I have bought 5 houses. 7.5% was the highest interest. 2.5% the lowest. Refinanced 3 or 4 times on different houses.

Things I have learned.

My anticipated income did not come to fruition for many many years.

No house is a dream house. Tastes change, family size changes, areas change. None is the ultimate. I would need 4 at once to satisfy every want. Beach, Lake, Ski, home. All you need is a 1 roof. The other 3 are for fun and vacations. Renting is cheaper than buying.

Our least favorite house is by far the longest place I have lived in.

Many people live in low tax states and many send their kids to private schools.

Most of my friends drive nicer cars than me.

Save more than you think you can afford. I thank my young self for maxing my 401K every year over 25+ years. Roth 401K for several years too.

The cost of owning a house has historically benefited one's financial situation but taxes, roofs, association fees, maintenance, insurance, etc. all cost something. Prepare and anticipate. During Covid I bought 3 refrigerators, 2 ovens, a dishwasher, and a microwave. All with in 6 months. They don't make them like they used to.

Put money into a 529. You can pass it on and/or roll it into an Roth IRA in the kids name. 30K I think. You, spouse, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, can all use it too.

Do not commute. By far the largest negative to this job. I hate it.

Sometimes I feel like an absent dad. That is part of the job. For some reason my spouse and kids still like me. At least I think they do.

Enjoy the ride. It's a wonderful job. Take care of your health. Tell your spouse how beautiful they are, hug the kids, and give back. Someone helped each and every one of us along the way. Give it back.

 

You made a lot of good points until you give the absolute advice of do not commute. Perhaps you don't like commuting based on a variety of factors but commuting, itself, is not had or evil

 

All commutes suck, some just suck more than others!

 

In your opinion.

 

Correct. Commuting isn't for everyone. It's possible to admit that there are people who happily commute every day of their career. "Commuting sucks" isn't a universal truth

 

It is a universal truth. The suck factor however has to be weighed by the potential gains living somewhere you enjoy. In the end I chose to live where I wanted regardless of the commute or potential taxes.

 

People commute for lots of reasons with varying satisfaction, but nobody prefers it. Nobody moves out of base because they want to commute. Plenty of people do the reverse.

Now if you want to define "sucks" as something hideously awful, then yeah, you have an argument.

 

That's exactly the argument I'm making. No one is saying that commuting is bliss. Technically, in terms of getting to work, the most ideal circumstance is living in the airport hotel and anything further away from that is worse. Some people choose to make the claim that because it's worse than the ideal, it's awful. That's not how anything works.

What I have said is that commuting is a mindset. You can choose to believe that it is awful and a drain on your soul, or you can make the best of the time. You can read books, watch movies, sleep, catch up with friends and so on to pass the additional time. Purely in terms of driving to work vs commuting to work, yes, living in base is superior. But I don't look at it in such simple-minded terms. I enthusiastically choose to spend a few extra hours a week commuting to trips because it makes me happier than if I lived right next to ATL. And, on the not so rare occasions where I can get 30 hour layovers in my home city, I enjoy it even more. Or DHs to or from my home city or another base.

 

What does nobody prefers it mean. I would quit if I weren’t allowed to commute.

What sucks is my home airport is not my domicile. I would definitely prefer that.

 

You don't prefer commuting. You prefer living where you live.

You commute because the random results of what you like and what's available near base don't overlap. Commuting is a means to an end.

You don't commute because you want to commute. Nobody moves out of base just because everything about their life is good but it would be better if they could jumpseat more.