Financial Goals 2017: Budget Harder

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Financial Goals 2017: Budget Harder

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

2016 was my first year doing something like this. The results were mixed, but a major win was to write down what I wanted. This ment that most of the important stuff was done by February. Now I will try to create goals that will force me to focus all year long. Here goes.

Goals
Keep savings as % of income at or abve 25%
2016 will end with me saving 29.7% if nothing changes in the last week of the year. With a kid though, I'm leaning towards my wife's idea of a completely joined economy, and a tentative savings plan gives us a combined saving power of 36-odd percent of post tax earnings while maintaining a comfortable and undemanding lifestyle. We could probably save around 50% and hate our lives, but that seems pointless. With one of us at home on benefits all year though 25% seems more feasable.

Open a tax-advantaged account for baby, buy index funds monthly
ISK is a Swedish insane savings/investment account that has an extremely low (about 1%), flat tax on assets, regardless of profits/loss. I'm thinking I could save $100 or so every month and start the nest egg for the future generation. The way we treat each other and the planet, she's going to need it. Cold war bunkers are not going to be cheap come climatepocalypse.

No more online gambling
This is some shameful BadWithMoney.exe-poo poo. Many years ago I used to gamble and drink a lot. Then I quit doing both for a while. After baby arrived I started playing and losing money on online poker during my sleepless nights. Not much, but it's the dumb and it will end now.

Learn a thing; see if thing can be used to create side income
I'll be on paternal leave from june until the beginning of 2018. Time to get my learn on! Ukulele? Writing classes? Language? Knitting? Stone Masonry? Who knows what crazy things could be learned while carrying a baby harness?

Start to transition portfolio from individual stock to index funds
I am no market wizz; I just like gambling. I have no stomach for it on this level though so I should probably quit.

Get wet and cold
I have spent about two hours training since baby arrived in late september. Soon she'll be old enough for me to take her to "infant-swim." I need to find a way to get back into the pool 2-3 times a week so that I can go back to being an Open Water Boss. Finally, in a few months I'm going to ski for 90kms, so I need to get in shape for that as well.

Other stuff
Have a nice vacation
Doing a fun with baby will be great!

Sleep
Lol, this will fail.

Go debt free
Not sure that this is a good idea tax (or investment) wise; but if we have been good and lucky enough by the end of 2017 when our morgage is due to be renegociated it might be nice to just pay it off and never look back.

Make baby 2
Baby 1 needs sibling to boss around.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2016 14:25

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 13:13

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

Update the first!

Potrzebie posted:

Goals
Keep savings as % of income at or abve 25%
So far so good. Savings for January was 42.5% (50.6% if mortgage counts). This will probably not be repeated too many times this year; not quite half of it was a one time windfall. There will be two more windfalls at least thoguh. Tax returns and renumeration from the housing society board.

Open a tax-advantaged account for baby, buy index funds monthly
Papers signed and posted long ago. The bank is not in any particular hurry to get back to me.

No more online gambling
Fail. But the fail resulted in me winning a tournament, hence the windfall in savings. No new money is entering the gambling account, so I will be net plus for the year.

Learn a thing; see if thing can be used to create side income
This is not relevant until june

Start to transition portfolio from individual stock to index funds
No progress. This is not a good time to transition the stock I have. Later will be better!

Get wet and cold
No progress! Infant swim is wet and hot and fun, but it is in no way exercise.

Other stuff
Have a nice vacation
We are beginning to plan for a week come spring, and another week in summer.

Sleep

Go debt free
Not sure that this is a good idea tax (or investment) wise; but if we have been good and lucky enough by the end of 2017 when our morgage is due to be renegociated it might be nice to just pay it off and never look back.

Make baby 2
Baby 1 needs sibling to boss around.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2017 08:36

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

DJCobol posted:

I am a doctor IRL? Nice! What's up man?

I like some of the Volvos. My old boss had an XC90 that was very, very nice. But they don't offer a discount on their cars like the other programs do. I priced out the Audi S5, MB C-class coupe, and BMW 4 series/M4 and the discounts range anywhere from 5%-10% off a lower MSRP price than US MSRP.

Don't you get a huge discount from the current weak Swedish krona if you go Volvo?

# ¿ Feb 24, 2017 17:51

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

Update the second!

Potrzebie posted:

Goals
Keep savings as % of income at or above 25%
27.3% for February. Got an unexpected 3% raise this month as well.

Open a tax-advantaged account for baby, buy index funds monthly
The papers did not successfully reach the bank. New papers signed and posted.

No more online gambling
Fail. But the fail resulted in me winning a tournament, hence the windfall in savings. No new money is entering the gambling account, so I will be net plus for the year.

Learn a thing; see if thing can be used to create side income
This is not relevant until june

Start to transition portfolio from individual stock to index funds
No progress. This is not a good time to transition the stock I have. Later will be better!

Get wet and cold
No progress! Infant swim is wet and hot and fun, but it is in no way exercise.

Other stuff
Have a nice vacation
On a short three day vacation right now!

Sleep

Go debt free
Looking at purchasing a house...

Make baby 2
Baby 1 needs sibling to boss around.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2017 20:07

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

E: this was dumb and the wrong info.

Potrzebie fucked around with this message at 09:01 on Sep 30, 2017

# ¿ Apr 3, 2017 08:33

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

Q2!

Potrzebie posted:

Goals
Keep savings as % of income at or above 25%
Starting this month I'm on paternity leave for the rest of the year. I already managed to mess up my application for what I only assume is the Swedish flavour of social security payments the first month. It's going to be alright but the money will have to be very tight the rest of the year for this goal to be met.

Open a tax-advantaged account for baby, buy index funds monthly
completed! Did not scream. Saving $50 monthly for babys future.

No more online gambling
I have no time or energy left for this nonsense, so half fail, half success.

Learn a thing; see if thing can be used to create side income
Proud owner of an ukulele. This will not generate any income, but it is fun.

Start to transition portfolio from individual stock to index funds
No progress. This is not a good time to transition the stock I have. Later will be better!

Get wet and cold
Still no progress! I've been taking half day long walks with the stroller though.

Other stuff
Have a nice vacation
Been a great success thus far. Going to France in two weeks!

Sleep
YES! Baby is on a sleeping schedule from 8.30pm to 6am with a few waking sessions, so I get to sleep fairly OK by non-baby-having standards.

Go debt free
Did some thinking; so long as we can do deductions on cost of interest it makes zero sense to be debt free.

Make baby 2
Baby 1 needs sibling to boss around. No progress yet.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2017 16:42

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

Q3!

Potrzebie posted:

Goals
Keep savings as % of income at or above 25%
37.2 with one quarter to go.

Open a tax-advantaged account for baby, buy index funds monthly
done. Saving ~$70 per month

No more online gambling
Fail. But net plus.

Learn a thing; see if thing can be used to create side income
It's me, the dad who figured that the "leave" part of parental leave ment I'd have free time

Start to transition portfolio from individual stock to index funds
No. Maybe next year.

Get wet and cold
Impractical with toddler. Fail.

Other stuff
Have a nice vacation
Hade several nice vacations, with ten days in France being the big one.!

Sleep
Sleeping like a baby

Go debt free
Looking at purchasing a house...

Make baby 2
Baby made. Now we wait.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2017 12:04

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

Yesterday we closed on a house. This is a good financial idea, no?

# ¿ Oct 20, 2017 20:57

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 13:13

Potrzebie: Apr 6, 2010; I may not know what I'm talking about, but I sure love cops! ^^ Boy, but that boot is just yummy!; Lipstick Apathy

2017!

Potrzebie posted:

Goals
Keep savings as % of income at or above 25%
CRUSHED IT. Granted me and the wife shifted our contribution to the shared account to compensate for the lower income one has with parental leave insurance. We did the same before when I was working and she was home though so it all evens out in the end. Income is a mix of salary, side income from the board of our housing association and parental leave insurance. Savings is mortgage payments and stock and bonds in tax advantaged accounts. There is an additional 14k or so in a retirement account that I get from work, but I'm not sure where to put that money; savings?

Total income after taxes 2017: 251386 funbux.
Total savings 2017: 112600 funbux, or 44,8%

Open a tax-advantaged account for baby, buy index funds monthly
done. Saving ~$70 per month.

No more online gambling
Fail.

Learn a thing; see if thing can be used to create side income
It's me, the dad who figured that the "leave" part of parental leave ment I'd have free time

Start to transition portfolio from individual stock to index funds
Ended up doing the opposite. Realised some earnings and increased my exposure to volatile stock. Imma be rich!

Get wet and cold
I've been out in the rain and got cold, but zero excercise this year sucks.

Other stuff
Have a nice vacation
Hade several nice vacations, with ten days in France being the big one.!

Sleep
Sleeping like a baby

Go debt free
We purchased a house instead. And with perfect timing the sort-of-but-not-really-a-bubble began to deflate so we'll see how much if any gains can be realised on our current appartment.
Debt will increase regardless.

Make baby 2
Baby made. Done come May.

Looking back on the year I'm really surprised that I managed to save as much as I did. I guess having no energy or time to do expensive stuff and no need to drive anywhere helps keep costs down. That and the baby making/baby savings was good.

The rest failed for various reasons. Some better than others, but they still failed. I am bad for failing my goals and I feel bad.

Next years big things are baby #2 and owning a freaking house! We plan on leasing out the basement to increase our income and I'll be working again come April, so that'll help. The rest is new and unknown.

Potrzebie fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Dec 19, 2017

# ¿ Dec 19, 2017 15:39

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Financial Goals 2017: Budget Harder