30 Year Old in Chi-town

[Kittle2020]

Hello all -

I have enjoyed reading different posts on this website due to the wealth of collective knowledge on here. I have finally decided to join, but mainly because I would like some advice for my younger brother (will post in a different topic).

I am married with a 9 month old son, living in Chicago. I make just under $100k and the wife (previous breadwinner) has decided to be a stay at home mom for now, which I fully support. We collectively have a net worth of around $250k (estimating our 3 year old condo has lost 15% of its value). Not sure if FIRE is attainable, especially on one income, but it is interesting to think about. If it is not, not the end of the world.

We will eventually move to Ohio where cost of living obviously is much cheaper.

 

[Coach]

Hi Kittle and welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you and your wife are doing pretty darn well at 30. I'd bet a lot of people have a negative net worth at age 30 so you are well ahead of the pack.

You have a much bigger project that FIRE going right now. That 9 month old must keep you pretty busy and happy. That seems like enough to concentrate on!

Coach

 

[bank5]

Welcome Kittle. That's great that you're wife is able to stay at home with your son. This is something my wife has talked about doing when we have kids. It will be tough getting by on 1/2 of our current salary but I figure if she's happier and is able to spend more time with the kids it will definitely be worth it.

 

[Kittle2020]

Hi Kittle and welcome to the forum!

You have a much bigger project that FIRE going right now. That 9 month old must keep you pretty busy and happy. That seems like enough to concentrate on!

Coach - You are right on with that.

Bank5 - It took some adjusting, but we have been on 1/2 income for about 6 months and are doing fine, just obviously not saving as much as we had in the past. But she is definitely happier and thus, this has been worth it to us.

 

[Cattusbabe]

Welcome to the board, one of the best places around to get and keep your money right.

Off topic, Hubby and I will have the pleasure of visiting CHI in September. As a native where is the best place in town to get one of those the deep dish pizzas and as far a beer what do the locals drink?

 

[Nords]

Off topic, Hubby and I will have the pleasure of visiting CHI in September. As a native where is the best place in town to get one of those the deep dish pizzas and as far a beer what do the locals drink?

We ate at Pizzeria Uno last month because our kid felt that she was the last person in the galaxy to experience Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.

It was OK. Tremendously busy, 10-minute wait at the door at 4:30 PM, cramped booth, couple of loud drunks at the bar on a Wednesday, good service, huge lines on the sidewalk on the way out at 6 PM, fantastic leftovers. Great place for teen conversation-starters on lifestyle choices. We won't be back. Depending on how much you want to socialize with humanity you could do takeout or delivery.

Now if you want yummy, no-fuss Thai cuisine in a nice quiet restaurant:
Star of Siam - 11 E. Illinois St. Chicago, IL., 60611 Tel : (312) 670-0100, Fax : (312) 222-4100

We ate there several times.

 

[Kittle2020]

Off topic, Hubby and I will have the pleasure of visiting CHI in September. As a native where is the best place in town to get one of those the deep dish pizzas and as far a beer what do the locals drink?

The wife and I like Giordano's the best. It is a local chain that has locations all over the city and the ones by us are never too crowded. However, I am sure you could get plenty of opinions on this topic. Pizzeria Uno, which Nords mentioned, is definitely a more touristy locale, which can lead to much longer waits.

As for beer, Goose Island is a popular, local brewery and they even has a few restaurants around the city. My fav is their 312 Urban Wheat Ale, named after the Chicago area code.

As a side note, I would also try a Chicago-style hot dog. A lot of different toppings and quite unique.

Hope you enjoy your visit!

Links below.

Giordano's, Chicagos World Famous Stuffed Pizza

Goose Island

Chicago-style hot dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[FinanceDude]

The wife and I like Giordano's the best. It is a local chain that has locations all over the city and the ones by us are never too crowded. However, I am sure you could get plenty of opinions on this topic. Pizzeria Uno, which Nords mentioned, is definitely a more touristy locale, which can lead to much longer waits.

As for beer, Goose Island is a popular, local brewery and they even has a few restaurants around the city. My fav is their 312 Urban Wheat Ale, named after the Chicago area code.

As a side note, I would also try a Chicago-style hot dog. A lot of different toppings and quite unique.

Hope you enjoy your visit!

Links below.

Giordano's, Chicagos World Famous Stuffed Pizza

Goose Island

Chicago-style hot dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have been to Goose Island, it is awesome.

 

[DLS1]

As a Chicago native all my life, I came in to say that Lou Malnati’s is by far the better pizzaria. I'm not exactly sure why people like Giordano's.

 

[Cattusbabe]

Its all good. Hubby and I will be in CHI long enough to hit both spots. Thanks for the info.