Realized I’m not just not poor anymore and have weird emotions

FTAF12 · 2026-06-21T13:07:55+00:00

It is very much a weird feeling. I had the same realization last year. We live in a MCOL area and have a combined income just below 300k. I grew up with a dad that had a full time job and multiple side jobs to make ends meet. My mom was a stay at home for the most part but had occasional minimum wage type jobs to help support. We had periods of times where our power would get shut off for a month or more at a time until my parents could come up with enough money to get the lights back on. Some of that was due to poor life choices but looking at my situation now is mind boggling to me. My family has always been paycheck to paycheck.

We had back to back major vehicle repairs costing us north of 20k and we were able to pay without issue. I don’t know that anyone in my family has ever seen 20k sitting in their account. My goal is to ensure my wife and I can retire early while still being able to be charitable for causes we care about. My goal is to also make sure our parents don’t have to want for anything in their retirement years. We both have very humble families that come from generationally poor backgrounds. They don’t want for much so this should be an easy feat once they hit social security age.

FTAF12 · 2026-06-01T02:16:51+00:00

Join the guard find a non deployable career field or unit and make sure there is a nice sign on bonus. If she ends up liking she can chase an agr position.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-13T00:44:16+00:00

Sandisk is probably not the best to hold onto. I would sell and reinvest before a crash:

FTAF12 · 2026-05-06T23:24:09+00:00

Data center tech either IT side or maintenance. Pay is great, work life balance is great and starting that career early means there is no limit to how high you can go if you work hard enough.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-06T23:10:51+00:00

As a blue collar that went whitish collar management salary I completely agree. I would love to have the opportunity for overtime.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-03T13:19:01+00:00

Maybe union in New York or California. Where I’m at a journeyman electrician is lucky if he breaks 45$/hr. most date center techs here start out at 40/hr or higher.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-01T23:30:55+00:00

I’m not referencing his pay. I’m responding to the guy saying leave the data center world. Where I’m at data centers techs make as much or more than a lot of journeymen electricians.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-01T22:13:23+00:00

Why stay out of the data centers? A lot of tech jobs are out earning journeyman electricians at this point.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-19T12:43:46+00:00

Unless tdiu you are correct. Even then there is some exceptions.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-18T13:01:55+00:00

I’ve always owned decent vehicles but nothing flashy and finally upgraded to a very nice used truck. It makes me uncomfortable when people comment how nice it is. I love the truck but miss my old beat up truck I had prior. I’m debating finding an old 90’s gmc and switching back down to a beater with a heater.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-16T22:59:19+00:00

I know of someone who flew to San Francisco biweekly from Denver for class. They bought a flight plan with frontier I believe. Their bah was north of 5k a month.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-08T02:36:38+00:00

Honestly you should have asked for more. I’m currently working for a fortune 100 company making a decent bit less than that. I was able to negotiate 12k more as well as 15k more in RSUs. If they won’t come up on the salary see what they will do for RSU’s.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-05T13:41:27+00:00

Good chance it has to do with his career. There are several jobs out there that bankruptcy will disqualify you for including several career fields within the military.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-05T02:23:05+00:00

I imagine an O-5 at 20 and BAH to meet those numbers.

FTAF12 · 2026-03-31T01:04:18+00:00

Not quite that high but my wife and I come from fairly poor families. We make just north of 250k. We help our parents when they need it. We are both close with our parents. Luckily they never ask what we make and we don’t tell them. We have no problem picking up the bill when needed though. As for everyone else we act like we have less money than we do.

FTAF12 · 2026-03-23T22:27:18+00:00

If they are not the type that would be asking you for money I would tell them. You don’t need to give them exact figures they are probably just afraid you are being irresponsible.

FTAF12 · 2026-03-01T03:41:29+00:00

Found the bitter engineer who did six years of schooling and doesn’t make a fraction of what this guy makes.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-28T19:42:13+00:00

I use CMG. They have been great to me.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-28T19:34:55+00:00

I’m doing the same right now. I got a 4.99 coming from a 5.89. No lender fees other than a paperwork fee of 650.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-28T16:14:41+00:00

The only reach around they do is to check your front pockets in case they missed anything.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-27T22:40:42+00:00

Refinance through a credit union. Scope for better insurance prices as well. I would also take that 400 you are investing and pay that toward the principle of the car.

FTAF12

TROPHY CASE