Welcome to Money Talks! New approaches to money have exploded. Yet, money remains taboo. Less than half of you share personal finance information with your friends and family.
But that’s all changing. Now more and more of you are talking about money because it leads to better outcomes.
In an effort to provide personal finance insights through transparency (and have a bit of fun), I’ve created a series titled Money Talks that showcases how real people in Charlotte approach money.
It’s an anonymous way for you to share your money experiences and insights with our city. Answers are lightly edited for clarity and privacy (ex, exact age). Want to participate? Take the Money Talks survey.
Living situation:
We moved to Charlotte in 2020 and snagged a 2.75% mortgage for a really nice 3-bedroom home in the University area.
We’re paying $1,800 a month, but already looking to buy a new house since I work from home and we want to have more kids. We’d consider keeping this home as a rental property, but not sure it could earn that more than the mortgage payments.
Currently, we have two young toddlers. The hardest thing is affording good, clean food. We try to buy organic local meat and produce while avoiding processed foods. It feels like we spend a thousand dollars on milk and meat from the farmers market — plus the stuff we have to buy from Publix and Aldi.
We plan to homeschool our children, otherwise private school tuition would be a huge concern.
Job:
I’m “overemployed” (meaning I have 2 full time jobs at the same time). I work in tech. I’m a product designer at both jobs, a fintech startup and a marketing tech startup.
I also do some product design consulting and freelance work on the side, but this past year I’ve slowed down. I’ve been overemployed since 2024, and worked about 10-20 of additional freelance hours on top of that through various design agencies.
Salary:
In total, I make $360K from my two jobs. It’s all base comp. no meaningful bonuses. I do have equity from both startups that hopefully will be valuable someday (although I’m not banking on it).
Other income:
Just freelance design work. In 2024, it was about $40K, but I’ve cut back this year. I can charge $100/hr.
Work-life balance:
It’s okay. I try to keep work at work, but work is super stressful trying to manage two full-time calendars and avoiding overlap.
Working from home helps since I can see my kids throughout the day
Salary journey:
I worked in restaurants through high school and college.
I got a part time job at a tech startup my senior year and they offered me a full time job after graduation doing business/operations analysis and some user research making $35K a year. I stayed there before doing a bootcamp and transitioning into product design.
Made $75K after the bootcamp, then hopped jobs not even a year later to make $104K. Not even a year later, hopped jobs again to make $145k + equity. You guessed it, not even a year later, hopped jobs again to make $175k + equity.
Throughout all this time, I kept picking up more and more freelancing work on the side to the point where I felt like I could actually take on another full time role — so about a year later, I took on another full time role at a Fortune 500 company making $155K + $50K in actual stock. About a year later, I transitioned to a new different second full time job making $175K since the other company wanted me to move and start going into an office.
I would not recommend being overemployed with a family. This would be amazing if I was single, LOL.
Debt:
Just a tiny bit left on my wife’s student loans because the interest rate is lower than our high-yield savings account.
Credit card:
Chase Travel Card. I got it like 10 years ago because a friend recommended it and I literally have never thought about it since, but maybe I should…
Net worth:
Roughly $750K. That consists of equity in our house (the majority of this), $200K in a high-yield savings account in case we want to buy another house, and $100K in tax-deferred investments (401k and IRAs).
My advice is to delay gratification and enjoy the grind while you’re young. My mom was super frugal and taught me how to save. My dad works in finance and taught me how to invest.
Budgeting:
I have a very rough Google Sheet going with general guidelines and some historical data, but if I’m honest, we don’t really budget.
Being frugal with every purchase eliminates the need. I used to shop at 4 different groceries stores in a day to get lowest deals for every different item. I don’t do this now, but I think through every purchase before buying — used or refurbed, nothing full price, wait for sales and deals, etc.
The line between frugality and stinginess is thin. I struggle with it at some points, but if I can balance it, it really does save time and money.
I scan Publix BOGO coupons weekly, but if I find myself on the 7th page of the items on sale, I know I’ve gone too far.
Recurring expenses:
I try to avoid any recurring expenses unless extremely necessary or we use it daily. We have no TV streaming services, my company pays for gym membership and spotify, so I think the only ones I have are AAA and Amazon Prime.
I do love LA Fitness (company pays for it). It’s $35/mo for a brand new gym, small lap pool, and sauna.
Charlotte money hack:
Publix weekly BOGO sales. Just check the app and only go there to buy things that are 50% off.
Restaurant pick:
Bird Pizzeria. Whole pepperoni pie for me, and a cheese to split with the wife and kids (extra basil on the side).
Savings goal:
We’d love to buy land and build a custom home on that land so we can have well water, chickens, and a garden.
Retirement:
No idea. My dad is still working and nearly 70. He loves it. I would retire early if I can’t find something I love more than my current jobs.
Personal financial freedom:
I’d feel total financial freedom making $500K per year.
What’s “rich” in Charlotte?
Nice house, nice car, sending kids to private schools and going out a lot — either that or having a second home in a little mountain or beach town.
Best money decision:
Paying off everything before buying newer things — I now have no student loans, no car payments, and no debt.
I’m also glad I didn’t end up buying the stock of the first startup I worked for… at the time it would be like 50% of my savings. The startup went under, so my stock would have been worth nothing.
On your mind:
What will happen to my life if companies all start moving back to the office? Also, how long can I survive with two full time jobs?
I want to live remotely in the future. I think about life in a city/suburbs versus the life I want with lots of land for chickens, woods, and my kids to enjoy.
Money Talks is a weekly series showcasing how real people in Charlotte approach money. Participate.
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