Star*Bucks ERE Journal

[Star*Bucks]

June 2016 Update:




Current Debts:
Credit Card $527
Auto Loan $7,823



Current Assets:
Cash $3,454
Main 401k $92,763
2nd 401k $1,500
IRA $24,133
HSA $6,882
Home $70,000
Car $19,778

Prior Months Net Worth: $206,624
Current Net Worth: $210,160

Net Worth Increase of $3,536

I am tracking my vehicles value in Mint and the value dropped from $21,139 to $19,778 in just this month, but it is only a small part as to why my net worth increase was smaller than usual this month. My investments took a big dip due to the British leaving the EU zone (BREXIT) some investments bounced back some but overall there is still a loss.

I got a Costco Membership since my Sams Club membership expired a month back. I got an eye exam, new glasses with transition lenses, and prescription sunglasses all for under $350! I haven't have my eyes checked or had new glasses since 2008 because it's always been so expensive. I spent over $300 back in 08' for the exam and 1 pair of glasses which didn't have any bells n whistles. No scratch resistance, no uv protection, no transition lenses. This was a excellent deal at Costco and I am much happier as a Costco member than Sams Club. Only reason I had Sams Club to begin with was because of a special they were running which made the membership free. I have dropped my meals to a set few things that I have so I will be buying those items at Costco in bulk as well as buying good priced gas etc. The one off items which I don't need much of I will continue to buy at Walmart or Winco etc.

I also had my annual home owners insurance due and it was just under $500.

I haven't worked a single hour at my second job because there is no work to do currently. They want me to remain as an employee just in case and I thought that would be a good idea but on the other hand if they just let me go I could cash in all my vacation time as well as roll over my $1,500 401k into Vanguard. If they need me in the future they can always just rehire me. I'll talk with them about it next week.

Goals for the month of June 2016 were:

-Stay out of this heat and enjoy life. No expectations whatsoever….


Goals for July 2016:

-None.

[Star*Bucks]

Q2 2016 Review:



Q2 Progress

April + $6,808
May + $6,285
June + $3,536

Total Q2 Progress $16,629

Total Progress for the first half of 2016 $41,462

There are exactly 15 more paychecks for this calendar year and I had several goals which I will list below:

-Have $5,500 saved to fully fund 2017 Traditional IRA in January 2017
-Have $3,350 saved to fully fund 2017 HSA in January 2017
-Have Toyota Prius paid off by January 2017
-Take a international trip/vacation by the end of 2016

These are lofty goals especially with the number of pay periods remaining. It will be difficult to accomplish everything but it can be done with some discipline, overtime, and creativity.

2017 will be the "Year of The Investor" as I will call it for myself. I have done all my investing thus far with pre-tax contributions to a 401K, IRA’s, & an HSA. The last few years I spent all extra money on paying off personal loans to my family and paying off cars, but when 2017 rolls around I will not have any of those obligations. I am estimating I will be able to invest approximately 15k+ annually in after tax dollars on top of the pre tax investing I have already been doing. Now I need to do some research on what to buy and on asset allocation. All my investing will be in index funds with Vanguard and my plan is to have about 3 or 4 different funds. That way Every time I get paid I will see which fund is best priced and put the money there. This is obviously a simplified thought and I hope that the coming 6 months will give me time to research and come to a proper plan. Also I plan on changing companies in 2017 which will give me by that time about 125k in 401k money to roll over into Vanguard. I currently have 100% of the funds in the Vanguard Wellington Admiral Shares Fund which requires 50k minimum.

[Star*Bucks]

July 2016 Update:




Current Debts:
Credit Card $207
Auto Loan $3,389



Current Assets:
Cash $1,222
Main 401k $98,025
2nd 401k $1,550
IRA $24,081
HSA $7,229
Home $70,000
Car $19,778

Prior Months Net Worth: $210,160
Current Net Worth: $218,289

Net Worth Increase of $8,129

I made a large payment toward my vehicle in July. Basically took all the money I was saving for an emergency fund and a vacation and said F it & paid it towards my car. I hope to have the car paid off by the beginning of September. I wasn’t planning on going this route but I really would like to get the loan off my back and move forward with investing my income. I have to keep this short but things are looking pretty good.

[Star*Bucks]

August 2016 Update:




Current Assets:
Cash $1,262
Main 401k $101,125
2nd 401k $1,546
IRA $24,883
HSA $7,220
Home $70,000
Car $19,778

Current Debts:
Credit Card $1,814

Prior Months Net Worth: $218,289
Current Net Worth: $224,000

Net Worth Increase of $5,711

Notable accomplishments in August:

~Paid off my Toyota Prius. Purchased brand new in February and paid off in August. 10 months was my prior record for paying off a new car but now it’s 6 months. I don’t plan on beating this record because I don’t want to purchase a new car again.

~401k broke into the 6 figure mark for the first time in my life!

There are 9 more paychecks coming this year and it’s going to be tight trying to accomplish everything I wanted to do but I’ve decided to let it go. No need to stress, worst case scenario I can fully fund my HSA & IRA for 2017 in February if I haven’t saved up enough to do it by January. Besides that things are looking good, applied for a second job with another company where the pay is actually better than what my full time main job is paying. I'm going in for the interview in about an hour.

My plans are to save money which in the short term will become an emergency fund. Eventually and assuming no emergency happens then that fund will be my vacation fund, when I return from a frugal fun filled vacation I will continue to save and try to save enough to fully fund an IRA & HSA in the beginning of 2017.

[vraxxos]

Going from $84k of investments to $126k is a 50% gain, that is great achievement you've made in just 8 months.

[Star*Bucks]

Going from $84k of investments to $126k is a 50% gain, that is great achievement you've made in just 8 months.

Thanks Vraxxos! 1k shy of my halfway point. 450k is what I am shooting for so I can get 18k per year (4%) and just backpack around the inexpensive parts of the world. Honestly man if I never would have tracked this stuff on this site I would have continued to live aimlessly and spend money on junk. BTW I got the job offer and I will be starting Oct 1, so hopefully I can put this second half of the accumulation process on high speed.

[jbb13]

Just binge read your journal and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Congrats on getting the new job, can't wait to see what kind of a difference that makes in your investments.

By the way, I really liked seeing the goals that you set and if you reached them or not, it kept me anxious to see your progress.

Keep up the good work and have fun on your vacation!

[Star*Bucks]

Just binge read your journal and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Congrats on getting the new job, can't wait to see what kind of a difference that makes in your investments.

By the way, I really liked seeing the goals that you set and if you reached them or not, it kept me anxious to see your progress.

Keep up the good work and have fun on your vacation!

Thanks jbb13! I just started to read your journal & you are a very young man! Wish I would have started saving or had a resource like this website when I was your age! I look forward to seeing your journey unfold as well, Good Luck!

[Star*Bucks]

September 2016 Update:




Current Assets:
Cash $3,788
Main 401k $104,275
2nd 401k $1,533
IRA $25,045
HSA $7,228
Home $70,000
Car $19,724
Credit Card -$27

Current Debts:
None

Prior Months Net Worth: $224,000
Current Net Worth: $231,620

Net Worth Increase of $7,620

September seemed like a really long month to me. I decided not to take the second job with the new company even though it paid well due to long commute and not wanting to go through the whole process of going through orientation and meeting the people at the new company. Quite honestly the management and culture were not my cup of tea either. There is good news though, the company I have been helping out on the side got a new project which also starts on Oct 1 and although it doesn't pay as well I already know everyone I know the culture of the company suits me (laid back) and I can start putting away extra money now which makes me very excited. I am going to have to put the vacation on hold for now because they want to really get a push on this new project which is ok with me.

I received my quarterly dividend payment from one of my index funds at Vanguard. When I checked the other two funds I'm in I was sad to see that they only pay annually. I plan to sell those two funds after the dividend gets paid out in late 2016 or early 2017 as long as the share price is good and move the money into something like the total stock market fund (VTSAX) which pays dividends quarterly. I am glad I purchased the VGENX fund because I made great return just on the value/growth. I got in at under $45 per share and now it's over $50, so despite the frequency of dividend payments I still will have made out, hopefully.

[Star*Bucks]

Q3 2016 Review:



Q3 Progress

July + $8,129
August + $5,711
September + $7,620

Total Q3 Progress $21,460

Total Progress for the first 3 quarters of 2016 $62,922



I started posting 2.5 Years ago (March 2014) at that time I had already paid my mother back the personal loan that I owed her and my net worth was at $91,791. (On my first post I didn't add the personal loan I owed to my brother and on the April 2014 post I dropped the value of my home by 10k) The journey from there to now has been long, Paid my brother back the personal loan he gave me , paid off several car loans, and added $139,829 of net worth in those 2.5 years. I hope to be able to save a lot more now since I have no more debt and I have a great job. On my first post in 3/14/2014 I stated my fire number was $460k and I wanted to reach that in 7 years (by 3/14/2021). Prior to that post I wanted to FIRE at 40 weather on my birthday or sometime during my 40th year on the planet. I am projecting another 200k in net worth increase in the next 2.5 years since I don't have any loans to deal with. Assuming there is no market crash or anything I should hit FIRE right before my 41st B Day! It's a long shot but I'm going for it! That would be retiring 2 full years before my original post forecasted. Let's see how things go?!

[Star*Bucks]

October 2016 Update:



Current Assets:
Cash $8,797
Main 401k $104,822
2nd 401k $1,496
IRA $24,481
HSA $7,059
Home $70,000
Car $19,681

Current Debts:
Credit Card. $279

Prior Months Net Worth: $231,620
Current Net Worth: $236,057

Net Worth Increase of $4,437

Not as big of a net worth increase as I would have liked especially since I’ve been working two jobs now but my energy stock has slipped a bit and I purchased a new pair of glasses $200 at Costco. Hopefully November will be a more lucrative month.

I do have my money saved up for the funding of 2017's IRA & HSA, but now I need to take a vacation & enjoy life a bit.

[Star*Bucks]

November & December 2016 Update:




Current Assets:
Cash $10,443
Main 401k $110,493
2nd 401k $1,851
IRA $25,734
HSA $7,221
Home $70,000
Car $19,553

Current Debts:
Credit Card. $255

Octobers Net Worth: $236,057
Current Net Worth: $245,040

Net Worth Increase of $8,983

First time I missed a month report (November) due to being on vacation in Thailand. It was my first time ever on a international vacation and I loved every minute of it. Lost a few hundred in value on my Prius (value tracked using Mint app) and everything else is moving along nicely.

I was able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning withy family which was fun. I gave my mother $500 cash as her present in private because my parents are living just on Social Security and I had the money. I spent 1k less on the trip to Thailand than what I had budgeted for and I hit all the goals I set out to hit for 2016 so I thought giving my mom the money would make me feel good and give them a small boost with their expenses.

Goals for January 2017

-Hit the gym and continue to eat right
-Research Vanguard and select Funds I want to invest after tax dollars
-Fund the 2017 IRA & HSA

[Star*Bucks]

Q4 2016 & Year End Review/Wrap Up:



Q4 Progress

October + $4,437
November/December + $8,983


Total Q4 Progress $13,420

Total Progress for 2016 $76,342

Net Worth at the Beginning of 2016 $168,698
Net Worth at the End of 2016 $245,040
Total Net Worth Increase $76,342
Current SWR 5.66%

In 2016 it seems that my average quarterly net worth increase was roughly 20k. Baring a Trump recession or something bad happening in 2017 I hope to repeat or increase that for 2017. Hopefully the overtime will continue to be available at my main job and I'll be able to pick up a second job. The progress in November & December was not as good due to property taxes being due and the two weeks not earning money while on vacation. The trip to Thailand confirmed several things for me. Most importantly is that I do enjoy traveling and not just watching other people travel on TV or reading about it; I actually enjoy it. It also confirmed the absolute low cost of living there. There are many blogs of people stating different monthly budgets to live there some as low as the high $200's monthly for all expenses and some as high as $1500 monthly for all expenses. During my short two week trip I think the budget for me would be $1000 per month. I doubt I'd spend it all every month but having a buffer is good. My Fire number is 460k which at 3%SWR is over $1,100 per month.

I started the year yo-yoing with my weight between 225 and 230 pounds. I am now currently at 211 pounds which is a loss but not at all the progress I wanted to make. I need to drop 31 pounds to get to my ideal weight. The BMI scale still thinks I'm fat at that weight since I'm 5'7" tall but it doesn't take into consideration the amount of muscle I have. I feel confident and clothes look good on me at 180 and I will try my best to get there ASAP.


Notable Accomplishments in 2016:
-Purchased a new car in February 2016 and paid it off in 6 months



The goals I set for 2016 were
-Max Out 2016 IRA ((Done!))
-Max Out 2016 HSA ((Done!))
-Max Out 401k ((Done!))
-Take an International Vacation ((Done!))
-Focus on Health & Losing Weight ((Fail!!))
-Look Into Uber & Lyft as side income. ((Bad option for side income))
-Increase Net Worth by $42,850 or more ((Done!))

Goals for 2017:
-Max Out 401k
-Save Enough to Max Out 2018 IRA & HSA
-Invest 30k of after tax income
-Take an international Vacation
-Lose Weight/Get In Shape
-Increase Net Worth by 80k

[Star*Bucks]

January 2017 Update:



Current Assets:
Cash $4,263
Main 401k $113,971
2nd 401k $1,911
IRA $31,200
HSA $10,971
Home $70,000
Car $19,552

Current Debts:
Credit Card. -$116

December's Net Worth: $245,040
Current Net Worth: $251,752

Net Worth Increase of $6,712

Alright so I had hoped of not spending money on cars anymore and that got squashed when my brother called me and said he wanted to buy our sister a new vehicle. Her van was old had lots of miles was unreliable and she has two kids she's hauling around. I said ok after mentally yelling curse words. My sister said she needed 3rd row seating for whatever reason and the best deal I found was on a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder which is my sister's first new vehicle ever. We got it for 28k out the door and I previously agreed with my brother I would chip in 5k. My brother paid cash for the SUV, and since I don’t have the full 5k in cash I told him I’d give him a check in February for it. My February Net Worth Increase will indeed suffer. My sister was very happy and I'm glad she is driving something more reliable but I wish it didn't cost me any money. I keep thinking of all the things 5k could have afforded me like 5 months of retirement living at 1k per month, or 2 different 3 week vacations to SE Asia, or one 3 week vacation with a good dslr camera. Oh Well…. Time to get a second job again I guess to make up for this set back.

The Mint app has been flakey as of late. It doesn’t show the true current balance of my CC instead it shows the previous balance from over 5 days ago before I made a payment.

Goals for January 2017

-Hit the gym and continue to eat right ((Done!!))
-Research Vanguard and select Funds I want to invest after tax dollars ((Done, but due to the Pathfinder purchase no side cash to invest currently)
-Fund the 2017 IRA & HSA ((Done))

Goals for February 2017

-Give my brother a 5k check for the Nissan Pathfinder
-Continue to hit the gym and eat right

[Jason]

Thanks for being transparent. Great to see how discipline = progress.

When I die and go to Heaven, if I see a car, I'm going to be pissed. Like get God on the line right now, pissed.

[Star*Bucks]

Thanks for being transparent. Great to see how discipline = progress.

When I die and go to Heaven, if I see a car, I'm going to be pissed. Like get God on the line right now, pissed.

Dude, you have no idea! Cars and their associated costs have been my biggest expense by far; even higher than housing. Once I hit FIRE I'll be happy to take public transportation the rest of my life.

[Jason]

No Dude, not only do I have an idea, I possess the entire metaphysical ball of bullshit.

But when I saw your car angst, I immediately thought, that is fellow Pilgrim, burdened by his need to traverse this life in a cash sucking POS automobile.

[Star*Bucks]

February 2017 Update:



Current Assets:
Cash $1,278
Main 401k $119,636
2nd 401k $1,961
IRA $30,891
HSA $11,413
Home $70,000
Car $19,552

Current Debts:
Credit Card. -$285

December's Net Worth: $251,752
Current Net Worth: $254,446

Net Worth Increase of $2,694
SWR 7.1%

Net Worth didn't grow much and was to be expected since I paid 5k towards my sister's new car purchase as a gift. I'm happy that it was still a positive month overall.

I watched a travel YouTuber named Gabriel Traveler while he was on a extended trip in India and he lives there on $10 per day. That includes private room with private bath eating out at restaurants using the internet cafe etc. That's only $300-$400 per month. That may be a place I go to first when I pull the trigger to leave the rat race, at least for a few months to save even more money and really get my feet wet.

March will be a 3 paycheck month as well as a dividend payment month so I hope the Net Worth Increase will be 5 figures to help close out the quarter as strong as possible and try to hit my 20k+ goal for each quarter.

I did a google search to see where I was at financially compared to the “average” American my age. I found this graph below and it’s surprising how much more I already have compared to the average person in my age group.



Goals for February 2017

-Give my brother a 5k check for sisters car ((Done))
-Continue to hit the gym and eat right ((Yes & No))

Goals for March 2017

-Try to hit a 5 Figure Net Worth Increase
-Look for a 2nd job

[halfmoon]

Star*Bucks, you're a better person than I for chipping in $5k toward a brand new vehicle for your sister. My family members have tried to rope me into all sorts of expenditures on behalf of another family member, and my response: I'll help where I can, but I won't contribute to lifestyle choices that exceed my own because that will just create resentment (my own) in the end. Since I've never owned a new vehicle, I have no intention of contributing to one for someone else.

That median net worth graph is terrifying. I despair for this country. Your net worth, on the other hand, is great!

[Star*Bucks]

Star*Bucks, you're a better person than I for chipping in $5k toward a brand new vehicle for your sister. My family members have tried to rope me into all sorts of expenditures on behalf of another family member, and my response: I'll help where I can, but I won't contribute to lifestyle choices that exceed my own because that will just create resentment (my own) in the end. Since I've never owned a new vehicle, I have no intention of contributing to one for someone else.

That median net worth graph is terrifying. I despair for this country. Your net worth, on the other hand, is great!

Halfmoon I gotta be honest, I looked up that stat on google because I wanted to make myself feel better. After giving away 5k I needed a boost to my moral. Although, I still find myself thinking about the money I am happy I contributed to the new wheels. She has 2 kids both whom are a hand full and have ADHD, so she doesn't even have a full time job. She works part time and she took that responsibility on as most mothers due and her good for nothing husband should be doing more but he will soon learn his lesson. Maybe when they get divorced and he has to pay out the nose he will realize how much better it would have been to do the right thing from the start. I mean marriage is like a team sport you have to have each others back. Anyways her van was breaking down and had a quarter million miles so I am very happy for this purchase but I want to say this will be my last financial assistance I give to my family.