Retire from 8 to 5 

We returned from our vacation to India in mid-November 2024 and jumped straight into horrid cold and windy British weather. Around this time of the year, it feels like almost all the generalizations about the Brits being cranky and wearing wellies all the time are definitely true! But I suppose anyone would be when it is cold, rainy, cloudy and nearly-no sunshine all day for a few wintry months.

To add to the weather miseries, our savings pot took a hit in November, when we had to pay a significant chunk towards our UK & US taxes. Any dividends on our US brokerage accounts will be taxed at flat 15%, and if the outstanding exceeds $1000, and we can be subjected to additional fines from the IRS. Based on prior quarters, K makes a projection of what our tax would be, and we pay 80% of the estimated amount. It’s always easier to pay the final 20% when we file for taxes in early-2025, rather than chase IRS for a refund if we pay extra. And there went 32% of our November paycheck!

K’s forte is to download these credit card statements and prepare the graph, and S excels at writing the article. So S typically does not see the graph, until she sits down to write the article. S is super bemused that K decided to call one of our hair-brained purchase (literally) of Higher Dose red light hat and Hims oil in “wellbeing” category. More on these purchases here. We are so optimistic and hopeful of these two products, that they deserves their own blog post! Someone is bound to use basic fifth grade math to convert 4.1% of X = £519.99, so 100% = £12,682. If you are reading this website, and decide to do absurd math like this, then please do not invest in more than a savings bank account. Clearly, more costs into this category, to make up the 4.1%. And more importantly, if our joint monthly income was £12,682 (in a country where the median family annual income is £36,000), then we would not be living frugally and we would be long retired young.

The rest of the month, was normal – junior turned 4 in early-December, but majority of our birth party purchases, and socially mandated “return-gift” purchases was in November. Growing up, S’s mother always had a birthday party for her, and its one of her fondest and kindest childhood memories. Birthday parties in middle class India in the 1990s was a luxury, and one that our family could definitely not afford. But a simple homemade cake, some chips and a samosa, made S feel incredibly special, especially when none of S’s other friends had any party at all! In some way or the other, we will keep this going for our son, and hopefully he looks back on the photos with some tenderness too.