Share your financial mistakes or coups

[Anonymous]

Question: yes I will get a pension from the govt of my high 3, approx $50K/yr, plus SS (not sure what that would be but maybe $25K/yr). DH has pension as well ($30K/yr). We have no debt except mortgage. I do plan on working after 56, just not at my current grinding soul-sucking middle management job from hell... I do not plan on touching my TSP until well into my 60s and maybe 70s.
Now what's your prognosis?

Answer: Sounds like you have no idea what your expenses are. Spend the next few years living off of $80k and see if you can do it. Save the rest. Track your finances, perhaps using Mint.com. This will 1. bump up your savings, 2. If you can do it, it will make SS payments and TSP/401k distributions icing on the cake and give you a nice reserve in case SS changes, medical bills skyrocket, etc. Plenty of folks can live very comfortably on $80k. Many can't. I can't decide if you can or can't without knowing your expenses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:biggest coups: buying houses twice at really good times (1997 and 2004) and selling once at a good time (2003).

We buy used cars.

Waiting to have kids.

Using affordable but excellent daycares and DCPS preschool and preK.

Bad moves financially:

Summer day camp for three is a killer and we don't like the cheap ones.

Occupational and speech therapy for kids.

We love to travel and 5 people travelling is expensive.

Why was speech therapy a bad move? Just because it was expensive? Or are you saying it wasn't worth it?