Thanks, Sweeps and MM, this is exactly what I needed, especially MM's advice about waiting to file estimates and her reassurance that 35% will probably be in the right ballpark.
So, I'll keep saving 35% for taxes, up the withholding a little bit on my dayjob, max my Roth and my spouse's Roth, and just focus on avoiding lifestyle creep since my household income will probably go back down next year. (If my freelance job ends next year, my income will go back down. If it doesn't end, we may take the plunge and have my spouse quit or reduce his work hours.)
Sweeps, it was reasonable that you assumed I was married. That's what spouse means, after all. I sometimes use "spouse" instead of "partner", especially in financial conversations where I worry that people might not 'get' my domestic situation. In this case I just made things more confusing!
|