<< Back to all Blogs

About Me:

Monkey Mama

Just a 46-year-old mom of 2 in Northern California. My kids are Monkey Monkey(MM) and Drama Llama (DL). I am married to Monkey Hubby (MH).

We were a one-income family for 13 years. In late 2015 my spouse returned to work (minimum wage/part-time/seasonal). Something recent on his resume just buys us more options for the long run. The main benefit of this job is that he just works while the kids are in school. As always, we are saving 100% of his income.

{2023 Update: I expect that MH will retire from this job when kids are done with college and/or home is paid off. I think he likes the idea of finding more interesting or full-time work, with kids both adults now. But practically, might just stick out the *good* and very flexible job as long as possible. The very part-time job is allowing him to pursue his film passions. We are only about 5-ish years away from financial independence. Would be very different if we "needed" the money or he thought he might have decades of working years ahead of him.}

We saved a lot while we were very young and also moved to a lower cost-of-living area, to make life much simpler. We still live in California though (in one of the most expensive regions of the U.S.). *Simple* and *inexpensive* is relative.

Likewise, we have never had debt aside from our mortgage.** My blog is a testament to how much simpler life is without debt; how we have that much more money to both save and enjoy!

**Caveat: I have no problem whatsoever with credit cards paid off monthly, or low-risk credit arbitrage (for example, 0%-interest debt while earning 5% on FDIC-insured cash). These are the kinds of debt we have had. Just not interested in high-interest debt, using debt to buy beyond means, and not interested in the hassle that comes with loans and payments. With age and means, the latter (hassle) is our biggest debt avoidance motivation.

-------------------------------

2024 Goals

[ ]Small monthly Charitable Contribution
...($35 @ 1/31/24)
...Trying to be more mindful about how the little amounts add up and are helpful.
...This is not an all inclusive list of charitable giving but it is a new habit I want to add in addition to other donations of time, goods and money

[ ]Pay cash for college
...This is so much a given, to me. But I realize not everyone can read my mind, and so will memorialize in my goal list.
...#1 We don't do Debt
...#2 The student loan system is a scammy and corrupt mess.
...Seriously, wouldn't touch these student loan servicers with a ten foot pole.
MM YEAR 1 ✔
MM YEAR 2 ✔
MM YEAR 3 ✔
MM YEAR 4

DL YEAR 1 ✔
DL YEAR 2

[ ]$10,000 to savings
...($4,529 @ 3/31/24)
...$1,000/month, plus interest
...Topping off with snowballs

[ ]$7,500 to investments
...($1,750 @ 4/30/24)
...$350/month, plus snowflakes
(Snowflakes: credit card rewards and dividends)
...Topping off with snowballs

[ ]$2,025 to mortgage
...($0 @ 4/30/24)
...Topping off with snowballs and/or excess cash
...Keeps us on track with $10K principal paydown per year

[/]9% of household income to work retirement plans
...(9% @ 3/31/24)
...This is the minimum for the match; I'd otherwise rather fund IRAs.
...Note: Total retirement savings rate is 20% (with IRAs)

Goal savings rate = 25% of gross salary, plus funding IRAs from other sources.

[ ]$14,000 to IRAs 2024 (MAX)
...($0 @ 4/30/24)
...Will fund with MH's income
...Will not fund until the year is over. This is for tax and planning reasons. I won't know what mix of Traditional/ROTH IRA we literally can contribute until we do our 2024 taxes. In addition to that, can make a more informed decision based on our financial and tax situation for the entire year.

-------------------------------

**Long-Term Goals**

[X]$500,000 in retirement accounts by age 45.

Current big picture goal:

[ ]$1 Mil in retirement accounts by age 52.

Stretch Goal: Achieve by age 50

Have decided to pretty much stay the course. Keep saving 20%+ to retirement. This means taking 401K match & maxing out IRAs.

NOTE: WE HAVE NEVER CONTRIBUTED LESS THAN 10% TO RETIREMENT. NO EXCEPTIONS.

If we can't achieve at least 10%, then something else has to give. I share because it's infinitely easier to save for retirement if you start early. Let the investments do the hard work for you.

-------------------------------

Debt: $85,000 mortgage
{Home Purchase Price $290,000}

Ongoing goal is to *never borrow money again.*

Took on a $230k mortgage in 2001 and have not added to that.

-------------------------

Net Worth: Increase net worth by $600,000 in the next 10 years. This is my "financial independence" goal.

2017: +$ 70,000 (partial year)
2018: +$ 51,000
2019: +$105,000
2020: +$104,000
2021: +$215,000
2022: <$ 65,000>
2022: +$ 85,000
TOTAL: +$565,000

This is in line with prior goal, saving 100% of our expenses every year.

{Our expenses are far more consistent than our income. Also, helps to prevent "living up to income."}

-------------------------------

My Pages

Food & Friends

June 12th, 2010 at 01:38 am

**Dh wasn't planning to make dinner (we've got oodles of leftovers), and I remembered I still have some red-potatoes left. I made this recipe a week or so ago - was simple, but delish!

Roasted Potatoes with Thyme & Garlic

http://southernfood.about.com/od/bakedroastedpotatoes/r/r903...

They even re-heated decently. So, decided to whip up for tonight. Heck, I could go for these for a main course.

**Dh bought his "Father's Day" monitor. It's like, HUGE! He is happy though. (Me too - it is nice to get rid of old monstrosity. The screen is huge, but it takes up WAY LESS space than our ancient monitor.) One down, two to go?. I am hoping for some energy savings...

**Not always, but sometimes the kids are really great at making like minded friends with like minded parents. I mentioned that dh really hit it off with LM's little girlfriend's dad. SO, today LM (& all of us) were invited to go pick cherries on their family farm. This meant a bit of a drive, and some good old fashioned fun. BM and I were stuck with work and school. But, the other boys had a blast. Dh got to meet the missus, and said we would all be getting together soon.

Actually, the only other person I can think of, we were friends first, and our kids are like bosom buddies. I suppose it goes both ways. But, friendships like this seem to happen about once every 5+ years, with our anti-social tendencies. So, this could be interesting.

We got some fresh picked cherries and radishes out of the deal. BM brought home garlic from the school garden, today. It was a bountiful day.

**That said, we have quite the social calendar this weekend. I am going to a friends' sales party (I know I know - I probably shouldn't go, and am considering it more a playdate. I literally don't expect to buy anything - and don't expect that will be hard. To not waste my money on crap. Big Grin

).

Actually, the main reason I said yes, was since I can only stay an hour anyway. I can cut out before it gets obnoxious.

**Feeling guilty that our neighbor has yet to ask us to babysit in return (the whole babysitting swap thing was her idea), I invited them over for dinner. They haven't decided yet. I haven't thought ahead to what we will cook if they say yes.

**Tomorrow is the annual community BBQ - I suppose it is put on by the HOA. We will get an afternoon of free food and waterslides/bouncy houses for the kids.

& that makes for an unusually social 3 days or so.

Ah, but CHEAP. But for a grocery run, don't foresee particularly spending anything.

**It doesn't stop there. I've got a work dinner next week, dh has a reunion, and then we are doing the family camp thing in Tahoe (which is a very social thing).

I am going to be exhausted once June is over! But, I can't say it is boring!

**Seems like everyone is done with school this week. Facebook was filled with preschool/kinder/1st grade graduation pictures... BM has another week and LM "graduates" preschool on the last day of June.

It just hit me that I will have a Kindergartener in exactly 2 months. Oy vey! Will be here before we know it. What's more crazy? Having a second grader, or a Kindergartener? *sigh* The end of an era... A hard one, but a GOOD one!

**The kids' party RSVPs are rolling in. So far it seems their best friends are planning to come, while the bajillion other people in their classes haven't responded. I can only hope it stays that way; that I don't have to double the size of the party, but that all their favorite friends show up. Will see!

Posted in Just Thinking | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “Food & Friends”

whitestripe Says:
June 12th, 2010 at 04:02 am 1276315323
1276315323

DF has a tight-knit group of friends that he went to school with (over ten years ago - some of them he's known for 16+ years) and their wives/girlfriends have been integrated into the group, other than that, it's hard to break into the circle - only one couple have successfully done it, and they're very like-minded to the rest of the group, mainly music- and art-oriented. i have a few friends 'on the side' but i find ever since i graduated from high school, friendships really stress me out! i know they're not supposed to, (well, 'true' friendships) but the whole 'you haven't called me' etc etc gets on my nerves. i like my friends low-maintenance, lol.
MonkeyMama Says:
June 12th, 2010 at 03:58 pm 1276358329
1276358329

I've realized with age that it is hard to form the same bonds outside of school and work that you do in those environments. (I work with older people now, who will be life-long "acquaintances," they are great, but very different than when I worked with younger peers). What I realized recently is that it is so much easier when you have one group of friends. In adulthood it's like maintaining 2 or 3 different relationships just takes so much more work than the "group of friends" I always had when younger.

Of course, what dh and I really resist is the "couple friends." We've always had our own groups. It's hard enough to find like minded people without finding a couple we both mesh with. Ugh! But most people tend to be into the "couple friends" thing, with age. Blech. I miss just hanging out with the girls...

OF course, there are the mom groups and such, which I no longer participate in. People talk about office politics? LEt's talk bored housewives politics. Oy vey!! It's some foreign language I will never comprehend. No one's told me who I Can and can not be friends with since I was like 10. But, now I've got grown women freaking out because I spoke to so and so. Anyway, I would find it difficult if I wasn't working, but when you have a life you can't possibly keep up with all the BS. The working moms are bad in the opposite direction - just too busy. I am guilty!
MonkeyMama Says:
June 12th, 2010 at 04:01 pm 1276358504
1276358504

I've realized with age that it is hard to form the same bonds outside of school and work that you do in those environments. (I work with older people now, who will be life-long "acquaintances," they are great, but very different than when I worked with younger peers). What I realized recently is that it is so much easier when you have one group of friends. In adulthood it's like maintaining 2 or 3 different relationships just takes so much more work than the "group of friends" I always had when younger.

Of course, what dh and I really resist is the "couple friends." We've always had our own groups. It's hard enough to find like minded people without finding a couple we both mesh with. Ugh! But most people tend to be into the "couple friends" thing, with age. Blech. I miss just hanging out with the girls...

OF course, there are the mom groups and such, which I no longer participate in. People talk about office politics? LEt's talk bored housewives politics. Oy vey!! I can't deal with it. On the flip side, all the great people are way too busy. So, can't win!
Ima saver Says:
June 12th, 2010 at 07:48 pm 1276372080
1276372080

Pototos sound good!!
whitestripe Says:
June 15th, 2010 at 01:22 am 1276564929
1276564929

oh yes, DF's sister was telling me about the bitchiness in her mothers group. she is now just friends with one of the girls and has left the rest behind. one of my closest friends (the one that I post about sometimes lol) has a large group of friends and she constantly tries to draw me into the circle. which is nice, and I do enjoy their company sporadically, but I just don't really 'click' with them - and their attitudes to relationships and money just irk me. I don't have much in common with them and often feel like the odd one out - the one that doesn't like the girly movies and the one that doesn't like pop music - and the one that doesn't do anything behind my partners back, and the one that doesn't have mountains of credit card debt aah well.

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)

Name:	*
Email:	Will not be published.
	Subscribe: Notify me of additional comments to this entry.
URL:
Verification:	* Please spell out the number 4. [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]

Monkey Mama*s Monkey Money Blog

Over Prepare, Then Go With The Flow

Food & Friends

5 Responses to “Food & Friends”

Leave a Reply