Occupation: Academic advisor
Industry: Higher education
Age: 34
Location: Virginia
Joint salary: $158,000 (my salary: $44,600). My husband, C., and I fully combine our finances (though his tithing is based on a percentage of his income alone). We use a credit card upfront (I have a companion card) for day-to-day expenses (groceries, gas, Target runs, etc.) plus a few specific bills, and pay it off in full from a joint checking account each month. I keep a few hundred dollars each pay period in my own individual account for splurge items for myself, gifts for C. and so on.
Assets: Retirement balance: ~$30,000 in a couple of different accounts. I am a military spouse; we have moved four times in the last five years and I spent the last two and a half years at home with our kids. C. will have a military pension at retirement based on his rank at ~25 years in. He also has retirement accounts currently totaling ~$270,000. Equity: about $223,000. C. bought the house before we met; I’m not sure how much he put down. Savings account balance: HYSA (which acts as our emergency fund) has ~$30,000. Checking account balance: since the payday at the end of my diary it’s ~$10,000 (about $8,800 from paychecks and housing allowance). C. makes about $113,000, plus we get a housing allowance of a little over $2,900 a month. This is a military benefit; it’s based on the location of the base, your rank and whether you have dependents.
Debt: Student loan debt: $105,000, but I am on track for public service loan forgiveness in another five years. Car loan: $28,000 (we bought it new in 2022 and put $20,000 down).
Paycheck amount (2x/month): $1,600 (since writing I have also opened 529 accounts for the kids, with contributions automatically deducted from my paycheck. I also adjusted my retirement contributions so my take-home pay is more like $1,400 per paycheck/$2,800 per month and the kids each get $100 a month to their 529. Each is sitting around $200 right now).
Pronouns: She/her
Industry: Higher education
Age: 34
Location: Virginia
Joint salary: $158,000 (my salary: $44,600). My husband, C., and I fully combine our finances (though his tithing is based on a percentage of his income alone). We use a credit card upfront (I have a companion card) for day-to-day expenses (groceries, gas, Target runs, etc.) plus a few specific bills, and pay it off in full from a joint checking account each month. I keep a few hundred dollars each pay period in my own individual account for splurge items for myself, gifts for C. and so on.
Assets: Retirement balance: ~$30,000 in a couple of different accounts. I am a military spouse; we have moved four times in the last five years and I spent the last two and a half years at home with our kids. C. will have a military pension at retirement based on his rank at ~25 years in. He also has retirement accounts currently totaling ~$270,000. Equity: about $223,000. C. bought the house before we met; I’m not sure how much he put down. Savings account balance: HYSA (which acts as our emergency fund) has ~$30,000. Checking account balance: since the payday at the end of my diary it’s ~$10,000 (about $8,800 from paychecks and housing allowance). C. makes about $113,000, plus we get a housing allowance of a little over $2,900 a month. This is a military benefit; it’s based on the location of the base, your rank and whether you have dependents.
Debt: Student loan debt: $105,000, but I am on track for public service loan forgiveness in another five years. Car loan: $28,000 (we bought it new in 2022 and put $20,000 down).
Paycheck amount (2x/month): $1,600 (since writing I have also opened 529 accounts for the kids, with contributions automatically deducted from my paycheck. I also adjusted my retirement contributions so my take-home pay is more like $1,400 per paycheck/$2,800 per month and the kids each get $100 a month to their 529. Each is sitting around $200 right now).
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
