nice well thought out post, straightforward and honest
just a quick comment regarding savings. it is important not only to consider how much you can afford to set aside and save but where to save it. for example here on Hive if you have HP the interest rate now is 2.6% but you can increase this by posting regularly and get it somewhere over 7-8 % paid continually in HP. if you save HBD you can earn 15% paid monthly in HBD. if you buy BEE on hive-engine, stake it and delegate it to bee.voter you can earn over 30% paid weekly in HIVE. all rates are annual but the more frequently they are paid out, the better. @susie-saver also has a program for saving that might be of interest, just make sure you understand the details of it. of course you cannot pay your monthly bills with earnings like these but if you can save long term and only convert your earnings to your local currency when you really need it you can earn much more than from a bank. when the price of Hive soars like now the savings are super charged calculated in your local currency but of course when Hive dives the earnings sink accordingly
best wishes for the new year
!INDEED
!BBH