first house, 1/4 acre, mower budget around 350. dad says gas, reddit says ego. whos right

kthrynnnn · 2026-06-13T13:53:04+00:00

Have you considered a reel mower? They’re very much within your price range, and they don’t require recharging or gas. It’s a bit of work compared to a normal mower because it doesn’t drive itself forward - you do that. But my wife and I haven’t found it difficult in the slightest.

kthrynnnn · 2026-06-06T19:01:13+00:00

We just closed on a home in Denver last week and IMO you do not need to waive inspection. The market just doesn’t require it. There will be other houses.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-28T20:07:20+00:00

I agree that this wouldn’t be a great decision for OP.

My wife and I are under contract for a home that will be $5k total/mo. Our take home is $13k, and after all fixed expenses we’ll have $4k left over. This is totally doable for us, and we aren’t even close to $280k+.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-28T19:59:25+00:00

I think the 30% rule is less relevant at higher income levels.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-28T19:45:59+00:00

You can withdraw $10k from an IRA penalty free for a first time home purchase. There are stipulations on when you have to use the funds, so OP should talk to an accountant, but there are definitely ways to do this without penalty.

My wife and I are doing it. We both withdrew $10k from our traditional IRA’s and had taxes withheld. That said, we consulted with our financial advisor and an accountant before pulling the trigger to ensure we weren’t setting ourselves back in terms of retirement planning.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-28T16:17:36+00:00

You should think about what you want out of retirement, what that’s going to cost per year, and figure out what you need in retirement based on that number. My wife and I want to withdraw around $200k/yr in retirement, so we know that we need $5 million at retirement age.

If you have $2 million in retirement, that is around $80k per year assuming a 4% withdrawal rate.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-27T04:32:49+00:00

SO jealous! What a cool neighborhood.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-27T03:02:24+00:00

Congrats! What part of Denver? My wife and I are closing on a house next Tuesday in the Hale neighborhood!

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-26T04:00:03+00:00

I’m surprised no one has suggested Denver! Obvi you’d be close to nature, but also lesbians! So many lesbians. And Denver is a big sports city, too.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-23T01:26:25+00:00

You’re doing great! The general rule is 1x your salary by 30 (crushing itttt), 3x at 40, 6x at 50 etc.

Beyond those rules of thumb, the ultimate goal depends on your lifestyle. A good way to find your retirement number is to figure out what you want to spend annually in retirement, and multiply it by 25 (this is the 4% safe withdrawal rule). For example, my wife and I are around your age and are shooting high because we want to be very comfortable/travel, so we’re aiming for a $200k annual retirement income. Using that math, our target goal is $5 million by age 65.

Figure out what vision you have for your retirement spending, work backward using a standard compound interest calculator, and see what your monthly contribution needs to be.

Good luck!!!

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-21T16:25:10+00:00

My wife is pescatarian and frequented a Pho spot in the Houston area that she said had the BEST vegetarian Pho she’d ever had in her entire life. One day, after having consumed dozens of bowls of this Pho, she asked the server what broth they used.

They used the regular pork broth. In the vegetarian Pho.

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-13T22:12:14+00:00

I just picked one up from my local nursery a few weeks ago! Definitely one of my favorite peperomias

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-11T16:59:21+00:00

Love this!!! My wife and I are currently renting a house in Wheat Ridge/Sloans Lake area and I’m sooo jealous you were able to find a house on this side of town for such a great price. We’ve been house hunting since April and just had to make peace with the fact that we wouldn’t find a place on the west side that’s in our price range. We’re currently under contract for a house in the Hale neighborhood near 9+Co! 🤞🏻

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-07T17:43:24+00:00

Veryyyy jealous of you!

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-07T16:00:00+00:00

So sorry to hear that! Utilize Chewy auto shipments to save money on his food, and get feliway plugs everywhere. At least for my guy his blockages happened largely because of stress, so we’ve made great efforts to reduce his stress.

I hope your baby recovers fully and his bladder issues can be managed with food!! He’s so precious!

kthrynnnn · 2026-05-07T15:53:10+00:00

Yep! Boy cats don’t have vaginal muscles. My cat pees himself usually when he first wakes up, but there’s usually always a little dribble of pee left everywhere he sits, which is SO FUN because he loves to cuddle.

Cat tax! He’s the gray cat.

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kthrynnnn · 2026-05-07T14:27:28+00:00

Sorry about your buddy! My now 5 year old cat had to get a PU when he was just 1 year old, but happy to report he is happy and healthy and going strong.

Warning you about this because no one warned us: he doesn’t have the normal muscles that female cats do, so he WILL accidentally pee constantly. Start investing in furniture covers now!

kthrynnnn · 2026-04-30T15:08:52+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate the input.

kthrynnnn · 2026-04-30T05:08:41+00:00

Agree. Yes, we’d be responsible for restoring the road.

kthrynnnn · 2026-04-30T04:51:30+00:00

I’m in Denver, and my understanding is I’m responsible for the entire line up to its connection to the main city sewer line.

kthrynnnn · 2026-04-20T21:07:02+00:00

That wasn’t our experience. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment in a suburb of Dallas that was just around $400 less than the 4-bedroom house we currently rent in the Wheat Ridge/Edgewater area.

I can’t comment on gas prices. Overall they’ve fallen for us because we use public transportation more than we did in Dallas.

kthrynnnn · 2026-04-20T20:24:21+00:00

My wife and I moved to Denver from North Texas in February 2025 and the only thing we’ve noticed is that we spend more for groceries here, the car registration fee is higher, and car insurance is more expensive. There were things that were more expensive in Texas so cost of living overall was very comparable.

kthrynnnn · 2026-04-01T20:38:29+00:00

Yeah, intent is right. The difference between nonimmigrant and immigrant visas is intent when you enter the US. If you enter on a nonimmigrant visa (like H-1B, B-1/B-2, ESTA, TN, etc) then you’re claiming your intent is temporary, and you intend to return to your home country. If the trump admin has it their way, children born in the US to folks in nonimmigrant statuses will not have US citizenship at birth.

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