Maru Rico

Maru Rico Engineer | Lifestyle

09/20/2026

POV: I had the most affordable chinese food in Los Angeles (under $8 menu)

📍 Sham Tseng BBQ
Monterey Park, CA

09/18/2026

Here’s how I currently split up every paycheck as a civil engineer.

5% — Donate
I know the goal is usually 10%, but right now 5% is what I can comfortably give. I’d rather consistently give what I can than force an amount that doesn’t work for me.

10% — Fun
I didn’t have a fun-money category before. I would just spend whatever I had left, but I realized it’s important to actually budget for the things I want to do and buy. Honestly, this helps keep me sane.

40% — Needs
Housing, bills, groceries, transportation, insurance, and everything else I need to pay for. This is also the category I’m trying to lower so I can have more room for saving and investing.

30% — Save
My first goal is to build my emergency fund. After that, I want to put more into index funds and let it grow over time. I’m still figuring out if I want to get into crypto.

15% — Everything else
This covers the random stuff that doesn’t fit into the other categories such as shopping, subscriptions, gifts, and unexpected expenses.

This is what works for me right now. I’m still trying to find the balance between saving for the future and enjoying my life now.

How about you? How do you split up your paycheck?

09/17/2026

POV: Math I don’t use as a civil engineer

09/16/2026

POV: 33-year-old engineer in Los Angeles… new job, new lunch routine.

09/15/2026

POV: 33-year-old civil engineer starting a new job in Los Angeles

09/14/2026

POV: you just woke up from a dream

My couple weeks off are officially over. I got way too comfortable waking up without an alarm, having no schedule, traveling, eating good food, spending time with family, and basically doing whatever I wanted.

It was honestly nice not having to worry about work for a couple weeks. I could just enjoy my days and take my time with things.

But now it’s back to work and back to the usual routine. I’m definitely going to miss having this much free time, but I can’t complain. I got to enjoy the break, and now it’s time to go back and make that paycheck.

09/13/2026

POV: my crush has no idea what I planned for our 3rd date

đź“ŤThornhill Broome Beach, Malibu

09/12/2026

POV: i decided to make the food for our date myself

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Los Angeles, CA

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