Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
ertyu
Posts: 2893
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:31 am

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by ertyu »

lmao the delivery and installation fees you're trapped into more than make up any supposed "discount." what crooks.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

December 2020 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash $45,125
401k $3,534
IRA $42,407
Roth IRA $185,897
HSA $28,249
I.O.U. $70,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$279

Prior Months Net Worth $451,379
Current Net Worth $456,933

Net Worth Increase of $5,554

Prior Months SWR 3.99%
Current SWR 3.94%

Finance:
I’ve been receiving letters from a law firm for several years saying a past employer was being sued and I was part of the class action. Well, I finally got the check for 3K! I was so happy but then found out I couldn’t keep the money. My mother called me and told me her hot water heater was leaking on the day before Christmas Eve. I made a bunch of calls and got a guy to go there the same day. I’m 2 hours away and work every day so I’m in a tight spot. Long story short the guy charged $3,500 for the removal and replacement of a hot water heater. It was exceptionally expensive and he took advantage of the situation. It was better to pay the high cost over having the thing burst. Other things I had to pay for in December were Car Registration, Drivers License Renewal, Some tea from a new brand that I really enjoy, and Tupperware for lunches.

I also went to KBB to check out the value of my car and it has significantly dropped so I brought down my value accordingly. Still had a decent net worth increase in December. I worked every single day in December in fact I was close to working 7 weeks straight without a day off. Today January 1 2021 is my day off and it feels good to relax and sleep in.

Fitness/Health:
So my doctor congratulated me for bringing down my blood pressure and I told him I didn’t have anything to do with it, it was the medication he prescribed to me. I was doing great going to the gym but then the gyms closed and it’s hard to work out at home. My doctor prescribed another medication to help reduce my cholesterol which has been somewhat high for an extended period of time. That was my breaking point. I have since been eating right and thanks to my new portion-sized Tupperware I am eating smaller portions. My goal is to get off both medications within the first 6 months of 2021. I am down 6 pounds so far and I quit energy drinks, coffee, processed foods, fast food, etc. I’ve also swapped white rice for organic brown rice and every grain I eat has to be 100% whole grain wheat.

I’ve also stepped up my supplementation. I do not eat seafood at all so I’m sure I’m low on Omega 3’s so I got a high-quality Omega 3 Fish Oil. I already take a good Organic Multi-Vitamin but it’s not full-spectrum so I also take a Cal-Mag Zinc pill and Turmeric pills.

Fun:
Nothing… Unfortunately

Goal for December was:
-Finish the year off strong financially DONE

Goals for January:
-Keep working hard
-No Cheat Days or Cheat Meals

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q4 2020 & End Of Year Summary:

Q4 Progress

October + $3,713
November + $10,139
December + $5,554

Total Q4 Progress $19,406

Q1 Progress $9,790
Q2 Progress $19,792
Q3 Progress -$17,692
Q4 Progress $19,406


2020 Net Worth Increase $31,296
Current Net Worth $456,933

Current SWR 3.94%


It has come to my attention that I neglected to do quarterly reviews for the entire 2020 year. So, I went back and ran the numbers. That’s what I get for not setting any reminders and just trying to do it by memory. In Q3 my net worth took a big hit because I did my taxes in June (due to the Covid19 Pandemic the IRS pushed tax filing back from April to June) and had to make that large payment to the IRS.

Historical Annual Progress
2014’s NetWorth Increase $24,786
2015’s NetWorth Increase $43,912
2016’s NetWorth Increase $76,342
2017’s NetWorth Increase $68,122
2018’s NetWorth Increase $70,282
2019’s NetWorth Increase $42,274
2020’s NetWorth Increase $31,296


Comparing 2020’s progress to past years is very disappointing. I plan to do my best to beat 2016’s Net Worth increase which was my best year to date. It’s not like I can throw a backpack on and travel the world like I wanted to; so I will just work and work. Hopefully, by the end of this year, the pandemic will be sorted out and my net worth will have climbed significantly to make a transition into travel easier and less scary.

classical_Liberal
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:05 am

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by classical_Liberal »

...
Last edited by classical_Liberal on Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

classical_Liberal wrote:
Fri Jan 01, 2021 2:21 pm
Under that big scary 4% WR. Congrats!
Thanks CL My initial goal way back when was to hit 460k so that the extra 10k above the 450k could go towards my entire camera/photography set up that I would travel the world with. But you know a few things happened here. First off I can't put my backpack on and travel the world due to the pandemic. Also the 4% rule is based on having funds invested and I have very little of my net worth invested in the market. I have lots of high interest CD's and I have a 70k loan I gave to my brother and money stuck in equity in my home and car.

I'm guesstimating another 2 years before this whole Covid thing gets fully figured out and by that time my net worth will hopefully be much higher. I'm banking on the market to crash so I can go heavy in and possibly buy a bigger house. Playing everything by ear and trying to be as flexible as possible.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

January 2021 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash $49,736
401k $3,761
IRA $42,509
Roth IRA $186,666
HSA $28,301
I.O.U. $70,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$2,023

Prior Months Net Worth $456,933
Current Net Worth $460,950

Net Worth Increase of $4,017

Prior Months SWR 3.94%
Current SWR 3.9%

Finance:
costco.com is absolute trash and I am a big fan of the brick n mortar stores but their website team needs a complete over haul. I ordered a microwave from them on 12/01/20 which stated free delivery install and haul away. I found that same model microwave at other stores for $100 cheaper but the delivery and install was extra so I just went with costco.com My microwave shows up 28 days later on 12/28/20 and the guy asks where I want it and I told him installed in my kitchen. He said they are only delivery men and do not install and that I would need to contact Costco to arrange for install. So I call Costco and spent over 90 minutes on the phone and the best they could do was an install date for the 25th of January. I said WTF I already waited 1 month for the microwave to get here now you want me to wait another month for the install. She said I could have someone install it and they would reimburse me up to $150 for the install but the person needs to be Samsung Certified. I spent more time googling to find a certified guy and eventually got pissed off and went to costco.com and selected “return item”.

I got a email that said I would be contacted in 3-5 business days to arrange a pick up date and once picked up I’d receive a credit in 2-3 business days. Well no one called me or came to pick it up in 10 business days so I call and chat with their customer service asking for a manager in both places. I was disconnected from the chat twice and the operator on the phone finally arranged a pick up date of the 19th. The guys picked up the microwave and I assumed my credit would show up in 2-3 business days like the email stated but nope. It took them 8 business days and probably would have taken longer if I wasn’t on their ass on the chat customer service feature they have on their site. I almost went to the BBB to report them.

This is in stark contrast to the brick and mortar stores which are excellent in my experience. I purchased a refrigerator from them a few years ago with free delivery install and haul away and the service was seamless. I was expecting the same experience from costco.com but I got nothing close. Never ordering from that site again. It was a 2 month waste of my time.

On another note it’s a shame the income limit to take advantage of a traditional IRA is so low. I am realizing how shitty my current company is for not allowing us to contribute to the 401k. A prior company allowed us to contribute to their 401k and I would put 25% of my pay in there which brought my AGI down below the threshold so I could take advantage of the traditional IRA as well. Now my only option is the Roth. I’m spending a shit ton of money in taxes due to this. I’m gonna run the numbers and see if a pay cut to a company with better benefits would leave me with a bigger net worth with the savings from not having to pay so much in taxes.

Also, I paid my 6 month auto insurance premium of $700. My Chase credit card offered a 5% cash back for up to $1,500 worth of spend or in other words a free $75 for certain transactions. So T-Mobile was one of the merchants and I simply paid my cell phone bill for the entire year so that I could take advantage of that credit. A 5% return is hard to come by nowadays.

Fitness/Health:
I went full vegan. Didn’t think I could ever do it but to reduce my blood pressure & cholesterol I gave it a go and I am very happy I did. I’m down 10 pounds in January and I feel great! I would have lost more if my gym was open but 10 pounds is still good for diet only. I have 20 more pounds I want to lose and in 5 months on my next doctor visit I hope to be off the blood pressure and cholesterol medications.

When the pandemic first began I started to stock up on everything and now I have a freezer full of bacon, sausage, burger patties, etc but because I am now vegan it’s all sitting there. When I get some days off from work I will load everything up and take it all to my parents home where my brother and sister can come grab what they want when they visit her and I can regain precious space in my freezer for all my own frozen meals. I like cooking in bulk so I use the 16oz Tupperware's that I ordered last month to make serving sizes and freeze them. Like my steel cut oats with berries, ground flax seed, and raisins, or my lentil stew. My moms makes great food and in particular she has 3 vegan dishes that she makes and I’m going to have her make them in bulk for me when I visit so I can portion them out and freeze them using my newly freed up freezer space.

Fun:
Cooking new recipes and trying new vegan foods. I actually had a cheat day which consisted of MorningStar Corndogs which are vegan and I had low expectations, but they tasted exactly like regular corn dogs!

Goal for January was:
-Keep working hard (DONE!)
-No Cheat Days or Cheat Meals; I Don’t Think The Vegan Corndogs Necessarily Count As A Cheat so (DONE!)

Goals for February:
-Continue to lose weight & eat healthy.
-Get started on my tax returns.

basuragomi
Posts: 419
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:13 pm

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by basuragomi »

$150 to plug in a microwave sounds like a pretty good deal. If you haven't yet, this is a good time to start growing your own lentil sprouts and other bean sprouts!

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

basuragomi wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:44 am
$150 to plug in a microwave sounds like a pretty good deal. If you haven't yet, this is a good time to start growing your own lentil sprouts and other bean sprouts!
Yea, lol I ended up paying $130 to Lowes and it was money well spent. I typically like doing things myself so I can pick up a new skill for the future, but these microwaves will probably last 10 or more years and I don't want to bother with it.

I use to grow my own sprouts at home and there is a natural foods store in downtown which sells bulk seeds which are all organic and able to sprout. I tried all kinds of different sprouts and it's amazing how different they all are. I use to use the sprouts I made in sandwiches instead of lettuce and I LOVED it! Thanks for reminding me of it :)

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

February 2021 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash $53,710
401k $3,697
IRA $42,605
Roth IRA $188,418
HSA $28,675
I.O.U. $70,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$450

Prior Months Net Worth $460,950
Current Net Worth $468,655

Net Worth Increase of $7,705

Prior Months SWR 3.9%
Current SWR 3.84%

Finance:
Finally, after nearly 1 year I have a working microwave again. I went to Lowes and they had an installer at my home in 3 days! I was impressed the guy installed it all on his own and was done in about 30 minutes. I got a great deal due to a Presidents Day sale. The microwave I purchased was originally priced over $500 but was on sale for $299 and install was $130. So roughly $450 after tax which makes me happy.

The increase in net worth was good but I was hoping for a 5 figure increase because of all the overtime I’ve been putting in.

Fitness/Health:
I am still a vegan and I hit a new low of 193.5 lbs. The goal has been to reach 180 lbs but since things are going pretty easy I may drop that down to 175 lbs. I am losing weight with diet alone because my gym has been closed for months. Good news though, the gym at one of my work locations has re-opened as of today (March 1) so I plan to start working out whenever I work there.

Eating Vegan has not been more expensive as I was thinking. I am spending less that I did before and I am spending money on different products to try out. Once I get dialed in and know what I like and don’t like this diet will be very inexpensive. Beans, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Bread, Whole Grain Pastas, Fresh Fruits & Vegetables are the base of my diet and are all very affordable.

Fun:
Just trying out different Vegan Foods, most of which have been straight trash.



Goals for February were:
-Continue to lose weight & eat healthy.
-Get started on my tax returns.

Goal for March:
-Do My Parents & Brothers Tax Returns
-Start Working Out at my Work Gym

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by DutchGirl »

As a vegetarian for 20 years and longer... (my goodness, it's been 24 years and I sure am old) make sure to regularly check your vitamin B12 level, iron level and folic acid level when eating vegetarian or vegan. A vitamin B12 deficiency sneaked up on me five years after starting to eat vegetarian. It came that late after the diet change because you've got a B12 storage in your liver, so for a while your body can continue to function with that, until it runs out. So I completely applaud your new diet and all the good things it does for your health and your weight and animals and our planet, but have your levels checked every once in a while!

ertyu
Posts: 2893
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:31 am

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by ertyu »

Ha. I didn't know being vegetarian also puts one at risk for B12 deficiency, thank you for the info DG

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by DutchGirl »

There is vitamin B12 in the dairy products and eggs that vegetarians can eat. My problem was that I didn't choose those products often enough in my day-to-day meals to get enough vitamin B12.

If you eat vegetarian (or vegan), you might want to keep track for a week or two on how much vitamin B12 you're getting from your diet (and perhaps also from your supplements if you take those too).

By the way, (mostly) older people can also get a vitamin B12 deficiency from their body being less capable of taking up vitamin B12 from the food. So then there does not need to be a deficiency in the diet for vitamin B12 deficiency to develop over time.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

DutchGirl wrote:
Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:32 pm
As a vegetarian for 20 years and longer... (my goodness, it's been 24 years and I sure am old) make sure to regularly check your vitamin B12 level, iron level and folic acid level when eating vegetarian or vegan. A vitamin B12 deficiency sneaked up on me five years after starting to eat vegetarian. It came that late after the diet change because you've got a B12 storage in your liver, so for a while your body can continue to function with that, until it runs out. So I completely applaud your new diet and all the good things it does for your health and your weight and animals and our planet, but have your levels checked every once in a while!
YES!! When I was researching going Vegan the B12 issue came up many times. I include Nutritional Yeast (Vegans Replacement for Grated Parmesan Cheese) in my diet somewhat regularly. I also have Nut Milks typically Almond Milk but right now I have Macadamia Nut Milk on hand since I'm trying new things and there's tons of B12 in it. One serving of Macadamia Nut Milk has 240% of my daily B12 requirements.

My next doctors appointment is in 4 months where I hope to get off the blood pressure and cholesterol medications. Then, my next routine doctor appointment will be 6 months after that at which point I will request to have all my blood work done and see where I stand. I should have my diet dialed in within the next few months so I think a good time to test will be at the end of the year. The movie on Netflix "What The Health" was a big motivator for sure. :)

Frugalchicos
Posts: 658
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:23 pm
Contact:

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Frugalchicos »

Good for you going vegan! We will go back to that diet/lifestyle as soon as we get back to the US.

Meal prep played a big role in our diet, making it harder to fall into crap food when you are starving. It probably saves you some money since you have planned it in advance.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

March 2021 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash $58,108
401k $3,720
IRA $42,713
Roth IRA $190,162
HSA $27,822
I.O.U. $70,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$305

Prior Months Net Worth $468,655
Current Net Worth $474,220

Net Worth Increase of $5,565

Prior Months SWR 3.84%
Current SWR 3.80%

Life & Finance:
I’ve experienced loss of friends and family in the past. None of my immediate family but lots of cousins and other relatives which I didn’t see very often and unfortunately plenty of friends. But I just found out that my ex girlfriend passed away. I was destroyed like never before. I couldn’t eat or sleep for 2 days. We were together for 5 years (high school sweethearts) and we broke up like young dumb people with too much pride to work things out. We stayed in contact most years but due to me going through such a hard time during the recession when I finally got a decent job all I wanted to do was work. Last time I spoke with her was in the beginning of 2008 and we had a good conversation on the phone just catching up. Then end of 08’ I was laid off and I quit communicating with most family and friends and just tried to hunker down and resolve this problem and not end up like lots of my neighbors and people on tv losing everything.

This was the girl I was supposed to get married to. I haven’t talked to her in years and wish I would have. What makes this even more painful is that she passed away in 2014 and I was just now looking to reach out to her to see how she was doing. I always thought about her but I was too focused on working and maybe too introverted thinking maybe she is already married etc etc. Now the non stop focus on working & making money I see needs to be pulled back. I need to keep in touch with my friends and family. This loss was painful and I don’t want to feel like this again.

I never use FB but I logged back in after maybe 10 years just so I could find her family members and give my condolences and ask for her location so I could go and pay my respects. I only found her younger sister on FB but she hasn’t posted anything in almost 3 years and hasn’t read/responded to my messages.

On a lighter note April is a 3 paycheck month :) I changed my exemptions up to 2 from zero for state & federal withholdings. They were taking tons of money from my checks and I was getting pretty pissed off about it and the fact my company makes it so difficult to change these elections. All my other employers just require you to fill and submit the forms but my current employer requires those changes be done in a clunky app that asks stupid questions and tries to force you down a road that has nothing to do with exemptions.

Fitness/Health:
I was at 193.5 pounds last month and I am now at 185 pounds for a total loss of 8.5 pounds. Within 5 pounds of my goal of 180! I only hit the gym 3 times in March because it just opened back up. I plan to hit the gym at least 4 times per week in April. This Vegan diet is the most easy way to lose weight I have ever tried. Wish I would have tried this earlier.

Fun:
I reached out to a lot of friends who I haven’t talked to in a very long time. I didn’t mention anything about the death just wanted to catch up after being gone for so long. It was great talking to all of them and it helped with dealing with the passing of my ex. One of my buddies was going on a hike on this last Sunday and wanted me to go which I would have loved to especially because it was a new trail I’ve never been on before, but as usual I was working. I’m going to hit that trail on my next day off though and meet up and hang out with friends again like I use to.



Goals for March were:
-Do My Parents & Brothers Tax Returns Not Yet
-Start Working Out at my Work Gym DONE

Goal for April:
-Do My Parents, Brothers, & My Tax Returns
-Continue Working Out

LiberateMind
Posts: 197
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:18 pm

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by LiberateMind »

Sorry for your loss Star*Bucks..

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

LiberateMind wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:18 pm
Sorry for your loss Star*Bucks..
Thank You

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

Q1 2021:

Q1 Progress

January + $4,017
February + $7,705
March + $5,565

Total Q1 Progress $17,287


Current Net Worth $474,220

Current SWR 3.80%

Hopefully all 4 quarters of 2021 are equal to or better than Q1. I’m already below the 4% SWR but I think I will be making my goal 3% which would require a net worth of 600k. I say this because the 4% rule was based on funds invested in the stock market and most of my funds are not in the market right now. My funds are mainly sitting in high interest earning CD’s that I locked in a while back.

Also my plan was to travel once I hit my financial goals and due to Corona I doubt traveling will be an easy thing to do for another 18-24 months. So I will just keep stacking and try to enjoy life more and say yes to things more often.

Star*Bucks
Posts: 288
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:27 am
Location: California

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Star*Bucks »

April 2021 Update:


Current Assets:
Cash $63,651
401k $4,009
IRA $42,817
Roth IRA $191,083
HSA $29,744
I.O.U. $70,000
Home $70,000
Car $12,000

Current Debts:
Credit Card -$586

Prior Months Net Worth $474,220
Current Net Worth $482,718

Net Worth Increase of $8,498

Prior Months SWR 3.80%
Current SWR 3.73%

Life & Finance:
Paid over 2k in property taxes. Did my tax returns and got back a total of $500. Purchased a new pair of pants in I don’t know how long and it cost me $100. Really expensive for pants in my opinion but it was purchased at REI where everything is expensive but these were really good pants. No Regrets here.

Fitness/Health:
I’m still exercising and feeling stronger and feeling really good but my weight is not going down. I’m assuming I’m gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously so the scale isn’t changing.

Fun:
A friend of mine asked if I wanted to go hiking and I said YES! I was so excited because I haven’t gone hiking in a long time and I’ve never been to this particular area. So we get to the trail and it’s beautiful. There was a river, plenty of trees, and well laid out trails. After about 2 miles in we come to this clearing where there were many rock faces and I was just in awe. My buddy puts his backpack down and says “You ready to rock climb!” What a big surprise! I was wondering why he had such a big backpack on. I initially thought he just wanted to get in a good workout by carrying an overpacked backpack. I never rock climbed before but I’m always ready for new experiences and we had a great time! It was really hot that day; over 90 degrees. My friend said I did really well for my first climb. Now I’m looking into buying my own rock climbing gear because I had so much fun and it was so challenging. Luckily rock climbing gear isn’t expensive, but what is expensive is the rock climbing gyms.

After the hike we went to midtown and ate at a Burger spot where I ended my 5 month Vegan diet with a Big Burger with sliced Tri-Tip on it. On the way to the restaurant I was telling my buddy I wanted a burger with cheese on it but this burger didn’t come with cheese, so I ordered a side of Mac n Cheese instead of fries to get my cheese fix on. Everything was SO GOOD!! I made huge strides with the vegan diet and now I plan to incorporate lean meats and reduce the amount of carbs in my diet which should help me shed some fat a little faster. Being Vegan almost everything you eat is carbs.



Goals for April were:
-Do My Parents, Brothers, & My Own Tax Returns ((I did mine & my parents. I also did my brothers but did not submit them since the return he would get was smaller than what he felt it should be so he took his taxes to a professional. He never said if he got more or not))
-Continue Working Out ((DONE!!))

Goals for May:
-Continue to workout & tweak the diet to gain muscle and lose fat.
-Keep in contact with people I care about Friends/Family.

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Viktor K
Posts: 364
Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2016 9:45 pm

Re: Star*Bucks ERE Journal

Post by Viktor K »

Haha what a surprise on the hike! That's a pretty clever friend, and you're pretty spontaneous for going along with it. Rock climbing super fun, good luck and have fun :)

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