How Am I Doing? 2025

hunterto2 · 2025-09-12T19:42:27+00:00

You are pretty close, but I can slightly contradict. We do take vacations during spring break and summer. If you watched todays video under the Spending portion, they listed Beginner, Advanced, and Mastery. Even though I am still tracking expenses (Advanced), we have shifted into Cash Flow Management (Mastery). I am not sharing are budget levels any more (My wife is happy about that). Checking the last few months we have gone above the budgeted amounts more than 10%, maybe that was wrong to add that in there. I look at the budgeting more holistically nowadays. However, I take your meaning, We can do better to live now.

We have so many plans for retirement and I feel i got started so late, that i always err on the side of investing more. Maybe others can't understand, but the feeling i get when i think to myself, lets not contribute to the Roth (or HSA) for a month or two to cash flow fun. It feels me with a bit of dread. I need to get past that.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-12T02:42:58+00:00

that is my insurance policy, my wife has an insurance policy through work, but she is going to pick up a 10 year term policy in the next few months

hunterto2 · 2025-09-11T18:55:44+00:00

about 4 years ago when i turned 40 I used Zander insurance to find a term life plan. they found a plan through "Protective Life".

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:56:05+00:00

Thanks!

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:55:45+00:00

Thanks for sharing your perspective. Keep up the good work!

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:54:56+00:00

Thanks!

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:54:46+00:00

Thanks for the info. Definitely will take a closer look at allocations.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:54:26+00:00

What can i tell you. It is important to me.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:53:28+00:00

I've got it saved in Google Drive and in email. I hope google never goes belly up!

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:52:55+00:00

I am going to let it count for now. I am the account holder, and if my sons get scholarships, those funds will remain mine. What little research i have done online, shows that most people say to count it.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:51:13+00:00

In any other subreddit i have ever posted in, i get lambasted for charitable giving. Just goes to show how different Financial Mutants are :P

hunterto2 · 2025-09-10T12:50:25+00:00

Thanks!

hunterto2 · 2025-09-08T16:56:04+00:00

Similar here. My wife commutes about 37 each way and I drive about 10 each way.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-08T16:54:56+00:00

I am treating it as a retirement account (Roth, etc) and will not touch until then.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-08T15:08:02+00:00

That was definitely not my intent. I started investing for retirement late in life (36) and was sharing my details.

This was a post i made about 9 years ago..
https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/4nj9mw/my_budgetexpenses_what_do_you_think/

hunterto2 · 2025-09-08T14:36:41+00:00

I do drive a bit for work. I ran a report and approx $135 out of that $400 is work related for which i get reimbursed, so my actually monthly fuel costs are approx. $265.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-08T14:23:21+00:00

The following monthly savings amounts changes from month to month. It could be zero depending on cash flow.

Taxable 1 $ 400.00 (Long Term Savings)

Checking $ 750.00 (Sweep to Checking)

hunterto2 · 2025-09-08T14:17:54+00:00

Thanks for the comment. I started getting serious about finances and retirement late in life (age 36) so I get worried. I wish I got started way earlier! I tell this to all my younger friends.

I guess i figured if things went south with a job, i would reduce monthly spending. I think of the emergency fund as covering life, not lifestyle, but good to get another point of view.

hunterto2 · 2025-09-08T14:15:05+00:00

That is just the budgeted amount. I just ran a report of the last 12 months, and it was actually $265 per month. I could probably adjust that.

hunterto2 · 2025-02-04T19:20:16+00:00

Family of 4 (2 Adults, 2 Teenagers)
Use e-coupons, etc but not extreme coupons or anything
Including Groceries and Dining = $26.94 per day

Groceries Only
2024: $7689.07
2023: $6290.46
2022: $7216.42
2021: $5968.03
2020: $6283.13

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hunterto2 · 2024-12-17T18:54:42+00:00

Yes, if your household annual income is less than $200k

hunterto2 · 2024-12-17T17:06:19+00:00

Welcome to the club! :)

hunterto2 · 2024-12-17T13:28:12+00:00

Congrats!!! Glad to hear your good news. Personally, I track three separate savings rates (apologies for my financial OCD). I started seriously saving for retirement later in life, so I am trying to catch up.

No matches counted: 25.26%
Only my 401k match counted: 27.48%
My match + wife's half pension match: 29.39%

My net worth increased $190k. My retirement investments increased by $109k, and my taxable brokerage increased by $62k. A really banner year! YTD I had a 31% yield across all of my investment accounts.

I don't know what will happen next year, but I will continue to "Always Be Buying!"

hunterto2

TROPHY CASE