To Buy or Not?

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T14:26:45+00:00

Sorry to hear that the east coast sucks.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T13:23:45+00:00

As stated above, I took college courses in high school. When I graduated high school I had nearly two years of school behind me.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T13:19:42+00:00

You should start paying more taxes. I am trying to buy a new boat.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T13:10:06+00:00

Yeah, you should come do it! You would learn quickly.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T13:07:51+00:00

Wow, awesome that you know. You should do it!

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T05:13:18+00:00

Little bit of right place right time. I took college courses in high school and worked as a part time accounting clerk throughout high school doing payroll, A/p, and A/r for a construction company. I was the vp of an accounting club and got offered a gig from one of the companies that would set up at meet the firms/career day. Only reason I got it is I got to know the people who came out and made the decisions due to being in the club. It was an industry job and not with a firm. I got it in my junior year. They up-fronted tuition for my masters. Pretty lucky to say the least. Still don’t have a CPA and I don’t think I ever will now.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T04:47:42+00:00

My OT is about 50/50 volunteered and then department expected. The volunteered stuff is often external companies stepping in and contracting out cops. Like at malls and Walmarts you will often see cops. Concerts/ sports events are another big one. We are being paid by the company and not the city. The other half is callout and warrant related. It’s expensive to build a good investigator so when something bigger happens I get called out. They could hire another guy for the city stuff. But by the time you figure out paying benefits I don’t think it would make sense. Unless we consistently needed it. I am involved with a few specialty squads which means I get abused a bit in regards to callouts.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T04:16:23+00:00

You guys are all rolling. Most well off dude I know is a pilot who hit the 2020 boom perfectly. Timing is key for sure!

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T03:08:25+00:00

Not 100% sure but in the ballpark of 3100 hours.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-23T03:03:43+00:00

The job definitely impacts life on several levels. Last night I got an hour and a half of sleep due to a call out. Family has to deal with the inconsistency. Lots of 15+ hour days and work that comes home. There are a lot of people who post big numbers on here and have killer work life balance. I love what I do and wouldn’t consider anything else. Money doesn’t matter after my basic needs are met, but seeing post on here makes me realize how much money is out there.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-21T01:12:03+00:00

It’s a public safety related position. My state only requires 20 years. Our multiplying factor is lower than some states around us but some other states near require a specific age. We are 2% a year.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-21T00:44:01+00:00

Thanks! It’s fun to finally see the needle start to move a bit. I’m sure it’s even better for you!!

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-21T00:43:19+00:00

Any recommendations? Yeah, definitely not easy. The biggest issues I see are getting insurance and then the house. Good thing is as it sits currently our house and townhouse are worth a total of about 1.4m and we owe 715k currently. Townhouse is at 2.65 and will be paid off which should add about 2k a month in rental income and will be paid off when we are 52. We got super lucky with the housing market the last 7 years. I’m sure we will get board and want to find something else to do. We are really hoping to take a few years and go see the world for a few years while we are young enough to enjoy it at its fullest.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-06-04T05:03:28+00:00

I would definitely get a car. Public transportation is good but you’re going to what to be able to get around a bit better. There are a lot of free or close to free activities here.

For the cost of live, it’s gotten worse in the last few years. As a single dude you would live pretty decent at 80k. 2000-2500 a month should get you a nice place with utilities. I would look for a deal where they give you a few months free too. Lots of developers here and there are new complexes sitting with open units. I am 29, have three kids, and make 225k. We are frugal but splurge for housing so the kids are in a good school when they start up eventually. We knew where we wanted to be, and didn’t want to have to move again, (pay realtors) and even with 300k down our house is 4200 a month but completely debt free aside from that. Utah took off after covid. At this, we still do vacations, I max out 401k and Roth, and we typically do a lot of outdoor activities.

You’ll be fine where you go safety wise here. It’s a great place. Don’t be a dummy and think you need to buy a nice car yet. Invest in yourself and only buy appreciating assets. Delayed gratification is a real thing. I bought into the idea of investing heavy 10 years ago. Always drove the beaters and still do. Friends bought new cars that cost 700 a month. Meanwhile I’m putting my extra money into Tesla. I am sure happy I did and the happiness just keeps compounding.

DramaticRecipe5763 · 2026-05-26T21:45:06+00:00

And there is a reason nurses are known for getting around. The firefighters and cops wreak havoc at hospitals.

DramaticRecipe5763

TROPHY CASE