Sitting Pretty

For the first time in, well, my adult life, I (we) are sitting pretty in terms of finances. And by sitting pretty, I mean that we're able to live relatively comfortably AND save some money. And I'm not even 35. What a deal.

I'm not making hand over fist with Struckman Consulting, but I'm making a respectable amount of money and working less, which means that daycare costs and commuting costs have been reduced significantly. We just refinanced the house and are saving nearly $250/month on our mortgage bill. We don't have credit card bills or car payments. And we only have one student loan to pay off (Nate's). All in all, it feels very good to come out ahead every month and save to make improvements on the house, pay for a new car in cash and have some money on hand for emergencies.

That's not to say that we are going to be able to actually save significant amounts of money for traveling (something I'd really like to do some day) any time soon. The house will be a money pit for the foreseeable future: improving the front yard, repairing the garage and garage door, painting the outside trim and installing new gutters, hanging new windows, replacing the carpet and painting the entire basement, buying a new washer and dryer... The projects seem never ending.

The good news is that when we finally finish with all of these projects, we will be able to take a break from the house and truly enjoy it until we find that it's time to move.