Search results

She's on maternity leave. You guys are seriously pathetic.

Very mature. Must make you happy that you can entertain yourself. Now go back to playing solitare.

It's interesting that you offer so much whimsical critique, yet your grocer bill is not too much higher than mine. While I'm a family of four, the breastfed twins aren't adding much to the grocer tab yet (others enlightened me that those kids will-for many reasons-increase my overall...

So if you don't understand or cannot replicate someone else's spending habits, you simply label it "impossible" and insinuate that such person is a liar? Do you honestly believe people making under $40k/yr (a large percentage of the populace) is starving or eating solely processed food, or can...

If you haven't shopped there in years, why not Google them rather than post such a naive statement? Stater Bros is the largest grocer chain in SB County and sells about everything any typical grocery sells.

I'd appreciate the PM w/ your budget. Thanks.

I've thanked many here, acknowledged issues I hadn't considered and learned much from those who offered sage advice. Principally, I learned that my expenses will rise dramatically as the kids age. As to those who insisted my expenses couldn't possibly be what they are, I attempted to explain why...

In my vision of ER, I look to whether necessities can be covered with existing savings. All extraneous matters can be paid with extra income, if there is such. It's as all families live... luxuries are enjoyed with the extra money that exists. Based on my calculations, I have at least $1k/mth of...

Depends on how good you are at investing. A good investor makes money in both up and down markets. I don't buy funds and let my money sit only to watch it tanked three months later. I buy individual stocks after thorough research and watch them daily. In three years, I've bought and sold over...

Thanks for your comments. We actually bought two new cars and have all new heating/AC, appliances, tablets, etc. within the past two years, so I don't expect to replace them. I don't consider these significant costs b/c I buy the cars cash (when extra money is there for it) and the rest came...

I do a lot of daily stock research; it keeps me busy since I'm semi-retired as of two years now. I've made a killing in AAPL, GOOG, MSFT, AIG, C, BAC, JPM, GM, F and QCOM. I generally look for beaten down blue chip stocks (value investing) and ride them up after a patient (and oft volatile)...

We live very comfortably in a 4000 sq ft house. Solar (fully paid for) helps us save considerably on electric bills. We have Netflix at $8/mth and don't pay $100+/mth for cable (we always watched everything on DVR and realized we were wasting money on live tv). As for food, I suggest you try...

I was referring to what people spend on food and utilities, not what people gross in total salary. In my area the median is closer to $40k, which nets to about $30k after taxes, of which half is likely allocated to house payments (mortgage or rent), leaving $12k for food and utilities and an...

Been tracking spending for 15 years now. My monthly for food, gas, utilities doesn't change much each month. But you made some good observations...since I pay insurance premiums and taxes in a lump sum once each year, I haven't put them in a monthly expense column. To be fair and accurate on...

Agreed that I should plan for future, but the present is oft an indicator and first tool for determining future expenses. Not clear why you feel my $12k figure is unrealistic as all you've pointed out is that my figure is lower than yours. Keep in mind that a substantial portion of the...

First, my food budget doesn't include restaurant meals; I've actually allocated that expense in the "entertainment" category (any luxury/excesses are in that category). Second, we cook our meals and eat mostly rich dishes (a staple we grew up on) and we have lots of fresh fruits and veggie...

Valid point. An equity loan releases cash but also generates an expense due to the existence of a new mortgage loan. An alternative is to downsize if necessity required it.

3) many hobbies and time w/ kids can keep me busy. 4) yes, partly b/c it was my sacrifice to led us to financial independence. I graduated from college in my teens and slaved 15 yrs in the corporate world to amass the earnings that paid for the house and is the basis for most of the savings. I'm...

Our property tax is $2k/yr. We purchased the house for $170k; it's value has risen dramatically due to our area. Tax increases in California are capped at 2% per annum.

At present, my wife is an executive at a major hospital and gets free health insurance for the family (no co-pays or deductibles). If we had to replace the insurance, the cost of a plan under the Affordable Care Act should be covered in our extra $12/yr we allocated above. Also consider that, if...

I see many posters commenting that $1Mil is not enough to retire on, but I haven't found any posts that explain the reasoning behind such an opinion. Please excuse my naivety, but I'm lost in the shallow depths of my ignorant bliss. Perhaps someone can educate me and correct the error in my...