I started this blog seven years ago because I had no idea how to manage my life without a job. I couldn't find any resources on the internet, so I documented my own process. I've grown a lot in the last several years, and come across various resources that didn't exist back then. So, in the spirit of the season, a gift:
You get paid well at Epic for the stage of life that most new hires will be. Expenses in Dane County are low, if you're not a moron. It would be very easy to save a substantial chunk of your income, and with the right lifestyle habits, a person can work at Epic for a few years, maybe consult for a few years, and then have enough to retire for life.
Enter Mr Money Mustache. He advocates frugality and aggressive saving/investing. Live close to where you work. Arrange your life so you don't need a car. ("What about winter?" you're saying. Hold your horses.) Throw parties at home with booze that you bought at Woodman's, rather than hanging out in bars on Capitol Square.
On Zillow, The average rent for a 1 or 2 bedroom dwelling in Verona is around $1000. Average salaries, according to Glassdoor, are big, to say the least. Get out of Madison, and move closer to Epic.
Assuming a salary of $57,000 per year, that's a gross pay of 4800 per month. For single folks in 2018, that puts you in a 22% tax bracket. Married folks are in the 12% tax bracket. I'm going to assume singleness for the math that follows. I don't remember how much insurance cost at Epic, and whatever other stuff came out of pre-tax--someone with current figures can comment below, and I'll update here.
So, from $4800, subtract $300 for various pre-tax deductions: Insurance (maybe?), 401(k), cafeteria.
From $4500, take off 22%.
From $3500, subtract $1000 for rent. (Get a roommate and split that.)
From $2500, you ought to be able to live comfortably and save a ton.
If you have a car payment, get rid of it. Sell your SUV and buy a used hatchback and snow tires.
Don't eat at restaurants. A single person ought to be able to eat well on less than $400 a month. Learn to cook.
Read Mr Money Mustache's case studies and get other ideas. The main tips are live close to work and don't spend like a moron.
It is not difficult to live on $2000 or less, as a childless person in Verona. Invest that money using the tools that MMM recommends. When your investments pay you more than your expenses, then you're retired. Hooray!
"But my car!" you say. "I need it because it's cold!" Wisconsin winters suck. But I lived in the neighborhood in that Zillow link. The sidewalks between those houses and Epic are well-plowed and well-salted. It's a 15 minute walk to Fomalhaut, then heated and underground anywhere else you want to go. It's a 10 minute drive to the parking garages. Saving 10 minutes a day is not worth $500 in car payments, gasoline, and insurance.
You can do it. The best way to survive getting fired from Epic is to not need a job in the first place.
Update 3/6/18:
You're going to travel while you're at Epic, and Epic is going to pay for everything. Turn a profit on that with a rewards credit card. I use Chase Freedom, and am quite happy with it. It currently offers 1% back on all purchases, with 5% back on certain categories that rotate out every quarter (currently anything with Chase Pay, and internet/cell phone bills). Help me help you by using the referral link above.
Also, the Qapital app helps with savings goals. Link your bank account, and create rules to automatically save for whatever goal you want. Rules can be "round up every purchase to the nearest dollar, and deposit the excess into your goal", "save X% of every deposit", or a slew of others. It's a great app. Use the referral link above, and we'll both $5.
