It’s the start of the holiday season…

What happened this last month?

Numbers were generally good this month and up over last month. We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

It looks like there was a significant drop in our investment contributions this month, but that’s only because there was a momentary bump last month. Overall, the contribution rate is staying steady, which is positive.

We made several purchases this month, some necessary, others optional. For example, we decided to purchase the mattress that we believe is close to the same one we had on our Disney Cruise almost 4 years ago. The Bed Bath & Beyond near us was going out of business, so we purchased a vanity for our bedroom too.

As is symbolic of our last minute planning, we sent our daughters on an overnight youth retreat. We essentially decided, checked on if they had spots for them and some friends, and committed all within a week.

As for necessary purchases, we had to get a new car battery and pay for dental visits. I suppose you could debate whether purchasing gifts is required or optional, but it’s the season where that normally picks up a bit.

If you’re wondering what I use to track our numbers monthly, we use both Mint and Personal Capital. Personal Capital has a lot of cool planning tools that I haven’t seen anywhere else. You can check them out and we both get $20: https://pcap.rocks/adam4058

Where did we spend the most?

Our monthly expenses increase from compared to last month. However, they were also quite a bit lower than last November. We started Christmas shopping this month, which generally increases our expenses this time of year.

• $802 Mattress
• $771 Gifts
• $400 Youth Retreat
• $235 Weekend Getaway
• $184 Vanity
• $160 Car Battery
• $146 Dentist

The Money Related Numbers

56.62% to target number (previously 53.31%)

This is our invested assets/target number. Our invested assets span across a variety of investment vehicles such as 401k, HSA, IRA, Roth IRA, ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Program) and standard taxable mutual funds.

68 months (previously 69)

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

30.57 months (previously 33.28)

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

The Expense Related Numbers

11.88 times annual spending (previously 10.98)

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.

47.51% to minimum FIRE (previously 43.91%)

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

20.98 times annual spending at goal number (previously 20.59)

We have a goal amount that we’d like to reach. Given our current annual spending, this is how many times our annual spending we’ll have saved when we reach our goal number.

How Much We Invested

-40.57% Month to Month Change In How Much Saved (previously 62.42%)

This number shows the change in what we saved this month compared to the prior month in things like 401k, Roth IRA, taxable accounts, and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

-40.16% Month to Month Change in How Much Saved With Employer Contributions (previously 62.28%)

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

0.17% Month to Month Change in 12 Month Savings Average (previously 3.45%)

This number show the change in what we saved this month compared to the prior month, but on a 12 month rolling average. This helps to smooth out months over time and shows a more general trend.

0.16% of 12 Month Average Net Income Invested With Employer Contributions (previously 3.54%)

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