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Original Post | First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Year End Retirement Savings Goals
Progress: Everything is maxed File my taxes by April 15th For the past few years, I have always been ready to file by the end of March except for the K-1 I needed for the family partnership I was a part of. My aunt is a terrible person, and doubly terrible about finances, so I never received this form before like April 12th every year. Stressful! This past year, my family miraculously (if acrimoniously) charted a path out of the partnership, selling our shares to my aunt. There is one final hurdle to clear: receiving the final K-1. Will my aunt get this to us in a timely fashion? Will she vindictively delay the release of the form, forcing us all to go through the headache of filing for an extension? I sure hope not! Timely filing this year will feel wonderful and will snip the last financial tie I have with my aunt. Progress: Getting close to filing. Didn't get the tax forms til June, right before my big trip abroad. Should hopefully finish this weekend, although I'm sure this will generate an audit at some point Get my parents to update their will My one failed goal from 2016. My folks are in great shape, thank goodness. Nevertheless, they are approaching 60. They have not updated their wills since before my brother--a sophomore in college (!)--was born. The goal for this area is to get my parents to update their will. Progress: Largely done without any prodding from me, but I should do a final check. Don't apply for any credit cards until July at the earliest I've posted a little bit about how my wife and I have aggressively applied for credit cards such that we will be taking a trip around Asia with nearly free first class airfare on some great airlines (ANA, Korean, Cathay Pacific) this summer. We stopped applying to credit cards on June 1st, 2016 in advance of applying for a mortgage later in the year. We got our mortgage and bought the house a couple weeks ago, so technically we're clear to start applying again. Nevertheless, I would like to wait til at least July so that we have a year between apps. Credit card issuers are tightening up rules on churners and we already still have a surplus of points, so waiting is no big deal. Stretch goal: Don't apply for any credit cards in 2016. We'll see about this one. Depends on what offerings are out there. Progress: I've applied for two and she's applied for one. Whoops. Gotta take your shots when the good ones appear. Use the home gym! We are in the process of building a gym in the basement of our new house. It's relatively inexpensive. Nevertheless, I don't want that money to go to waste. The goal for this area is to workout in the home gym at least 90 times in 2017. The stretch goal is to workout in the home gym at least 120 times in 2017. Progress: We've been doing most of our workouts outside since the weather got nice, so this goal is kind of derailed. Track home purchase expenses Before we purchased our home, we set aside $60,000 for the down payment, furniture, and moving expenses. I have already been tracking every house-related purchase so far and plan to continue doing so in 2017. The stretch goal is to stay within that $60,000, which I think we'll be able to do fairly easily, but it's good to write it here to hold me to it. Progress: Doing well so far and still have a few thousand left in the budget. Sell my co-op My co-op is a pretty cheap place to live, so I'm under no immediate pressure to sell it. Nevertheless, the sooner it's sold, the better. There are some minor repairs to do before listing, but I would like to get it sold sometime before the end of the year. The stretch goals are to list it by the end of March and sell it by the end of June. Progress: Been listed for ~45 days. Some decent visitation but no offers yet. Make a plan for when we're going to have our first kid My wife and I both turn 30 this year. We know we want kids, although it still hasn't been "the right time" (whatever that means) yet. Sometime this year, we need to have at least one serious conversation about when exactly we want to start trying for a family. The clock is ticking! Progress: Uhhhhhh tbd Fence the backyard The new house has a great backyard, but it's only partially fenced in. This year I want to finish the fence so the dog has a nice place to play. Progress: Done as of this afternoon! Took longer and cost more than the contractor projected though One of the biggest knocks on the new house is that the detached garage is not only very narrow, but also slightly offset from the driveway. The result is that backing out is difficult and I keep putting the front right tire in the landscaping when I back out. At some point this year, I want to rip out the area of the landscaping that's at risk and widen the paved area so that I can back out more easily. Progress: Removed from goals as we have decided to not park the car in the garage. Get an annual physical and go to the dentist This is a goal for both my wife and me. Neither of us did either of these things in 2016. Gotta do better. Progress: We've both made it to the dentist already this year! Next up is a physical for each of us.
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# ? Jul 6, 2017 04:10 |
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# ? May 2, 2024 08:39 |
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End of Q2 update: Goals for 2017: Max out HSA contributions of $3,400 On track. Right now I'm contributing post-tax with an automatic transfer every 2 weeks when I get paid, but I'll probably switch over to payroll deductions next year. Either way, I'm maxing out my contributions for 2017 Max out Roth IRA contributions of $5,000 On track. Contributions are split up into monthly recurring transfers to hit the max amount by the end of the year. Dedicated house emergency fund of $2,500 because old houses could literally blow up at any second. Done, $2,500 chillin' in an Ally account collecting interest Dedicated personal emergency fund of $10,000 because being homeless would suck if I lose my job Done, $10,000 chillin' in an Ally account collecting interest Up 401(k) contribution percentage from 10% to 15% by end of the year (probably after tax time) Compromise! 12.5% puts me at my savings goal of 30% of net pay, so thats where it will stay for now. Spend tax return on hookers and blow in Vegas Fail. I bought lame house poo poo and saved the rest Vacation to a continent that isn't North America Weihnachten in Berlin! Christkindlmarkt und Glühwein für alle! Sell my current motorcycle So much fail. Not only did I not sell my first one, I bought another one.
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# ? Jul 6, 2017 13:43 |
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i don't really know where else to post this, but my wife and I have been using YNAB for a couple years now and it's changed our lives for the better... just such a game changer. Was able to put away almost $4k/mo while all our friends blew their wad on drinking and going out, while we just bought a baller house! It was a really tough go for the last little while (making money while not being able to spend it), but looking out at my super sweet ocean view right now i think we made the right choices. cheers goons edit: oh and here's a snippet from a check i wrote, one i'll definitely never forget Rocks fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Jul 7, 2017 |
# ? Jul 7, 2017 06:55 |
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Rocks posted:i don't really know where else to post this, but my wife and I have been using YNAB for a couple years now and it's changed our lives for the better... just such a game changer. Was able to put away almost $4k/mo while all our friends blew their wad on drinking and going out, while we just bought a baller house! Congrats! Delayed gratification is extra sweet.
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# ? Jul 7, 2017 07:03 |
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Rocks posted:edit: oh and here's a snippet from a check i wrote, one i'll definitely never forget
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# ? Jul 7, 2017 13:09 |
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Q2!Potrzebie posted:Goals
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# ? Jul 9, 2017 16:42 |
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BAE OF PIGS posted:Current figures: 30 y/o making $45,000 a year. A little over 10k in student loan debt, no other debt. About $16,000 in retirement currently, and need to start aggressively contributing to it in the next few years. Currently focused on getting rid of student loan debt however.
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# ? Jul 15, 2017 21:22 |
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2017 Goals 1) Max 401k - On track 2) Max both IRAs - On track 3) 4) Install solar panels (10k-15k estimate) - Probably going to do this in 2018 instead and do the kitchen this year since I'm currently working from home 5) Get mortgage down to 75k (95k starting / 80k currently) - On track 6) Take at least a week's vacation - Scheduled for August Stretch 1) Update kitchen (15k max) - I started taking bids on this and it's going to be more like 25k to get it done... 2)
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# ? Jul 18, 2017 04:29 |
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Proposition Castle posted:Down to $47,700 and my discipline is cracking real bad. Also I hate my job and am really close to walking out. Finished. Just submitted my last payment and have had the opposite of a panic attack for the last 20 minutes. Gonna play my trombone now so there's at least some sort of fanfare.
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# ? Jul 27, 2017 15:59 |
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Early July update. Unless a meltdown happens it won't make a huge difference anyways.Guest2553 posted:Increase family net worth to 220K from 180K Done! I had maybe $500 of unexpected costs (bicycle and car maintenance) but it was more than offset thanks to a lucky windfall. I'm currently at about 236k and could crack 250k by EOY I might take another couple hundred to ball out on something dumb like a rifle scope, idk.
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# ? Jul 28, 2017 01:53 |
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Proposition Castle posted:Finished. Just submitted my last payment and have had the opposite of a panic attack for the last 20 minutes. Gonna play my trombone now so there's at least some sort of fanfare. You killed $47K of loans in like five months? That's seriously impressive.
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# ? Jul 28, 2017 21:57 |
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IllegallySober posted:You killed $47K of loans in like five months? That's seriously impressive. I worked a ton of overtime and had a good quarterly bonus put me over the top.
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# ? Jul 30, 2017 00:32 |
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End of July Update! 1. Increase net worth from 72k to 94k. Currently 87.5k. 2. Increase emergency fund from 5.5k to 7.5k. Currently 7k. 3. Increase house fund from 2.5k to 11k. Currently 8k. 4. Go on a fun (overseas?) trip this summer. Spending Limit: 3k. Trip cancelled. 5. Contribute a minimum of $2400 to my Roth IRA. $1400. 6. Stay debt free. Yup.
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# ? Jul 31, 2017 02:13 |
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End of July Update 2017 Financial Goals - Max 401k Check! - Max ROTH IRA Check! - Keep video game spending to less than $40/mo Failed, looking more like $70/mo. I blame the Switch. - Keep at-home alcohol spending to under $40/mo Failed, miserably. More like $80/mo - Take a vacation without feeling guilty. Not yet. Saving this for after prof. exam. 2017 Career Goals - Finish Masters on-time w/associated raise Got masters.... but no raise. Not thrilled. - Pass PE exam on first attempt Preparations have begun. The realness is slowly setting in. - Uh... don't get fired, I guess? Check 2017 Stretch goals - Save $10k beyond 401k/IRA Check! - Help my siblings organize their finances for their budding careers Check...ish. I need to have a powwow with them soon. Pretty good, all-in-all. Haven't hit my frugality goals, but honestly, I'm socking away about 60% of my take-home in retirement/house savings so I'm not too upset.
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# ? Jul 31, 2017 15:03 |
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Not a Children posted:- Pass PE exam on first attempt Preparations have begun. The realness is slowly setting in. I hope that works out. Where I live it's more interview, project design and paperwork based. Different but it's a good achievement.
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# ? Jul 31, 2017 23:22 |
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2017 Goals (July update):quote:- We took a vacation. Staying the course until Fall, since everyone decides Summer is when they want to have parties, so I have no free time to do anything around the house.
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# ? Aug 1, 2017 01:03 |
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July update inline. 2 major things happened in the last couple of weeks, the first of which caused my late update here. First, we completed goal 8, and took our vacation to Cuenca Ecuador. It was absolutely fantastic. A great BFC vacation. Pretty cheap (we went a little over budget, but it was due to helping out my cousins we were visiting), great adventures and sights. Cajas National Park, Turi overlook, and the Cuenca zoo were highlights. I've attached a picture of the city from the Zoo. Secondly, I'm taking action on goal 2 - Evaluate career change. I have been contacted to take over for my old boss at my previous employer. I'm strongly considering it, both because I really like my previous employer, and because it would be a clear step forward in my career (the position would be the lead of a software QA department, with reports and such). The only hesitation is that for the last several months, I've been working towards becoming a developer, and have a possible opportunity in that direction, as well as another possible opportunity to interview for a Sr release management position. A good problem to have. Hopefully more updates to come next month! Grumpwagon posted:2017 Goals Grumpwagon fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Aug 8, 2017 |
# ? Aug 8, 2017 17:01 |
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That's a seriously cool picture. Nice work!
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# ? Aug 8, 2017 17:16 |
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:END OF JULY (DELAYED) UPDATE!
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# ? Aug 8, 2017 20:40 |
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End of August Update! 1. Increase net worth from 72k to 94k. Currently 89.7k. 2. Increase emergency fund from 5.5k to 7.5k. Currently 7.1k. 3. Increase house fund from 2.5k to 11k. Currently 8.1k. 4. Go on a fun (overseas?) trip this summer. Spending Limit: 3k. Trip cancelled. 5. Contribute a minimum of $2400 to my Roth IRA. $1600. 6. Stay debt free. Yup.
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# ? Sep 1, 2017 01:18 |
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Thread is dead but gently caress it I'm still going monthly! My wife had a windfall month related to taking some extra shifts so things have marched forward very slightly for the better - EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:END OF JULY (DELAYED) UPDATE!
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# ? Sep 3, 2017 16:14 |
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August update, gently caress the hatersGuest2553 posted:Increase family net worth to 220K from 180K Done! Sitting at 240k despite some pretty sideways market activity. Didn't meet savings goal this month because we elected to splurge on a much needed getaway weekend and replace some kitchen stuff. No regerts. e. the D matters (e2:), babby leave has already been scheduled. vvv: goddamn, 1k/month difference is huge. Congrats on that and keeping the babby alive! Guest2553 fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Sep 4, 2017 |
# ? Sep 3, 2017 22:56 |
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Whatever, congrats to everyone on track with their goals! I've spent a whole year keeping a baby alive, and it's been pretty great! I'm only about a third of the way through the novel I'm writing for my MIL, going to ramp that up this month and next to try and get er dun before Christmas. The one major thing I got done: switching health insurance, which ended up saving us $1k a month (now that we don't have very much income). Woo!
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# ? Sep 4, 2017 00:38 |
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2017 Goals (August update): At the end of the month, we were informed that our company lost its funding and was shutting down. I was part of a sizable layoff (40 people), so I'm currently on the hunt for a new job. This has impacted the budget a bit. quote:- Looking over this, I suppose my job loss hasn't impacted our goals too much. Most of the stuff is budgeted and allocated, and we have a 5-month emergency fund to cover a major occurrence like this. The thing that has surprised me (and wasn't included in my initial emergency fund budget) is the cost of COBRA continuation coverage or insurance on the Health Exchange. After I get a new job, a new goal will be to replenish the emergency fund with the healthcare stuff in mind.
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# ? Sep 5, 2017 21:58 |
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August update inline. Nothing too exciting, except I talked to the company who was looking at me for a QA lead position, and I told them of my developer ambitions. I have history with them, and they really liked me, so they're seriously considering taking me on. They've given me a take home project, since my dev portfolio is so slim. If this works out, it'd be really exciting!Grumpwagon posted:2017 Goals
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# ? Sep 5, 2017 23:23 |
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Good-Natured Filth posted:2017 Goals (August update): Sorry to hear about your job, and I never thought about the cost of COBRA or buying a plan on the Health Exchange. I should probably recalculate what I need for my emergency fund...
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# ? Sep 6, 2017 03:19 |
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More updates: A bit of a change. My fiancee got in to a very good graduate program with decent financial assistance, but since even Stafford rates on loans for terminal masters degrees are like 5.8% we've decided to pay the rest in cash, at least for this year. The stretch net worth goals and car goals might be a bit harder as a result but we are still gonna try. I may reduce my taxable brokerage contributions in order to throw money at school. 2017 Goals: Save $2,000/mo towards house downpayment fund - on track Move to a place with same or lower rent wherever I end up moving As of Aug 15, in a new place for $350/mo less, but also including utilities, so it's probably about $500/mo net effect Max 401K on track Save $500/mo in taxable brokerage On track Max IRA On track Net worth goal: $225,000 currently $221,000, no change from last month due to some cash out for school and we also moved which was somewhat not cheap, although budgeted for Net worth stretch goal: $250,000 currently $221,000, not so on track Random poo poo: Ditched cable, now we pay $40/mo flat for internet. Feels good man. Non monetary: Get engaged woo got engaged woo Plan wedding holy poo poo this is so much work go on a cool vacation went to CA in June which was nice. Have scheduled a few days off to bum around the house in October Stretch goal: If I move somewhere with a garage and if I receive a higher than expected bonus in 2017 ($60k target), and if I have met all my other goals, set aside $20,000 for the acquisition of a Serie 1 Lancia Fulvia 1.3. On track for this, but a bit dependent on the school thing.
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# ? Sep 6, 2017 13:05 |
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Congrats everyone on accomplishing so much this year to date.
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# ? Sep 6, 2017 15:14 |
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Omne posted:Omne's 2017 Financial Goals! Oops. One of the two potential events actually happened! I got a new job (increasing my income 10%) that requires a move out of state. SO fixing up the house, packing and moving, and getting set up will definitely impact my remaining goals. #2 and #3 were already complete and will remain so. #4 and #5 likely won't happen unless we get a decent chunk in the sale of our home.
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# ? Sep 6, 2017 18:48 |
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Good luck, moving friend. Sounds like the move is paying off at least on the top line.
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# ? Sep 6, 2017 21:04 |
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balancedbias posted:Awesome, I welcome the new thread, and the hopes for a new year! 1 - Ahead. Thanks to a brutal schedule (we're shot one staff member) that "extra work" has continued for much of the year. This also has meant more pay for me, and subsequently I should have both maxed at the next paycheck. Some of you savvy folks may say "but won't that mean you're losing out on some of your match?" Nope! My company has done an excellent job reconciling the match at the end of the year no matte what! 2 - has been done 3 - Finally have the money set aside, and I chose a company, so I'm all set! (Note: my company doesn't automatically contribute or match an HSA, so my "benefit" comes at tax time). 4 - smooth sailing. 5 - My wife comes up to me about 2 weeks ago: "Well, I saved some extra money, because I know you want that loan paid off." Me: How much? Wife: about $15000 Me: So this is DONE AS OF THIS MONTH! I'm beside myself. I really didn't think this would get done because of so much family drama, and I didn't think my wife cared about debt as much as I did. I consider this year a financial success, and then some. Now for some big audacious goals next year. I won't post them yet though (because I haven't quite figured them out yet).
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# ? Sep 11, 2017 02:04 |
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Still doin' them monthly updates! September: 1. Increase net worth from 72k to 94k. Currently 92.4k. 2. Increase emergency fund from 5.5k to 7.5k. Currently 7.2k. 3. Increase house fund from 2.5k to 11k. Currently 9k. 4. Go on a fun (overseas?) trip this summer. Spending Limit: 3k. Trip cancelled. 5. Contribute a minimum of $2400 to my Roth IRA. $1800. 6. Stay debt free. Yup. On track to meet or exceed all of my goals! Feels good - especially since I decided to go back to school, again, and have been paying cash for it.
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# ? Sep 29, 2017 14:21 |
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September progressGuest2553 posted:
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# ? Sep 29, 2017 23:20 |
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Q3!Potrzebie posted:Goals
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# ? Sep 30, 2017 12:04 |
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September update here and inline. It's a big one! First off, in the last update, I was talking to an ex-employer about getting a developer job there (switching from QA, which would be the culmination of goal 2). They were encouraged by my work, but thought I was a bit too green for the position they had in mind (true!). However, they gave me a list of stuff to improve and told me to check back in, in a way that I really believe wasn't a brushoff. As such, I'm calling goal 2 complete. I will be working on skills, and a goal for early next year will be to change fields, hopefully with this company, but elsewhere if that doesn't work out. Secondly, we bought a house! This means there will be big changes to goals 1, and 7. Our down payment was in order, and this is the exact scenario I was envisioning when I put the exception for goal 1 in, so I'm not calling it failed, and will just adjust the goal to be no car, no debt for house projects. I'm considering goal 7 done. We'll be using the saved money as a down payment, and some of the money going forward for house projects & furniture. Third, we finally sold the car that constituted a (half) failed goal from 2016. I finally got off my rear end and did the repairs needed, and listed it. It sold, so we're back down to 1 car, as it should be. Lastly, I'm in line for a raise and possible promotion at work. This isn't really goal related, but my boss is forgetful, so I'm putting this here to remind myself to remind him if this doesn't happen. Grumpwagon posted:2017 Goals Grumpwagon fucked around with this message at 17:36 on Nov 8, 2017 |
# ? Oct 2, 2017 18:46 |
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Lots of movement to the good:EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:QUARTER THREE IS IN THE BOOKS!
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# ? Oct 2, 2017 20:34 |
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:Lots of movement to the good: Why carry a 28k second mortgage with 50k savings? Low interest rate?
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# ? Oct 5, 2017 11:54 |
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howdoesishotweb posted:Why carry a 28k second mortgage with 50k savings? Low interest rate? The 50k is our emergency fund. Previously we had literally zero money in our savings. We actually bought our house with truly 0 down. The second mortgage was originated at time of purchase in October 2016 and will be paid in full by December 2017. Good question, though, but I didn't want to scalp our emergency fund to pay the mortgage, given that the emergency fund has to cover several months of all of our other expenses. Just a preference thing, but our family went from not making very much money to making very much money in about 2 months, so things are a little... fucky?
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# ? Oct 5, 2017 14:06 |
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2017 Goals (September update): Currently still unemployed, but I have an offer on the table with one or two more coming in by the end of the week. I should have a job by the end of the month (with a >10% salary increase ). On a political side note - the social safety net in the US is hosed up. I feel very bad for people that can't afford to save an emergency fund because being unemployed here is not a great experience. quote:- Most of my free time has been spent on job hunting, interviews, or doing unproductive activities. I'll get back on some of those goals shortly, but I'd wager a few of them will not be achieved this year. Good-Natured Filth fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Oct 5, 2017 |
# ? Oct 5, 2017 14:32 |
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# ? May 2, 2024 08:39 |
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It's been a while since my last update!Rick Rickshaw posted:Current Figures:
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# ? Oct 5, 2017 15:31 |