Our new budget as we reworked it on the 17th starts tomorrow! I'm so excited- we're finally saving significantly for retirement, an emergency fund, house down payment fund, and vacation fund. We're going to get 3 months of expenses in the emergency fund, then roll over what was going in there into a house fund (in addition to what we already contribute monthly), and then once those are both done in a few years, our long term goal is to save that money to buy 2
DVC contracts: a small one direct through Disney for the benefits and a larger one resale. Even though that particular goal (DVC membership) is probably about 8 years from being realized, we created a bucket for it in the budget and put $50 in it, with a plan to drop any "found" money into it here and there, and I also pledged any rollover I may have from my newfound pocket money (more on that below!) at the end of the month. Obviously it won't amount to anything substantial for quite a while, but it helps just to have the bucket in the budget as a reminder for why we live so far below our means while our friends are spending every penny they have.
We've also decided to become a single car family for awhile. I will be working part time opposite DH at least for now, so we don't need a second car. We have great credit and enough for a small down payment if need be, so at a moment's notice we could change our minds, but we can put the car insurance cost savings as well as the money we got from selling my (broken beyond repair) car into paying off his car a year early and getting much better coverage on our remaining car- so that's what we are going to do. I want to take advantage of this very short time in our lives when we can get away with one car and get a little ahead of the game on some things.
Now onto the new addition in our budget- pocket money! Here and on other budgeting websites I've always seen the recommendation that couples each have their own pocket money. Always seemed like a good idea, but with our savings goals being so ambitious it never seemed realistic. Now that DH has a better paying position, we are able to each have $75 a month of our own. No questions asked, no raised eyebrows from each other, not to be used on basic needs like clothes (unless they're not something we need)\- just our own blow money for things outside of regular spending that isn't an immediate need. I cannot describe how freeing this is! DH is a huge computer nerd- built his computer and desperately wants to make a "battle station". This always gets a groan from me, who can barely turn my computer on. It just seems like a waste to me (I;m the type who will use the same $200 junk computer until it is literally smoking), but it's important to DH. With this new budget, he can build his computer in peace with his pocket money and I can load up on Disney goodies that he thinks are pointless! It's taken a lot of the strain out of our money talks already and the new budget hasn't even started yet!
Tomorrow starts a whole new chapter for me and the first time I haven't worried constantly about money in 6 years, since my dad died. This group means so much to me! Thank you all for your tips, tricks, and for being completely honest about your debt and debt dumping. I'm in a very, very different place than I was when I joined in 2016, and so much of it is because I kept (and will continue to keep) myself accountable here and got so many tips from others!
@Dentam I'm sorry to hear about your housing situation. This is always my fear as a renter, and I've definitely had a landlord who would have done this. I really, really hope something wonderful and pet friendly comes your way soon. We have two cats, and I know how aggravating it is to find the perfect place only to see "no pets" at the bottom of the listing.