The end

of the year is just around the corner. Personally, I can’t believe another year is gone. It seems like my little ones were just sitting around the tree opening gifts…and now they are about to do it again. Overall, 2018 was a good year for us. From health to family fun to finances, I am grateful for all of the good things we encountered this year. As we reach the end of the year, I wanted to pass along an update on how I did savings wise. 

Some

months were definitely better than others when it came to putting money in the bank. I can’t say that I was totally focused on savings either. We took three family vacations in 2018. One we drove and got by on the fairly inexpensive side. For another we used some of my airlines miles to help foot the bill and one…well, one we went all out on. I have to hand it to Disney, they did an amazing job with their cruise! But, all spending aside, money did make its way into the savings and brokerage accounts this year. 

To recap

This year, I didn’t start with a percent savings in mind. I have changed that for 2019 but for 2018, I started with a dollar amount in mind. I fell short with that goal. Aside from the vacations, we decided we needed to update our kitchen. We didn’t opt for the gut job, but we did go with new countertops, lighting, sink, and backsplash. We also had some lights and drywall redone in a few areas. If we didn’t undertake the kitchen, I would have fallen just a few dollars short of the goal I set. As a percent of my total take home pay, we ended up saving 32% in 2018! While I’m not setting records, I am pretty happy with that number. 

%

Total % Saved in 2018

Next year

my goals are a little different. I am not remodeling/updating anything (we did two bathrooms in 2017 and a kitchen in 2018). 2019 is going to be a year where we, knock on wood, don’t have any major expenses like these. As a result, I’ve set a goal to save at least 40% of my take home pay. If we can do that, I’ll be happy. As a stretch goal, I’ve set a goal of saving 50% of my take home pay. This is the point where I would be thrilled with our savings! 

I hope

you and your family had a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018! I look forward to sharing more of my progress toward my goal of FIRE by 45! Happy holidays!