Here are some things I'm thinking about WRT the budget:
(While these are in no particular order, the more pertinent stuff is on top.)
1. 10% giving - I may bump this down to 5% depending on what I want to do with the rest of the budget, but we'll see.
2. Full 401k investment - I think my new/old company matches up to 5 or 6%, so I'll contribute that.
3. Fully fund Roth IRA - I also want to move it to a better place. It's with Merrill Lynch because that's where I opened it when I was 18(!), but I haven't been so happy with it's performance.
4. 5-10% fun money - I tend not to enjoy my money, but with me working my tukus off as much as I will in my new job, I will need to. I promised my gf that either I would budget for fun stuff or she gets control of it. Not sure if this will include vacation money or if that will be separate. Knowing me and my cheap ass spending habits, I'll just combine these.
5. E-Fund - (AKA Fuck you fund) This will be very impt to me, esp with my history at the job. I stayed there far too long the first time because I didn't have an e-fund. So, I am going to figure out how much I need for 3-6 months and bust my ass to fill it. Even if I don't need it for a potential "Fuck You," it will be good to have when I either go for my PhD or for a new job.
6. Pay off the credit mofos! - I am so happy that I will have the money for this.
7. Increase my non retirement investments - I own a few stocks and I may increase my holdings. I also think some sort of Index fund would be a good idea, too.
8. Save for a down payment on a house - This is a low priority for me as we are not expecting to be in any one place for long enough to reap the benefits, but it would be nice to have some saved up for when we are ready.
9. My gf gets some money each month (long story) - we have to figure out where to put it - stocks, retirement, student loan payments, etc.
10. Prepay the car payment - the loan will be at 10%, so this is important to me.
11. Start the student loan payments - this is only nec if I want to get the debt monkey completely off my back. This is not a big priority.
12. Save for tuition payments - now that the tuition benefit is gone and I don't want to take loans, I'll need to save for tuition.
13. Insurance payments - I am considering paying for COBRA instead of taking the insurance offered. I'll look at the plans.
As you can see, there are a lot of things I would like to do with my money. Tentatively, my take home pay will double (I guesstimated with Paycheck City.), so I'll have an extra 1500+ per month. But, there is still a limit.
First thing I need to do is prioritize and take it from there. Any suggestions?
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