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Getting Ready for 2026 – December 2025 – $483k

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Two days ago was Black Friday and working in the field of Marketing that has kept me tremendously busy. Daily recaps, weekly recaps, strategy decisions, intra-day updates, leading my team and 3rd parties that we work with. I’ve had to pull more than my own weight while other key people on the team weren’t available for various reasons. Tomorrow will be a continuation of that.

That said I did get some positive news that will have a direct impact on my ability to hit my financial goals. Plus we will move from a single income household to a dual one. He’s officially moved in. Yes I earn more and the house in in my name but the burden I’ve had to handle solely on my own will be relieved starting next month. In practice 3-4x more per month will go to the principal than with my normal payment schedule. I missed his apartment sort of since the location cute and everything had that brand new feeling.

The month of November has been a bit of a blur to me. Early on in the month I dropped $1,100 on getting a tree removed and multiple others on the property cut back. This was one of those peace of mind / quality of life things. Having a tree twice as tall as the house fall on top of it was not on list of things to happen as a new homeowner. It also was infested with wasps. I spent a big portion of the rest of the month just trying to recover from that. Putting over $2,500/mo into investments, plus the $2,900 on the mortgage, $188 for car insurance, groceries, friend’s birthday party. My eye started twitching, perhaps it’s too much caffeine and stress from these big holidays. There are other things I want to get done on the house but honestly 95% of it can wait. I’ve had to really ask myself what do I really need vs what’s a want. I don’t like being told no but sometimes after doing more and more research that’s the decision I land on.

We made our second annual pilgimage to Astra Lumina an immersive outdoor experience in Dallas. It looks identical to last year but my camera takes better pictures now and I wanted to check out something nice. There are some other venues I’d love to checkout this year but has been a bit harder with his travel schedule.

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Getting Ready for 2026 – December 2025 – $483k

Christmas is 24 days away. I bought a $50 tree from Home Depot, reused a tree skirt, and ornaments from years past. It’s not the nicest tree but it does the job. I also reused some old indoor / outdoor lights at the front door to give it a little bit of the holiday spirit.

Speaking of Holiday spirit my friends were nice enough to invite me out to Eataly for early Thanksgiving and treated us.

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Getting Ready for 2026 – December 2025 – $483k

My sports ventures are soon coming to an end for the season. I love getting out, it still makes me feel youthful in my 40s. That is until I start drinking and then feel tired and want to nap for upward of 2 hours.

Took my car in for service on Cyber Monday, $260 after coupon for an oil change and brake fluid flush. Could always be worse, brake stuff is every 2 years and oil change with the way I drive is close every 9 months. I also used a coupon, could’ve gone to another dealer for cheaper but would be double the travel time.

Other than the car, my bike tire needed to be replaced both the tire and the tube. They found a spoke nibble in the rim that was bothering me for the last 5 years. The price with parts and labor was around $90 but they took my bike in immediately. I wasn’t in the mood to order parts for $70 and struggle to get parts on the new wheel properly.

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Getting Ready for 2026 – December 2025 – $483k

Have a connection and got a great deal on this rug. Almost bought two but starting small for now. It makes the living room feel more warm and inviting.

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Getting Ready for 2026 – December 2025 – $483k
12/1/202511/1/2025Difference% Change12/1/2024YoY Diff% Change
401K$397,992$394,310$3,6820.9%$ 319,005$ 78,98724.8%
Roth IRA$56,073$55,313$7611.4%$ 51,308$ 4,7659.3%
Brokerage Accts$3,074$2,829$2468.7%$ 1,346$ 1,728128.3%
Cash$15,621$15,873-$252-1.6%$ 7,603$ 8,018105.5%
HSA*$5,869$5,854$150.3%$ 3,561$ 2,30864.8%
Total$478,629$474,179$4,4500.9%$ 382,824$ 95,80525.0%
Credit Cards$0$0$0#DIV/0!$ 166$ (166)-100.0%
Auto Loan$0$0$0#DIV/0!$ –$ –#DIV/0!
Subtotal$478,629$474,179$4,4500.9%$ 382,658$ 95,97125.1%
Mortgage$339,258$339,868-$609-0.2%
Zillow Estimate$343,700$346,600-$2,900-0.8%
Equity Estimate$4,442$6,732-$2,291-34.0%
Net Total$483,070$480,911$2,1600.4%

It’s past my bedtime again but I’m up $2k in a month when the stock market hasn’t been great and my home has been coming down slightly in value. I did just make a mortgage payment so I’m caught up until February 1st. Hasn’t posted to my account yet. Yes I’m a weirdo. Up 25% in a year is still nothing to scoff at. Keep counting my blessings especially when just last week one of my friends lost his accounting job. Christmas will be here before you know it and then 2026. I’m going to enjoy some vacation time, I’ve been going full throttle for the past few months and I need a break. We are inundated with so much info and noise in any given day. I miss the days when life was simpler. Be well and take care.

Gratitude at $481k Net Worth – November 2025

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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.

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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.

Autumn and Settling In – $464k

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Today is October 1st – I am in the process of getting over some really bad allergies. Almost took me out of commission with work but I powered through as best I could. This happens to me with every seasonal change. Napped a lot today and ate a pasta soup dinner my bf made for me ❤️. Doing what I can to doctor on myself and hope these feelings are temporary.

My mortgage is due today but I paid it in full about 2 weeks ago so don’t owe anything until November. I like this lower stress approach of ownership. The mortgage got sold to a different company that has mixed reviews. I figure as long as I pay them on time we won’t have a problem. I put aside $1500/paycheck and overall that has been working. well so far.

One of the larger expenses for me this month was paying off the alarm system. It was showing up on my credit report as a credit card with super high utilization. So I paid it off nearly 58 months early. A whopping $2,822.72. It was 0% but I just hated the idea of having that amount loomnig over my head. I still need to pay for the service monthly but at least the big part is out of the way.

My electricity bill was also up there at $258.26 during the hottest month of the year. It is what it is and has been paid in full. September is projected to be close to $200 with quite a few days where the high was in the 90s.

This past weekend we took a trip to Brenham TX and Houston TX for our 2nd anniversary. It was much needed for me to get away from DFW. I’d say the trip overall cost $3-400 including a bit of clothes shopping and activities. We saw the Galleria, Cistern, Blue Bell HQ and Homestead Heritage in Waco.


Trip pictures

Supermarket 2nd anniversary flowers I was glad to buy for about a 1/6th the price of fancypants ones

I did get AirPods Pro 3s to replace my PowerBeats Pro that I got at the start of 2020. Still getting used to the feeling of not having giant clips around the back of my ear but the sound quality is great and I feel a little more free. And yes I pitched ip for the AppleCare+ coverage. $249 broken out in $41.50/mo installments and $20.54 tax. Verdict is still out on whether my old buds will get me any cash back, even $40 would be nice .

It’s been some time since my school days but I had 2 TI calculators, an 83 from high school and 83-Plus from college. I was going to chuck the older one out since it wouldn’t turn on but the Internet came to the rescue and I was able to revive it. The 83 I’m keeping for nostalgia but got about $16 for the 83-Plus. Also keeping my dad’s old HP 10-B Business calculator stamped 1987 on the back.

Keeping my late 90s TI-83 it still works!
Sold 22 year old calculator

I sold a hose for the grill on Facebook Marketplace that I couldnt’ return on Amazon. Let me tell you that was the hardest I ever worked for $10 in my life. On the listing people asking if someone is still for sale then radio silence or wanting to meet during sketchy times. I sold the defective grill my friends gifted me for $20 on Marketplace too and sweat outside for a good 45 minutes while these guys dismantled it and put it into an older Lexus ES model. I was asking for more but at point just take it away. It also amazes me people would show up to buy something and not have all the money with them.. I also did a swap through Blue Rhino for a new propane tank just to rule that out.

$10 is better than just tossing in the trash

With the sale of the grill I wanted a new one and to buy it before it started getting cold out. So another Char-Broil it was given the cost. 5 burners, stainless steel, and a side rack. $299 plus tax, shipping, delivery fee. $365.89 less cashback through an Affiliate link and my credit card rewards. I bought a cover too for $38. Used it a few times already and really happy with the results.

New grill I tried not to buy but got tired of dealing with someone else’s headaches

At the start of the month we decided to go to a Jazz concert in downtown Fort Worth. The lady singing was good other than forgetting the words to some of the songs. We also had a nice romantic dinner at a restaurant called Walloon’s. I think that was the first time we ate out the entire week.

Early in the month I had a nice little housewarming party. My friends were so generous in their gifts I felt blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I used some of their gifts to buy things for the house including a storage rack from Home Depot to help with the garage. My car almost fits but is about 4 inches too long. We can fix that… 😀 We’re also planning to accelerate the time my bf is going to move in with me. Instead of July it will be more like March. He spends a lot of time here and I could definitely use the money to help with some of the expenses.

Getting back into the flow of cycling when I feel inspired.

We also saw The Wiz life at Fair Park. Everything was top notch including the choreography and singing.

I also bough the New Apple Watch Ultra 3 mostly because my 1 was growing long in the tooth after 3 years plus I wanted better battery life and a brighter screen for direct sunlight. My phone is on the Apple upgrade program and would get hot all the time so I replaced that out too. Had a little hiccup where I shipped the phone in a box for the watch but it got where it needed to thankfully.

I also signed back up for kickball again. My body is going to need to adjust to playing again but I got this..

Work-wise found out about an incentive plan I’m potentially eligible for but still waiting to hear back on any kind of merit increase. I’m on the lower end of the range for my position but also thankful to have a job in this economy. Today I recieved a $200 check from my old apartment which was perfect timing considering I had to transfer $200 after paying off that alarm system. Surprised I got anything considering how much work the old place needed.

10/1/20259/1/2025Difference% Change10/1/2024YoY Diff% Change
401K$383,633$366,372$17,2614.7%$ 297,589$ 86,04328.9%
Roth IRA$53,212$50,470$2,7425.4%$ 47,091$ 6,12113.0%
Brokerage Accts$2,516$1,636$88053.8%$ 549$ 1,967358.5%
Cash$12,067$15,420-$3,353-21.7%$ 3,547$ 8,520240.2%
HSA*$5,659$5,220$4408.4%$ 3,465$ 2,19563.3%
Total$457,086$439,118$17,9684.1%$ 352,240$ 104,84629.8%
Credit Cards$433$3,245-$2,812-86.7%$ 832$ (399)-48.0%
Auto Loan$0$0$0#DIV/0!$ –$ –#DIV/0!
Subtotal$456,653$435,873$20,7804.8%$ 351,408$ 105,24529.9%
Mortgage$340,170$341,000
Zillow Estimate$347,700$351,000
Equity Estimate$7,530$10,000
Net Worth$464,184$445,873

So there you have it. 42 years old, $464k net worth. I estimated $455k to close out the year and we’re ahead of that so this is good. I’m still maxing out 401k / Roth but it is def a stretch since I keep spending money at a fairly high rate. Need to switch back to the aggressive savings mode again soon. We are eating more meals at home and I try to find deals on everything I buy including clothes. I still have a couple more years in the tank. Projected to hit $1M in 2031, $1.5M in 2034, $2M in 2041. My goal is to have a paid off house by 59.5 and be able to leave the workforce then if I so please.

That said it’s past my bedtime. There are lots of things happening in the world, I can’t keep up. I continue to focus on what I have control over. We all have 24 hours in a day, what I choose to focus on becomes my identity. I used to spend that time chasing after people who wouldn’t give me the time of day. There is some truth to the expression you can’t relive your 20s. I believe it and I’m glad I’ve moved past a lot of things that ultimately weren’t the best for me long term. Still a work in process. Peace.

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.

House Hunting at $416k – June 2025

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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.

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.