2025 End of Year Expenses and Update

 Just updated my expenses for the year.... it's kind of comforting that my core expenses match my target!

Everyday Expenses: $10,839

Housing: $14,566

Travel/Lifestyle: $14,764

Gifts/Tithes: $7501

Notes.

Everyday Expenses and Housing I total as my core expenses and they total about $25k which is what i'm targeting in early retirement as well. I dream about living in an apartment with a balcony but i also really enjoy having really low core expenses. 

so for now, i'm quite comfy in my modest appointment inside the train, haha. I don't really live in a train, if you didn't know; i just live right next to a set of train tracks and boy it is LOUD often. 

I wasn't sure what my expenses would be but i'm glad this is on target. 

and i spent quite a bit less on travel which is nice. 

i actually actively tried to spend more, hence the 2 cruises.

Life.

honestly, it's pretty good right now. mentally, i'm so much more stable and calm and happy. i'm still working through how much socializing i actually need. and with meds i have much more awareness of false urgency. 

just today i went to use the last of a few gift cards and free food certs for a bingo game i used to attend. turns out they haven't really had the game all of 2025. wow, it'd been over a year since i went. 

and i don't feel like i missed much.

i'm not sure why i just haven't had the social battery for many outings.

and i don't feel depressed about it.

i think knowing i'm not MISSING anything helps. like the life i'm living is one i chose. so it might look very similar on the outside than the life i was leading previously, but internally it is much different. i am happy and i can recognize this and verbalize it often.

this month was a range of feelings regarding next year...in terms of financially, i got nervous about what to do, when to do it, what it would be like. 

but as it gets closer to sell my investments, i'm actually excited. there was a lot of calculations over the last months and tons of spreadsheets. 

in the end, i just made a couple notes and talked to chatgpt and i have a plan. 

i needed the spreadsheets but yeah the actual mechanics will be a few clicks.

the biggest surprise is supporting an overseas relative and just upping my general spend. 

yep, i plan to spend closer to 60k next year. way over the 4% rule. 

that's all for now!