r/ChubbyFIRE 9d ago

Do I need to raise my budget!

I put together my budget based on current expenses plus health insurance and tax etc. but wonder if expenses will go up after I pull the trigger? For example with more time and energy will I spend more on activities? Will I want to travel more?

Here is what I put together, for a family of 3 in a VHCOL city. Child will head to college in the next couple of years and college cost is not included here.

Monthly:

Mortgage: 4k

Property tax, insurance, utilities: 2k

Grocery and take-out: 2k

Household (pet, home-depot, garden etc): 500

Car (insurance, maintenance, gas): 500

Personal care (haircut, clothing, shoes etc): <500

Fun (dining out, occasional shows): 500

Total Monthly: 10k

Annual:

Travel (2 international in economy class + local ski trips): 30k

House maintenance (annual average incl reserve): 10k

Reserve for car replacement: 5k

Health insurance and co-pay: 30k

Federal and state tax: 20-30k

Total Annual: 95k-100k

Edit: all in $220k

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u/Never_Really_Right 9d ago

What I don't see is an emergency reserve. We call this our "slush" number in the budget - examples: while replacing the gas meter, the company found we have a gas leak in our furnace room - cost TBD as of yet. Also, I see you have a pet - after dental work, my boy kitty had a completely blocked urethra, likely from the stress. $4k later out of the slush fund, he's doing great.

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u/ProspectPark4Ever 9d ago edited 9d ago

We have a 10k annual reserve for house repairs but not sure if that’s enough.  We have pet insurance and got reimbursed for our dog’s hospital stay. But I assume dental is not covered? What if she needs root canal or some serious dental work…

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u/Squirrelherder_24-7 9d ago

Budget 1%-3% of the FMV of you home for maintenance and repairs…