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About Me:

Monkey Mama

Just a 49-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. We've always saved 100% of MH's income, but we are starting to dial that down a bit in 2023-2025.

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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2026 Goals

[ ]Small monthly Charitable Contribution
...($32 @ 2/28/26)
...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.
...#3 I don't understand why I would find student loan interest rates to be useful, as a middle class person with a high credit score. Would do better to borrow money from anywhere else. I think point #2 is more my 'hells no' reason, but this is my 'I don't get it' reason.

DL YEAR 1 ✔
DL YEAR 2 ✔
DL YEAR 3 ✔
DL YEAR 4
DL Teaching Credential

MM YEARS 1-5 ✔

[ ]$10,000 to savings
...(-$3,880** @ 5/31/26)
...$1,000/month, plus interest
...Topping off with snowballs
**Yes, that's a negative! 2026 started out rough, with some large emergency expenses.

[ ]$7,500 to investments
...($1,740 @ 5/31/26)
...$300/month, plus snowflakes
(Snowflakes: credit card rewards and dividends)
...Topping off with snowballs

[ ]$1,500 to mortgage
...($0 @ 5/31/26)
...Topping off with snowballs and/or excess cash
...Keeps us on track with $10K principal paydown per year

Taxable Investing/Saving rate is 14%.

[/]9% of household income to work retirement plans
...(9% @ 5/31/26)
...This is the minimum for the match; I'd otherwise rather fund IRAs.

[ ]$0 to IRAs 2026
**STRETCH GOAL $17,200 (MAX)**
...($0 @ 5/31/26)
...This seems pointless, other than the 'unexpected money' factor.
...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 2025 taxes. In addition to that, can make a more informed decision based on our financial and tax situation for the entire year.

Total investing/savings rate is 23%. Making progress on dialing this down from 30%.

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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**

As of 2026, our primary goal is just to contribute enough to retirement to receive employer match (9%).

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

Pre Financial Independence:

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.

Post Financial Independence:

I wish I could contribute 0% to retirement (age 50+). But that free company match... Just to be clear why we are dipping below that magic 10% number at this point in our lives. We are done saving for retirement and are letting the investments (and employer contributions) do the hard work.

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Debt: $65,000 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>
2023: +$ 90,000
2024: +$ 95,000
2025: +$120,000
TOTAL: +$785,000

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

College Kid is Home

June 21st, 2026 at 01:26 am

I had a post the other day that I personally messed up and didn't save correctly. *sigh* I always do a cut and paste, but then I inadvertently cut and paste another post.

So I tried to do a meaningful update and that is what happened.

Starting in the right here and right now... This was the chaos of today.

Not shown: 2 bikes, 2 guitars, a big fan, a desktop computer/monitor, other furniture and infinite bags. I have no idea how MM fit all that in his car. He will make another trip for his bed, and to spend some time wrapping up things and cleaning up his space. It sounds we might send a second car to grab the last of his things. (He can fit his bed in his car but it's probably all that will fit.)

Side note: MM's laptop made it through 5 years of heavy use and lots of travel on a bike (I think it just got very beat up re: constant travel). Phew! I thought MM(22) was cutting it a little close when the screen started going black towards the end. Didn't want him to miss a final or something important, but he had backup plans and it worked enough through the end.

The chaos is compounded with the kids planning a big backpacking trip this week. So there's also backpacking supplies strewn about. They are currently taking stock of what we have (not much), what they've borrowed, and what they still need to buy.

I also share this picture because this is just how I expect life to be this summer. The house is full. Not that the entire year hasn't already been chaos, but now it's just different chaos.

Chaos aside, it is exciting that MM(22) is done with college!

Edited to add:

Three days later and still haven't posted this... I just happen to be taking stock of MM's finances.

MM(22) graduates college with a ~$25,000 net worth.

+$15,000 Cash

+$10,000 ROTH IRA

Give or take a few thousand dollars. His ROTH might be up a few thousand more this week.

& I personally view $10K of that as a (well needed) car replacement fund. Not sure he agrees, but is what we have talked about over the years. He has a 23yo car, so he needs a plan.

MH & I are going to plan an extravagant dinner out (just the two of us) to celebrate the next chapter. It will be a good time to talk about our financial expectations for MM, which we need to figure out and then communicate to him at some point. I think we are both good with letting things ride for the rest of 2026. I think that's the only thing we've really said out loud to each other. Free room/board for the rest of 2026, while he figures out the next steps. But I don't think either of us is interested in supporting our kids past college. But it's also kind of moot right now. The house is already full of people, so what's one more?

Posted in Just Thinking, College | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “College Kid is Home”

Tabs Says:
June 21st, 2026 at 01:56 am 1782007018
1782007018

Haha that picture looks lively. I also think it's... kind of nice that there is so much sign of family life? Although I most certainly prefer some standard of orderliness, I also kind of miss having the kids around. Life was chaotic, but now it's more... sterile and quiet. But don't get me wrong, I definitely don't miss the part where I have to clean up behind them haha.

So is this the empty nest fancy dinner? It actually sounds nice, and I agree it's very important to have that "next chapter" talk. I hope you guys have a great time.
MonkeyMama Says:
June 21st, 2026 at 02:16 am 1782008169
1782008169

No, it's a 'very full nest' fancy dinner. 😁 The empty nest is a few years away, re: younger son.
Dido Says:
June 21st, 2026 at 09:00 pm 1782075624
1782075624

Congrats on getting one kid all the way through! Enjoy what looks to be a busy summer; I hope you make some good memories!
DK62565 Says:
June 24th, 2026 at 01:13 pm 1782306795
1782306795

I'm sure it was wonderful having your child home and can now plan for the future. I think the "stuff" is a part of moving home from college. A friend of mine has twins who just moved back after college. One was at a university that ended the middle of May so he had the chaos then. Then the second finished just last week and we joked about the island of stuff in his living room that his daughter had to figure out what do with.

As organized as you are financially, I'm sure you and DH will figure out the conversation and help your college graduate plan.
Lots of ideas Says:
June 25th, 2026 at 07:58 pm 1782417480
1782417480

If only the kitty could talk…

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Monkey Mama*s Monkey Money Blog

Over Prepare, Then Go With The Flow

College Kid is Home

5 Responses to “College Kid is Home”

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