Summer Vacation

What happened this last month?

This month we took a weeklong family vacation to Disneyland. We had visited California between Christmas and New Years last year and thought about going to Disneyland for a day, but realized that a day’s worth of tickets would cost almost as much as a week’s worth of tickets some other time of the year. When we were looking at options this year, we found that this was actually an affordable option in June. We stayed at a nearby hotel that allowed us to either walk or take a Lyft that would get us there in minutes.

This month is also when much of our insurance is due, so it’s a big hit every June. I also got a small drone which I plan on using to be able to see various things around the house without having to climb up on the roof to look at things like gutters. I’ll probably find some other fun things to use it for as well, but I’m still getting used to using it.

Where did we spend the most?

Our monthly expenses were down compared to last last month. Annually, they’re down slightly from last June.

• $3563 Vacation
  • This included expenses for Disneyland, a weekend trip to Lexington, and tickets for Lakeside
• $2277 Car insurance
• $1081 Homeowners insurance
• $444 Umbrella insurance
• $375 Drone

The Money Related Numbers

96.96% to target number (previously 96.39%)

This is our invested assets (401k, HSA, IRA, brokerage, etc.) divided by our target goal number.

25 months until original FI date (previously 26)

The number of months until my 45th birthday and our Financial Independence date.

2.54 months until calculated FI date (previously 3.04)

The number of expected months until we reach our target number. This is based on our current expected monthly contributions, assuming a 10% annual return.

The Expense Related Numbers

19.51 times annual spending (previously 19.28)

This is how many multiples of our annual spending we have saved up towards our goal. For example, if this value was 9.1 and we spent $10,000 annually, we would have $91,000 saved up.

78.05% to minimum FIRE (previously 77.14%)

The minimum number to achieve FIRE is 25 times our annual spending. This number shows how close we are to the absolute minimum.

20.12 times annual spending at goal number (previously 20.01)

We’d like to save 25 times our annual spending. This is how many times our annual spending we’ll have saved when we reach our goal number. If it’s 25 or greater, than our goal number will be enough to cover our expenses. If it’s lower than 25, we’ll need to either cut our expenses or increase our goal number.

How Much We Invested

-66.65% Month to Month Change In How Much Saved (previously 343.73%)

This number shows the change in what we saved in our investment accounts this month compared to the prior month.

-65.96% Month to Month Change in How Much Saved With Employer Contributions (previously 321.33%)

Same as the prior number, but with employer contributions counted.

2.33% Month to Month Change in 12 Month Savings Average (previously 7.81%)

This number shows the change in our 12 month rolling average. This helps to smooth out months over time.

2.06 of 12 Month Average Net Income Invested With Employer Contributions (previously 7.28%)

Same as the prior number, but with employer contributions counted.

How we track the numbers

I’ve been using Empower (referral link) to track our numbers. I put them into a spreadsheet that calculates the numbers you see above.