That night Jay was still up working and so I told him to chat with me to get the worry of an a/c repair off my mind. He reminded me how blessed we are - to have a house big enough to need two a/c units, to have enough money in the bank to repair them if need be.
Laying there I remembered that when I turned 30, I let my aunt down. She's always said that I'd be a millionaire before I turned 30. Needless to say I didn't quite make it. Jay laughed at how difficult that would have been to do with me making $12 an hour.
That led into a conversation about where we wanted to be financially before we cut loose. Basically when are we going to stop living like no one else, and truly start living like no one else.
Jay suggested that when we have $250,000 in the bank we could start altering our habits some.
Yeah, that's what I thought too.
I told him that he was crazy and that we'd do stuff with money before we ever accumulated that much. We've got a bath room to remodel, a garage to built, a mortgage to pay off, and by that time a new (to us) car to buy for Jay's work purposes.
We agreed that when we did all that AND had $100,000 in the bank we'd really cut loose. (Sad isn't it? I'm never gonna get a Kindle!)
What does cutting loose mean to us? Jay really didn't say, but I was able to list off a few things. Most of which yall probably think are crazy and already do.
- Leave the A/C on 78 in the Summer and the heat on 68 in the Winter.
- Buy an Amazon Kindle - I love reading and it seems like a fun new technology.
- Get a phone with Internet access so I can play on Facebook, Twitter, and check my email any where.
- Maybe, just maybe, get Cable TV.
I'm a wild one aren't I??
Who is probably never going to get a Kindle cause I've got some pretty lofty financial goals. But seriously people - I've always got trade credit at the used book store and I'm desperate to get rid of that tiny, claustrophobic 2 foot X 2 foot shower.
Then again maybe by the time I get a Kindle we'll also be well off enough to get Laser hair removal on my legs and never have to shave again.
I guess a girl can dream.
As long as she's not lying awake worrying about money.
Or anxiously awaiting her (used paperback) copy of the Millionaire Next Door.
You are funny - and pretty smart too!
ReplyDeleteAlways dream girl. :) My husband and I drive around sometimes and look at the big-big *million dollar* gorgeous houses and dream about what we'd do with a house like that. Reach for the stars is what I say... but keep your feet on the ground too. We definitely budget and plan, it makes all the worry go away.
ReplyDeleteInstead of the Kindle what about an ipad? It has internet and there's a book store thingy online from itunes. :) win-win!
Have a great weekend girl!
We keep our heat set on 68 and the air is currently on 75...so we aren't that far off. If we have visitors we crank it up a bit so they won't freeze, but we deal just fine!
ReplyDeleteGood luck reaching your goals!
I think you deserve a kindle. Those are some great goals and not many people can say they have that much saved up in a lifetime.
ReplyDelete:-)
ReplyDeletei have a feeling you'll get there...and further.
love this post. sometimes it is so hard to live like no one else.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever thought about a Nook instead of the Kindle? Barnes and Noble’s giveaway at least 1 free book a week. My SIL just got a Nook and LOVES it. She hasn’t spent any money on buying books and she has 30 in her library. I’m not sure if Amazon does anything like that.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I think it's awesome that you guys are on the same plan with finances.
ReplyDeleteI have such admiration for you and Jay and this plan of yours. We lived this frugally for many years. Pre-kids and pre-T going back to college. When it became near impossible to save as much as we wanted to. It's a whole different mental state that you must adopt in order to put off something like a Kindle or a "fancy" phone - which, to me, seem like relatively minor purchases. But I do admire your determination and your goals.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever thought about signing up for Swagbucks? Make sure you read my blog today. You could save all your Amazon giftcards for a Kindle. I've got a Kindle, and I actually don't use it as much as I would like. There's still something about going to a bookstore (or Sam's) and looking at the books. I'm also thinking about signing up for paperbackswap.
ReplyDeleteI think I've said this before, but I really think it's great the way y'all do things financially! I wish we had obtained a little more financial wisdom earlier in our marriage, so things would be better now. That being said, I think you totally deserve a Kindle! Would he let you set aside like $25 a pay period or something? Or maybe as a Christmas present??
ReplyDeleteI think its amazing how you manage your finances!!! I need to hire you to put us on allowances!!
ReplyDeleteget the cable company to put a tower on your land & they will pay you annually AND include free services :)
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ReplyDeleteI think my first comment may have been a bit too personal :D
ReplyDeleteI hope you get your Kindle and it IS super great to have financial goals as long as you don't push other important things in life to the side. Balance is very important. You should never lie awake worrying about money - life is too short!
Keep on going - You two are doing great!
Love this post... aren't we all always dreaming about what we'd do IF we had all that money! :)
ReplyDeleteI am glad to find another dreamer! I gave you an award for having such a fantastic blog!
ReplyDeletehttp://beyerbeware.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-feel-so-loved.html
You guys sound really disciplined! My hubby's iPhone was a "necessity" in our house - and you can get Amazon Kindle on my iPod Touch, so it works great for me... :) But we don't have AC at all, and I'm not even going to say what we have in the bank!
ReplyDeleteAnd all I've got in the car is a radio - I really want something decent so we can listen to audio books, etc. - but that's on the luxury list (along with a decent car). Funny how things differ!
I want a Kindle too! My sister showed me hers and I've been envious ever since! Amazon recently had it on sale for $189 with free shipping but I still couldn't justify buying it. But I did mention it to Tim for our anniversary or maybe even Christmas!
ReplyDeleteTim KILLS me with the a/c. I'm always turning it up telling him to turn on the fans to cool down. He'll set it at like 75 degrees first thing in the morning when it's still cool out. I run around here mumbling under my breath, "Did I mess that electricity was free this week?"