our budget non-negotiables

our budget non-negotiables as two 34 yo DINKs | 235K HHI | paying down $138K student loan debt "budget non-negotiables" meaning we will cut back religiously in other areas before touching these obviously our fixed expenses about $53K / year $30K - housing / utilities $15K - student loans $8K - groceries maxing out our employer match for our 401Ks about $29K / year this is FREE money. please do what you can to max out the employer match if your company does one! maxing out both of our roth IRAs $15K / year* *2026 limit = $7,500 we feel like we are playing catchup from lower pay in our 20s so maxing out onward maxing out both of our HSAs $4,400 limit for self-only plans in 2026 minus any employer contributions... both of our employers contribute so it's about $7K / year for us again, retirement planning + lots of tax advantages fitness 💪 varies, but we know this is an important investment in our health now and in the future travel 💼✈️ also varies, but traveling brings us the most joy if anything so I continue to work our budget around being able to do so multiple times a year on different scales. we use sinking funds to always be prepared for the next trip. this doesn't mean these will NEVER change, but right now this is what aligns with our long-term financial goals while living our "rich life" how we can now