Saving the Raise

September 27th, 2007

My husband got a raise this month.  After taxes and added dental insurance, it is barely a blip on the pay stub.  It is a raise, though.  And I am determined that we will use it in the best way possible.

1.      We are going to save over the next year.  Each month, I am going to “pay” or savings account.  My goal is to have $2000 by the end of the year but some of that will have to come from sources other than this massive “cost of living” raise.

2.      We are going to pay off our equity loan.  I got careless with a new baby on the way and talked my husband into getting an equity loan to put on an addition.  I just couldn’t bare the thought of putting the crib up in our bathroom (about the only space available).  Now I can’t bare the thought of having that extra payment each month.  A little extra on the principle each month will have it paid off in just a couple of years.

3.      We are going to set aside for vacations and trips.  Although I can get us to the other side of nowhere on almost nothing, it would be nice to not have to squeeze so hard.  We may not be flying to Europe, but we can go camping in Yellowstone (as long as gas prices don’t go up too much more ).

This is a team effort.  If my family doesn’t help out then I know it won’t get done.  There will always be a reason not to save.  We just have to make some reasons why saving is more important than the other things.

Entry Filed under: Budgets and Finance, Family and Home