I received my first annual bonus...ever...yesterday. I'd been looking forward to the day since my company was acquired in 2005.
Perhaps that is why it seemed so anti-climactic. I had earmarked the whole bonus for my RTW savings 15 months before it was in my pocket.
Don't get me wrong; I'm very satiated by the fact that half of it is now earning me 4.5% interest in my ING Direct savings account!
Still, there were no champagne bottles uncorked...no gourmet dinner with a girlfriend...or beers with friends to celebrate.
And for those of you who've kept up with my dental tribulations, you may know that much of the money won't even go toward my trip, but rather a dental implant I'm getting in four short days.
I was reviewing my savings targets, and it seems as though I'm going to have to start saying "no" more often and more aggressively than I have in the past.
Still, it feels like I'm getting walloped right now with a confluence of expenses. Here are the big ones:
- $1500 - Stage 1 of dental implant
- $180/month - Amount of my rent increase, effective February (to Oct)
- $200 - new wheel for my car (I have a crack in one, and I'm running on borrowed time and air)
- $150 - 6-month car tune-up (VW in da house)
On the plus side, I realized last year I couldn't afford a vacation this Spring as I've done the previous two years.
It'd be too detrimental to my overall plans.
I know it's the right decision, even though I'd come back super motivated (and more excited, if that's possible).
In the future, I will be dedicating more time to how to work your way out of debt, and save, save, save for whatever it is that you want.
For now, check out the financial situation I'm coming from 5 years ago, to see how far I've come to position myself to take a RTW trip by year's end!
