2023 Women in Red Savers

[seriousthistime]

I have three regular sources of income. SS and two pensions.

SS and my pension are lifetime (assuming that even if SS is reduced at some point, there will still be something).  The third source lasts for XH's lifetime. 

I am trying to put the amount I receive from XH's pension into a savings account to help out when he is no longer around. At this point I'm just adding it to the Capital One 360 Performance savings account. 

I don't really want to post the dollar amount here, but since it's monthly I think I could just use tick marks to track it on my savings posts.  Something like this:

l l l l   l l l  

which would be eight deposits, and so on. 

Does anyone have any other ideas for ways to do this?

[debthaven]

That looks good to me seriousthistime ! 

Or else letters if it's easier, ie A through H.

[seriousthistime]

Update

Name	Start	Goal	Saved	% Saved	Spent
Emergency Fund	$0	$3,000	$8	0.0%
Gifts	$0	$3,000	$8	0.0%
Travel	$0	$8,000	$3	0.0%
Property Tax	$0	$6,200	$10	0.0%
Periodic Expense	$0	$3,500	$12	0.0%
Weekly Savings	$0	$1,898	$195	6.5%
Total	$0	$25,598	$236	0.1%

Seriousthistime [1], 1/24/23, $236 (Goal $25,598)

Seriousthistime [2], 1/24/23, $5,000 (Goal $10,000) (*DGS OOP Medical)


Weekly Savings chart:

$11	$12	$13	$14	$15	$16	$17
$18	$19	$20		$22	$23	$24
$25	$26	$27	$28	$29	$30	$31
$32	$33	$34	$35	$36	$37	$38
$39	$40	$41	$42	$43	$44	$45
$46	$47	$48	$49		$51	$52
$53	$54	$55	$56	$57	$58	$59
$60

I decided to keep track of monthly deposits from one of my sources of income.  The goal is to add 100% of that income to my 360 Performance account.  I'll cross off each month I manage to do this. I am not tracking the dollar amount here. 

January	February	March
April	May	June
July	August	September
October	November	December

[debthaven]

Debthaven: 28 Jan 2022 24,000 euros (Goal: 30,000)

Job 1 is giving out new individual Admin staff classes this week. I'll probably take 1 or 2 more. As DH said, it's the easiest way to earn more money for the windows. I work about 12 hours/week now, so 1 or 2 more hours won't kill me. 
 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

How is January almost over?? How is the year already 8% over?? I haven't even made the adjustment that the new year has started yet!!

Have not done anything for saving, outside of the usually occurring payroll deductions...Left at whatever they were at the end of last year, will wait until bonus payment in June so I can calculate how to max for end of year. My greatest fear is that I mess up and miss out on some matching cash!!! I get 7% match (although, now I think on it, only 3% is a match, 4% is a replacemnt of the old pension I think, and not dependent on any contributions.......). But! I still don't want to miss out on the 3% either


...still thinking about new year's resolutions, and where I am in life, and what direction I want/need to go in........

And then a little voice in my head says - it is game over already! Who cares? retirement is imminent whether that be this year, 1-2 years, 5 years....nothing I do now is going to seriously impact that timeline in terms of savings (market driven), Although! I could go all expat somewhere cheap though!

But I still have pieces on the board, so need to keep playing

[seriousthistime]

Jan 29, 2023 11:18:20 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

How is January almost over?? How is the year already 8% over?? I haven't even made the adjustment that the new year has started yet!!

Have not done anything for saving, outside of the usually occurring payroll deductions...Left at whatever they were at the end of last year, will wait until bonus payment in June so I can calculate how to max for end of year. My greatest fear is that I mess up and miss out on some matching cash!!! I get 7% match (although, now I think on it, only 3% is a match, 4% is a replacemnt of the old pension I think, and not dependent on any contributions.......). But! I still don't want to miss out on the 3% either


...still thinking about new year's resolutions, and where I am in life, and what direction I want/need to go in........

And then a little voice in my head says - it is game over already! Who cares? retirement is imminent whether that be this year, 1-2 years, 5 years....nothing I do now is going to seriously impact that timeline in terms of savings (market driven), Although! I could go all expat somewhere cheap though!

But I still have pieces on the board, so need to keep playing

And yet, I was about your age when I STARTED contributing to my employer's 401(k).  And now I am retired.  I am collecting two pensions (one my own, and the other a portion of XH2's pension), and SS. 

It may be on the networth thread or elsewhere that you posted some numbers, and you are far and way doing better than I did at your age.  In fact, I think you are doing great!

It is never "game over."  And yes, you could do expat, or move to a less expensive area of the US to make ends meet. Medicare doesn't cover you outside the US except in very rare situations. But a number of the most desirable countries for expat living have good medical care at reasonable cost. 

[mollyc]

My goals for 2023 are:

Utilities $800.00
Ongoing expenses $3,000.00
Auto $4,000.00

I’m not confident about making any but the first.

December and January have been shit shows in many ways. Mostly related to DH’s unexpected heart problems leading to him not thinking things through and costing us money. Like assuming van 1 is unfixable leading to buying van 2 and buying a new alternator for van 2 when the problem is a loose connection to the battery.

I’m too busy to deal with the drama of trying to take over responsibility so here we are.

[teachermom]

Jan 6, 2023 8:39:52 GMT -5 azucena said:

Current completely liquid savings sits at $50k in usbank earning nothing.  Need to figure out a better place for majority and decide how much we need to keep liquid and how much could be locked up in Ibonds and/or CDs for true emergencies.

Here's what I'm thinking for our savings goals:

22.5k to max 401k; set and forget
10.5k to max AT retirement; set and forget
10k kids college savings; set and forget

30k general savings; accumulate from payday overflow - this will be a bit of a reach with the added 10k kid goal this year but that's okay bc we need to buckle down and prepare for college costs
 
Maintain typical mortgage payment to pay down mortgage by another 15k in 2023 to bring the balance just under $200k. 10 more years left which roughly coincides with when DD10 hits college.

Have you thought about a High Interest savings account?? It would need to be an online one like Ally or Capital One 360. I have had Cap One for 15 years probably, no issues ever. Currently earning 3.3% which is better (unfortunately) than the market lately. No minimum to enroll and you can have as many different savings accounts at your want. I have one for each of my goals. I also have a checking account which comes with a debit card and I can transfer on my phone if I need to pay for something. I have things like tires, car maintenance, xmas and gifts, etc. That way I stay on track with my spending because I transfer just what I need to the checking and leave a few cents in there. I don't use it all the time so it doesn't matter if there is a lot of money in the checking. I have not autopays to it. Check it out!

Teachermom

[teachermom]

Hi All....can't believe it is 2023 and 1 month down already! Time goes too fast!! I am on the countdown until retirement.....29 months. Never thought I would get here as I never learned to handle money from my parents, but hard work the last 10 years has paid off. I am now debt free and putting away cash for a bridge account until I can collect SS and my pension. I have to bridge enough for 5 years to collect my pension and a couple more before SS. 

I need to think about what I want to track here. Probably not my totals but a monthly and yearly goal for how much I want to save. I will post that in a few days after I ponder it a bit. 

Good luck to everyone!

Teachermom

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jan 30, 2023 10:10:41 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Jan 29, 2023 11:18:20 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

How is January almost over?? How is the year already 8% over?? I haven't even made the adjustment that the new year has started yet!!

Have not done anything for saving, outside of the usually occurring payroll deductions...Left at whatever they were at the end of last year, will wait until bonus payment in June so I can calculate how to max for end of year. My greatest fear is that I mess up and miss out on some matching cash!!! I get 7% match (although, now I think on it, only 3% is a match, 4% is a replacemnt of the old pension I think, and not dependent on any contributions.......). But! I still don't want to miss out on the 3% either


...still thinking about new year's resolutions, and where I am in life, and what direction I want/need to go in........

And then a little voice in my head says - it is game over already! Who cares? retirement is imminent whether that be this year, 1-2 years, 5 years....nothing I do now is going to seriously impact that timeline in terms of savings (market driven), Although! I could go all expat somewhere cheap though!

But I still have pieces on the board, so need to keep playing

And yet, I was about your age when I STARTED contributing to my employer's 401(k).  And now I am retired.  I am collecting two pensions (one my own, and the other a portion of XH2's pension), and SS. 

That makes for a big difference though.  Would you have been able to retire on just your savings without the pensions?  I believe Rukh is in the same boat as I am.  Savings and whatever we can suck out of SS is all there is. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Jan 30, 2023 10:10:41 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Jan 29, 2023 11:18:20 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

How is January almost over?? How is the year already 8% over?? I haven't even made the adjustment that the new year has started yet!!

Have not done anything for saving, outside of the usually occurring payroll deductions...Left at whatever they were at the end of last year, will wait until bonus payment in June so I can calculate how to max for end of year. My greatest fear is that I mess up and miss out on some matching cash!!! I get 7% match (although, now I think on it, only 3% is a match, 4% is a replacemnt of the old pension I think, and not dependent on any contributions.......). But! I still don't want to miss out on the 3% either


...still thinking about new year's resolutions, and where I am in life, and what direction I want/need to go in........

And then a little voice in my head says - it is game over already! Who cares? retirement is imminent whether that be this year, 1-2 years, 5 years....nothing I do now is going to seriously impact that timeline in terms of savings (market driven), Although! I could go all expat somewhere cheap though!

But I still have pieces on the board, so need to keep playing

And yet, I was about your age when I STARTED contributing to my employer's 401(k).  And now I am retired.  I am collecting two pensions (one my own, and the other a portion of XH2's pension), and SS. 

It may be on the networth thread or elsewhere that you posted some numbers, and you are far and way doing better than I did at your age.  In fact, I think you are doing great!

It is never "game over."  And yes, you could do expat, or move to a less expensive area of the US to make ends meet. Medicare doesn't cover you outside the US except in very rare situations. But a number of the most desirable countries for expat living have good medical care at reasonable cost. 

Are you sure you don't have my age confused with someone else??  I'm 58....so getting pretty old.....you know....compared to when I was 40! But if you really only started at 58, kudos on getting it together from that point!!

I won't have any pensions, and my projected SS is not that high. Barely 2k/month if I work until 62 and take it at that point. I don't know how people get up to 3-4k a month on social security. Seems to me I've been making pretty good money for a while, but it sure isn't adding up to much there!

Thanks for reframe! Yes, I am doing pretty well, and everyone has some losses from 2022. 

I was looking at maybe baja california to retire to, if my daughter stays in los angeles. LA is too far away from me now to my mind, but if I found a place that was just 5 hour drive or so that would be more doable for visiting.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Jan 30, 2023 17:54:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Jan 30, 2023 10:10:41 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

And yet, I was about your age when I STARTED contributing to my employer's 401(k).  And now I am retired.  I am collecting two pensions (one my own, and the other a portion of XH2's pension), and SS. 

That makes for a big difference though.  Would you have been able to retire on just your savings without the pensions?  I believe Rukh is in the same boat as I am.  Savings and whatever we can suck out of SS is all there is. 

yeppers!

did you see Cindy Williams passed away?

The geriatric reboot is up to us!!!!

[azucena]

Jan 6, 2023 8:39:52 GMT -5 azucena said:

Current completely liquid savings sits at $50k in usbank earning nothing.  Need to figure out a better place for majority and decide how much we need to keep liquid and how much could be locked up in Ibonds and/or CDs for true emergencies.

Here's what I'm thinking for our savings goals:

22.5k to max 401k; set and forget
10.5k to max AT retirement; set and forget
10k kids college savings; set and forget

30k general savings; accumulate from payday overflow - this will be a bit of a reach with the added 10k kid goal this year but that's okay bc we need to buckle down and prepare for college costs
 
Maintain typical mortgage payment to pay down mortgage by another 15k in 2023 to bring the balance just under $200k. 10 more years left which roughly coincides with when DD10 hits college.

I know I've been spending too much, mostly shopping online that I need to shut down. Not going to be too hard on myself since retail therapy might be helping me stave off SAD.

Jan update Azucena $1,821 of $30,000 goal (6%)

[debthaven]

I have a question and would appreciate any input/suggestions.

I was hoping to have saved 30K by the end of 2023. (I've lowered my goal from 32K to 30K.) But we will be getting new windows and having the outside of the house repainted this spring. (Both are absolutely necessary. The house is already getting water damage.)

Obviously I won't have saved 30K by spring. 

Once I've paid for my share of the windows, I will obviously have less in savings. My goal at that point will be to re-save part or all of what I spent on the windows. (I hope this makes sense.)

How do I track that? Should I just have two different goals, one at a time (ie goal 1 until the work is done, and Goal 2 afterwards)?  

[azucena]

Debt - track it however is easiest and makes the most sense to you. Folks have posted different ways and it matters even less now that no one is tracking smilies.

[debthaven]

Thanks azucena. 

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jan 30, 2023 23:30:33 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Jan 30, 2023 17:54:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

That makes for a big difference though.  Would you have been able to retire on just your savings without the pensions?  I believe Rukh is in the same boat as I am.  Savings and whatever we can suck out of SS is all there is. 

yeppers!

did you see Cindy Williams passed away?

The geriatric reboot is up to us!!!!

You were the first person I thought of when I heard she died! 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Jan 31, 2023 23:21:35 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Jan 30, 2023 23:30:33 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

yeppers!

did you see Cindy Williams passed away?

The geriatric reboot is up to us!!!!

You were the first person I thought of when I heard she died! 

likewise!

[debthaven]

I've decided to just keep tracking as I have been. I'll worry about it again once I pay my share of the windows/outdoor painting in April or May.

DH is happy to lay out the deposit to get things started, which gives me more time to save. 

I also reached out to our credit union about a small loan, but they're not very reactive. To be clear, the loan would be for both of us.

Debthaven: 31 Jan 2023: 24,000 euros (Goal: 30,000)

I reposted my tagline because yesterday was the last day of the month.

I asked Job 1 for one or two more individual staff classes. I should hear about those later this week. 

[azucena]

Jan 31, 2023 11:24:38 GMT -5 azucena said:

Jan 6, 2023 8:39:52 GMT -5 azucena said:

Current completely liquid savings sits at $50k in usbank earning nothing.  Need to figure out a better place for majority and decide how much we need to keep liquid and how much could be locked up in Ibonds and/or CDs for true emergencies.

Here's what I'm thinking for our savings goals:

22.5k to max 401k; set and forget
10.5k to max AT retirement; set and forget
10k kids college savings; set and forget

30k general savings; accumulate from payday overflow - this will be a bit of a reach with the added 10k kid goal this year but that's okay bc we need to buckle down and prepare for college costs
 
Maintain typical mortgage payment to pay down mortgage by another 15k in 2023 to bring the balance just under $200k. 10 more years left which roughly coincides with when DD10 hits college.

I know I've been spending too much, mostly shopping online that I need to shut down. Not going to be too hard on myself since retail therapy might be helping me stave off SAD.

Jan update Azucena $1,821 of $30,000 goal (6%)

Got a halfway unexpected bonus at work this payday. Halfway because it's makeup money for LTI compensation that would have been washed away based on triggers during high life insurance payouts in 2020-22. I honestly don't really understand my LTI very well and a couple of these one off adjustments haven't helped. I got a partial stock option exercised two weeks ago and a large cash payment this week.

Here's my plan:

$17,000

-$1000 theater donation
-$2700 DD14 savings

- $4200 DD10 savings

-$5000 egress down payment 
-$2600 savings

-$1500 outdoor theater splurge (put in savings for now)



6% charity

56% savings

29% home improvement

9% splurge

Have too much in regular savings so need to buy a couple more ibonds for the girls. Also on my to do list is to move most savings from us bank earning nothing to something earning 3%ish.

Bumping up my savings goal to $40,000 to help limit lifestyle creep.

Total below includes numbers above, prior savings, and extra payday in.

2/3/23 update Azucena $16,456 of $40,000 goal (41%)

ETA trying to use this money to reset my work mindset. Surely that's enough $$ to pacify me through dumb boss and other shenanigans. Surely?!  Maybe if I only get 5 stupid/repeat emails today and walk away for the weekend...maybe?!

[seriousthistime]

Update

Name	Start	Goal	Saved	% Saved	Spent
Emergency Fund	$0	$3,000	$8	0.0%
Gifts	$0	$3,000	$8	0.0%
Travel	$0	$8,000	$3	0.0%
Property Tax	$0	$6,200	$10	0.0%
Periodic Expense	$0	$3,500	$12	0.0%
Weekly Savings	$0	$1,898	$224	11.8%
Total	$0	$25,598	$265	0.1%

Seriousthistime [1], 2/4/23, $265 (Goal $25,598)

Seriousthistime [2], 2/4/23, $5,000 (Goal $10,000) (*DGS OOP Medical)


Weekly Savings chart:

$11	$12	$13	$14	$15	$16	$17
$18	$19	$20		$22	$23	$24
$25	$26	$27	$28		$30	$31
$32	$33	$34	$35	$36	$37	$38
$39	$40	$41	$42	$43	$44	$45
$46	$47	$48	$49		$51	$52
$53	$54	$55	$56	$57	$58	$59
$60

Not sure what to call this one, so I'll just call it monthly savings for now.  If I save 100% of net proceeds from one of my monthly sources of income, I'll cross off that month. 

January	February	March
April	May	June
July	August	September
October	November	December

[seriousthistime]

Jan 30, 2023 23:30:33 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Jan 30, 2023 17:54:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

That makes for a big difference though.  Would you have been able to retire on just your savings without the pensions?  I believe Rukh is in the same boat as I am.  Savings and whatever we can suck out of SS is all there is. 

yeppers!

It does make a difference, obviously.  But I look at it this way.  The pensions I get were for government work.  In my field, working for the government entails a much lower professional salary (by at least half) than I would have gotten if I'd worked for a private employer.  If I'd had that higher salary, I would have saved a lot more money to compensate for no pensions.  I had a number of years when I was a SAHM and earned nothing, so for many of the 35 years required to max SS benefits, I had a lot of zeroes. But my SS is pretty generous, which is partly the result of having worked until I was age 69. If you're thinking of taking SS at 62, then you'd need to save more. 

I have not posted anything in the Net Worth thread. It was way too intimidating.  Even now, my net worth is a fraction of that of many/most folks who post there. 

I have not calculated my imputed wealth, which is basically adding up my annual income from all sources and dividing it by 0.04. It's the calculated reverse of taking all your savings accounts and multiplying by 4% to figure out how much you can safely take out in annual distributions.  As an example, if I have $50,000 in pensions, that amount is equivalent to $1,250,000 in an IRA from which I'm taking 4% distributions.  

Working a side gig and/or having a paid-off house are other ways to ease your retirement budget.  You know I left an area I loved, to move back to an area that to me is 'meh,' for family reasons.  At least I still have friends in the new/old place.  And no more house payment.  Instead, I worry about being over-invested in real estate.  Should it bother me that I have so many eggs in that basket? Anyway, I do feel that many retired folks cut their expenses somehow to reflect the new reality. 

Another source of funds that people may overlook is inheritance.  I was not lucky in that regard. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Feb 4, 2023 13:25:57 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Jan 30, 2023 23:30:33 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

yeppers!

It does make a difference, obviously.  But I look at it this way.  The pensions I get were for government work.  In my field, working for the government entails a much lower professional salary (by at least half) than I would have gotten if I'd worked for a private employer.  If I'd had that higher salary, I would have saved a lot more money to compensate for no pensions.  I had a number of years when I was a SAHM and earned nothing, so for many of the 35 years required to max SS benefits, I had a lot of zeroes. But my SS is pretty generous, which is partly the result of having worked until I was age 69. If you're thinking of taking SS at 62, then you'd need to save more. 

I have not posted anything in the Net Worth thread. It was way too intimidating.  Even now, my net worth is a fraction of that of many/most folks who post there. 

I have not calculated my imputed wealth, which is basically adding up my annual income from all sources and dividing it by 0.04. It's the calculated reverse of taking all your savings accounts and multiplying by 4% to figure out how much you can safely take out in annual distributions.  As an example, if I have $50,000 in pensions, that amount is equivalent to $1,250,000 in an IRA from which I'm taking 4% distributions.  

Working a side gig and/or having a paid-off house are other ways to ease your retirement budget.  You know I left an area I loved, to move back to an area that to me is 'meh,' for family reasons.  At least I still have friends in the new/old place.  And no more house payment.  Instead, I worry about being over-invested in real estate.  Should it bother me that I have so many eggs in that basket? Anyway, I do feel that many retired folks cut their expenses somehow to reflect the new reality. 

Another source of funds that people may overlook is inheritance.  I was not lucky in that regard. 

how are you feeling about new/old and middle old places now that you are settled? will you go back to visit? I've lived where I'm at most of my life, so a new spot would be new/new and no ties whatsoever. It's a tough decision to make no matter what I think!

[TheOtherMe]

I worked for the federal government for the job that provides my pension.  At least it comes with COLA, as my dad's didn't.  $500 a month when he retired wasn't bad but $500 in 2019 was a pittance.

I worked a lot of part time jobs after I retired.  It was very difficult to get permission to work outside jobs at my agency.  I thought I would never see any SS.  When I turned 70, SS sent me an email and I do get a small amount of SS.  The best part is that it covers my Medicare Part B premiums which I was paying out of pocket.

[seriousthistime]

Feb 4, 2023 17:10:54 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Feb 4, 2023 13:25:57 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

It does make a difference, obviously.  But I look at it this way.  The pensions I get were for government work.  In my field, working for the government entails a much lower professional salary (by at least half) than I would have gotten if I'd worked for a private employer.  If I'd had that higher salary, I would have saved a lot more money to compensate for no pensions.  I had a number of years when I was a SAHM and earned nothing, so for many of the 35 years required to max SS benefits, I had a lot of zeroes. But my SS is pretty generous, which is partly the result of having worked until I was age 69. If you're thinking of taking SS at 62, then you'd need to save more. 

I have not posted anything in the Net Worth thread. It was way too intimidating.  Even now, my net worth is a fraction of that of many/most folks who post there. 

I have not calculated my imputed wealth, which is basically adding up my annual income from all sources and dividing it by 0.04. It's the calculated reverse of taking all your savings accounts and multiplying by 4% to figure out how much you can safely take out in annual distributions.  As an example, if I have $50,000 in pensions, that amount is equivalent to $1,250,000 in an IRA from which I'm taking 4% distributions.  

Working a side gig and/or having a paid-off house are other ways to ease your retirement budget.  You know I left an area I loved, to move back to an area that to me is 'meh,' for family reasons.  At least I still have friends in the new/old place.  And no more house payment.  Instead, I worry about being over-invested in real estate.  Should it bother me that I have so many eggs in that basket? Anyway, I do feel that many retired folks cut their expenses somehow to reflect the new reality. 

Another source of funds that people may overlook is inheritance.  I was not lucky in that regard. 

how are you feeling about new/old and middle old places now that you are settled? will you go back to visit? I've lived where I'm at most of my life, so a new spot would be new/new and no ties whatsoever. It's a tough decision to make no matter what I think!

I really miss the middle old place (SoCal).  I think I was meant to live there.  I made some friends through work, and others through the MeetUp app. It was a place that people liked to visit, so I had a few groups of visitors each year.  I will definitely go back to visit SoCal.  I have DS and DDIL in the Bay Area, so I will get my California fix at least once per year.

The new/old place is very "Midwest college town," and that makes it bearable.  The university provides lots of opportunities for cultural events (theater, concerts, restaurants of all sorts due to the international nature of the community, and other activities) and sports (which I don't follow at all).  I knew what to expect going back there, and I wouldn't have done it except for my DGS and his parents, ODS and DDIL).  DD and DSIL, and DGD live in Florida so I try to squeeze in a few visits to see them too. I appreciate the lower cost of living here. 

If you are dedicated to living where you've lived most of your life, can you cut your retirement expenses by downsizing?  It's not just the monthly cost of housing... repairs and maintenance on a bigger house can run into some money.   

[TheOtherMe]

Having spent 35 years living in Boulder, CO and 3 in Fort Collins, all of the cultural stuff that happens there is wonderful.  Of course, both are close enough to Denver to do things there, too.

Here, the only college town I would consider is Iowa City.  However, now that I paid all that money for the shower remodel, I'm not going anywhere.

[seriousthistime]

I've never been to Iowa City, but from what I hear it's pretty similar to my old/new town. 

[TheOtherMe]

Feb 5, 2023 9:52:19 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

I've never been to Iowa City, but from what I hear it's pretty similar to my old/new town. 

They have a great place for concerts as well as another smaller venue downtown.  They also have a world class art exhibition and the Iowa Women's Archives is there.  That's a place I like to visit.

[mollyc]

Utilities $694.37 of $800

Ongoing Expenses ($23.26) of $3,000

Auto $51.18 of $4,000


Trying to stay grateful that I’m able to cover everything and still put a little bit aside. I just have to stop looking too far ahead at what will be coming up in the next 10 years or less. It just makes me anxious and inclined to do stupid things

[debthaven]

Debthaven: 12 Feb 2023: 24,500 euros (Goal: 30,000 by 30 June)

I got my first retirement payment the other day! I think it will take me a few months to figure things out. I find it odd that my retirement comes in on the 9th of the month, since I always received my salary at the end of the month.  

I wish I knew how to use Excel so I could plot out my income for the year. I've been planning to take a basic Excel course but inputting 4 jobs/timelines doesn't seem very basic to me. 

I know I won't reach my goal of 30K saved by 30 June, but hopefully I'll get fairly close.