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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.

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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.

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**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.

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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.

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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."}

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My Pages

Lunch & Such

June 16th, 2010 at 06:46 pm

Lunch Tally...

Lunch In: 11
Lunch Out: 1

Wednesday
---------
Breakfast - cookie, soda
Lunch - salad, BBQ
snacks - TBD

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

Boss brought in cookies. They will last a few more days...

Going to the school for a BBQ at noon. Kids will be released for summer, after the feast.

Told the kids we could go skating tonight, to celebrate.

Unfortunately, I don't have any vacation time to spare, so am stuck at work after BBQ, until 5:00. Oh well! (I could make up time later, but we are leaving for vacation and all that jazz. So, will suffer through).

Last year I had the day off and we went to the water park. This year, too much time off for sick people, precludes that.

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

It's nice for things to let up on my family (maybe?), but the news is still pretty depressing, of late.

There was a Month 9 *miscarriage* in the extended family. *sigh* I seem to know too many people who have gone through this. (I suppose the appropriate term is stillborn - for any baby lost after 20 weeks).

The boy missing in Oregon is a "friend of a friend." I can't open Facebook without being reminded a family is missing their 7-year-old child.

Maybe it's just all too much, but yesterday I read in a community blog that a young father had just passed after a 5 month battle with cancer. I looked at the picture of his young face and little kids, (though I didn't know them from Adam), and just broke down. It just struck me as so tragic, and yet maybe a little too close to home. (As it was exactly 5 months ago we found out 100% dh did not have cancer. So, we were celebrating while another family was broken terrible news the other way).

Of course, the blogs have been filled with their own tragedies, lately.

I always hug & love my husband and kids, but extra hugs & love lately.

Posted in Just Thinking, What We Eat | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “Lunch & Such”

Looking Forward Says:
June 16th, 2010 at 07:14 pm 1276715676
1276715676

Oh yes..extra hugs and kisses to my family too after reading your post.
A miscarriage at nine months..OMG..how does that happen..I'd be crushed.
frugaltexan75 Says:
June 16th, 2010 at 10:06 pm 1276725997
1276725997

The story of the missing boy is so sad.

I didn't know it was possible to miscarry that late - I knew a baby could be stillborn ... but miscarried? How devastating that would be.
MonkeyMama Says:
June 16th, 2010 at 10:44 pm 1276728276
1276728276

Well, stillborn might be the appropriate term. Found out baby didn't make it, well before delivery. But certainly you would have to deliver the baby, at that size. (Heck, even much smaller). Grey area, I suppose. It's 2010 - still happens all the time.
MonkeyMama Says:
June 16th, 2010 at 11:22 pm 1276730570
1276730570

Okay - the technical term is stillborn. (I looked it up - before 20 weeks is miscarriage).

If that's how you define stillborn, then it's been very common among family and friends of late. (To be fair, a lot of test tube babies. Which is a whole other subject. I mourn their losses equally, but makes you wonder where science should draw the line). In this case, no problems; no indications it would all go so wrong. Heck, was an accidental pregnancy as far as I know, but by this point everyone was so excited about the baby. *sigh*
HouseHopeful Says:
June 17th, 2010 at 01:44 am 1276739074
1276739074

I'm sorry there has been such sad news lately. I hope things start looking up for everyone soon.

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Lunch & Such

5 Responses to “Lunch & Such”

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