Need some frame of reference here since I've officially had my big boy job for 5 months.

I make 70k/yr, 23yo with no car or house payment, so that's probably like 55-58k after taxes if I were to spend $0.

I've spent about $8k this year (rounding everything to the nearest 500).

It's been like 1.5k in gasoline which is expected.

Close to 3k in firearms, ammunition, gunsmithing tools, gear etc. I shoot competitively and it's my only hobby but I think I got carried away early in the year when the money started coming in. I've definitely cut back in this regard but I think a reasonable/frugal amount for myself would be about $3k annually (about 10,000 rounds of ammo equates to about 200 rounds/week and leaves room for a single moderately priced gun purchase per year).

Eating out and groceries was about 2.5k which really surprised me. I'd say buying for my parents/girlfriend makes up probably $500-1k of that but still. I wasn't bringing lunch for like the first three months of working which was retarded. I've since started to.

Last thousand goes to various different things. Oil change, nicotine, ticket to concert etc

I kind of feel like a fuck up for spending this much but on the other hand I'm still poised to save about $40k a year (close to 70% of my take home). If I keep the exact same rate I'm looking at $16k EOY, and that's pretty fucking ridiculous with absolutely no bills. I think bringing my lunch to work and only spending money on ammo and gasoline will allow me to make it like $11-12k by the end of the year which is a much better number. I'm not planning to move out at the moment but I can see how a rent bill + further lifestyle creep on personal fx would leave me with like no savings

> spent 8k in 6 months
Fuck bro does fanny even know you exist?

>>60588506 (OP)
also I'm not really investing other than meeting the bare minimum for full match on my 401k. I've contributed $800 and the account is at $1500. I should probably invest since $40k hard cash after a year is decent

>>60588512
who's fanny

>>60588506 (OP)
I run a household of 4, 2 cars, and we spend 40k a year. If you manage to do almost 50% of our costs without any expenditures you should kys instead of even dreaming of making it.

>>60588542
kek this is the wakeup call kind of reply I was hoping to get
not even going to argue with you it's crazy how I spent $8k in 5 months with no expenses.

I think that buying lunch downtown every day M-F and buying like 3 handguns makes up at least 50% of my spend

>>60588554
Like bruh, I understand you young and wanna flash money. But if this becomes your habit how the fuck you gonna support a family later on? You gonna be living paycheck to paycheck. Without any bills you should be spending money on gas, lunch boxes and a gym membership. Maybe some clothes, and of course finding women. Don't know how one does that in this day and age, you currently have a gf so stick with that and treat her to a restaurant next time after she treats you to one. If I guess right that will be never. Your hobby is your hobby but don't go wild. Where to invest your money is impossible to say in this day and age, you figure that out yourself. Don't give your gf a dime.

you should be putting 7k a year in an IRA, and 20k into a 401k. otherwise they will have u working until you are 70

>>60588506 (OP)
you should double your expenditure and use that as fuel to get a better job

70k at 23 means you need to be a CEO by 35 bussin in 300k+

why do you want advice from people with 30k jobs in their 40's

or do you have an investment strategy that requires 90% of your income

>>60588506 (OP)
>>60588760
start a $300 a week health routine
start a watch collection
join a social club or 11
start golfing whatever it is

figure out your next step
get that next job by 25

>>60588554
Bump
I'm like you just 10 years older inb4 blogpost
>>60588676
>>60588715
100%

>>60588506 (OP)
So I'm a family head of 4, early 30s, stay at home wife.
I make around 115k $/a before taxes.
I'm not American so money math works differently here.
I and the wife have a budget of 200 bucks/ month for our hobbies. She used to have a gym membership and used the rest for her hobbies or extended vacations.
1k goes towards the mortgage. House is paid of in 2029. Bought a house that needed a lot of TLC. Spent 50k and 4 years diying to make it nice.
Wife drives a 14 yo station, I have a 17 yo shit box. Wrench everything myself. Mostly ride the bike to work.
We have around 17-19k expenses a year.
Big garden, chickens wood stoves
I am an avid shooter and hunter. Basically 400 bucks are going towards permits, fees insurance yada yada
Rest goes into reloading or arrow shafts.
When I was young I bought way to much guns and now I plan to sell more in a year than I buy.
In the end I've gone full boomer mode and the most used guns are a Remington nylon 66, my 4" mod 10-5 and a fn 150 Target pistol.
Used to dump all the excess money into an MSCI world etc, now I'm piling cash because I'm eyeing another crappy house
>>60588542
Harsh wording but hits home

>>60588506 (OP)
switch to exclusively consuming Arizona Green Tea, cheap instant ramen, and protein supplements.

>>60588529
You will never WAGMI

>>60588506 (OP)
I can understand being frugal but you’re still fighting an uphill battle trying to save anything in fiat in these dark days. Pick 3 shitcoins above 10m and below 100m and DCA the red candles. As soon as you get a 2x put your initials in ETH and pray you walk away with 100k before the EOY. Next year do the same thing with blue chips and put the profits in bitcoin and ETH. The year after that start doing very small 2-5x leverage shorts on the market after pumps with low money while you acoom bitcoin. It’s risky but you’re young. Just don’t do anything stupid

>>60588506 (OP)
>3k in firearms, ammunition
I shoot USPSA, if you are even a little serious a 3k ammo budget is just getting warmed up ...

>>60588506 (OP)
What do you for work?

You sound exactly like my coworker