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Years ago, I was reading another, now defunct, blog and I loved a post she wrote. As she just took a walk down memory lane, she wrote about life and her financial journey; I thought I’d do the same for my upcoming 45th birthday.
She only wrote about her last decade; I think I’ll write about my last two and half decades. This is going to be long so I will split it into a few separate posts.  I’ll write about ages 20 – 27 and then from 28 – 37...
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We did the traditional ‘after busy season time off and hike’.  But this time was a little different.  For the first time in 7? years I didn’t just look up the easiest hike I could find. I mean, the hike was labeled “easy”, I guess because of not a *lot* of elevation gain.  But after about a mile uphill, it did kick my butt.  MH’s job is way more physical and he seemed less bothered by it.  But he very heartily disagreed...
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I am getting a very eye-opening look at dental costs in retirement by taking my father around on his appointments.
He recently had two root canals, both of which required 2 or maybe even 3 trips to the dentist, and that was several thousand dollars. I thought we were finally back to the "routine" trips where we alternate between his regular dentist and his periodontist every 3 months, but today, the periodontist said they wanted to do another scaling, to the tune of $1,740.
Dad...
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Secure Your Colorado Home with a Free Roof Inspection from Licensed Experts
In Colorado's dynamic climate, ensuring the integrity of your roofing is paramount. Regular inspections by licensed professionals can prevent minor issues from becoming catastrophic problems, saving homeowners significant repair costs and stress. This article details the importance of Free Roof inspection colorado, what they entail, and how they can extend the life of your...
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Even after nearly a decade of doing taxes i am shocked and surprised by how people spend money.  I get spending money. I understand that no matter what you make you want more. I am not surprised that many people are in debt and they live a lifestyle above their means.  To me that means typically using a CC to supplement a lifestyle that is unaffordable.  But this year more people than ever were unable to pay their IRS tax bill.
All of the families/couples earned...
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This debt update is based on our most recent credit card statement which posted on 4/16/24. I do this mid-month because our credit card closes on the 15th. I can't wait until we are credit card debt free! Once we are credit card debt free, I will start doing updates at the beginning of the month. We still have other debts. Recently, we bought a car so now we have a car payment, we are also in the process of moving and will still have a mortgage. Once we move and are fully settled,...
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Well, April has been interesting so far. I got the shower rehab installed, and it's beautiful! What a difference! 
I've been talking to several plumbers, what with the install and the problem with my kitchen sink (all resolved, and no cost to me). I asked their advice about replacing my old flush valve toilet with a tank toilet, and they said no! The toilet works. It's ugly, granted, but they said it is better than anything I could get installed today. And it would be such...
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I just changed my identity protection service.  I've been using Identity Force for a few years, for an annual fee of $189.50 per year.  Prior to that, I used LifeLock, but changed a few years ago because Identity Force had better service for a lower fee.
I did a search of the reviews again, and Aura is currently the top-rated such service, AND they have a "Tax Day" sale that ends tomorrow (the % off depends on the plan you choose), so I changed services again. ...
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Transforming your living space becomes effortless with the perfect sofa bed. Whether you need an extra sleeping option for guests or aim to optimize your living area, a sofa bed epitomizes comfort and versatility.
Welcome to 2XL Home Furniture
At 2XL Home Furniture, we recognize the significance of a stylish and practical furniture piece that seamlessly integrates into your home. Our array of sofa beds is meticulously designed to cater to your unique style and spatial needs....
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Today was my final design appointment after my appointment on Wednesday was canceled due to bad weather & a power outage in the design center.
My final paint selections were Slate Tile for the exterior doors & garage door, Alabaster for the stucco, Pure White for cabinets & trim, Agreeable Gray for the walls. These are all Sherwin Williams colors.
I went with Shadow Stone for the brick and Heatherstone Gray for the shingles. I finally settled on Crystal Ice quartz...
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Hello.  I've been gone for two months.  Dipped out the day after my birthday and haven't really been around since. There have been some big milestones that passed while I was away.  Retirement was a nice one.  It tripped over the $150K mark and then the $160K mark.  Seems like it wasn't very long ago it went over $100K.  I know it was, though.
Net worth did a real big one.  I reached the quarter of a million dollar mark!  $256,316.02...
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Today I learned a valuable lesson: to be very, very careful when deciding to purchase new, energy-efficient appliances that come with a state-offered rebate. Namely, MAKE SURE your plumber is in the state program network of qualified installers, and also print out that rebate form ahead of time to get every single bit of information requested on it, preferably before installation. Or better yet, find a plumber who can offer you the "instant rebate" and take it off the price of...
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We put our house on the market 2 weeks ago. We had our first open house last weekend and are supposed to hear from our realtor regarding offers today.
Holy cow!
The idea to move started during and because of Covid. As I chose not to get the Covid shot, I was told I would lose my job and not be able to work in California. That has since changed, but the idea to move continued to grow.
We are very lucky that my husband's job has approved him to work fully remote and out of state....
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Boss of boss called today with the official letter for the raise and no, I did not get the $5k I asked for, I got 10% instead. Yay!!!
Downside is my Traditional IRA contribution that I accidentally made a few weeks ago is no longer fully deductible. Darn!  I really shouldn't be browsing my financial accounts in the middle of the night and end up making stupid decisions.
On another note, I've been tinkering around with MS Copilot and while it's not yet capable of answering...
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Wow, I just experienced my first earthquake, confirmed by a bunch of other people on Facebook in my hometown. Apparently it was centered in Lebanon, NJ, registering 4.8.
It lasted about 10 seconds max here. The house was shuddering/shaking, but there was no wind, so earthquake came to mind.
This may be commonplace where you live, but it's a first for me!
 
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We have finally crossed the $100,000 milestone in our 401k and Roth IRAs!
Maybe not much to some, but it seems like a big accomplishment to us. Hopefully, it will continue to compound and build even faster from here on out. In January 2019 we only had $30k so we have increased it quite a bit in the last 5 years.  
 
 
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Last year when we filed our taxes, we received a pretty big state refund but had to pay an even bigger federal tax bill. The difference was a little under $1900 that we had to pay to the federal government. So, after we filed last year, we adjusted The Husband’s taxes so that we (hopefully) would not be in the same boat this year.
And it worked… sort of. We are still getting a refund from the state (just smaller) and we still owe the federal government (just less).
After...
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Home Repair/Maint.
1500


Housing
784


Fees & Services
394


Gifts/Charity
231


Utilities
230


Clothing
116


Groceries
100


Vacation/Travel
97


Household Supplies
76


Phone
49


Entertainment
31


Medical/Health
29


Laundry
16


Vet/Pet Supplies
12


Eating Out/Takeout
9


Furn/Equip/Décor
1



Grand Total                 3675
It's very rare...
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An exciting milestone: Our assets reached $2 million! I joked that we're multimillionaires but of course A) That's just assets, not net worth and B) There are 3 of us, so each of us has less than a million to our name. Still, it was a great one to reach!
A couple of interesting property things have happened that I'm not counting toward net worth: My dad transferred all his West Virginia properties to his kids. AS and I now each own 1/8th of the property that's my dad's main vacation...
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Dad had no plans for Easter, but I already knew that cooking for him is impractical because I'd need to start something in the oven, go pick him up (30 minutes, there and back at least) and then return home, get him up the stairs with his walker, finish cooking dinner, and then bring him back home. It was just too much, and right when I felt I could finally sit down and relax after dessert last time, Dad announced he was ready to go home.
This year I'm trying something different....
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