Net Worth

Popping in to make a notation of our net worth prior to my husbands retirement from the military at the end of this month (February 2026). My husband is 56 and will receive a pension monthly for the rest of his life. He isn't ready to not be working, so he is looking around for other ways to spend his time and potentially earn another income. It's possible that he won't work again, thus the reason I want to make a note here at this transition period.

Our cash on hand is $121604.

Our home is valued at $419,600 and we owe $282,336, which means equity of $137,264.

Our retirement accounts combined are valued (as of 2/29/2026) at $1,729,613.

$121,604
$137,264

$1,729,613

Total $1,988,481

Our 2023 Honda Odyssey is valued at $29,000

Our 2007 Honda Ridgeline is valued at $3000

$1,988,481

$29,000

$3000

Total Net Worth $2,020,481

Saving, investing and making good decisions with our resources pays off! Thanks to God for all his blessings. 

Cash is Back!

Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I talk about our personal finances. If you scroll back, you will notice I document each month where I find extra income. 

For many years we were moving around with the military and I was dreaming of putting down roots. I decided to start saving for our next home down payment. I made a Big Goal of $200K saved! In late 2021, we made an offer on the home and I made a final post about where we ended up with our Big Goal. You can read about it here.

Spoiler alert, we didn't meet the Big Goal, but we saved over half! In the end, we had $112,487.84 saved towards our goal. That was ALL of our savings outside of retirement. We put about $80K down on our mortgage and then spent another $25K on some needed upgrades, specifically a new deck, siding repairs and painting of the exterior. All money that has been well spent!

Today, I was making note of the cash we have in our savings accounts and noted that it was over what we had saved in 2021. It has taken us over 4 years to get back to that large of a balance. Today we are at $114,100.37. We even bought a new Honda Odyssey in during that time and paid it off in full. 

At this time, we are embarking on a transition. My husband (age 56) officially retires from the military at the end of this month (February 2026). He will be receiving a retirement check that we can live on, but our budget will be tighter than the past. Thus we have a lot of cash we can supplement from as needed. I am so grateful to the habit of saving. The ability to live on less than we earned. 

For anyone that comes across this and reads, please know that saving provides a safety net, breathing room, and options. If you look for money to save from your income, or in unusual sources, you will find it. What we focus on expands! Keep track...it helps so much!!  

December 2025 Extra Savings

The final month of 2025 was fruitful for extra income to add to our savings! Here is where the money came from:

Amex Rewards $76.34

Amazon Rewards $1.18

Chase Rewards $6.09

USAA Rewards $267.78 

FNBO Interest $76.86

USAA Interest $0.20

NFCU Interest $190.05

Warrior Dividend $1776.00

Total $2,394.50

Total YTD $6,351.43

I wrote a note in 2025 that it would be a year of abundance and it definitely showed up in our found money this year. We usually exceed $3,000, but never have we doubled that number. It was a great year for saving cash from my husband's paycheck as well. We are always grateful for the abundance God provides. 

Tracking our progress brings awareness and gratitude. I would recommend tracking, even if you spend the money or send it to debt. That is money that has blessed your current circumstances. 

November 2025 Extra Savings

I track sources of extra funds and passive income each month and set these aside in our savings account. In the past I would send these extra funds towards paying off debt. We are debt free minus our 3% APR mortgage. 

Amex Rewards $31.09

Chase Rewards $4.08

Amazon Rewards $16.30

Southwest Rewards $75.00

Ebay Proceeds $75.15

US Bank Rewards $30.64

FNBO Interest $74.20

USAA Interest $0.18

NFCU Interest $173.36

Total $480.00

Total YTD $3,956.93

Do you have extra sources of money coming in that you could put towards your goals? It is easy to spend it if we don't pay attention! Make those funds work for you. 

October 2025 Extra Savings

Want to pay off your debt? Start tracking where you have extra income coming in. After that start using those extra funds to send in a larger payment towards paying down your debt. 

This is where we found extra income this month:

Amex Rewards $29.16

Chase Rewards $8.48

NFCU Rewards $50.88

USAA Rewards $7.95    

FNBO Interest $76.48

USAA Interest $0.17

NFCU Interest $177.50

Return of Escrow $347.13

Total $697.75

YTD Total $3,476.93

It was a great month for interest and a return of excess funds in our escrow account. This month was nearly double our average for the month of extra money! As usual, all the money is set aside in savings as we prepare for my husbands retirement from the military in February 2026. He plans to get another job, and our savings will help smooth the income out as we transition! 

Savings over debt will always feel like freedom! 

September 2025 Extra Savings

Prepare and Save!

I track streams of extra income, all of which we save. At one point, in time we applied these extra earnings towards paying down debt. We are debt free except for our mortgage. Truth be told I should probably be applying this extra income towards the mortgage, but currently we are saving since my husband has a job change on the horizon. The extra savings will be helpful during that time. 

Chase Rewards $13.32

Amazon Rewards $8.57

NFCU Rewards $52.71

USAA Rewards $6.00

US Bank Rewards $31.53

FNBO Interest $79.80

USAA Interest $0.19

NFCU Interest $173.99

Settlement Payment $4.84

Total $370.95

YTD $2779.18

Keep saving! Extra funds in your bank account provide so much freedom. 

August 2025 Extra Savings

Welcome to my blog where I primarily track extra income. I share this as a way to encourage you to find ways to save small amounts of money for your future or even to pay down debt. Small amounts add up! Look for creative ways to save. 

Amex Rewards $75.39

Chase Rewards $7.84

Amazon Rewards $4.01

USAA Rewards $4.00

FNBO Interest $82.24

USAA Interest $0.16

NFCU Interest $154.12

Total $328.36

YTD Total $2,408.23

Thank you to the creator God for blessing us with abundance and fruits of our labor!