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The BIG big picture

March 20th, 2008 at 08:23 pm

I posted this in the forums in response to someone asking what everyone's goals were, and another poster explaining that goals had to be achieved with plans. Figured I should put it in my blog so I don't lose it, since it's the first time I've really written my desired life plan all out.

Overall goals: Pay off all debt, save a lot of money, learn how to invest it, and live well (and well within our means) for the rest of our lives.

The Plan: Well, I formulated those goals gradually over the past year, after 33 years of not being able to see past next payday. So part of me thinks I won't get to where I'd like to be. But the good news is, every step I take at least gets me to a better place than I was before. :-)

Step 1: Only make purchases we can afford. Stick to a budget. (Has worked well for almost a year.)

Step 2: Pay off all credit card & personal debt by 12/31/09. ($63K to go.)

Step 3: Put future raises partly toward debt snowball and savings, and partly into quality of current life (travel, gifts, home improvement).

Step 4: Clear out room in budget to make and start tending to babies in 2-3 years.

Step 5: Learn best way to invest (we're planning an international move in 5-10 years and aren't sure if maxing out US-tax-free venues will save us anything if we have to pay UK taxes on them eventually).

Step 6: After CC debt gone, babies getting taken good care of, quality of life satisfactory, and investing knowledge gained ... find a good balance between paying down remaining (house & education) debt and investing/saving like crazy to make up for lost time!

Maybe I should add (since this is about dreaming big) ...
Step 7: Live Happily Ever After!

2 Responses to “The BIG big picture”

  1. homebody Says:
    1206096182

    Sounds like a plan! DH and I did something similar last October with the goal to revisit April 1st. Ach that's coming up!

    We made not just money goals, but time management goals for me, home maintenance goals, etc.

  2. ceejay74 Says:
    1206112380

    Great point, hb. There are obviously a lot of gaps in the above plan because it only talks about what to do with the money I make, not how I make it, or how I should proceed to really make the most of both time and money.

    I've been skirting an issue in my mind for some time now, which is: Am I happy enough just being a person with a job, or would I be more satisfied if I had an actual career, with a track and room for advancement and all? Even if I'm more of a job-having person than a career person, shouldn't I try to branch out so I have more than just one marketable skill? If so, what else do I think I'll enjoy? I've only been at my current job two years, so I'm not bored or restless. On the other hand I just turned 34, so if I wanted to retrain I probably shouldn't wait too long.

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