I have been reading and enjoying all of your blogs here for a long time and decided that I would enjoy sharing my financial worries, stresses, successes and excitements with all of you. Most people in my life just don't get where I am coming from when it comes to finances. This seems like the perfect place to get some honest feedback and have an outlet to keep from driving myself (and/or my husband!) crazy!

In a couple of weeks, I am starting a new, full-time job after having been a SAHM for the last 12 years. The thing I am most excited about is that I will be able to save more money. I have already worked out our new budget and have allocated most of my new salary to various savings goals (retirement, college, etc). According to all of the retirement calculators and financial health tests that we have taken, we were already well on our way to a good retirement although I have always felt like we were behind. It struck me as I finished the new budget that I was more excited about the additional money that I was going to be able to save for the future, than the extra money that we would have for "frills". I don't recall ever hearing anyone I know getting excited over saving money. I always hear the excitement over spending money.

New Salary Allocation:
Anticipated net take home pay = $2875
401 k contribution = $1300/month
College savings = $1000/month
New car fund = $500/month

We will have $500 more per month extra in our budget starting in September as we have moved our younger child from a private school to public school so that tuition money will be spread over several items in our budget (home improvement fund, vacation fund, family "frills").

It feels so exciting to be able to save, save, save!!