Tag Archives: travel

June 2026 – Fresh off a NYC Trip $571k

Leave a reply

Counting my blessings this month as I do everyday and every month I am upright.

Less than 24 hours ago I returned to DFW after several days in Manhatta with my bf for a much needed couples getaway. Some of the activities including lunch with parents, visiting the Museum of Modern Art, The Met Cloister, Central Park, 9/11 Memorial, One World Trade Center, walking through Time Square, dinner at some really nice restaurants. Along with several subway rides. Our hotel stay thanks to the employee discount was $105/night which really couldn’t be beat anywhere else.

The trip was wonderful, not too long, not to short. Got a lot done from Wednesday night to the time we left on Saturday morning. I thought it would be interesting to see what a space the size of my house would cost in Midtown Manhattan. The cheapest of the cheap was $1.3M , vs my house of $350k. Sticking with my approach of living somewhere modestly affordable and traveling to locations that are exciting. If I had $10s of millions of dollars I might think differently.

I made a bit of a splurge purchase but hear me out. I look at a computer screen minimum 8 hours a day but often more like 8-12 between work, consuming content, learning, etc. June 2022 I purchased the original 5K Apple Studio Display. Now I’ve expanded that into the XDR Studio Display. To me it’s worth it for the brightness, true HDR support, faster refresh rates, much deeper blacks even for non HDR content, improved bass. I bought from Microcenter $3,099 plus tax local pickup and 5% instant cash back when I opened up a credit card with them. Promptly paid off. Literally the best deal I could get on one in the entire country. $3,200.74 after tax. Could possibly get 4 years or more out of the new one too. Cost works out to be around $16 a week if that’s the case. Going to hold onto the original one too since I love a dual 27″ 5K monitor setup. The secondary monitor I was using was 4k and much lower brightness but 6 years out of it wasn’t bad. Still works perfectly fine.


Original Studio Display 5K (Left) vs Studio Display XDR (Right)
5/31/265/1/26Difference% Change5/31/25YoY Diff% Change
401K$459,042$431,074$27,9696.5% $328,591  $130,451 39.7%
Roth IRA$66,872$63,527$3,3455.3% $53,866  $13,006 24.1%
Brokerage Accts$8,137$7,096$1,04214.7% $3,278  $4,860 148.3%
Cash$20,000$12,108$7,89265.2% $26,917  $(6,917)-25.7%
HSA$7,157$6,958$1992.9% $3,523  $3,634 103.2%
Total$561,209$520,763$40,4467.8% $416,174  $145,034 34.8%
Credit Cards$1,011$1,339-$327-24.5% $-    $1,011 #DIV/0!
Auto Loan$0$0$0#DIV/0! $-    $-   #DIV/0!
Subtotal$560,197$519,424$40,7737.8% $416,174  $144,023 34.6%
Mortgage$334,219$335,177-$958-0.3%
Zillow Estimate$345,500$347,700-$2,200-0.6%
Equity Estimate$11,281$12,523-$1,242-9.9%
Net Total$571,479$531,947$39,5317.4%

May was a good month. Net worth up essentially $40k in a month, $144k in a year. Trip expenses 100% paid off. On the mortgage I managed to shave 11 months off the original maturity of Sept 2055. If I continue at the extra $625/mo pace that cuts 12 years off or October 2042. I’ve officially surpassed my 2026 net worth goal of $552,960 which is wild to me. considering we have 7 more months left in the year.

We had a skunk problem for roughly 2 months. Told the pest control company but there wasn’t much they could do since the porch was blocking it. I tried to take care of it 5/17 and failed. My Harbor Freight painting “hazmat” suit ripped in the leg area since I’m thick… The fleas took advantage of that. Made a trip to the dermatologist for multiple bug bites and on 5/26 bf removed it while I worked. I bought him the suit ($13.99), the cordless battery saw ($39.99), the light equipped endoscope camera ($16.99), a 4 lb bad of Diatomaceous Earth ($13.98) I called another local pest company about the dead skunk they said I’d have to hire a handyman to open up the patio, then $139 for the skunk removal and 3 visits every 2 weeks of $169/visit ($499) to have it addressed. Our way saved $500 easy. Plus avoided the awkwardness of the handyman dealing wth the skunk smell and fleas.Word is still out on whether the fleas are entirely gone now but I’m hopeful.

Still no update on my protest for a 16% tax increase with the county. I wasn’t going to file but most people just do it here. Cost of living is already high enough as it is, don’t give up without a fight. I did get a nice little homestead exemption refund check from the city which was a welcome surprise.

Anyway that’s the update for June. Hard to believe the year is basically halfway over. Be kind, level up, focus on the important things in your life. ☮️

Santa Fe, New Computer – April 2026 – $474k

Leave a reply

A few weeks ago my bf and I took a road trip to Hobbs, NM, then Roswell, and Santa Fe. We left a day earlier than planned to make a straight run from Santa Fe to Dallas. It was one of the longest drives I’ve been on since 2004. It was nice seeing the open road and getting out of Dallas. My paid-in-full Acura TLX handled the trip like a champ. My biggest complaint was that it just sucked up a fair amount of gas at a time gas prices have been near record highs. We did that trip on a budget for sure. The flights alone round-trip would’ve been about $700/person, not to mention a car rental would be needed. Hotel we got the nice employee discount on, I think it averaged out to $50/night. We also had a spa day at 10,000 waves. A hidden gem in the mountains.

I won’t sugar coat it, I spent close to $4k on a new MacBook Pro M5 Max at 0% APR. The model I had was equipped with 36GB of memory, which ended up being a bit of a bottleneck for me and my usage habits. Plus the SSD was filling up, I’ve been using 1TB models the last 10 years but now with my games, increased media generation, etc. that was bumped up to 2TB. Also Wi-Fi 7 is noticably faster, I have 4 more CPU cores, 8 more graphics cores. In other words this thing doesn’t skip a beat performance-wise. Luckily I’m getting ~$2k for it later today which will put a big dent in my $4,417 credit card balance. It was supposed to be $90 more but apparently the LCD had a pinkish tint to it. I could’ve protested it but wasn’t trying to give them any reasons to cut the value down more.

The powerful yet expensive Space Black M5 Max MacBook Pro

I was on some medication that gave me more side effects than benefits of the medication. Decided to make a series of lifestyle changes to see if I could get a similar results and so far I’m 70% of the way there. Each day I try to do cardio, take some natural supplements, and eat a little bit healthier. It isn’t going to change entirely overnight but after 4 different medications and the risk of long term health problems I decided it just wasn’t worth it.

3/31/20263/1/2026Difference% Change3/28/2025YoY Diff% Change
401K$389,495$406,855-$17,360-4.3%$303,119$86,37728.5%
Roth IRA$56,714$59,206-$2,491-4.2%$49,814$6,90013.9%
Brokerage Accts$5,733$4,852$88118.2%$2,494$3,239129.9%
Cash$13,443$11,161$2,28220.4%$17,209$(3,766)-21.9%
HSA$6,754$6,380$3745.9%$3,415$3,33997.8%
Total$472,140$488,454-$16,314-3.3%$376,050$96,08925.6%
Credit Cards$4,417$0$4,417#DIV/0!$93$4,3244633.0%
Auto Loan$0$0$0#DIV/0!$0$-  #DIV/0!
Subtotal$467,723$488,454-$20,731-4.2%$375,957$91,76624.4%
Mortgage$336,130$337,077-$948-0.3%
Zillow Estimate$342,600$342,300$3000.1%
Equity Estimate$6,470$5,223$1,24823.9%
Net Total$474,193$493,677-$19,484-3.9%

It is no shock that the stock market is down….and my net worth took a pretty big hit. I get paid 3 times in April so things (hopefully) look significantly different in a month. My mortgage is paid up until June 1st. I will continue to dollar cost average and put money in my 2 brokerage accounts, 401k, Roth IRA, HSA, make 2 extra principal payments on the mortgage and save what’s leftover. I try to limit my consumption of doom and gloom content. I can’t stress about what is happening 7200 miles away from me, try to control what I can, and keep my expenses in check.

Despite all of this, I’m still up $92k in the past year even though there was a 4.2% drop from my last update. I’m confident there will be an improvement later this year. It feels like a number in a spreadsheet, not real tangible assets. I hit $500k for a day or 2 then a rapid drop. This is a time when riches are formed. 2020 March during the peak of covid had 12-13% losses. Feb 2020 I was at $73k NW, March was $50k, April was $65k, May was $76k.. So 3 months to be pretty much back to normal. Let’s see if history repeats itself.

On that note I’m off to bed, need my beauty sleep. Surprised you made it this far. Personal finance isn’t always entertaining, it’s a series of calculated decisions, hard work, and some luck over time.

We crushed it! January 2026 – $489k

Leave a reply

As I type this up I’m enjoying the tail end of a trip to West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The weather has been impeccable, warmth that I wouldn’t expect to see at the tail end of December. Yesterday hit a high of 82. People were jugging up and down the streets and boardwalk like we were in the thick of summer.

December was a good month for me financially. Hit my max 2025 contribution for the Roth IRA and 401K. Ended the month still able to have a $0 balance on my credit cards. The trip I’m currently on we did on a budget through discounts, credits. Food and some other things went on the credit card but it was only a few hundred split across the two of us.

Two of the paychecks this month didn’t have my 401k contributions taken out at all so that gave me a lot more disposable income.

I just started reading a book called Zero World Problems: New Standards of Living For the Post-Materialistic economy by Aaron Clarey who also wrote the book Black Man’s Guide Out of Poverty. For context I read that book in March 2017 when my net worth was closer to *$25k*. A lot of the material in the first section I was already familiar with but it is nice to revisit some of the core principals that will help me navigate my 40s/50s and beyond. Keeping up with the Joneses really does not make us happy.

So what happened in December 2025:
1. I got a car repair close to $260 including an oil change and replacing old hydroscopic brake fluid with new fluid to improve longevity of the entire system. A little more money than I wanted to spend honestly. I can always do oil changes at the Honda dealership for $59.95 after a coupon. I think I paid closer to $100 for that and that was after a coupon. Not sure about the brakes. Sometimes you just want to get in and out though, in this case I worked while they wrenched on the car.

2. I finally beat Baldur’s Gate 3 – This came I bought about a year ago and it wasn’t super expensive. Got over 480 hours out of it which is a bit embarassing to admit. I promptly deleted the game from my SSD likely to never touch it again.

3. Got these Thai needles in bulk. My bf’s first reaction was to send it back but hey if we have 6 months worth of noodles in the cabinet that saves both time and money as long as we use them. Plus I’d argue they’re a touch more healthy than the kind you buy from the restaurant covered in sauces and oils.
4. Unsuccessfully tried to assemble a wooden cabinet for the office that had super cheap pressed wood and disintegrated on me.

5. Bought these supermarket flowers that I just love. They made it about a week and half before tossing them but it adds a nice pop of color to the space.

6. Christmas / Holiday festivities – Wicked For Good didn’t disappoint though I made the mistake of seeing it while sleep deprived in a dark movie theater.

7. West Palm Beach / Fort Lauderdale trip – Took so many pictures. I’ll post a few of them here. Lots of fun new memories and a well needed break from Dallas.

In my last post I set a net worth estimate for the end of 2025 at $480k
8. My mortgage is now paid up until March 1, 2026 (2 payments of about ~$2900 Jan and February) so it looks like my cash balance has come down a lot. I noticed these prepayments aren’t reflected on my oustanding balance yet. I like having a little buffer. Starting next month I’m going to start with the triple principal payments (2 more than normal month) scenario I mentioned in my last post.

People often overerestimate what they can accomplish in a year and underestimate what they can in a decade. Since last month my net worth is up about $5,500 and in the last year I’m up $104k or +27%. A decade ago I was in the negative $14k net worth range. Past me never would’ve thought my numbers would go up by $500k. I hope the new year brings you good health, financial abundance, and happiness. I’m going into 2026 ready to rock and roll.

12/30/2512/1/2025Difference% Change12/27/24YoY Diff% Change
401K$402,229$397,992$4,2371.1%$315,581$ 86,64827.5%
Roth IRA$57,765$56,073$1,6923.0%$51,574$ 6,19112.0%
Brokerage Accts$3,423$3,074$34911.3%$1,644$ 1,779108.2%
Cash$12,592$15,621-$3,029-19.4%$11,896$ 6965.8%
HSA$6,343$5,869$4748.1%$3,559$ 2,78478.2%
Total$482,352$478,629$3,7230.8%$ 384,254$ 98,09825.5%
Credit Cards$0$0$0#DIV/0!0$ –#DIV/0!
Auto Loan$0$0$0#DIV/0!0$ –#DIV/0!
Subtotal$482,352$478,629$3,7230.8%$ 384,254$ 98,09825.5%
Mortgage$338,951$339,258-$307-0.1%
Zillow Estimate$345,200$343,700$1,5000.4%
Equity Estimate$6,249$4,442$1,80740.7%
Net Total$488,601$483,070$5,5301.1%

Is this blog boring and repetitive? Maybe but slow and steady wins the race. 😀

Gratitude at $481k Net Worth – November 2025

Leave a reply

I’ve been practicing more self-awareness lately and something that really has me thinking is the current state of the economy. We have government shutdowns and major corporations in my industry laying off people left and right. I’ve watched more videos than I care to admit about potential losses of SNAP benefits. Lucky enough to never been on that situation personally though my father was disabled and probably could’ve qualified if he wanted to after my parents divorce in the 90s.

October has certainly been a busy one…
1. Sprained my finger. Going on 3 weeks since the incident happened and feels about 80% healed. I chose not to go to see a doctor about it after some bad experiences in the past with an ER clinic. It’s not broken and I can bend it but it hurts in very specific situations.
2. Before the finger sprain I had a cold that wouldn’t go away for a week. Then I made an appointment at the clinic. Ended up waiting for over an hour before being seen by the nurse practitioner. Got some medication that messed with my stomach for most of the time I was on it. Also was told to avoid being in direct sunlight on days where it was in the 80s and I was actively outside.
3. With work a few senior people are gone. Some of it was reorg related, others completely voluntary. It makes me wonder when my day might come. I have been actively trying to avoid burnout and thankfully I do work 40 hours a week most weeks. Staying home, not dealing wtih a commute yet. If I do need to commute the 22 miles a day to work based on rumblings about a return to office policy I likely will be buying a used EV or a hybrid. Right now though it makes more mathematical sense to keep my 23.8mpg vehicle that sits undisturbed in the garage.
4. Since recovering from the cold I’ve had a lingering cough. Not sure if it’s from another medication I’ve been taking but it’s quite annoying. I tried not taking that medication for a week but then my weight shot right up by about 1lb per day, before I was dropping a pound a day. I quit a medication before due to the 2 months of side effects.
5. I signed back up for YouTube Premium. I tried ad blockers, fast forwarding ads, letting the first few seconds play and hitting skip. It just ruined my entire experience though when maybe I was doing something that didn’t allow me to hit that button right away.
6. I cancelled my SquareSpace domain hosting account. The site got very little traffic and I wasn’t using it for any commercial purposes. Might be able to link another webhost I have to it or setup a redirect. Can also go the old fashioned route and find some HTML/CSS templates. $23/mo just wasn’t worth it fo rmy use case.
7. I updated to the new iPad Pro M5 from M4. It’s insanely fast. Here’s my rationale for upgrading.
-67% trade-in value of the M5 iPad Pro
-Ability for screen to get down to 1 nit (great for reading before bed)
-Wi-Fi 7
-50% more memory, faster CPU and 30% faster GPU
-Fresh battery when current was at 89.5%
-Works with my existing pencil and magic kb
-Bluetooth 6
-Fast Charging – Up to 50% in 35 minutes
8. Yard work – It’s not done but I have put a dent in it. Raked leaves near the front driveway, cut branches over the front driveway, cut some other branches on another tree in front of the house, cut branches for a tree in the back of the house, cut a messy looped nest of vines, cut down some small trees that ChatGPT said can sometimes be invasive due to how quickly they grow.

9. My Money Tree is thriving and the basil plant is still chugging along.

10. Halloween has come and gone. I got a very overpriced costume from Amazon, complete with a pocket that has a hole big enough for my phone to fall through it. I didn’t go to the big block party here for reasons stemming from hating huge crowds, being in my 40s, and 85% sober. We played beer pong with friends and I lost. That room temperature shot was sooo nasty.

Halloween!

11. In my industry we’ve been talking about Holiday for months now. I’ve seen Christmas trees at stores and it’s just not hitting me on November 1st that the day will be here before you know it.

Site icon
Gratitude at $481k Net Worth – November 2025

12. A week ago Sunday I had to go to the Emergency Dentist for treatment on a tool where a filling had chipped off and my tooth was extremely sensitive to cold. The dentist was very professional, the office took me right away. The location was a little bit sketchy though. My fear was that I’d have a big infection potentially an abcess by the time a dentist would be able to admit me. Face was numb for about 6 hours so my bf’s birthday dinner was cancelled.
13. I still haven’t scheduled an appointment for removal of the tree next to the house. Thinking of December now when the prices are cheaper. In theory I could probably cut it one tiny portion at a time but the risk of a piece falling on me or the house are quite high. The tree itself feels super solid and not seeing any signs of rot but if it were to fall for some reason that would be a major pain.

The tree that is definitely too close to the house

14. Other house bills – new tools to help with the wild vegetation, a huge electric bill that is coming down by a lot, water bill, home security recurring service fee. Nothing too extreme. February we’ll be a dual income household and that is going to help accelerate things on a massive scale. I’ll start making some extra principal payments and more aggressively save in emergency fund and investments. The goal is to lower risk while also growing the portfolio.

A lot happens in a year. For me I’ve seen a +$115k increase in overall net worth or +32% not including the house which I don’t really view as an investment. Most of that being my 401k. Over the last month my net worth is up +3.6% or +$16,727. Had some recent good news which I can’t really dive into but very thankful and will help me sleep better at night. My next mortgage payment isn’t due until 12/1, the question is do I get the $9 worth of interest in my high yield savings now or just make the payment early and be good until the end of the year. Either way the payment will be due in a month so it’s not like I’m missing out on much.

11/1/202510/1/2025Difference% Change11/1/2024YoY Diff% Change
401K$394,310$383,633$10,6772.8%$ 297,764$ 96,54632.4%
Roth IRA$55,313$53,212$2,1013.9%$ 47,977$ 7,33615.3%
Brokerage Accts$2,829$2,516$31312.4%$ 882$ 1,947220.7%
Cash$15,873$12,067$3,80631.5%$ 8,686$ 7,18782.7%
HSA*$5,854$5,659$1953.4%$ 3,490$ 2,36467.7%
Total$474,179$457,086$17,0933.7%$ 358,799$ 115,38032.2%
Credit Cards$0$433-$433-100.0%$ –$ –#DIV/0!
Auto Loan$0$0$0#DIV/0!$ –$ –#DIV/0!
Subtotal$474,179$456,653$17,5253.8%$ 358,799$ 115,38032.2%
Mortgage$339,868$340,170-$302-0.1%
Zillow Estimate$346,600$347,700-$1,100-0.3%
Equity Estimate$6,732$7,530-$798-10.6%
Net Total$480,911$464,184$16,7273.6%

It rained this morning and I’m about to go to a kickball game. Better hurry before I’m late. It’s very possible in the next 6 months I’ll hit $500k net worth. I have no plans ot retire anytime soon but at least I’m on the path to $1M by the end of 2032. If my job lets me go I’ll look for another one. My dollars are working harder for me now than I ever will have to for the rest of my life. I follow financial gurus on a regular basis but came to the realization is I’m my own guru at 42 and the #s prove that out. Namaste.

Buying a House! – $438k – July 2025

Leave a reply

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.

House Hunting at $416k – June 2025

Leave a reply
5/31/20254/29/2025Difference% Change6/2/2024YoY Diff% Change
401K$ 328,591$ 306,755$ 21,8367.1%263,270$ 65,32124.8%
Roth IRA$ 53,866$ 50,234$ 3,6327.2%40,864$ 13,00231.8%
Brokerage Accts$ 3,278$ 2,827$ 45115.9%2,822$ 45616.1%
Cash$ 26,917$ 22,862$ 4,05517.7%4,487$ 22,430499.9%
HSA$ 3,523$ 3,400$ 1233.6%3,395$ 1283.8%
Total$ 416,174$ 386,078$ 30,0967.8%$ 314,838$ 101,33632.2%
Credit Cards$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!697$ (697)-100.0%
Auto Loan$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!10,209$ (10,209)-100.0%
Net Total$ 416,174$ 386,078$ 30,0967.8%$ 303,932$ 112,24236.9%

Happy to say my net worth is above $400k again for now. It’s mind blowing how quickly things can change from one month to the next. At a bare minimum I want to have $1M by 59.5, but $2M would be ideal. It will be a gradual thing though, not trying to burnout or risk everything to get rich quickly. Up $112k in a year is pretty good and a 7.8% improvement from May.

Recently I’ve been running into isuses with the apartment rental. 4 trips needed to be made for the ceiling leaking only to find out that the leak is coming from the unit upstairs not mine. Or at least one of the leaks. It’s been over a week with 1-3 buckets in my bathroom near the ceiling drain pain. I moved in here December 2014. I’ve opened 39 maintenance related tickets and spent close to $125k on rent. I’ve accumulated an impressive investment portfolio at least by my standards and the sacrifice was worth it. When I moved into this apartment I was earning close to $65k per year and still laden with student loan debt. That is not the case today. I am debt free and rapidly stockpiling cash.

April 2012 in my post ‘ Why We’re Buying a Townhouse‘ the market was different, interest rates were 3.65% for an 1800 sq ft place built in the 1970s. That was with my ex at the time and we both moved in right away. The house value was around $140k, fast fwd to 2025 and that very same townhome which one could consider a starter home is now valued at $300k. It would be bad luck to buy something on the same block as where I used to live and the entire community while nice reminds me of that chapter in my life. One that is long since gone.

I made an offer on a place down the street from me, it seemed promising. The place had an offer but it wasn’t accepted, then I made my offer quickly only to find out I had been outbid. Am I sad about it? Not really, the square footage was over 2200 which is a lot for 2 people especially since one of us wouldn’t be moving until a year from now. A few of the rooms needed some painting work, the electrical system had aluminum wires, a few of the light fixtures were old, and the immediately adjacent unit was being renovated. Then there was an HOA for $192 which was sort on the cusp of what I’d be comfortable paying. It even had a nice loft area I could envision using to work from home.

The townhouse that never was for me

I’ve driven by over 12 different properties and toured through 3 of them. The 2nd one had a beautiful pool in the backyard but the roof was buckling in certain areas, there was some rotting wood in the back that would cost a lot of money to replace. The pool was also very much above ground and could be a huge liability if it started leaking for some reason. The last one I made an offer on and still waiting to hear back whether the seller accepted. Some things I like about it

  1. The overall area seems a slight bit quieter
  2. Home is built in 1983 as opposed to 1972
  3. Exterior-wise less maintenance would have to be done
  4. Zero HOA, this is close to a month’s mortgage payment over the course of a year
  5. Less sq footage means less money to heat and cool the property
  6. Both had lots of natural light
  7. Able to park a camper in the driveway if my parents happened to come and visit
  8. Location is less than 17 miles from the gay part of Dallas and 20 miles from downtown – Someone I know of bought in Arlington and they’re 30 miles away from anything their care about and the home is from early 70s and was complaining about the shower suddenly stopping working
  9. The roof has been replaced in the last few years and according to the owner has a warranty

My offer hasn’t been accepted yet, and there are a few steps that would need to take place afterward. I’ve been looking online for the past few months and talking about it on this blog for years. We’ll see if I’m one step closer or back to the drawing board. Planning to put down a small down payment in the interest of keeping more of an emergency fund on hand since the timing is a pretty small window between saving more money and an estimated closing date. Technically my apartment lease is up 8/13 so I need to get this all done by then. So if it seems I’m doing this all quickly there’s a reason for it. Especially with 2 weeks in Europe coming up. I am not planning to touch any of my investments though it’s temping at times.

Sold my extra living room loveseat for $58 – My living room feels so much more open now. It was also a 10+ year old piece of furniture, change can be a good thing.

Buying a home will be an adjustment in terms of my monthly overhead. However a lot of people at this stage of life purchase real estate. I don’t want to be renting an apartment in my 50s. I have a huge % of my net worth tied up in retirement and it’s time to start diversifying a bit. The goal is to have my bf move in with me next year once his lease is up so that would be a huge help with some of the overhead.

I was doing well with my sleep until recently with everything going on. Things will get better, I just don’t like when in a limbo period. Also worth mentioning no one else is helping me with this down payment nor have I asked. Maybe that will change one day, but highly unlikely. Anyway it’s 2:30am here, will post something else later in June for any new developments.

Feb 2025 Starting the Year Off Right? Sorta… – $395k

Leave a reply

January was a weird month for me. I started out at a friend’s gathering then I got sick and developed a nagging cough that wouldn’t completely go away. I took a really strong antibiotic which the nurse practitioner said to take it if I needed to. It just made me feel worse. I’m about 90% good now but the cough still comes and goes.

  1. After getting a scrape on one of my wheels I bought a new one… For almost $550 brand new at a discount from a company that supplies parts for Acuras. I unsuccessfully tried to get a guy to come out and repair them who ghosted me, then the place I got repair done from previously wants to charge $200 and keep them 2 days plus they’re about 32 miles away which is not very convenient. I have the old one on eBay right now but no bites. Slowly lowering the price down to see what happens.
Brand new wheel

2. We had snow, likely for the only time this year. Everything basically came to a grinding halt. I enjoyed pictures of it from afar online.
3. Bf and I went to this really wondeful light snow on the outskirts of Dallas called Astra Lumina. We both really enjoyed it and it was pretty empty. 100% worth it.

4. Getting back in the flow of playing sports. I wore these leggings out for the first time and it was an adjustment. My body is a little stiff from yesterday but at least myt face is good after getting hit right in the face with a dodgeball.

5. Checked out fun restaurants and bars including Boxcar and Copper and Vine. I’m giving myself more grace with drinking, light drinking 1-2 drinks a week is my limit. I’m all about the vibe. These places aren’t cheap but it’s good for us to go out and occasionally indulge after long week.

6. I made a few clothing purchases and cologne. Trying to do samples to figure out what I like and use those sparingly for when I go out. Altogether it was about $280 and one item I gave away to my bf since it didn’t fit, another I bought twice since I thought I threw it out by accident so now I have 3 packs of samples.
7. For Retirement – The Roth IRA is maxed out for 2024. This Friday I’ll make my first 2025 contribution. I hate making the contributions honestly but it’s for my future. I was “only” able to contribute 96% or $22,125.05 to my 401k last year out of a $23k limit. YTD I’m at $1,840 plus matching. Each month this year I project to see a NW increase of ~$2500/mo or $30k/yr from the estimated return rate of my investments.
8. Housing – I’m still saving for a home but at the rate housing prices and interest rates aren’t coming down this may take longer than expected. Almost $10k a month in to the near year is a good start though. One of my IG friends who is a realtor essentially said come be my neighbor, the place looked amazing but $500k though. Most people under 40 aren’t going to be able afford that. Maybe couples, situations with 3 people on the mortgage, families with generational wealth, or the top 10%, but still. That’s a $100k down payment and $3k a month not including utilities, maintenance, HOA, etc. $300k is about the sweet spot in terms of what a home looks like and what I think I’d be able to afford. I believe in math. Do I have a little FOMO when I see someone in Forney that has a whole house and probably has half my salary? Yes a little bit, however that would be 40 miles from my bf’s job or up to 2 hour drive after work on a weekday. That and no one I know lives out there. Fuck that haha.
9. For time preservation, algorithm, and mental health reasons. I’ve decided to try and be 80-90% apolitical online but it’s hard. Even with the exclusion of certain mutes words and , me not personally posting political content it’s E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. That and the number of things to get outraged over seems to be rising exponentially. A cousin in Kentucky came across a flyer related to a divisive group’s meetings and was hoping it’s fake but it ‘s real. It’s always been there but now the people are coming out of the woodwork. The best revenge is living a good life so that’s what I’ll keep going. Also not going to any of those areas that want to take us back to the dark ages of segregation.
10. Stepdad’s home is finally sold, he’s been handling the finances of it since 1997 and the proceeds are significant. He worked 2 jobs for years to keep it all afloat and I’m glad he doesn’t have to worry about it anymore, though now he wants to build a home on a parcel of land he owns to avoid cap gains taxes. It sounds crazy to me, but then again I don’t want to deal with tenants especially in NY.

Ok here are the actual numbers…

February 2025 Net Worth Update
2/2/202512/27/2024Difference% Change1/31/2024
401K$ 324,256$ 315,581$ 8,6752.7%$ 232,746
Roth IRA$ 53,272$ 51,574$ 1,6983.3%$ 34,506
Brokerage Accts$ 2,016$ 1,644$ 37222.6%$ 2,031
Cash$ 11,975$ 11,896$ 790.7%$ 4,448
HSA$ 3,562$ 3,559$ 30.1%$ 2,725
Total$ 395,082$ 384,254$ 10,8282.8%$ 276,456
Credit Cards$ 166$ –$ 166#DIV/0!$ 87
Auto Loan$ –$ –$ –#DIV/0!$ 16,536
Net Total$ 394,915$ 384,254$ 10,6612.8%$ 259,833

I’m up about $11k over last month and $135k to last year. I get paid on Friday and trying to keep my spending in check. The credit card payments are scheduled to bring it down to 0 but haven’t posted yet. I might hit $400k net worth this month but it’s a little iffy since right now at least it looks like I may owe $1200 in taxes. Am I excited about this milestone? Eh a little bit. Most of my money I’m not touching until hopefully until I’m 59.5. It’s all relative though, I consider myself one of the fortunate ones… Especially with all the ruckus happening with the federal government and tech sectors. Not to mention all the wildfires in Los Angeles. My problems are important to me but also small by comparison.

I have a really bad case of cabin fever right now but it’s supposed to be warmer this week. Doing things with friends in your 40s on a whim is near impossible. I think they assume I’m busy when I’m not or when I do ask them they are busy. What can you do though… Basically plan stuff on my own and maybe I’ll run into people I know. A big chunk of my 20s / 30s was spent hoping people would like me, to a fault. Now I’m like yeah it would be nice but not losing sleep over it. I can do fun stuff too and being fancy if I choose to be isn’t breaking my finances.

Last but not least one of our family friends going back to the 1980s passed away recently at the age of 84. She was one of the nicest people I’ve met and never complained about anything. She came to NY from the south almost 50 years ago with nothing. She made many friends, became like family in many ways, worked at a nursing home and volunteered at a church. I haven’t seen her since I left NY but my mom would stay in touch. The years go by quickly, make the most of them. I watched an hour long service from the church on YouTube. It was very touching.

Stay strong even if your finances are down right now. Long term history suggests things will continue to go up so that’s that I’m going to focus on. Much love to you all.

To the Two Comma Club – Dec 2024 – $383k

Leave a reply

Assuming I stop investing completely and market returns stay at current rates I’ll double my portfolio from the current $373k as of a few days ago to $735k in 8.5 years or 2032. Then double it again and hit ~$1.5M in 2040. I will be 57 years old then and presumably retired or very close to it.

In practice I’m putting about $1,986 of my own money aside monthly in 401k plus let’s say $745/mo of matching. Not including Roth, crypto, or brokerage account. So that’s $2,731. At that rate I will double my portfolio to $756k in 5 years. If I could hold that pace for 5 more years I hit $1.3M 5 years from now or 2035 at 52. That’s independent of money I’m putting into a Roth IRA, high yield savings account, bonuses / the rest of my income, or may go to a potential home.

Not stressing about any of this really. If it happens great, if not I will keep focusing on things and people who matter in my life. 2024 has been a year of uncertainty,. A friend got laid off a few weeks ago, a former coworker was looking for employment for close to a year and took a demotion, another who left voluntarily got laid off elsewhere not only once but twice.

I spend a ton of money this month but mostly for good things.
1. Tire – Got a new set of tires – $1,392.13 – TLDR on this is I drove to Arkansas and my tire started to make a bit of a noise. I had the car aligned several times, along with tires balanced before so this was odd. The Discount Tire rep said 3 of the tires balanced but the one I had issues with wouldn’t balance. He then showed me irregular wear on the tire and what looked like a liter of liquid sloshing around. The car is AWD so it’s recommended to replace all 4 tires at once. So the car I bought October 2023 at Grubbs Acura of Grapevine, TX had tire sealant the time I purchased it. I e-mailed a few people there and got a pretty generic response. I was fuming because it could have resulted in the tire sidewall exploding and I drove 10k miles with the tire in that state. I was able to pay if off that week with money I had saved up. I was pissed though. The car rides much quieter and I get road hazard coverage / free rotations for multiple years.
2. Europe flight and seat upgrades – American Airlines $1,737.23 – I knew the expense was coming. Did I want to make the payment this early? Not really but I’m going to have a blast
3. Dodgeball team membership – $90.50 – Since the kickball season stopped and we’re not doing cornhole I wanted some type of social outlet with people I knew. Missed the early brid pricing by a few days oops.
4. MacBook Pro $2,899 plus tax – Got $2,252 for the old one. Wasn’t going to replace but the big bulky 16″ barely fit on my desk. and discouraged my from going out anywhere with it. The specs are a slight downgrade in terms of amount of memory and GPU cores but the system is faster than my own one so real world it just uses more of its RAM and a tiny bit of swap space.
5. Wicked tickets… j/k on that one but great movie. The acting, special effects, and the music. This film had a huuuge $145M budget.

Inside of old tire wearing abnormally and new tire

The 2024 Edition laptop – M4 Max MacBook Pro

Sharing a couple pictures from my camera roll in November.. Lots of Christmas. experiences. 😀

On the health front I was sick for a few days but my blood pressure also was sky high 152/97. I was drinking lots of water, taking garlique and dandelion root, going for walks whenever possible. It was working for a while until it wasn’t. The other medication I was on just ruined my GI system. High blood pressure is the silent killer so I openly accepted going back on another medication with the hopes of getting back into normal range. Numbers are back to normal again. Since the election I’ve been down about 10 pounds so it’s helping. I also no longer am active on X / Twitter instead favoring Mastodon and Blusky. The X algo would constantly show me performative outrage, political content I never asked for, its owner’s comments non-stop, and videos that go viral for all the wrong reasons. The platform is polarizing, toxic, and quiet honestly a waste of time. Garbage in, garbage out.

My net worth is at an all-time high. I am having doubts about being able to afford a home by August 2025. A common rule of thumb is to not exceed 28% of your take home on housing expenses. That with my aggressive retirement investing would be about $1708 (good luck finding a mortgage payment that cheap) and then a Ramit Sethi video said add 50% to that to account for all kinds of additional expenses. So $2,562…

Up $24k in a month due to a recent surge in the market. Doubtful this momentum will continue but I’m pushing as much as I can. $400k by March? Def a possibility. It doesn’t feel real though. 12/2/23 I was at $233,478 so a +64% or +$149k gain in a year. I’m extremely thankful and vividly remember the -$45k I came from when starting this blog. Still working on stacking cash but it takes time.. Alright it’s after 3am I should be in bed now.

12/1/202411/1/2024Difference% Change
401k319,005297,76421,241+7.1%
Roth IRA51,30847,9773,332+6.9%
Brokerage Accts1,346882465+52.7%
Cash7,6038,686-1,083-12.5%
HSA3,5613,49071+2%
Total382,824358,79924,025+6.7%
Credit Cards166–166
Auto Loan–––
Net Total382,658358,79923,859+6.6%

Good News & Responsibility – Nov 2024 – $359k

2 Replies

So it’s been a year since I said goodbye to my dog Sasha. It doesn’t carry the same level of sadness it once did but I am still reminded of her presence. Kind of thinking about getting a dog again, but not in the 700 sq. foot apartment.

I got a raise and bonus at work and feeling good about it. Is it life changing? Not exactly but it’s helping me keep up with inflation and I am extremely thankful to be receiving anything. Especially in today’s environment.

Last month I set a lofty goal to start saving $1k per paycheck toward my home fund. Have I been able to stick to that? Yes. I have $4k currently saved. FHA is 3.5% or $350k is $12k. I’m on track to have more than that by the time my 42nd birthday rolls around.

I’ve had a few celebrations and done some gifting but all of that was paid for any not much in the grand scheme of things. For his 31st birthday I got my bf mostly practical items and we went out to high tea at The Adolphus in Downtown Dallas. For a friend’s birthday we covered his dinner at Goldie’s, along with alcohol and drinks. Was it cheap? No sometimes you need to spend a little more for the experience and to return the kindness of others.

After much deliberation I’m keeping my 16″ MacBook Pro M3 Max. It’s got 48GB of RAM, 16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores, 1TB of storage, beautiful screen. No need to drop $1300 on a new 14″ one that has very similar specs. Save / invest that money and when the next shiny thing comes out the current latest and greatest will be on sale. Heck there are people still rocking the M1 Max for professional needs and those came out 3 years ago. For next year’s Europe trip I can bring the iPad Pro with me and use it as “desktop” for a week and a half. Also I rarely push this system to the absolute limits and trying to get better at not leaving a ton of windows / tabs open in my browser. Also testing out the Brave browser instead which is much better than Safari with memory management. As I type this up, the CPU is about 90% idle.

Next week will be a trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas and probably Little Rock as well. Going to take a scenic drive and have never been to either city. Some nice restaurants, lots of sight seeing, hoping the weather cooperates.

Speaking of driving, I had an unexpected situation hitting some debris on a dark service road. Thought it was a brick or something to that effect. Oh this is a tiny item my car isn’t lowered or anything, surely it will clear it. I was mistaken and have a $301 bill to prove it.. The service cut me me a break, the original quote ws about $100 more. I tried to be extra nice and also got the other warranty work done so it was productive even though the lack of a loaner car for 4 days was a little bit annoying. The aluminum plate piece would scrape on the ground every time there was a little raised part of the road.

The kickball season has come to a close for me, it was fun to have plans on the weekend to do something outside of the apartment. It kind of gives me a little more life too, being around people in their 20s and 30s. Much more sense of adventure than I have sometimes. It’s eye opening how they were talking about $100k being a good salary to live off of in Dallas. I remember trying to hit that target for years and years. Then it happened. Now I don’t really realize I earn quite a lot compared to the average person.

FOMO is a real thing for me and I am not really where I expected to be at this age. Sometimes you work toward a goal and fall flat on your face. I am not letting that discourage me though. I will soon have the most cash I’ve ever had on hand since I had a windfall in 2022. I’m not used to not investing every single dollar and having a little bit left over. I do feel guilty about not maxing out my 401k. 35% of the money I don’t put in retirement is just going to the tax man. For a couple hundred in my pocket it’s not really worth it since I’m missing out on potential tax-deferred growth. So back to maxxing out I go.

11/1/202410/1/2024Difference% Change
401K297,764297,589+175+.1%
Roth IRA47,97747,091+886+1.9%
Brokerage Acct882549+333+60.7%
Cash8,6863,547+5,139+144.9%
HSA3,4903,465+25+.7%
Total358,799352,240+6,559+1.9%
Credit Cards0832-832-100%
Net Total358,799351,408+7,390+2.1%

Up $7,390 in a market that has recently taken some hits. There is a strong possibility of hitting a $400k net worth in the next year. Last year as proud as I was of my progress I was “only” at $217k so up 65% or $142k in a year. ::cough::

I don’t have anything to complain about right now. Saving toward a new place to live, my investment acct is up, I’m not letting money burn a hole in my pocket. I have a well paying job and a loving supportive partner. Losing a few pounds though I’m still up 40 pounds since covid and working from home. I didn’t gain it all at once so I can’t reasonably expect to lose it that quickly either. Steady consistent effort over time, that’s what it’s all about. That, not making dumb decisions, and a little bit of luck.

Still haven’t decided if I’m going to visit family in December since I basically have the week of christmas off. Weather is a big unknown but I do still have a Southwest credit that hasn’t been utilized. I’d also need to rent a car otherwise I’d be stuck at home with parents home most of the entire trip which also isn’t ideal.

I voted early last month, election day will soon be upon us. I wanted to find good reasons to support one side but kept coming up short. I’ll leave it at that. Also Harlan if you’re reading this I and probably others can’t leave any comments on your blog, I tried 3 times and it kept loading. 😛

I found my 1st grade school pictures from October 1989. That was 35 years ago and I remember most of that era at least from a 6 year old perspective. There is one person who I can’t remember the name of but everyone else is still around and doing well from what I can tell at least. Hope you guys and gals are doing well out there.

I also see Joe’s blog https://nomoreharvarddebt.com/ is public again even if it’s dormant. It’s still a good resource on how to think differently from society with personal finance even a decade later. Maybe the Gen Z crowd will discover some of the advice from your elders is good. 😉

The Change Starts With You – Aug 2024 – $317k

2 Replies

In 5 days I turn 41. I stared this blog when I was 29. That’s a long ass time. Despite few people reading, keeping track of things helps with my own internal motivation.

  1. Most recently my employers was offering a 2 for 1 match on charitable donations. I chose to invest a tiny amount in the National Kidney Foundation, in honor of my late father.
  2. Almost a month ago me and my boyfriend went to beautiful Hochatown, Oklahoma which is adjacent to Broken Bow. It was a great balance of tourist town, quiet and serene. I definitely would consider doing another cabin weekend. Maybe in a few months. Also doing some initial planning around a Europe trip next year.
  3. Friends and I saw Missy Elliott in concert a few weeks ago in Fort Worth. Also performing were Busta Rhymes and Ciara. So much energy and strong performances. We planned the trip back in April and the price was really reasonable. $136.50 per person including parking.
  4. I’ve been getting more into biking but definitely taking another hiatus. My body let me ride without major issues once this month but the second time not so good. Considering selling the bike and taking up other hobbies.
  5. Equinox recently increase prices to $221 per month up $10 from what I was paying previously. There are plenty of amenities that I really was not taking advantage of including the unlimited classes, spin classes, the saltwater pool, sauna, showers and locker room area with the big kicker is if I wanted to use a personal trainer that would be $135 per session on the low endso for a “”normal for session per month training regiment I would be paying $540 plus the $221 or $761 per month. To me that amount seems egregious when roughly 70% of fitness results are diet related and not training related. So I instead chose to join a more no-frills type gym that works out too roughly $53 per month and has more convenient hours. I estimate my annual savings at roughly $2000 per year. That’s the equivalent of my annual vehicle fuel expenses, or one to two vacations per year.
  6. At a macro level I’m considering what the next steps would be in my career. One potential area would be to work on or at least consider a masters degree in marketing. Well I do have an MBA, I earned that all the way back in the late 2000s so much has changed in my industry since then, I also selfishly have some slight paranoia about being surpassed by someone younger with either more industry experience or stronger, credentials than myself. Western Governors University offers such a program for roughly $4800 for a six month term and on average or I should say roughly 61% of students complete the program within an 18 months that would make it more likely for me to be eligible for either a senior director or vice president of marketing role. According to salary.com, the average Senior Director of marketing in my state earns between $166,000 and $209,000 per year. At the vice president level, the range is between $214,000 and $288,000. One of the big questions is how much I want to push myself particularly since I’m starting to slow down a bit in my 40s. Would pay for itself, and then some what I think, in terms of the power of compounding. Think defensively especially in this economy. Anything to help me stand out in the event I need to look for a new role seems like it would be a smart decision.
  7. Without going into a ton of details, I do have a tiny windfall over the next year or so. I will gladly take this over the other alternative, which is $0. There are certain stipulations that I must adhere to you, but overall, I think it will help me get to my goals a tiny bit faster.
  8. I have been dealing with an ant infestation earlier in the month. Loyal readers may recall that I originally started encountering this problem all the way back in fall of 2023. The management of the complex has been empathetic toward me and did give me the option of canceling my contract with just a 30 day notice. I have the paperwork sitting on my dining room table but have not yet signed it. The most recent update is the pest control company came drilled some holes in the walls sprayed in some foam along with treating the exterior by sealing some additional cracks that the ants were walking through to enter the building. I don’t wanna make a hasty decision that will cause me to suffer financially. Moving to a two bedroom apartment given the options I’ve seen would be somewhat expensive and cause me to take significantly longer to set aside money for a home if I choose to go down that path.
  9. I’m really starting to think more about how much money goes out versus how much I earn and I would like to keep more money in my pocket instead of having it go to other people. That is one of the fundamental reasons why I’m opposed to buying a Tesla vehicle. Why should I make Elon Musk richer? I’m currently shelling out $1400 a month in car payments, that should go away in December 2024. Then add $170/mo in savings by going to the cheaper gym. That’s the equivalent of a $1500/mo I can set aside for other things like saving for a home. After eight months worth of that $12,560 set aside or at the bare minimum working harder for me. Assuming a home purchase price of 280,000 that’ll be about 4.5% and I should be able to set aside another $7,500 on top of that. Another option would be to rent a home and let those dollars just keep working harder for me.
  10. Also why am I paying $62/mo for a cell phone in perpetuity? There is the Apple One Premiere cloud backup subscription $37.95, then T-Mobile $70/mo. Altogether that too is around $170/mo. 🤔
  11. Despite things not being 100% perfect in my life, I’m super grateful for everything that I do have. I read stories about high salary, individuals getting laid off from popular companies and I really do feel for them. The latest is with Intel, which is laying off roughly 10,000 workers. I see the videos, read the blog posts and I know how rough it is out there. One guy on YouTube was trying to find a corporate job for eight years, and lives with his parents at 48. Totally boggles my mind. A relative of mine who doesn’t really talk to me anymore was going through some stuff too. I see panhandlers on the road daily.
  12. Got my 0w20 oil change, rear differential fluid replaced, and tires rotated all under my certified preowned package. I knew the oil change was covered but not the other 2. Saved about $115 off of that.

Here is an update of my financial numbers. The market took a nosedive on Friday otherwise I would’ve been up quite a bit. Then again you have to look at these things long term. Flat month over month isn’t end end of the world. I do have about $2500/mo going into investments though so technically I’m down. Who knows in a week or two I could be back up again. Paying over 15% on my car monthly is extreme but will keep the repo man away so I stick at it. It feels like I’m moving at a snail’s pace but… YTD I’ve paid my car loan down by over $10,000 or 58%. Most people probably wouldn’t do that.

8/3/20247/1/2024Difference% Change
401k271,447273,612-2,165-.8%
Roth IRA42,54442,536+80%
Brokerage Accts4,1203,079+441+14.3%
Cash2,4993,222+537+16.7%
HSA3,6173,799-182-4.8%
Total324,888326,248-1,360-.4%
Credit0000
Auto Loan7,4978,853-1,356-15.3%
Net Total317,390317,395-50%

August 2024 Net Worth Update

Sharing a few pictures from the month of July. Enjoy life.