A homebuyers program designed to help teachers and emergency workers buy in the community where they work is a great benefit. Good luck with it!

It sounds like renting a place may be good for your mental health and relationship with your family. You might consider sharing a place to save on rent. In my 20s, I rented a 3 BR, 2bath with a colleague. We set up the 3rd BR as a sitting room.

Emergency fund? Three months expenses is bare minimum, acceptable for someone with a stable job in a field that rarely has layoffs. The biggest emergency most people face is loss of job, so you want enough to keep bills paid while job hunting. For most people, six months expenses is about right. With dependents or in a field where it’s more difficult to find work, you could need more.

You need an emergency fund equal to 3-6 months of living expenses. Calculate the amount based on what it would cost you to live on your own, instead of with parents.

General guideline is to invest at least 15% of gross income for retirement, starting in your 20s, to be able to retire in your 60s. If you can do more while living at home, that is an excellent idea.

Are you paying estimated taxes yet? As a contractor, you are responsible for employee and employer share of social security and Medicare tax, plus paying in your own withholding for income tax.

The finances look pretty good in this scenario. If moving is going to improve your life by being closer to family and in a city with less crime, the relatively small financial hit is worth it. HCOL areas often have benefits like lower crime and better amenities, which offset the cost.

Consider whether you want to do a 15 year, 20 year, or 30 year mortgage. Interest rate is slightly lower on 15-year, but you may want the flexibility of a longer mortgage. You already know how to pay extra if you decide that the flexibility would be useful.

If you ask for an advance, ask for the amount you need not the entire week’s pay. Getting more than absolutely necessary increases the chance you’ll struggle to pay bills from next pay check. It sets up a vicious cycle of advance/shortage/advance.

Sounds like you are on the right track. You can’t afford a $700k home on your combined incomes, plus it’s not a good idea to buy a home with someone you aren’t married to. Pay down your debts aggressively, save for deposits and a small emergency fund, then get your own place.

Once you have your own place, continue saving while you work your way up the career ladder. When you have a combined income nearer $200k, you can look at buying a $700k house. With your current combined incomes, you’d need a massive downpayment to get the monthly payment into a reasonable range.

What are your goals?

Retire in mid-60s? You need 15% of salary invested for retirement every month.

Buy a $350k house with 20% downpayment in two years?

Move into a luxury apartment by yourself next month?

You are in good shape right now, with your uncle subsidizing you. I commend you on taking advantage of the opportunity he is giving you to save and pay off school debt. But the only real measure of how you are doing is to look at progress toward your goals.

15% is a frequently recommended guideline for retirement investment, assuming you start in your 20s and plan to retire in your 60s with the same standard of living. Example

If you want to retire early, you need to invest much more. If you got a late start, you need to invest a bit more. If you have defined benefit pension plan, you may be able to invest less. If your employer matches, that match can be part of the 15%.

Yes, focus would be a good idea. With the limited information you gave, I’d prioritize 15% of income into investment accounts and non-mortgage debt. I’m assuming your mortgage rate is less than 6%.

Consider setting up two monthly automatic payments from bank account. Gives you more control while keeping your usage low.

1. Use a high yield savings account. Right now, you should be able to find one paying about 2%.
2. A 401k is a long term investment account, so your goal should be to buy and hold investments. Choose investments when you open account, then ignore until five years before you plan to retire. Young people typically choose aggressive portfolios (75-95% stock), but people near retirement may want a less aggressive and less risky approach (50-60% stocks).

I use one card for a subscription service and one for curbside grocery pickup, paying them off monthly. That keeps them active so I have when needed for travel expenses. One is locked up in my home filing cabinet. The other is wrapped in a long strip of paper in my wallet, so I have to unwrap it to use. The wrapping is a reminder not to use the card frivolously, because after two decades being debt free, I still need that reminder occasionally.

When you buy glasses, know your insurance allowances and be clear on how much you are willing to spend. Optical shops will show you the expensive designer frames first, unless you are clear that you aren’t going to buy from them unless the price is within your budget.

Also, some places give uninsured customers a discount. I get 20% off for paying with my credit card, then I file my own insurance and FSA claims. I buy my backup glasses online, but I like to get my main pair locally so they’ll adjust after I knock them out of shape.