Personal savings

[Abstract]

^^Yeah, me neither. I have ADHD and have had this issue since I was born.


"Now why did I crawl away from my crib again?"

Nice interest rates in Australia .... You'll get ~ 2.8% in The Netherlands

Yeah, where did you get 5.75% in Australia? I get 5.3% from ING Direct banking. Not that 0.4% is a lot, but it's still worth looking at.

 

[CompUser]

my parents bought our beach house in the 1992 for $300,000 to $400,000. It was built in 1969 but about 5 years ago we resided it with shingles and last year we put in new $18,000 kitchen and bathroom. I has four bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a garage, a kitchen, an eating area, and a living room. It is about 100yrds away from the water with an unobstructed view and it has really good landscaping. Right now it is worth about $1,000,000.

My parents have another investment (sorta). Its a 3 family house in newbritian connecticut. 3 apartments, 1400 sq ft each. Its an okay place to live, but I would never want to live there. Its just sorta old. They bought it in the early 80s and the rent money that comes in pays for the morgage and the costs of maintaining it.

We have some mutural funds too, but I don't know much about those.

 

[mj_1903]

Six figures including the 2 decimal places, surely. What? You mean a real six figures? Damn!

*flies to the US, walks up a rich dude's driveway, and hope he slips and hurts himself. Lawsuit? You betcha*

No, 6 figures in USD mainly because most people here are American. I should hopefully pass 7 figures later this year but I wont count my chickens...

As for the interest rate, the ING Direct variable rate for business accounts is currently pegged at around that point (well it was the last I looked). Edit: It's at 5.4% right now and so is personal savings.

However, this is kinda fun, the opposite I guess of savings:

Yes that's US$8 trillion and counting. That makes my entire wealth a miscount.

 

[CanadaRAM]

In a good way, I hope... But these things are relative. I'm also noticing a general slowing-up of faculties in my contemporaries and of course, the occasional walking-into-a-room-and-forgetting-what-I-went-in-there-for moment.

That's called thinking about the hereafter.


As in

What did I come here after?




(get those a lot myself. Cover up by rubbing my chin and mumbling vaguely mathematical sounding equations, hoping people will think I'm merely deep in thought. Doesn't work, often.)

 

[kretzy]

Yeah, where did you get 5.75% in Australia? I get 5.3% from ING Direct banking. Not that 0.4% is a lot, but it's still worth looking at.

Yeah, coz I've been looking around also, and was thinking of going with ING as that seems to be the highest one around.

 

[Abstract]

mj 1903 cleared it up (above). He's getting 5.4% at ING as well.

Well either way, 5.4% or 5.75%..........both are frickin sweet.

 

[Deepdale]

Well either way, 5.4% or 5.75%..........both are frickin sweet.

I wish that would be the rate in effect for my maturing Treasury bills, but last week it was 4.250% and no increase appears likely.

 

[kolache]

I would have a lot saved if I didn't have to worry about paying off my partner's credit card debt ($20,000 a few years ago - now it's down to $13,000). We're in our low thirties and I'm already worried about having enough to retire.

 

[kretzy]

mj 1903 cleared it up (above). He's getting 5.4% at ING as well.

Well either way, 5.4% or 5.75%..........both are frickin sweet.

Ah cool, I must have missed it.

Yeah I think I'll set up an account, because I may as well earn some interest if I can.

 

[JohnEZ]

Age 15.5, have just over $2800, not including bonds. Unfortunately, a MacBook Pro is just about to take care of that... after which I'll have roughly $800.

I do, however, have an agreement with my parents that I save half of whatever I earn (from my paycheck--Christmas and Birthday are freebies), and if the rates stay the same, that'll be just under $4000/year. So there's $2000 saved, and $2000 available for spending if something catches my eye. But really, I don't need much to spend, so after the computer, I think about 70% will go to the bank account.

I figure that if I have half of my pay taken from the check anyway, I can't miss what's not right there, right?

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I would have a lot saved if I didn't have to worry about paying off my partner's credit card debt ($20,000 a few years ago - now it's down to $13,000). We're in our low thirties and I'm already worried about having enough to retire.

I know the feeling. Had to sell my TH last year. In part was due to a $20K loan that I did payoff off with an home equity loan, for my ex.. And about $10K in credit card debit that was "shared".

The end came for us, when I finally realized that I was the "bread winner". That I was the only one that "cared" about our financial future.

Friends and co-workers joked that I was spending my TH proceeds with my trip to SF and Chicago last year. As well as my trip to Iceland and London this February. Truth is that without paying for 5 to 6 meals a week out, I have saved tons. And not having full cable has saved me lots too. I also make it "game" when going grocery shopping - see how much for so little can I feed myself.

 

[Deepdale]

... I also make it "game" when going grocery shopping - see how much for so little can I feed myself.

What amount is typically spent on weekly groceries in that game you have going on?

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

What amount is typically spent on weekly groceries in that game you have going on?

I try for less than $50 a week for all meals during the week. That is for one person. Since I don't really do breakfast, that allows me $3.50 for my lunch and dinner each. That amounts to $7 a day.

Most prepared foods do not get bought unless they are on sale and have coupons (Pregresso or Campbell's soups at 50 cents each after coupons and sales rocks IMO). Double coupons rule in the end for processed food.

I love the $ off store coupons for "older: meat (BTW, Giant Food is better than Safeway in the DC area). And I live for the $1 to $1.50 each for pre-cut salads.

 

[kolache]

I know the feeling. Had to sell my TH last year. In part was due to a $20K loan that I did payoff off with an home equity loan, for my ex.. And about $10K in credit card debit that was "shared".

The end came for us, when I finally realized that I was the "bread winner". That I was the only one that "cared" about our financial future.

Friends and co-workers joked that I was spending my TH proceeds with my trip to SF and Chicago last year. As well as my trip to Iceland and London this February. Truth is that without paying for 5 to 6 meals a week out, I have saved tons. And not having full cable has saved me lots too. I also make it "game" when going grocery shopping - see how much for so little can I feed myself.

Sorry about that, Chip. Sounds like you made the right decision to get out.

I'm sure you'll be back on your feet in no time

 

[takao]

What amount is typically spent on weekly groceries in that game you have going on?

personally i spend perhaps 15-25 € a week ... ( sometimes more sometiems less) ... last spring i was eating for about 10-15€ a week for i guess 3 months or so

this semester it's not working since i have to eat out more often because i have to wake up earlier and have long lunch brakes on university so i'm using more money

but of course for that little money you will eat pasta at least twice a week, little bread or meat (expensive), cheap fruits, only water, lots of meals with rice and of course cheap prepared food (pizza, canned soups, fish sticks etc.)

i'm a student (and i love pasta ... i can eat it every second day.. just like tomatos)

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Sorry about that, Chip. Sounds like you made the right decision to get out.

As much pain I feel worrying about my ex and their "life" after the breakup, I know that I am in a better space. For if I want all you can eat ribs, I know that it will cost me half of having to so it with my my ex.

To tell the whole story, my ex did take a job just weeks before I gave them the "or else". They had a life insurance policy for $20KUS. It was the first time that I truly saw an effort on their part to try and make me "whole"; since they felt their life was at an end.

I'm sure you'll be back on your feet in no time

To God's ears....

The reality is that despite the profits that I made in my TH sale, there is little hope of owning another home (unless I want to live in areas that others won't).

Rest assured that I am in a good place. I live just 6 miles from work. The apartment I live in is all utilities paid. I live with-in walking distance of the DC Metro (though mass transit is not a REAL option for me).

At this point, all I ask for is being able to do things that I was not able to do in 13+ years with my ex. All (hopefully) without living on debt. All with out dipping in to the sale of my TH.

My ex and I were a study in contrasts. I can count the number of times in my youth that we went out each year for a dinner out on two hands with fingers remaining. My ex would have been hard pressed to keep it under two plus hands each week.

I feel so great when I am able to do a lunch at work work for under $3, along with my dinner at the same cost.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

personally i spend perhaps 15-25 € a week ... ( sometimes more sometiems less) ... last spring i was eating for about 10-15€ a week for i guess 3 months or so

this semester it's not working since i have to eat out more often because i have to wake up earlier and have long lunch brakes on university so i'm using more money

but of course for that little money you will eat pasta at least twice a week, little bread or meat (expensive), cheap fruits, only water, lots of meals with rice and of course cheap prepared food (pizza, canned soups, fish sticks etc.)

i'm a student (and i love pasta ... i can eat it every second day.. just like tomatos)

Pasta and rice are my friends. As well as Campbell's and Progresso soups (with crackers) for lunch.

I will admit that I hold the manufacturers for their quality. As an example I had bad experiences with some BBQ and ready to cook chicken. In all experiences, I was made "whole" after calling the 800 number. I used this option as a "last resort".

 

[Deepdale]

I try for less than $50 a week for all meals during the week.

That is a very good example of disciplined spending.

i'm a student (and i love pasta ... i can eat it every second day.. just like tomatos)

I'm Italian and love pasta but eat it sparingly since my 50 pound weight loss. The one food that I could eat on a daily basis is tuna ... loved it since early childhood.