Firefly's Personal Finance Blog

I hate when I write a long blog & lose it! Ugh. 😩 

So the inspection & walk-through on Monday & Tuesday were postponed until today due to the builder delays. There was no kitchen appliances, a missing fan, and no garage door. Today looking at the full slab of my countertops I finally saw the color variation that I was told about, but couldn't see in the sample. It was a little thing, but made me happy. 

Today the fan was picked up, but not installed. The kitchen appliances & garage door were installed. The garage door was not painted yet. The builder told me to be picky on punch items & I definitely was. I wanted every little paint blemish touched up. Seems like it would be easier for them to just do another coat of paint everywhere rather than look at all my blue tape markings. But what do I know?

I do know that I love all of my design selections. You spend so much time second guessing every selection that it's very satisfying to walk through & think that you wouldn't change a thing. It all turned out just how I envisioned. I'm happy with the choices I made & that I went against popular opinion on some things. Today looking at the full slab of my countertops I finally saw the color variation that I was told about, but couldn't see in the sample. It was a little thing, but made me happy. 

I spent weeks pouring over all the information I could find about quartz vs granite countertops, pure white vs extra white paint on trim, agreeable gray vs repose gray paint on walls, best paint colors for stucco, looking at brick colors & textures on different homes, weighing door colors, debating whether to paint my lower kitchen cabinets & island a different color, looking at flooring options, cabinet hardware, kitchen backsplash, fireplace tile, lighting fixtures. I think I exhausted my mom just talking about it.

And next week is finally closing day. It's been a fun process. A little frustrating & stressful at times, but mostly exciting.

On Friday I was contacted about a closing date. It's really here! I have my independent home inspection on Monday afternoon, then my first walk-through on Tuesday. The second walk-through & closing are scheduled for the following Tuesday. 

The pendants are installed over the kitchen island & I have carpeting. Still no kitchen appliances. I told them that I wasn't interested in closing until all items I identified are addressed. 

The driveway was poured & the landscaping is complete. There is sod, plants, and flowers. The alarm system has been installed, but is not activated. The front door was painted and the numbers are on the door. The sconce is on the front porch. The stucco & siding are painted. The closet rods & towel racks were hung. Still no kitchen appliances, but all of my neighbors have their appliances so they must be coming soon. And they are leaving the houses unlocked even with the appliances, which surprised me. I have a list of punch items that I want the project manager to address. He claims we are on track to close end of July/beginning of August, but I don't want to close until everything is addressed.

On Wednesday I met my next goal of $1,200,000 in my TSP. Friday my TSP closed at $1,209,480,85. Let's see how we end the month!

I just posted my June New Worth, then eclipsed that with this week's gains. So much in fact that Monarch had me surpossed $1.7 million for the first time. Pretty cooly. Lucky 7! I will feel very confident when I reach $2 million. That is my goal by age 50.

So far there is installed:

quartz countertops

sinks

cabinets

lighting fixtures

light switches

fans 

backsplash tile

fireplace mantle

mantle tile

vinyl wood floor

ceramic tile floors

Still awaiting installation of:

carpeting 

kitchen appliances

closet rods

shower doors

towel racks

alarm system

Outside they started painting the stucco, but the siding & doors haven't been painted.

Good Morning and Happy July! It's been over a week since I've seen the house. I'm headed there this morning for doctor appointments and will stop by to see the updates. I'm antsy to see whatever progress they've made. I don't get nearly enough pictures. 🏡 

TSP $1,169,909

IRA $342,831

Brokerage $4,946

Investments Total $1,517,686

Savings $138,710

June Net Worth $1,656,396

May Net Worth $1,624,404

Monthly Gain/Loss $31,992

Checking $13,428

Car Value $10,000-16,000

Not a huge deal, but I just realized that when I set up my automatic investments for the year that I directed my contributions to go to VTIAX instead of VTSAX. It's too late to fix for June as my contribution is processing, but I don't I'll switch it back to VTSAX as soon as I can. A good reminder to check your investments periodically to make sure things are going where you intend for them to go.

My step increase that was due June 2nd is now effective in my HR portal. It works out to $141.60 biweekly and an annual raise of $3,681.60. It's nice to receive a little extra cash as I build my home and have the associated moving & furnishing expenses. I am resigning from my PRN position effective the end of July. I don't think I will pick up anything once I move, until maybe the New Year. 

We're approximately 60 days or 2 months out from completion. Projected date is 7/31/2024. Brick & stucco have been installed so the exterior is really taking shape. Drywall has been delivered.

Now the interior progress starts to happen. We have tubs & fireplace installed, but no kitchen appliances. I think once they put in appliances they start locking the doors, so I won't be able to stroll through after hours. Darn. I love watching the progress.

TSP $1,146,260

IRA $337,601

Brokerage $4,305

Total Investments  $1,487,166

Savings $137,238

May 2024 Net Worth $1,624,404

April 2024 Net Worth $1,549,558

Monthly Gain/Loss $74,846

Checking $13,490

Car Value $10,000-16,000

My mom ended up spending 11 nights in the hospital, including 3 nights prior to her surgery. She was then transferred to a neuromedical center for rehab for 2 weeks. She has another week remaining here. My mom is very ready to go home. She is a homebody & this has been hard for her.

My mom had a rough time after the surgery. It was expected that she would go home after one night. Her age & maybe the Parkinson's has made the recovery slower. Also her back condition had deteriorated so much that the surgery took longer than usual. She was in a lot pain & not herself at all. She can't remember much of what happened, which is probably a good thing.

Thank you for asking about my mom & sending your well wishes.

I decided to cash out the majority of my brokerage account. I sold $100k of $103k. This is my house down payment so I wanted to put it somewhere stable. This plus the $35k I had saved in savings will be my house down payment. If my mom can afford to give me the $25k that will push it up to $160k, but I'm not relying on it after her medical bills starting coming in.

My dad texted me & my sisters Saturday around noon to say he had taken my mom to the ED and asking me to come. I left work immediately, went home & packed a bag with more clothes than I thought necessary at the time, then hit the road. Turns out I'm going to use all those clothes & more. They admitted her that night & yesterday (Tuesday) she had back surgery.  We won't be going home today, maybe tomorrow. And maybe not straight home, but in an inpatient rehab program. I'm glad that I could be here. I've spent every night at the hospital with her, only leaving to go to my parents' home to shower. She was in a lot of pain & I'm so thankful that this surgery will alleviate that.

I'm also glad that I didn't accept the $25,000 she offered to help with the down payment on my new home build. She will probably need that money for medical bills.

TSP $1,093,655

IRA $321,527

Brokerage $98,438

Investments $1,513,620

Savings $35,938

April 2024 Net Worth $1,549,558

March 2024 Net Worth $1,612,782

Monthly Gain/Loss -$63,224

Checking $10,779

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 for the countertops. I only wish the Sparkling White quartz had been an option.

I am doing arabesque tile in retro white for the backsplash & fireplace. I opted for silver mirror frames in the bathrooms and upgraded the cabinet hardware from knobs to bar pulls.

For the floors I did Amber Tide vinyl, Portrait White tile, and Alabaster carpets.

The only thing I'm thinking of changing (within 3 business days) is maybe the garage door to Alabaster. The darker colors seem to show the dust more in the sunlight.

I had my initial home design appointment. The two things that were hardest to decide on were the countertops (granite vs. quartz) and the brick selection.

I probably would have gone with the quartz upgrade if any of the quartz selections appealed to me, but they didn't. I looked online and found some quartz options that were attractive, but the ones this builder has selected were not the better options. So I went with a very popular granite selection that is called a white granite, but nothing is truly white in the granite patterns, just lighter than other selections.

I think I have decided on a neutral, earth tone brick. It's texture is smooth. I was considering a pink brick that had a rough texture, but went with a smooth brick in case I wanted to paint the brick in the future.

So I have decided on everything, unless I just change my mind last minute. I have almost 2 weeks until my final design appointment. Other selections included the flooring - vinyl & tile, wall & trim colors, door & garage door colors, stucco & siding colors, shingle color, and fireplace mantle.

I can't remember if I mentioned my upgrades. My priciest upgrade is the cabinets to the ceiling. I also am adding ceiling fans in the additional rooms, cabinets over the toilets, comfort height toilets, soft close drawers, upgraded the cabinet hardware from knobs to pulls, and added a trash can pullout. I am upgrading the tile in the kitchen backsplash from a subway tile to a mosaic tile and adding the same tile to the fireplace. I am upgrading the tile in the wet areas from large squares to rectangles. Some of the popular upgrades that I passed on were tiling the showers in the bathrooms (very pricy) and painting the lower cabinets and kitchen island. I'm going with all white cabinets.

Today is Good Friday and the markets are closed. I can update my investments, but will have to wait until Monday to add my savings & cash, and calculate my total monthly gain.

TSP $1,141,985

IRA $333,541

Brokerage $102,440

Investments $1,577,966

Savings $34,816

March 2024 Net Worth $1,612,782

Monthly Gain Loss $53,939

Checking $19,155

My brokerage account is earmarked for my downpayment on my home, which is scheduled to be completed 6 months from now. I'm glad to have 6 more months to accumulate savings. I know they say that a downpayment shouldn't be invested aggressively, but I don't want to pull the money prematurely.

Exciting news! Yesterday I signed a purchase agreement to build a new home. I'm very excited & looking forward to the process. It's a bit overwhelming considering all the choices that I'll have to make, but it's exactly what I hoped for so I'm fortunate to have this opportunity. I can't wait to share the updates & progress as I embark on this journey. Stay tuned!

TSP $1,103,630

IRA $322,758

Brokerage $98,764

Total Investments $1,525,152

Savings $33,691

February 2024 Net Worth $1,558,843

January 2024 Net Worth $1,481,220

Monthly Loss/Gain $77,623

Other Assets:

Checking $19,386

Car $10,575-16,372 (estimates)

I added my VIN to Monarch & got a vastly different car value than the one estimated from Credit Karma. Interesting. I really don't look at my car like true asset, but it does have value. However, if I had to replace my car I'd definitely be out more money. 

I am sticking with Monarch. Mint was free, but I paid $50 for the year. I think it's worth it. I think it's the closest to replicating what Mint was. Still keeping Credit Karma as well.

Piling up cash as I really get serious about looking at houses is a big priority. I want to be back in my hometown by Christmas. So if I'm building I need to start soon.

Of course, I owe money again this year. I think my former part-time employer did not take out enough in federal taxes. Since we transitioned to the new company this year I can see that my federal taxes paid has increased. Hopefully, I won't owe as much next year.

I did move from the 22% marginal tax rate bracket to 24%.

Federal tax bill $2,941

State tax bill $694

Total owed $3,635

Thankful for the surplus I always seem to accumulate in my checking accounts. It will come in handy.

Investments $1,448,641

Cash Savings $32,579

January 2024 Net Worth $1,481,220

December 2023 Net Worth $1,470,019

Monthly Gain/Loss $11,201

I don't include the below in my net worth.

Checking accounts $17,979

Car value $11,000

My 2024 pay has posted & we received a 4.7% raise. This translates into $5,456 for the year, $2.61 per hour, and $208.80 biweekly. I will receive a step increase in June. That increase will be another $1.77 raise per hour. I'm always grateful for whatever increases I receive. I have already increased savings & contributions for the year so there are no plans to make any further increases.

At the end of December I had about $19k in my checking account, which is about double my goal of $10k. So I decided to up my savings goal to $1000 a month from $500. I continue to end up with more money in my checking account at the end of the year than I need. In 2022 I did a transfer to my brokerage account at the end of December. Since I'm looking to buy or build a home this year I'll keep that money & just increase my monthly contributions. 

Now my revised goals look like:

$23,000 TSP

$6,000 TSP employer match

$7,000 IRA

$6,000 brokerage

$12,000 savings

$2,600 FSA (to fund my vision surgery)

Investments $1,438,561

Savings $31,458

December Total $1,470,019

November Total $1,388,506

Monthly Gain/Loss $81,513

Not included, but worth mentioning. Checking accounts were $19,208 total & car value at lowest estimate is $11k. This puts me at $1.5 million net worth for the first time.

I hope your holidays have been wonderful. It was good to have family home for Christmas. We had a couple of outings to museums for the kids, but mainly stayed close to home. We played a lot of games as a family which is always fun.

My mom had a low glucose episode & my dad called an ambulance on Christmas Eve. That was the one low light of our holidays, but thankfully she was fine. After checking her out they were only there about 15 minutes & now my dad knows what to do if this occurs in the future. Yesterday my mom said that she feels her glucose levels have evened out & she's not feeling the swings that she was prior. Thank the Lord.

Due to my mom's health, I ended up not attending the extended family Christmas Day gathering though I sent my assigned food dish which was complimented. It was just green beans, but it's kind of become the dish I can make well since it's what I always make for holidays. I like to spruce it up with potatoes & bacon. Baby Yukon gold potatoes are the best. I only use fresh green beans so most of the time is just prep time. They ran out quickly so I will make more next year. I stayed at home with my mom & we had an enjoyable time watching football & movies that day. 

I am planning to visit my niece & nephew in the spring when I can watch them play soccer. My niece is all about soccer & plays on the advance team. Her younger brother is not quite as into it, but plays as well.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2024!

2023 Q4 is done for the year:

TSP $1,040,872

IRA $306,280

Brokerage $91,409

Total Investments $1,438,561

For comparison, 2022 Q4:

TSP $810,864

IRA $243,949

Brokerage $79,994

Total Investments $1,134,888

ANNUAL Gain/Loss $303,673

A few this and that as the year comes to a close.

I upped my monthly IRA contribution to $575 per month, which would bring my annual contribution to $6,900 annually. I'll put in an order for $100 on January 1st to get me to $7,000.

I increased my biweekly TSP contribution to $900 which will max me out for the year at $23,000. They reduce the last paycheck's contribution automatically.

Based on tax efficiency I got out of the high dividend yield fund at Vanguard and exchanged to the tax managed capital appreciation fund. VTCLX return was much better than VHYX this year. I could kick myself for not making this change earlier, but c'est la vie, non?

My last paycheck was about $800 higher than usual so I must have been paid for my performance award. My other paycheck was higher as well after working extra hours on my last weekend.

I'm excited & ready for 2024, but enjoying time spent with family this Christmas.

Yesterday my Thrift Savings Plan balance crossed $1 million for the first time. $1,001,824.87 to be exact. 

My Roth IRA balance is $295,011.92. If this holds steady I can expect to cross $300k next year. 

I signed up again for YNAB. I had done the free trial back in 2016 or 2017 and was throughly confused so after the free trial I let it go. I've been looking for something to replace Mint & signed up for Credit Karma, but I haven't been impressed. I have an account with Empower, but don't care for how they are always trying to sell me their services. I guess that's fair since the service is free. They have to make their money some way. So, I decided to try YNAB again and to my surprise I qualified for another free trial. So far, so good. I feel like they've improved some things as I'm not quite as confused as I was last time. There's still a learning curve, though.