Whew! I’ve slept in seven different beds so far in the last two weeks, not including airport lounges. How about some updates?
The Big Move. Sadly, we no longer in Oregon. We are leaving a great city, great food (tachos and microbrews!) and even greater friends. Luckily, we managed to secure a very generous relocation package from our employer, complete with full-service movers that packed almost everything for us, from the dishes to the furniture. The bad news is that we had a lot less incentive to properly shed ourselves of all our clutter, and instead it’s coming with us. 🙁 I’m keeping our exact location vague for privacy reasons, but I’ve hinted before that it has a high cost-of-living and is near the Pacific Ocean.
New Digs. We are actually going to be staying in a relative’s extra rooms for now. We have been living out of suitcases for a while now and it has actually been nice, so the plan is to keep living as such for as long as we can. If we don’t find any acceptable houses to buy, we will then start to look for another house to rent. Our biggest problem currently is trying to convince our relatives to accept money from us!
New Jobs. Soon after we arrive we will be starting our new jobs. Again I won’t name our employers, as sharing detailed financial information anonymously online is one thing, but sharing them with co-workers is another. I will reveal that we will now both be making six-figure incomes, and they are in categories listed in my six-figure salary survey results. Accordingly, you will be seeing a boost in our monthly net worth changes.
I’m 29 years old now. I know the number shouldn’t matter, but I’m sort of happy that all these things have happened before I turned 30. We are not millionaires or anything spectacular, but we are settling down somewhere for the long haul, surrounded by family, gainfully employed, and moving forward. What more could one ask for?
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Congratulations!
congrats! get promoted and I’ll email you for a job 😉
Congratulations for the new start! Time to revise your goals 🙂
Congrats! I wish the best for both of you.
ahh i see now….200,000+ a year and frugal living? no wonder why u guys grow ur net assets so much…
anyways, congrats on the new lifestyle….u only live once so treat urself to something good…if ur ever taking a trip overseas let me know as i probably have been there and i just might be living there or know locals who can give u an insiders view!
conrgats on the new digs
congratulations! I hope you find the perfect home and love your new location.
Congrats!! Keep on blogging.
So I assume we’ll be seeing more posts on the AMT? 🙂
If you figure out how to reliably give your relatives money, please let us know; my relatives frequently do not deposit our checks.
I couldn’t imagine anyone more deserving, Jonathan! I hope the good stuff just keeps flowing for you and your wife.
What field are you guys both in? Wow, 100k each? That’s pretty normal for California. 100k in SanFran=46k here in Ohio.
enjoy being DINK’s! (dual income, no kids) 😉
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone 😀
Yep, 100k isn’t much where we are living – In fact, we probably wouldn’t move back unless we made that much.
I don’t know how long the no-kids part will last, but I would like to have a house first.
A suggestion from personal experience.
Even relatives who won’t accept money will accept groceries and Target-like goods like toilet paper and paper towels and (if tastes allow) nice booze. Beat them to the grocery shopping, and there won’t be a fight.
Wow – congrats! Welcome to San Francisco!!!!! Very happy for you.
heather, if they won’t accept checks, try giving them cold hard green, or attempt to intercept utility bills and send a check there directly (they won’t turn it down as long as you give a valid utility account number). ac’s suggestions are good, too.
jonathan, i’ve been living out of a seabag and a backpack for over a year now, and i’m beginning to enjoy it!
Congrats, Jonathan! Reaching goals and milestones are awesome! You and your wife are well on your way to having a wonderful and financially free future!
Jonathan,
Stop trying to keep it a secret! We all know you are a software engineer that lives in San Francisco. =) That is my guess anyhow. Congrats on your success!
46k in Ohio is 100k in CA? where do you get that? As a couple who just did the move to CA from the midwest each making at least 120k the only things more expensive in CA are housing and the state income tax rate. Heck, gas is cheaper in CA than in OH.
How long do you plan to look for a new home to buy or rent? With gross income ~130k, you 2 will grossly make alot while paying pennies to your relatives? Way to save and really make alot.
Wow, well done and all that before you hit 30,
I hope I can do the same (Y)
good luck in all these new starts.
Jonathan,
Congrats! It looks like everything in your life is going very well. To be honest, I’m a little jealous!
Your blog is great for financial advice, it has been very helpful to me. I’m 24, and I’ve been comparing myself to your net worth history here: https://www.mymoneyblog.com/my-net-worth-history/
So far, I’ve been pleased with my progress, but holy smokes, now that you have dual incomes of 100k+ each I think my days of keeping pace with you are numbered!
If current trends continue, you could reach financial independence at 40!
Housing is a huge portion though… For 300k in many places in the midwest you can get a really nice and large house. Take your 300k to San Fran or LA and see what you come up with!
Though 100k might not equal 46k, I am hoping for a significant raise when I move from midwest to Cali next year–just to stay even!
100k is a good salary anywhere especially if you are under 30. Congrats
100K is a milestone regardless where the person is. It’s sort of a benchmark that u are finally making pretty good money especially at that age.
i live in the midwest and i agree that apart from housing, i dont think there is much difference. But then again, that difference can be a matter of $2000 to $3000 a month.
So $100k eh? is that net or gross? Why are you in such a hurry for a house? Once you get a house, you’ll start spendng all that money on Home Depot, lawn & yard stuff, new paint for the baby to be room, maintenance, window coverings, fix up the kitchen stuff…. I don’t mean to be a drag but have you looked into getting a town home where you don’t have all the expensive trappings of a home and upkeep? Just because you both earn $100k a year doesn’t mean you need to spend it! That is classic to America however, the more you earn, the more you usually spend. How much will commuting expenses be or will one of you still work from home?
So you are saying there will be a day or two interuption in your blog posts? 😉
Good luck with living with relatives! I agree with ac. Keep things on friendly terms. I would also recommend cleaning. Running the vacuum and scrubbing the tub really does perk up my family (and makes the welcome not wear out as fast).
good luck on your new start, new location.
Glad things are going so well for you!
I’m relocating soon too. Just wondering if you have any tips on having the movers do the packing. I figure I should be around the house that day, things should be clean and already purged (hopefully), but are there any other tips?? Thanks! Love the blog.
No interruptions to blog posting, I’m getting good at finding WiFi hotspots 🙂
Thanks for the tips on living w/ relatives. We are actually in our own side of the house, very private, which is nice. Many things are still up in the air, we’ll see how this goes first.
Full-service packers did everything, we didn’t even move the clothes out of the dressers or books from the shelves. We just had to make sure and take with us what we really needed for the next two weeks as they will take a while to actually get to our new place.
If they do an in-house estimate beforehand, be sure to tell them about all new purchases. For example we bought that new bed after our estimate, so they didn’t bring a special box for both beds.
Congrats to you — exciting times ahead!
What do you think of this strategy? Rent a house you may want to buy in the future. Live there 2 years and then make them an offer. Maybe you can get a deal if the market continues to decline. And if you decide you don’t like it — you’re not trapped.
Wow, $200k a year. Yup, there goes my hope of keeping pace with you. 🙂 Congrats.
Only 29!? Congrats & thanks for setting a super example!!
Congrats on the move to this side of the Bay! And even more congrats that you and your wife will both make six figures! What an incredible accomplishment and feat. All of this before 30! You’ve set the bar high!
I love San Francisco but you can’t beat Oregon – great brews (Rogue Brewery and the Willamette Valley wines!).
I forgot to add you left a city with a thriving music scene – Britt Daniel of Spoon and Johnny Marr of the Smiths both live in Oregon – portland specifically. But welcome to this side of the coast!
It seems like you can fetch 100k salaries anywhere in the US nowadays. Just be in IT or Proj Mgt.
So awesome! I’m 29 too, so I’m a little jealous. I’ll never make that sort of money in my current career, but I’ll keep reading your blog to figure out ways to increase our income and make our money work for us. But I don’t envy you moving away from the Pacific NW. I love it here (I also love SF, but the NW wins out as lower-key, IMO). Best of luck to you; just remember, money isn’t everything. As for the family, just be VERY appreciative – buy them dinner, give them a spa day, buy groceries and keep your side of the house clean. Awesome!
Wowee Zowee! Just found your blog a few days ago and catching up on earlier posts. Let me add my congratulations and best wishes to you and your wife for a terrific, new life. !