vhcol and that food budget? I cook half the time, and have almost double your food cost!
slpgh on
How are you paying so little in rent?
Whatever801 on
Healthy looking budget, well done.
DeathMetal007 on
I’m curious why you have savings and investments while not maxing the 401k contribution of $23,500. Not to say you shouldn’t be padding savings, but at a point savings is enough to protect between jobs. The rest would be better tax advantaged in the 401k.
3 months savings is $26,500 of your salary before tax which is right about where savings are. After tax it’s plenty.
There are more nuances but without more info I think this is the best course of action. I’m also not offering tax advice. I’m just pointing out what others have recommended to look into.
Krimmothy on
Man. This makes me feel bad, lol. My household income is about double yours, yet we’re about breaking even. Not saving much. The joys of paying for childcare lol.
Pratt2 on
Look. Your food budget including eating out is literally impossible for an adult human in the US.
Joe-Then15 on
How did you tabulate the date? Just one account or card? Do you use any tool?
I find it hard to add up expenses since I transact on multiple accounts and cards
plasticbug on
Holy shit. 50% savings at that level of salary in VHCOL area? You are amazing. The future you will thank you for being so responsible. But I worry whether this is sustainable. One thing I might point out though is it doesn’t look like you are currently taking full advantage of tax advantaged accounts. I would reduce your savings + investments, and put that money towards maxing out your 401k, and to start Roth IRA.
Ragnarotico on
You need to max out your 401K. Reduces taxable income.
Dr_Esquire on
Id be curious what your dating life is like and if you exclusively split. Decade older, but most of my dating was around late 20s. Was the guy friend among a lot of women; it used to be a pretty stark difference how much I paid per month vs how much they paid, especially considering I went on way fewer dates per month. When it came time for relationships, the number actually balanced out and we were often all pretty close spending-wise.
Dushusir on
How did you decide which expenses were ‘non‑negotiable’ vs. flexible? And do you feel your budget reflects actual cost of living, or more your personal priorities?
![[OC] 2025 budget as a 26F in VHCOL (in USD)](https://www.byteseu.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/yrc8nztawmbg1-1536x988.jpeg "[OC] 2025 budget as a 26F in VHCOL (in USD)")
13 Comments
$36 a week on groceries? How?
vhcol and that food budget? I cook half the time, and have almost double your food cost!
How are you paying so little in rent?
Healthy looking budget, well done.
I’m curious why you have savings and investments while not maxing the 401k contribution of $23,500. Not to say you shouldn’t be padding savings, but at a point savings is enough to protect between jobs. The rest would be better tax advantaged in the 401k.
3 months savings is $26,500 of your salary before tax which is right about where savings are. After tax it’s plenty.
There are more nuances but without more info I think this is the best course of action. I’m also not offering tax advice. I’m just pointing out what others have recommended to look into.
Man. This makes me feel bad, lol. My household income is about double yours, yet we’re about breaking even. Not saving much. The joys of paying for childcare lol.
Look. Your food budget including eating out is literally impossible for an adult human in the US.
How did you tabulate the date? Just one account or card? Do you use any tool?
I find it hard to add up expenses since I transact on multiple accounts and cards
Holy shit. 50% savings at that level of salary in VHCOL area? You are amazing. The future you will thank you for being so responsible. But I worry whether this is sustainable. One thing I might point out though is it doesn’t look like you are currently taking full advantage of tax advantaged accounts. I would reduce your savings + investments, and put that money towards maxing out your 401k, and to start Roth IRA.
You need to max out your 401K. Reduces taxable income.
Id be curious what your dating life is like and if you exclusively split. Decade older, but most of my dating was around late 20s. Was the guy friend among a lot of women; it used to be a pretty stark difference how much I paid per month vs how much they paid, especially considering I went on way fewer dates per month. When it came time for relationships, the number actually balanced out and we were often all pretty close spending-wise.
How did you decide which expenses were ‘non‑negotiable’ vs. flexible? And do you feel your budget reflects actual cost of living, or more your personal priorities?
What are your investments outside of 401k?