42k of debt in 2008.  This debt is the aggregate total of my loans from 2001 – 2008, including Community College and Undergraduate Education.  I am 28 now, pushing ever closer to 30 and realized I need to do something with my debt before it gets completely out of control.

While my story isn’t as exciting as Mr. No More Harvard Debt, it is my own and no one else’s.  Everyone has to start off from somewhere.  Today April 7, 2012 I owe $45159.35 in debt to various entities.  This number is the culmination of student loans and credit cards.

The breakdown is as follows:
41,971.74 to Sallie Mae at 4.25%, currently on Income-Based Repayment Plan.  Still unsure if my interest will be covered at all.
3187.61o on a Chase Slate Card at 0%, which I believe is good until the end of the year.
47.70 to Citibank.

In 2011 I earned ~14000, working for effectively half the year up until we moved.
2010 I earned ~$13000.  Also essentially working half of the year, since I spent a couple months doing per diem executive assistant type work.  Long story which I prefer to skip right now.
2009 $~25000.  This was the most money I made in a single year.  I also worked in an  environment of mind numbing repetition and dreaded coming in each day after months worth of drama.  I quit to explore my options and my finances tanked as a result.

I will not divulge my income or that of my partner (yeah I’m gay) in this blog, for obvious reasons but he makes considerably more than I do.  I plan to get this debt paid off in the next 36 months.  That’s April 7, 2015 y’all.  It’s doable.  I plan to automate as much as I can and get a raise / promotion in the next 12-16 months.

I’ve been hit with a wave of adversity the past 9 months since moving to Dallas from New York.  I don’t want to dwell on it, but sharing it will provide some background as to my thought processes.

  • Got laid off after working for a company 6 weeks after being out of work for 6 months.  This company also bounced my last paycheck and owed me money for the days accrued between my last check and the day they closed up.  It appears they have violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifcation (WARN) Act by filing for bankruptcy and not giving any employees adequate notice.  I have filed a claim and would really like to get my money.
  • I was on unemployment for 4 weeks while I went on a massive networking campaign and collected about $1000.
  • Got a ticket for $178 from a cop on my way to a job interview I was already 45 minutes to.  I couldn’t find the building and decided to circle around the neighborhood.  Needless to say a cop was hiding and clocked me for 49 in a 30.  Settled, paid the fine and it is off my record.
  • Got $500 from my folks to help with my bills after my layoffs.  I didn’t ask for it, but definitely benefitted from it.
  • Prior to finding the job at that company, I applied to over 120 positions and went on about 10 different interviews including one at a company offering to pay me $30/hr.  After my third interview with no clear answer as to when they could hire me, I made the decision to try something else.

My 2008 Nissan Altima is paid off and I expect to get at least another 4 good years out of it.  I could sell it today and get ~$15k .  I put about 4k into it between upgrading the sound system, installing dynomat and hushmat in key places, along with a strut bar / sway bar, tinted windows, rims / tires etc. and my warranty is good till 2015 so no new car for me.  Some might call it foolish, but I enjoy these things everyday and it isn’t breaking the bank right now.

I just started a new job March 2011 at a company I feel is financially stable and has a great team of smart people working there.  This is my first time working in this industry, so my experience can’t yet command a higher salary.  I’d like to be making $50k by the time I’m 32.  My credit score is presently a 781.

Breakdown of my expenses are as follows:

$101 – Cell Phone (AT&T Wireless on iPhone 4)
$145 – U-Verse (Triple package with 18Mbps internet)
$150 – Gas (commute to work is only 10mi roundtrip)
$34 – Life Insurance
$30 – Haircut
$80 – Car Insurance
$30 – Car Washes
$125 – Entertainment
$200 – Food
$32 – Gas Bill
$15 – Rdio Music Subscription
$50 – Random Miscellaneous
$35 – Washer / Dryer Rental
$800 – Toward Townhouse downpayment, Need 1500-2000 by June 10th.

1827 in monthly expenses short-term, according to my best estimate.  My partner has been paying the rent since we moved here and I’ve been helping out as much as I can with expenses outside of that.

I am paying this debt off as much on my own without help from any outside sources.  I am continuing to research ways of making money on the side and continually develop my skills to start marketable in this fast changing economy.  I get paid semi-monthly, so my updates will be targeted around that timeframe unless I feel a reason to post otherwise.

We are also saving for a downpayment on a townhouse we’re closing on in June ideally.  It’s an FHA loan, so 3.5% down instead of the typical 20, but PMI applies.  Our combined income could pay for off in 2 years, but that is not the goal.  I will go into more detail on that in my next post.