Q4 2023 & Year End Review:
Q4 Progress
October + $8,225
November + $11,995
December + $3,133
Total Q4 Progress $23,353
Q1 Progress $52,507
Q2 Progress $16,202
Q3 Progress $26,103
Q4 Progress $23,353
Current Net Worth $730,617
Current SWR 2.464%
Historical Annual Progress
2014’s Net Worth Increase $24,786
2015’s Net Worth Increase $43,912
2016’s Net Worth Increase $76,342
2017’s Net Worth Increase $68,122
2018’s Net Worth Increase $70,282
2019’s Net Worth Increase $42,274
2020’s Net Worth Increase $31,296
2021’s Net Worth Increase $77,022
2022’s Net Worth Increase $70,106
2023’s Net Worth Increase $118,165
By far the best year of my working career. Feels good when all of the hard work put into something begins to pay off. My goal was 450k at the start of all this and I am glad I kept going. All of the inflation in the states and worldwide has raised the cost of living and I may at some point change my estimated expenses in retirement from 18k annually to 24k or 2k per month. That still keeps me below 4% currently and would be more flexible now that prices everywhere have increased.
Looking back on my journey I am sick to my stomach for not investing the whole time. The stock market was/is over valued and is based on shell moves like stock buy backs, government intervention, etc. If I would have invested I would have easily been over a million in net worth by now.
Future plans, possibly transition to working online which would be ideal if I could find something for myself. If I can not get an online job then maybe I will work the first 6 months of each year and take the last 6 months off to travel and start putting a dent in the long bucket list I have. That would allow me to maximize the deferred tax savings in 401k & IRA. So taxable income would be low enough to hopefully qualify for discounted healthcare. That way I can keep US healthcare while I travel abroad just incase an emergency arises. Another option would be to work an overseas contract to take advantage of the foreign earned income exclusion. The final option would be to continue doing what I’m doing now since the money is stacking up pretty quickly but I can’t say I am happy. We will see what 2024 has in store…
Star*Bucks ERE Journal
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
-
singvestor
- Posts: 215
- Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2015 12:48 am
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
Impressive progress, growth of your investment has been speeding up quickly in recent time. Sub 2.5% WR - I'd say you made it!
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
Thanks for your update and congratulations on the good year!
Yeah, that's what it looks like to me. What if those "shell moves" switch sides, and start pushing stocks down instead of up?Star*Bucks wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 12:25 pmThe stock market was/is over valued and is based on shell moves like stock buy backs, government intervention, etc.
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
I don't know if I would call share buybacks a "shell move". It is just one way a company can allocate capital. Granted, some companies are bad at share buybacks and purchase when their stock is overvalued. Also, some buybacks are just a means of compensating for all the stock based compensation that certain companies engage in. From an investors standpoint NET buybacks at attractive valuations are a wonderful thing. They aren't taxable like a dividend and can be better than letting a bunch of cash sit on the balance sheet.Star*Bucks wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 12:25 pmLooking back on my journey I am sick to my stomach for not investing the whole time. The stock market was/is over valued and is based on shell moves like stock buy backs, government intervention, etc. If I would have invested I would have easily been over a million in net worth by now.
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
January 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $25,158
HSA: $25,758
IRA: $138,347
Roth IRA: $220,601
401k $9,597
Brokerage: $241,586
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$5,750
Prior Months Net Worth $730,617
Current Net Worth $737,297
Net Worth Increase of $6,680
Prior Months SWR 2.464%
Current SWR 2.44%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,009
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $10,036
Life & Finance:
After over 2 years of unemployment during the great recession followed by a year working a shitty job for $10 a hour; I got my current job. I have always been grateful for my current job but I was always in fear of losing it. Every 6 months we have to take an exam. If we fail we get another chance but if we fail that second one then we lose our jobs.
I believe that is a big reason I have only taken 1 vacation in the 13 years working here. I have failed the exam on two different occasions over the years. Luckily, I was able to pass on the second try. I spoke with a co worker who has been here almost 30 years and he told me how he practices and I used his method during my exam in January and it worked out well! I don’t feel so stressed out about this job anymore. In fact I almost am looking forward to the next exam in 6 months to see how good I can do.
I completed the minimum spend necessary to get the 90k bonus points on two credit cards (180k total rewards points). I used the cards to pay property taxes, and other bills I would have paid anyways. Another perk is that there is a zero percent intro apr for the first year. So I will pay the minimum until October and earn over 5% interest on my money.
A co worker that was out on medical leave will be coming back to work next week. So my overtime will be drastically reduced. I will contact my supervisor and let him know I’m willing to go to another office which I know is incredibly understaffed if that means I can keep my hours higher.
I had a Traditional & a Roth high interest CD at a credit union that matured at the end of December. At maturity I had them put the cd’s into Traditional & Roth savings accounts which paid basically nothing but I wanted to avoid them being rolled over into new CD’s and going past the grace period to transfer over to Vanguard. That was a good idea because that entire fiasco took almost a month to complete. Which is why I am amazed on how I still earned over 2k in monthly dividends since a large amount of money wasn’t earning anything for the majority of the month.
Fitness/Health:
Started the year at nearly 209 pounds which is such a shame. Over the years I’ve lost and gained weight so many times it’s embarrassing. The last time I got down just below my ideal weight of 180 and I told myself I will never see my weight over 200 and here I am again.
I kicked off the year with a healthy vegan diet. There are plenty of vegans who eat highly processed foods which are junk; full of sodium and preservatives. After the first 10 days I felt great. The only problem was the weight was not coming off. So starting on the 11th I went to one meal a day and that did the trick. It worked for me in the past and so here we are again. I now weight 198. I try to eat vegan as much as possible but if I can’t I will not sweat it.
I purchased a really nice blood pressure monitor a couple years back when my doctor told me I had high blood pressure and put me on medication. In those 2 years that monitor sat unopened on the bookshelf. I brought it to work and started to check my blood pressure everyday. Eventually I would like to get off the blood pressure and cholesterol medications. This should be pretty easy since both medications and very low dosage anyways.
Fun:
None
Goals for January were:
-Work as much overtime as possible ((Done))
Goals for February:
-Get Back In The Gym & Keep The Diet Up
Current Assets:
Cash: $25,158
HSA: $25,758
IRA: $138,347
Roth IRA: $220,601
401k $9,597
Brokerage: $241,586
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$5,750
Prior Months Net Worth $730,617
Current Net Worth $737,297
Net Worth Increase of $6,680
Prior Months SWR 2.464%
Current SWR 2.44%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,009
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $10,036
Life & Finance:
After over 2 years of unemployment during the great recession followed by a year working a shitty job for $10 a hour; I got my current job. I have always been grateful for my current job but I was always in fear of losing it. Every 6 months we have to take an exam. If we fail we get another chance but if we fail that second one then we lose our jobs.
I believe that is a big reason I have only taken 1 vacation in the 13 years working here. I have failed the exam on two different occasions over the years. Luckily, I was able to pass on the second try. I spoke with a co worker who has been here almost 30 years and he told me how he practices and I used his method during my exam in January and it worked out well! I don’t feel so stressed out about this job anymore. In fact I almost am looking forward to the next exam in 6 months to see how good I can do.
I completed the minimum spend necessary to get the 90k bonus points on two credit cards (180k total rewards points). I used the cards to pay property taxes, and other bills I would have paid anyways. Another perk is that there is a zero percent intro apr for the first year. So I will pay the minimum until October and earn over 5% interest on my money.
A co worker that was out on medical leave will be coming back to work next week. So my overtime will be drastically reduced. I will contact my supervisor and let him know I’m willing to go to another office which I know is incredibly understaffed if that means I can keep my hours higher.
I had a Traditional & a Roth high interest CD at a credit union that matured at the end of December. At maturity I had them put the cd’s into Traditional & Roth savings accounts which paid basically nothing but I wanted to avoid them being rolled over into new CD’s and going past the grace period to transfer over to Vanguard. That was a good idea because that entire fiasco took almost a month to complete. Which is why I am amazed on how I still earned over 2k in monthly dividends since a large amount of money wasn’t earning anything for the majority of the month.
Fitness/Health:
Started the year at nearly 209 pounds which is such a shame. Over the years I’ve lost and gained weight so many times it’s embarrassing. The last time I got down just below my ideal weight of 180 and I told myself I will never see my weight over 200 and here I am again.
I kicked off the year with a healthy vegan diet. There are plenty of vegans who eat highly processed foods which are junk; full of sodium and preservatives. After the first 10 days I felt great. The only problem was the weight was not coming off. So starting on the 11th I went to one meal a day and that did the trick. It worked for me in the past and so here we are again. I now weight 198. I try to eat vegan as much as possible but if I can’t I will not sweat it.
I purchased a really nice blood pressure monitor a couple years back when my doctor told me I had high blood pressure and put me on medication. In those 2 years that monitor sat unopened on the bookshelf. I brought it to work and started to check my blood pressure everyday. Eventually I would like to get off the blood pressure and cholesterol medications. This should be pretty easy since both medications and very low dosage anyways.
Fun:
None
Goals for January were:
-Work as much overtime as possible ((Done))
Goals for February:
-Get Back In The Gym & Keep The Diet Up
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
February 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $22,957
HSA: $26,207
IRA: $138,887
Roth IRA: $221,510
401k $10,286
Brokerage: $249,855
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$5,564
Prior Months Net Worth $737,297
Current Net Worth $746,138
Net Worth Increase of $8,841
Prior Months SWR 2.44%
Current SWR 2.413%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,515
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $10,063
Life & Finance:
Seems like there is always an issue with my job/company I work for. Well, I set my 401k pre tax contribution rate to 50% in late December 2023. In 2024 my company switched payroll providers and there were a lot of issues for the first 5-6 weeks. Everything has been corrected except for them taking the pre tax employee contributions. We are already in March and I like to preload my 401k to the best of my ability and save on all the taxes up front. I just sent another email above the local HR lady’s head because she hasn’t helped with this. So if corporate doesn’t get this taken care of I will have to do some googling. I am sure there is some sort of law being broken here whether intentional or not.
I am feeling a bit burned out. I could use a reset of some sort. These first two months passed by so fast I can’t believe it.
Fitness/Health:
A cheat day turned into a couple of cheat days. I ordered a pizza and had left overs so I had pizza over a few days. Not the end of the world. I went from 198 to 200 pounds. Back on the horse this month and hopefully lose some significant weight.
Fun:
None
Goals for February were:
-Get Back In The Gym & Keep The Diet Up ((FAIL))
Goals for March:
-Gym & Diet
-Work on Tax Returns
Current Assets:
Cash: $22,957
HSA: $26,207
IRA: $138,887
Roth IRA: $221,510
401k $10,286
Brokerage: $249,855
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$5,564
Prior Months Net Worth $737,297
Current Net Worth $746,138
Net Worth Increase of $8,841
Prior Months SWR 2.44%
Current SWR 2.413%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,515
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $10,063
Life & Finance:
Seems like there is always an issue with my job/company I work for. Well, I set my 401k pre tax contribution rate to 50% in late December 2023. In 2024 my company switched payroll providers and there were a lot of issues for the first 5-6 weeks. Everything has been corrected except for them taking the pre tax employee contributions. We are already in March and I like to preload my 401k to the best of my ability and save on all the taxes up front. I just sent another email above the local HR lady’s head because she hasn’t helped with this. So if corporate doesn’t get this taken care of I will have to do some googling. I am sure there is some sort of law being broken here whether intentional or not.
I am feeling a bit burned out. I could use a reset of some sort. These first two months passed by so fast I can’t believe it.
Fitness/Health:
A cheat day turned into a couple of cheat days. I ordered a pizza and had left overs so I had pizza over a few days. Not the end of the world. I went from 198 to 200 pounds. Back on the horse this month and hopefully lose some significant weight.
Fun:
None
Goals for February were:
-Get Back In The Gym & Keep The Diet Up ((FAIL))
Goals for March:
-Gym & Diet
-Work on Tax Returns
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
March 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $24,991
HSA: $26,666
IRA: $139,963
Roth IRA: $222,471
401k $10,956
Brokerage: $253,561
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$9,156
Prior Months Net Worth $746,138
Current Net Worth $751,452
Net Worth Increase of $5,314
Prior Months SWR 2.413%
Current SWR 2.395%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,856
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,667
Life & Finance:
Completed Tax Returns and I owe 3k combined State & Federal which I paid. My employer has been having difficulties with their new payroll provider and I still do not have 401k contributions being deducted from my checks. I set up 50% to go into my 401k and I’ve kept in close contact with HR & they keep saying it’s a known issue. I do not want the year to pass without me being able to max out the 401k and it’s been really pissing me off. I plan to google to see which governmental agency can assist me with this.
My 2015 MacBook Pro should have been replaced a while back. It is running painfully slow but I plan to hold off until Apples next keynote in June or July.
Fitness/Health:
I have been hitting the gym and taking creatine. I am getting stronger and I feel great but the scale isn’t moving. That is the struggle of putting on muscle while also trying to lose fat. At the end of the day I feel better and look better and I plan to keep this up
Fun:
None
Goals for March were:
-Gym & Diet Done & Ongoing
-Work on Tax Returns Done!!
Goals for April:
-Do my Parents & Brothers Taxes
-Keep Working Out/Stay Motivated
Current Assets:
Cash: $24,991
HSA: $26,666
IRA: $139,963
Roth IRA: $222,471
401k $10,956
Brokerage: $253,561
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$9,156
Prior Months Net Worth $746,138
Current Net Worth $751,452
Net Worth Increase of $5,314
Prior Months SWR 2.413%
Current SWR 2.395%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,856
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,667
Life & Finance:
Completed Tax Returns and I owe 3k combined State & Federal which I paid. My employer has been having difficulties with their new payroll provider and I still do not have 401k contributions being deducted from my checks. I set up 50% to go into my 401k and I’ve kept in close contact with HR & they keep saying it’s a known issue. I do not want the year to pass without me being able to max out the 401k and it’s been really pissing me off. I plan to google to see which governmental agency can assist me with this.
My 2015 MacBook Pro should have been replaced a while back. It is running painfully slow but I plan to hold off until Apples next keynote in June or July.
Fitness/Health:
I have been hitting the gym and taking creatine. I am getting stronger and I feel great but the scale isn’t moving. That is the struggle of putting on muscle while also trying to lose fat. At the end of the day I feel better and look better and I plan to keep this up
Fun:
None
Goals for March were:
-Gym & Diet Done & Ongoing
-Work on Tax Returns Done!!
Goals for April:
-Do my Parents & Brothers Taxes
-Keep Working Out/Stay Motivated
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
Q1 2024:
January + $6,680
February: + $8,841
March + $5,314
Total Q1 Progress $20,853
Current Net Worth $751,452
Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.395%
Overtime has gone down significantly which is a positive for me. It gives me more time to go to the gym and meal prep.
January + $6,680
February: + $8,841
March + $5,314
Total Q1 Progress $20,853
Current Net Worth $751,452
Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.395%
Overtime has gone down significantly which is a positive for me. It gives me more time to go to the gym and meal prep.
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
April 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $8,807
HSA: $27,122
IRA: $142,035
Roth IRA: $223,442
401k $12,926
Brokerage: $270,932
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$7,794
Prior Months Net Worth $751,452
Current Net Worth $759,470
Net Worth Increase of $8,018
Prior Months SWR 2.395%
Current SWR 2.37%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,840
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,866
Life & Finance:
Finally purchased a new printer. I put it off for so long after my old one broke. I got a good deal on the eco tank printer by Epson. Costco has the best price for the 3850 model but add to that they had a $80 off special so my cost was $300 plus tax. Going price for this same printer is close to $500 at other retailers.
I am concerned because I just found out my parents do not have any dental coverage under medicare and they have been putting things off because they don’t have the money. My brother told me about this and now we are researching what insurance companies are best and what they cover. I even considered just taking them to Malaysia or Thailand to get the work done there. My mother has mobility issues so that would be a big headache too. I just have a feeling this whole thing is going to cost a lot.
My company is finally starting to take my employee contributions out for my 401k. I was constantly in contact with HR and they kept brushing me off saying it is a known issue due to switching to a new payroll provider. It took me going to the local Union President and he contacted the National President who then contacted the companies general council and all of a sudden problem got fixed. I also contacted the Department of Labor and they opened a case against my company and I hope my company faces some very large fines.
Fitness/Health:
Diet has been ok but I slipped up a lot on my gym visits
Fun:
None
Goals for April were:
-Do my Parents & Brothers Taxes DONE!!
-Keep Working Out/Stay Motivated FAIL!!
Goals for May:
-Get Back on Diet & Exercise
-Take a Trip
Current Assets:
Cash: $8,807
HSA: $27,122
IRA: $142,035
Roth IRA: $223,442
401k $12,926
Brokerage: $270,932
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$7,794
Prior Months Net Worth $751,452
Current Net Worth $759,470
Net Worth Increase of $8,018
Prior Months SWR 2.395%
Current SWR 2.37%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,840
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,866
Life & Finance:
Finally purchased a new printer. I put it off for so long after my old one broke. I got a good deal on the eco tank printer by Epson. Costco has the best price for the 3850 model but add to that they had a $80 off special so my cost was $300 plus tax. Going price for this same printer is close to $500 at other retailers.
I am concerned because I just found out my parents do not have any dental coverage under medicare and they have been putting things off because they don’t have the money. My brother told me about this and now we are researching what insurance companies are best and what they cover. I even considered just taking them to Malaysia or Thailand to get the work done there. My mother has mobility issues so that would be a big headache too. I just have a feeling this whole thing is going to cost a lot.
My company is finally starting to take my employee contributions out for my 401k. I was constantly in contact with HR and they kept brushing me off saying it is a known issue due to switching to a new payroll provider. It took me going to the local Union President and he contacted the National President who then contacted the companies general council and all of a sudden problem got fixed. I also contacted the Department of Labor and they opened a case against my company and I hope my company faces some very large fines.
Fitness/Health:
Diet has been ok but I slipped up a lot on my gym visits
Fun:
None
Goals for April were:
-Do my Parents & Brothers Taxes DONE!!
-Keep Working Out/Stay Motivated FAIL!!
Goals for May:
-Get Back on Diet & Exercise
-Take a Trip
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
May 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $3,525
HSA: $27,584
IRA: $142,670
Roth IRA: $224,430
401k $19,112
Brokerage: $277,897
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$7,507
Prior Months Net Worth $759,470
Current Net Worth $769,711
Net Worth Increase of $10,241
Prior Months SWR 2.37%
Current SWR 2.338%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,809
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,866
Life & Finance:
I gave my mother a Happy Mothers Day card with a $2,000 check in it. My parents are struggling and I feel like now I need to step in to help. Especially when I found out they have been putting off dental work and they generally don’t want to ask for help. My plan is to gift my mother another 2k check on her birthday and one more on Christmas which will be 6k for 2024.
I currently have 275k in my brokerage account and my goal is to get that at or above 300k before the end of the year. It will take a little work but it should be doable.
Fun:
Finally took a vacation!! 2 weeks in Japan! I visited Tokyo & Osaka and everything was fine until I got sick. Spent the last 3 days of my trip in my hotel room coughing, sneezing, sleeping, and aching. It must have been the crowded trains and in particular this one guy with a mean cough on that train. I have a feeling it was Covid because I lost my sense of taste and it felt just the way it felt when I had Covid a couple of years ago. Man what a bummer that was.
On a positive note I got the roundtrip flight and first week of hotel all for reward points. This helped make this trip even more affordable. I am a person who always sits at a window seat, but now I think I will switch to aisle seats. Maybe because I am chunkier than I use to be but getting up and waddling to the aisle was very difficult. I use to never use the restroom on the plane but now I need to go at least twice. I make sure to stay hydrated and I also never sleep on the plane so I wouldn’t mind getting up for people needing to go to the restroom.
I also splurged and purchased a new camera in Japan because the conversion rate made it such a great deal. The Yen for so long was 100 to 1 with the USD but during my trip it reached 160 Yen to the Dollar. When I got back to the states I treated myself to the new Apple AirPods Pro and a 4 pack of Apple AirTags. Costco had the best deal on them and my old cheap Amazon earbuds where not holding a charge anymore.
Fitness/Health:
Nothing other than all the walking I did in Japan and nursing myself back to better health after getting sick.
Goals for May were:
-Get Back on Diet & Exercise (FAIL))
-Take a Trip (2 Weeks in Japan!!)
Goals for June:
-Get on a Diet & Exercise Plan
Current Assets:
Cash: $3,525
HSA: $27,584
IRA: $142,670
Roth IRA: $224,430
401k $19,112
Brokerage: $277,897
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$7,507
Prior Months Net Worth $759,470
Current Net Worth $769,711
Net Worth Increase of $10,241
Prior Months SWR 2.37%
Current SWR 2.338%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,809
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,866
Life & Finance:
I gave my mother a Happy Mothers Day card with a $2,000 check in it. My parents are struggling and I feel like now I need to step in to help. Especially when I found out they have been putting off dental work and they generally don’t want to ask for help. My plan is to gift my mother another 2k check on her birthday and one more on Christmas which will be 6k for 2024.
I currently have 275k in my brokerage account and my goal is to get that at or above 300k before the end of the year. It will take a little work but it should be doable.
Fun:
Finally took a vacation!! 2 weeks in Japan! I visited Tokyo & Osaka and everything was fine until I got sick. Spent the last 3 days of my trip in my hotel room coughing, sneezing, sleeping, and aching. It must have been the crowded trains and in particular this one guy with a mean cough on that train. I have a feeling it was Covid because I lost my sense of taste and it felt just the way it felt when I had Covid a couple of years ago. Man what a bummer that was.
On a positive note I got the roundtrip flight and first week of hotel all for reward points. This helped make this trip even more affordable. I am a person who always sits at a window seat, but now I think I will switch to aisle seats. Maybe because I am chunkier than I use to be but getting up and waddling to the aisle was very difficult. I use to never use the restroom on the plane but now I need to go at least twice. I make sure to stay hydrated and I also never sleep on the plane so I wouldn’t mind getting up for people needing to go to the restroom.
I also splurged and purchased a new camera in Japan because the conversion rate made it such a great deal. The Yen for so long was 100 to 1 with the USD but during my trip it reached 160 Yen to the Dollar. When I got back to the states I treated myself to the new Apple AirPods Pro and a 4 pack of Apple AirTags. Costco had the best deal on them and my old cheap Amazon earbuds where not holding a charge anymore.
Fitness/Health:
Nothing other than all the walking I did in Japan and nursing myself back to better health after getting sick.
Goals for May were:
-Get Back on Diet & Exercise (FAIL))
-Take a Trip (2 Weeks in Japan!!)
Goals for June:
-Get on a Diet & Exercise Plan
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
June 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $1,776
HSA: $28,043
IRA: $143,289
Roth IRA: $225,263
401k $24,413
Brokerage: $280,757
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$6,622
Prior Months Net Worth $769,711
Current Net Worth $778,919
Net Worth Increase of $9,208
Prior Months SWR 2.338%
Current SWR 2.31%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,751
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,989
Life & Finance:
Just working and trying to get the new supervisor to schedule me max overtime but the idiot keeps trying to spread the overtime out evenly. Which is a big mistake because so many people here absolutely hate overtime and will probably quit if he doesn’t stop it.
Sent my father a Happy Fathers Day card with a check for $100 in it. He has yet to cash it.
I had several trips to Costco, Business Costco, and Walmart. My fridge, freezer, and pantry are Stocked! Hopefully July will have a considerable net worth increase because the only grocery items I will need to get will be eggs, a bag of frozen vegetables, and a bag of frozen fruit. Estimating less than $100 for food this month because I have so much already at home.
Fun:
Nothing
Fitness/Health:
I began to eat better the last two weeks of June and the weight just started coming off. Tracked everything I was eating in a app called myfitnesspal and increased my protein intake. Down 7 pounds with the diet alone no additional exercise or changes besides not eating out and tracking food.
Goals for June were:
-Get on a Diet & Exercise Plan (Diet YES exercise NO)
Goals for July:
-Work as much overtime as possible.
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym whenever possible
Current Assets:
Cash: $1,776
HSA: $28,043
IRA: $143,289
Roth IRA: $225,263
401k $24,413
Brokerage: $280,757
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$6,622
Prior Months Net Worth $769,711
Current Net Worth $778,919
Net Worth Increase of $9,208
Prior Months SWR 2.338%
Current SWR 2.31%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $2,751
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,989
Life & Finance:
Just working and trying to get the new supervisor to schedule me max overtime but the idiot keeps trying to spread the overtime out evenly. Which is a big mistake because so many people here absolutely hate overtime and will probably quit if he doesn’t stop it.
Sent my father a Happy Fathers Day card with a check for $100 in it. He has yet to cash it.
I had several trips to Costco, Business Costco, and Walmart. My fridge, freezer, and pantry are Stocked! Hopefully July will have a considerable net worth increase because the only grocery items I will need to get will be eggs, a bag of frozen vegetables, and a bag of frozen fruit. Estimating less than $100 for food this month because I have so much already at home.
Fun:
Nothing
Fitness/Health:
I began to eat better the last two weeks of June and the weight just started coming off. Tracked everything I was eating in a app called myfitnesspal and increased my protein intake. Down 7 pounds with the diet alone no additional exercise or changes besides not eating out and tracking food.
Goals for June were:
-Get on a Diet & Exercise Plan (Diet YES exercise NO)
Goals for July:
-Work as much overtime as possible.
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym whenever possible
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
Q2 2024:
April + $8.018
May: + $10,241
June + $9,208
Total Q2 Progress $27,467
Q1 Progress was $20,853
Current Net Worth $778,919
Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.31%
What a big jump in Q2 over Q1. Maybe it is due to me being able to generously deposit money in my 401k now and save on taxes whereas Q1 I was not able to. Total progress for Q1 & Q2 is $48,320
April + $8.018
May: + $10,241
June + $9,208
Total Q2 Progress $27,467
Q1 Progress was $20,853
Current Net Worth $778,919
Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.31%
What a big jump in Q2 over Q1. Maybe it is due to me being able to generously deposit money in my 401k now and save on taxes whereas Q1 I was not able to. Total progress for Q1 & Q2 is $48,320
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
July 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $3,212
HSA: $28,508
IRA: $143,932
Roth IRA: $226,425
401k $34,918
Brokerage: $283,421
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$8,542
Prior Months Net Worth $778,919
Current Net Worth $793,874
Net Worth Increase of $14,955
Prior Months SWR 2.31%
Current SWR 2.267%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $3,038
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $9,020
Life & Finance:
I am very surprised by the high net worth increase. I’m assuming it’s the fact I’m not paying tax on 50% of my pay which is going to my 401k. I should have my 401k maxed out in the next 2 paychecks.
Last month I thought I could make it through July with only $100 of spend on groceries since I bought so much in bulk in June. Well I failed miserably. To be fair I did purchase $250 worth of items to take to my parents home. Speaking of my parents, they live in the Bay Area where the homes mostly did not come with AC because of the mild weather. Well this summer has been miserable for my elderly parents and my mom wants AC installed. Got a quote of 16k to replace that old furnace and install a AC unit. I’m going to get multiple quotes because that is so expensive and most of that will fall on my shoulders.
I spent $530 doing a DIY replacement of my water pump & coolant. $500 for the pump and coolant from the dealership aka the Stealership. There are aftermarket water pumps which are cheaper but they have horrible reputations for my car model so I had to go with OEM. The other $30 was for a few cheap tools from Harbor Freight which I didn’t have. The cost to have the Stealership do this job would have been close to $1,500! So I saved nearly 1k! It cost me 2 hours sweating my ass off in my hot garage. I also paid my 6 month auto insurance premium in July.
Next month I will change the spark plugs, drain/fill the coolant in the inverter, change the transmission fluid, clean out the EGR, change the cabin air filter, and rotate the tires. Gonna try to get 2-3 more years out of this Prius. Before this water pump went out all I had to do were oil changes and bought a set of tires and I’m almost at 160k miles. I LOVE Toyotas! My initial plan was to buy a new Toyota every 10 years.
Fun:
None
Fitness/Health:
I kept up the diet and kept the weight off but I wasn’t able to drop anymore weight.
Goals for July were:
-Work as much overtime as possible. (I worked all the overtime offered but the new scheduler is limiting my overtime, really pissing me off. The other guys working overtime don’t even want it and walk around complaining)
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym whenever possible. (I’ve kept up with my diet but haven’t had a chance to hit the gym. I kept the weight off that I lost but haven’t lost any more)
Goals for August:
-Work as much overtime as possible
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym.
Current Assets:
Cash: $3,212
HSA: $28,508
IRA: $143,932
Roth IRA: $226,425
401k $34,918
Brokerage: $283,421
Home $70,000
Car $12,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$8,542
Prior Months Net Worth $778,919
Current Net Worth $793,874
Net Worth Increase of $14,955
Prior Months SWR 2.31%
Current SWR 2.267%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $3,038
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $9,020
Life & Finance:
I am very surprised by the high net worth increase. I’m assuming it’s the fact I’m not paying tax on 50% of my pay which is going to my 401k. I should have my 401k maxed out in the next 2 paychecks.
Last month I thought I could make it through July with only $100 of spend on groceries since I bought so much in bulk in June. Well I failed miserably. To be fair I did purchase $250 worth of items to take to my parents home. Speaking of my parents, they live in the Bay Area where the homes mostly did not come with AC because of the mild weather. Well this summer has been miserable for my elderly parents and my mom wants AC installed. Got a quote of 16k to replace that old furnace and install a AC unit. I’m going to get multiple quotes because that is so expensive and most of that will fall on my shoulders.
I spent $530 doing a DIY replacement of my water pump & coolant. $500 for the pump and coolant from the dealership aka the Stealership. There are aftermarket water pumps which are cheaper but they have horrible reputations for my car model so I had to go with OEM. The other $30 was for a few cheap tools from Harbor Freight which I didn’t have. The cost to have the Stealership do this job would have been close to $1,500! So I saved nearly 1k! It cost me 2 hours sweating my ass off in my hot garage. I also paid my 6 month auto insurance premium in July.
Next month I will change the spark plugs, drain/fill the coolant in the inverter, change the transmission fluid, clean out the EGR, change the cabin air filter, and rotate the tires. Gonna try to get 2-3 more years out of this Prius. Before this water pump went out all I had to do were oil changes and bought a set of tires and I’m almost at 160k miles. I LOVE Toyotas! My initial plan was to buy a new Toyota every 10 years.
Fun:
None
Fitness/Health:
I kept up the diet and kept the weight off but I wasn’t able to drop anymore weight.
Goals for July were:
-Work as much overtime as possible. (I worked all the overtime offered but the new scheduler is limiting my overtime, really pissing me off. The other guys working overtime don’t even want it and walk around complaining)
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym whenever possible. (I’ve kept up with my diet but haven’t had a chance to hit the gym. I kept the weight off that I lost but haven’t lost any more)
Goals for August:
-Work as much overtime as possible
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym.
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
I'm in the North Bay, and I've gotten quotes of 14k, 16k, and 20k to replace the gas furnace with a heat pump, which is absurd for a thing that costs 4k by itself, with maybe an additional 1-2k in additional parts. As far as I can tell, some of it is price inflation by the IRA (seems like all subsidies will be offset by equal and opposite price increases) and some of it is just the absurd pricing mechanics / cost disease of the bay area. They also all massively oversize the equipment they are trying to offer, and not a single one did a load calculation, and argued with me when I showed them my load calculation. I'm just genuinely baffled and put it off as "thing I will do myself in the future" since I don't feel like throwing 10k into a fire for no reason for people who didn't even do the basic things I expected.Star*Bucks wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 12:29 pmSpeaking of my parents, they live in the Bay Area where the homes mostly did not come with AC because of the mild weather. Well this summer has been miserable for my elderly parents and my mom wants AC installed. Got a quote of 16k to replace that old furnace and install a AC unit. I’m going to get multiple quotes because that is so expensive and most of that will fall on my shoulders.
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
August 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $1,702
HSA: $28,976
IRA: $144,575
Roth IRA: $227,437
401k $38,431
Brokerage: $288,595
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$6,163
Prior Months Net Worth $793,874
Current Net Worth $802,553
Net Worth Increase of $8,679
Prior Months SWR 2.267%
Current SWR 2.242%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $3,052
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $9,108
Life & Finance:
I dropped my cars value from 12k to 9k after checking KBB’s current valuation. Still had a quality net worth increase this month.
I only did one small trip to Costco this month (not counting gas) and I only spent $180 which is very good for me. Approximately $52 of that $180 was for a Versace Cologne (Versace Signature Pour Homme) I purchased from the Costcos website. The price was crazy good best I have ever seen. It was $52 after tax and shipping for a 6.7oz bottle. I had the fragrance shipped to my mothers home so the delivery would not sit at my doorstep since I work so much. I let my mother know I had a delivery from Costco coming to her house which was for me and I’ll grab it next time I visit. A few days after she got the package I asked her to open it up and try the fragrance and let me know what she thinks. She never responded to my text.
I sent my mother a happy birthday card in the mail. When she received the birthday card she sent me a sweet text message saying how much she loves me and appreciated the beautiful birthday card and perfume. Obviously, something go lost in translation and I got my cologne jacked lol. It is a very pleasant unisex fragrance so I can see where she may have thought it was for her. I told myself, no problem I’ll go back to the Costco website and get myself one and to no surprise they were sold out. It was too good of a deal. All the other fragrance sites are at best $15+ more than what Costco had it for (not counting tax & shipping) and I can’t justify paying for it when my collection is already pretty sizable.
Fun:
None
Fitness/Health:
Changed the diet up the last week of the month to a one meal a day routine while allowing myself to snack on fruit if/when I get hungry. I did the one meal a day thing before and I was hardcore about not eating anything the whole day except for at that one meal. It worked but it was not fun. I find the snacking on fruit makes the whole thing easier and I feel healthy as well.
Goals for August were:
-Work as much overtime as possible (I did all the hours I could force the scheduler to give me)
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym. (Eating Right but only made it to the gym once)
Goals for September:
-Work as much overtime as possible
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym.
Current Assets:
Cash: $1,702
HSA: $28,976
IRA: $144,575
Roth IRA: $227,437
401k $38,431
Brokerage: $288,595
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$6,163
Prior Months Net Worth $793,874
Current Net Worth $802,553
Net Worth Increase of $8,679
Prior Months SWR 2.267%
Current SWR 2.242%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $3,052
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $9,108
Life & Finance:
I dropped my cars value from 12k to 9k after checking KBB’s current valuation. Still had a quality net worth increase this month.
I only did one small trip to Costco this month (not counting gas) and I only spent $180 which is very good for me. Approximately $52 of that $180 was for a Versace Cologne (Versace Signature Pour Homme) I purchased from the Costcos website. The price was crazy good best I have ever seen. It was $52 after tax and shipping for a 6.7oz bottle. I had the fragrance shipped to my mothers home so the delivery would not sit at my doorstep since I work so much. I let my mother know I had a delivery from Costco coming to her house which was for me and I’ll grab it next time I visit. A few days after she got the package I asked her to open it up and try the fragrance and let me know what she thinks. She never responded to my text.
I sent my mother a happy birthday card in the mail. When she received the birthday card she sent me a sweet text message saying how much she loves me and appreciated the beautiful birthday card and perfume. Obviously, something go lost in translation and I got my cologne jacked lol. It is a very pleasant unisex fragrance so I can see where she may have thought it was for her. I told myself, no problem I’ll go back to the Costco website and get myself one and to no surprise they were sold out. It was too good of a deal. All the other fragrance sites are at best $15+ more than what Costco had it for (not counting tax & shipping) and I can’t justify paying for it when my collection is already pretty sizable.
Fun:
None
Fitness/Health:
Changed the diet up the last week of the month to a one meal a day routine while allowing myself to snack on fruit if/when I get hungry. I did the one meal a day thing before and I was hardcore about not eating anything the whole day except for at that one meal. It worked but it was not fun. I find the snacking on fruit makes the whole thing easier and I feel healthy as well.
Goals for August were:
-Work as much overtime as possible (I did all the hours I could force the scheduler to give me)
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym. (Eating Right but only made it to the gym once)
Goals for September:
-Work as much overtime as possible
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym.
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
September 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $1,684
HSA: $29,784
IRA: $144,944
Roth IRA: $228,096
401k $39,745
Brokerage: $296,554
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$6,316
Prior Months Net Worth $802,553
Current Net Worth $813,491
Net Worth Increase of $10,938
Prior Months SWR 2.242%
Current SWR 2.21%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $1,900
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $7,543
Life & Finance:
A week before interest rates were supposed to be dropped I looked to find a 5% or more interest rate to stuff my money into. The best I found was a brokered cd for 3 months at 4.9%. All the brokered cd’s with longer terms were less interest. The interest will be paid at maturity so my monthly net worth increases will not be as aggressive as before but December should be probably my biggest net worth increase since I started tracking back in 2014. I purchased over 615k in these cd’s and it will give me until December to decide how I will invest my money. I staggered the purchases to not exceed 250k in each account as to not exceed the FDIC insured amount.
Fun:
None
Fitness/Health:
I had a swelling on my gums under one of my molars. Asked Google and the results said not to worry if it goes away within 2 weeks but if longer than 2 weeks to get it checked out as it may be a sign of a dead tooth or needing a root canal etc. I haven’t had dental insurance in many years and I have not visited a dentist in many years. I refuse to pay the crazy prices in the states and I plan to take care of this dental work in another more affordable country with high quality dental services.
Goals for September were:
-Work as much overtime as possible (Done!)
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym. (I ate right and have not gained any weight back but I also have not lost anymore. I didn’t hit the gym in September)
Goals for October:
-Get all necessary dental work done
-Continue to eat right & try to exercise
-Work as much overtime as my company will allow
Current Assets:
Cash: $1,684
HSA: $29,784
IRA: $144,944
Roth IRA: $228,096
401k $39,745
Brokerage: $296,554
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$6,316
Prior Months Net Worth $802,553
Current Net Worth $813,491
Net Worth Increase of $10,938
Prior Months SWR 2.242%
Current SWR 2.21%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $1,900
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $7,543
Life & Finance:
A week before interest rates were supposed to be dropped I looked to find a 5% or more interest rate to stuff my money into. The best I found was a brokered cd for 3 months at 4.9%. All the brokered cd’s with longer terms were less interest. The interest will be paid at maturity so my monthly net worth increases will not be as aggressive as before but December should be probably my biggest net worth increase since I started tracking back in 2014. I purchased over 615k in these cd’s and it will give me until December to decide how I will invest my money. I staggered the purchases to not exceed 250k in each account as to not exceed the FDIC insured amount.
Fun:
None
Fitness/Health:
I had a swelling on my gums under one of my molars. Asked Google and the results said not to worry if it goes away within 2 weeks but if longer than 2 weeks to get it checked out as it may be a sign of a dead tooth or needing a root canal etc. I haven’t had dental insurance in many years and I have not visited a dentist in many years. I refuse to pay the crazy prices in the states and I plan to take care of this dental work in another more affordable country with high quality dental services.
Goals for September were:
-Work as much overtime as possible (Done!)
-Continue to eat right and get back in the gym. (I ate right and have not gained any weight back but I also have not lost anymore. I didn’t hit the gym in September)
Goals for October:
-Get all necessary dental work done
-Continue to eat right & try to exercise
-Work as much overtime as my company will allow
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
Q3 2024:
July + $14,955
August: + $8,679
September + $10,938
Q1 Progress was $20,853
Q2 Progress was $27,467
Q3 Progress $34,612
Year to Date Progress $82,932
Current Net Worth $813,491
Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.21%
Nine months have passed in 2024 so far and I am averaging a $9,215 monthly net worth increase. That is very close to a 5 figure average which I hope to hit soon but I can’t say how happy I am with the current state of the monthly progress. My plan is to spend $1,500 a month when I retire and move overseas. That means for each month I work and save I am giving myself 6 months of freedom.
I have already reached my goal but because I have a family who have not planned well due to different circumstances I am sure I will be asked to help from time to time. So, I will need a buffer built into my plan and that is what I am working on now.
July + $14,955
August: + $8,679
September + $10,938
Q1 Progress was $20,853
Q2 Progress was $27,467
Q3 Progress $34,612
Year to Date Progress $82,932
Current Net Worth $813,491
Current Safe Withdrawal Rate 2.21%
Nine months have passed in 2024 so far and I am averaging a $9,215 monthly net worth increase. That is very close to a 5 figure average which I hope to hit soon but I can’t say how happy I am with the current state of the monthly progress. My plan is to spend $1,500 a month when I retire and move overseas. That means for each month I work and save I am giving myself 6 months of freedom.
I have already reached my goal but because I have a family who have not planned well due to different circumstances I am sure I will be asked to help from time to time. So, I will need a buffer built into my plan and that is what I am working on now.
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
October 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $4,948
HSA: $29,900
IRA: $145,024
Roth IRA: $228,140
401k $39,572
Brokerage: $299,457
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$8,514
Prior Months Net Worth $813,491
Current Net Worth $817,527
Net Worth Increase of $4,036
Prior Months SWR 2.21%
Current SWR 2.2%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $335
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $7,655
Life & Finance:
Flight to Bangkok Thailand was free using only credit card reward points. I forced my company to give me 2 weeks off to take care of a dental emergency & I made an appointment with the dental clinic in Bangkok. 2 days after making all these confirmations I made the decision to start chewing on the other side of my mouth as to not enflame the sore on my gums and within 2 days the swelling was down almost 90% Well the trip was already booked and I needed to relieve some stress and I still needed to see the dentist so off I went.
I had a total of 3 separate appointments during the first week in Thailand. First one was a consultation, x rays, a cleaning to get rid of all the built up plaque which I didn’t know I had because it was on the back side of my lower teeth. First appointment didn’t even come up to $60.
Second appointment included multiple fillings, removal of the crown on the troubled tooth, surgeon came in to look at it and came up with an action plan which would require another appointment for extraction as a root canal was not an option. Temporary crown was then placed and the total for this visit was $350.
Final appointment was an extraction which was a difficult extraction where the surgeon had to break apart everything and pull out the pieces because the tooth was not coming out. He then cleaned out the infection, put in collagen to help it heal, gave me pain meds which I did not use and this appointment was $91.
All 3 appointments added up to $500 but if done in the states would have been thousands and thousands of dollars. I do not have dental insurance and most dental insurance plans suck anyways unless you work for the State or something. I plan to take 2 trips a year going forward and I will get cleanings at each trip. I will be going back to Thailand after I am fully healed and then they will do a bone graft to make up for some of the bone loss and they will also get started on the implant. I may have them replace a crown I had put in back in the late 90’s where the dentist here in California did a terrible job. There is a space between the crown and the adjacent tooth so every time I eat food goes in there. I have been carrying around floss with me for over 20 years because of this. The next trips will be more expensive because crowns and implants actually cost a good amount. It’s still much more affordable than the states but it will cost real money.
Fun:
I made sure to use a free night stay which I earned using my travel rewards card and experienced my first stay ever at a beach front resort. I got upgraded to a crazy room due to having status through the credit card. I am happy I went through all the research and applied for and got all these sign up bonuses, status, free night stays, etc. I currently have 5 free night stays with Marriott, a free night stay with Hyatt, working on a bonus with IHG, and these are all separate from all the points that I accrued which can be redeemed for many nights stay for free. I will work on Hilton next when it makes sense.
I went on a few dates in Thailand which was fun. I don’t really date in the states. This trip I considered a wellness trip since I do not really take care of myself. I just grind and work as much as possible and save as much as possible. So after appointment 1 with the dentist and it was so cheap I walked passed a manicure pedicure spot and I treated myself to one for the first time ever. I went to the mall and this lady asked me to come to her shop for a free face scan to check pores/black heads etc. I said ok since I had some time and ended up getting a facial to remove all the blackheads I had. This was another first for me and I thought it would be relaxing but blackhead removal was painful! I got several massages, jumped into the water after a workout at the resort, explored parts of Thailand I have never been to, tried different Thai food I never tried before. This trip was totally different to the one I had back in 2016 where I was clubbing and getting tipsy most nights.
I told myself I wasn’t going to have any alcohol but I ended up having a cocktail at the resort after getting out of the ocean while laying on a beach chair. Then after having dinner and returning to my room I had two beers while chilling in the huge jacuzzi tub. I switched hotel rooms every two days because I wanted to explore different areas. The only free night I used was at the resort all other bookings I used cash. I want to save my free nights for future trips.
Fitness/Health:
When I got back from my trip I gained 3 pounds which is not bad at all. I lost that weight after 3 days back and I am back to my normal working and eating right. Hopefully get back in to the gym in November.
Goals for October were:
-Get all necessary dental work done (Done everything that was possible to do and will continue per doctors recommendation)
-Work as much overtime as my company will allow (Done)
Goals for November:
-Work all the overtime possible
-Eat Right & Go To The Gym
Current Assets:
Cash: $4,948
HSA: $29,900
IRA: $145,024
Roth IRA: $228,140
401k $39,572
Brokerage: $299,457
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$8,514
Prior Months Net Worth $813,491
Current Net Worth $817,527
Net Worth Increase of $4,036
Prior Months SWR 2.21%
Current SWR 2.2%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $335
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $7,655
Life & Finance:
Flight to Bangkok Thailand was free using only credit card reward points. I forced my company to give me 2 weeks off to take care of a dental emergency & I made an appointment with the dental clinic in Bangkok. 2 days after making all these confirmations I made the decision to start chewing on the other side of my mouth as to not enflame the sore on my gums and within 2 days the swelling was down almost 90% Well the trip was already booked and I needed to relieve some stress and I still needed to see the dentist so off I went.
I had a total of 3 separate appointments during the first week in Thailand. First one was a consultation, x rays, a cleaning to get rid of all the built up plaque which I didn’t know I had because it was on the back side of my lower teeth. First appointment didn’t even come up to $60.
Second appointment included multiple fillings, removal of the crown on the troubled tooth, surgeon came in to look at it and came up with an action plan which would require another appointment for extraction as a root canal was not an option. Temporary crown was then placed and the total for this visit was $350.
Final appointment was an extraction which was a difficult extraction where the surgeon had to break apart everything and pull out the pieces because the tooth was not coming out. He then cleaned out the infection, put in collagen to help it heal, gave me pain meds which I did not use and this appointment was $91.
All 3 appointments added up to $500 but if done in the states would have been thousands and thousands of dollars. I do not have dental insurance and most dental insurance plans suck anyways unless you work for the State or something. I plan to take 2 trips a year going forward and I will get cleanings at each trip. I will be going back to Thailand after I am fully healed and then they will do a bone graft to make up for some of the bone loss and they will also get started on the implant. I may have them replace a crown I had put in back in the late 90’s where the dentist here in California did a terrible job. There is a space between the crown and the adjacent tooth so every time I eat food goes in there. I have been carrying around floss with me for over 20 years because of this. The next trips will be more expensive because crowns and implants actually cost a good amount. It’s still much more affordable than the states but it will cost real money.
Fun:
I made sure to use a free night stay which I earned using my travel rewards card and experienced my first stay ever at a beach front resort. I got upgraded to a crazy room due to having status through the credit card. I am happy I went through all the research and applied for and got all these sign up bonuses, status, free night stays, etc. I currently have 5 free night stays with Marriott, a free night stay with Hyatt, working on a bonus with IHG, and these are all separate from all the points that I accrued which can be redeemed for many nights stay for free. I will work on Hilton next when it makes sense.
I went on a few dates in Thailand which was fun. I don’t really date in the states. This trip I considered a wellness trip since I do not really take care of myself. I just grind and work as much as possible and save as much as possible. So after appointment 1 with the dentist and it was so cheap I walked passed a manicure pedicure spot and I treated myself to one for the first time ever. I went to the mall and this lady asked me to come to her shop for a free face scan to check pores/black heads etc. I said ok since I had some time and ended up getting a facial to remove all the blackheads I had. This was another first for me and I thought it would be relaxing but blackhead removal was painful! I got several massages, jumped into the water after a workout at the resort, explored parts of Thailand I have never been to, tried different Thai food I never tried before. This trip was totally different to the one I had back in 2016 where I was clubbing and getting tipsy most nights.
I told myself I wasn’t going to have any alcohol but I ended up having a cocktail at the resort after getting out of the ocean while laying on a beach chair. Then after having dinner and returning to my room I had two beers while chilling in the huge jacuzzi tub. I switched hotel rooms every two days because I wanted to explore different areas. The only free night I used was at the resort all other bookings I used cash. I want to save my free nights for future trips.
Fitness/Health:
When I got back from my trip I gained 3 pounds which is not bad at all. I lost that weight after 3 days back and I am back to my normal working and eating right. Hopefully get back in to the gym in November.
Goals for October were:
-Get all necessary dental work done (Done everything that was possible to do and will continue per doctors recommendation)
-Work as much overtime as my company will allow (Done)
Goals for November:
-Work all the overtime possible
-Eat Right & Go To The Gym
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
November 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $7,060
HSA: $30,700
IRA: $144,979
Roth IRA: $228,069
401k $41,056
Brokerage: $295,236
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$3,600
Prior Months Net Worth $817,527
Current Net Worth $822,500
Net Worth Increase of $4,973
Prior Months SWR 2.2%
Current SWR 2.188%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $311
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $7,830
Life & Finance:
I went on a shopping spree this Black Friday. I hate spending money on myself and I put off making these purchases for a painfully long time. My MacBook Pro is a few months away from being 10 years old and in all honesty it should have been retired a couple of years ago. It is painfully slow. I purchased a new Mac Mini Computer with Apple Touch ID Keyboard and Magic Mouse. I brought it home and plugged it in via HDMI to the 32” tv that I was using as a monitor with the MacBook Pro, but the screen wouldn’t display correctly. I tried changing settings and eventually just gave up and grabbed the 50” 4k tv from the living room and that worked.
I did some other shopping on Amazon & REI of course trying to get the best deal on quality items that I need. I think I did pretty good. My external spinning disk hard drive was starting to die and I wanted to replace it with an SSD and the price difference was shocking. I purchased the 4TB HDD for $100 on sale a few years back but a 4TB SSD costs $237 on sale.
I still have some purchases I need to make on Cyber Monday. Mainly a monitor for my computer because the 50” 4k tv is just too ridiculous to use as a monitor. I may also have to buy 2 new iPhones next month. My niece and nephew are using old iPhones 8’s and they have been responsible and have not lost or broken their phones. The batteries on those old phones don’t last long at all and the phones operating system is old as well. So I will probably get my mother and sister new iPhones 16’s and then give their iPhone 13’s as hand me downs to the kids.
The only thing I own (other than a JBL Bluetooth speaker that I plan to give away to my brother or sister) that still uses something other than USB C is my iPhone. I plan to upgrade from the 14 Pro Max next year when the 17 comes out. That will make it much easier to be able to travel with just one type of cord.
I sold a couple of items on eBay just to try and offset the cost of things I was purchasing. I haven’t used eBay in years! Their fee structure use to be upfront. Now I only knew what the fees were after the sales were completed and the fees were ridiculously high. On top of that I low balled the postage estimates I was thinking a old phone would cost approximately $8 anywhere in the States but it was $18 and my old GoPro was $22. I lost money due to fees and my undercharging on postage. In the future I’m just gonna use Craigslist. eBay is trippin!!
Fun:
Thanksgiving with the family was fun
Fitness/Health:
Still eating healthy and maintaining my weight at right around 195. I really need to get in the gym and drop down to somewhere between 175 & 180. I purchased some new under armor workout clothes on a crazy Black Friday deal so that will be my gym attire going forward.
Goals for November were:
-Work all the overtime possible (DONE!!)
-Eat Right & Go To The Gym (I ate right But No gym)
Goals for December:
-Get In The Gym!
Current Assets:
Cash: $7,060
HSA: $30,700
IRA: $144,979
Roth IRA: $228,069
401k $41,056
Brokerage: $295,236
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$3,600
Prior Months Net Worth $817,527
Current Net Worth $822,500
Net Worth Increase of $4,973
Prior Months SWR 2.2%
Current SWR 2.188%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $311
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $7,830
Life & Finance:
I went on a shopping spree this Black Friday. I hate spending money on myself and I put off making these purchases for a painfully long time. My MacBook Pro is a few months away from being 10 years old and in all honesty it should have been retired a couple of years ago. It is painfully slow. I purchased a new Mac Mini Computer with Apple Touch ID Keyboard and Magic Mouse. I brought it home and plugged it in via HDMI to the 32” tv that I was using as a monitor with the MacBook Pro, but the screen wouldn’t display correctly. I tried changing settings and eventually just gave up and grabbed the 50” 4k tv from the living room and that worked.
I did some other shopping on Amazon & REI of course trying to get the best deal on quality items that I need. I think I did pretty good. My external spinning disk hard drive was starting to die and I wanted to replace it with an SSD and the price difference was shocking. I purchased the 4TB HDD for $100 on sale a few years back but a 4TB SSD costs $237 on sale.
I still have some purchases I need to make on Cyber Monday. Mainly a monitor for my computer because the 50” 4k tv is just too ridiculous to use as a monitor. I may also have to buy 2 new iPhones next month. My niece and nephew are using old iPhones 8’s and they have been responsible and have not lost or broken their phones. The batteries on those old phones don’t last long at all and the phones operating system is old as well. So I will probably get my mother and sister new iPhones 16’s and then give their iPhone 13’s as hand me downs to the kids.
The only thing I own (other than a JBL Bluetooth speaker that I plan to give away to my brother or sister) that still uses something other than USB C is my iPhone. I plan to upgrade from the 14 Pro Max next year when the 17 comes out. That will make it much easier to be able to travel with just one type of cord.
I sold a couple of items on eBay just to try and offset the cost of things I was purchasing. I haven’t used eBay in years! Their fee structure use to be upfront. Now I only knew what the fees were after the sales were completed and the fees were ridiculously high. On top of that I low balled the postage estimates I was thinking a old phone would cost approximately $8 anywhere in the States but it was $18 and my old GoPro was $22. I lost money due to fees and my undercharging on postage. In the future I’m just gonna use Craigslist. eBay is trippin!!
Fun:
Thanksgiving with the family was fun
Fitness/Health:
Still eating healthy and maintaining my weight at right around 195. I really need to get in the gym and drop down to somewhere between 175 & 180. I purchased some new under armor workout clothes on a crazy Black Friday deal so that will be my gym attire going forward.
Goals for November were:
-Work all the overtime possible (DONE!!)
-Eat Right & Go To The Gym (I ate right But No gym)
Goals for December:
-Get In The Gym!
-
Star*Bucks
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
- Location: California
Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal
December 2024 Update:
Current Assets:
Cash: $3,449
HSA: $30,811
IRA: $146,945
Roth IRA: $231,166
Brokerage: $303,404
401k $41,146
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$3,806
Prior Months Net Worth $822,500
Current Net Worth $832,115
Net Worth Increase of $9,615
Prior Months SWR 2.188%
Current SWR 2.16%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $8,823
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,833 + 6 Free Hotel Night Stays
Life & Finance:
Christmas gifts I gave to family & myself:
-$500 check each to my brother, sister, & mother.
-Spice Rack from Costco with large variety of spices for my mom for $19.99
-New iPhone 16’s for my niece & nephew. They needed the upgrade pretty bad from their iPhone 8’s I was considering getting them iPhone 14’s or 15’s but I decided to get them the newest ones out so they last the longest and by the time they need a upgrade they will be working and able to buy their own stuff.
-Kitchen Cart from costco only $100 for myself. Those things usually cost $250 and up and I’ve wanted one a long time but couldn’t justify spending that much. Now so much stuff that was cluttering my kitchen counter tops is on that kitchen cart and the place looks nicer.
-New Air Fryer from Costco for myself under $40. My old one lasted many years and was in need of replacing.
-2 pack of enameled dutch ovens from Costco on sale for $45. I plan to cook more and try new recipes. I’ve needed a larger pot since all I had was a sauce pot. Anytime I wanted to make pasta could only make small amounts at a time but now I can make a large amount.
-Plus a few other kitchen essentials for myself all on sale combined under $100.
The only thing I didn’t get during the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas sales was a new computer monitor. I see several on sale at Costco and may buy one this month.
Possible big pay increase in April. Can do nothing but keep my fingers crossed and continue to pump overtime.
Fun:
Spent Christmas with the family. Enjoyed seeing everyone even though some family members are really annoying.
Fitness/Health:
Still weigh in the 190’s. My attempts to hit the gym failed but the diet has been pretty good and keeping me out of the 200’s. I never want to see a 2 in front of my weight on the scale ever again.
Goals for December were:
-Get In The Gym! Fail!
Goals for January:
-Begin the process of maxing out 401k & HSA
Current Assets:
Cash: $3,449
HSA: $30,811
IRA: $146,945
Roth IRA: $231,166
Brokerage: $303,404
401k $41,146
Home $70,000
Car $9,000
Current Debts:
Credit Card -$3,806
Prior Months Net Worth $822,500
Current Net Worth $832,115
Net Worth Increase of $9,615
Prior Months SWR 2.188%
Current SWR 2.16%
Dividends/Interest Earned This Month: $8,823
Minimum Cash Value Credit Card Rewards Points: $8,833 + 6 Free Hotel Night Stays
Life & Finance:
Christmas gifts I gave to family & myself:
-$500 check each to my brother, sister, & mother.
-Spice Rack from Costco with large variety of spices for my mom for $19.99
-New iPhone 16’s for my niece & nephew. They needed the upgrade pretty bad from their iPhone 8’s I was considering getting them iPhone 14’s or 15’s but I decided to get them the newest ones out so they last the longest and by the time they need a upgrade they will be working and able to buy their own stuff.
-Kitchen Cart from costco only $100 for myself. Those things usually cost $250 and up and I’ve wanted one a long time but couldn’t justify spending that much. Now so much stuff that was cluttering my kitchen counter tops is on that kitchen cart and the place looks nicer.
-New Air Fryer from Costco for myself under $40. My old one lasted many years and was in need of replacing.
-2 pack of enameled dutch ovens from Costco on sale for $45. I plan to cook more and try new recipes. I’ve needed a larger pot since all I had was a sauce pot. Anytime I wanted to make pasta could only make small amounts at a time but now I can make a large amount.
-Plus a few other kitchen essentials for myself all on sale combined under $100.
The only thing I didn’t get during the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas sales was a new computer monitor. I see several on sale at Costco and may buy one this month.
Possible big pay increase in April. Can do nothing but keep my fingers crossed and continue to pump overtime.
Fun:
Spent Christmas with the family. Enjoyed seeing everyone even though some family members are really annoying.
Fitness/Health:
Still weigh in the 190’s. My attempts to hit the gym failed but the diet has been pretty good and keeping me out of the 200’s. I never want to see a 2 in front of my weight on the scale ever again.
Goals for December were:
-Get In The Gym! Fail!
Goals for January:
-Begin the process of maxing out 401k & HSA