Priorities

Beau and I are trying to save some serious ciz-ash. Well, he's trying to save what little he can while working for a crap hourly wage and I'm trying to save while paying the hell out of my student loans.

I'm proud to say that my loans are more than halfway paid off after just one year of monthly bloodletting, but I've still got a ways to go. And it hurts to give more than 1/4 of my monthly salary to someone else. I have a decent salary for what I do, and I can still put a respectable amount into my IRA every month, but every 5th of the month I can't help but think of what I could do with an extra $650.

Beau is doing well with what he's got to work with; he can sock away almost $200 a month but that's about the max he can do until a better paying job comes along.

We're trying to save up for a big move. Madison is played out and we are in need of a change of scenery. Well I am, at least, and Beau is a supportive guy along for the ride.

We talk about our budget consistently, especially now that we live together. We constantly try to think about what we could cut back on, but we live very bare-bones as it is. We hardly eat out anymore, our friends have moved out of our area so our bar tabs have shrunk; we don't shop for fun and rarely go to the movies. We get books and movies from the library and only go to the grocery store twice a month.

We know where we could pinch a bit but are hesitant to do so. I could quit the rugby team and save myself a good $300 this fall, but then I would miss out on playing an awesome sport with an amazing team. We could cut buying wine, beer, and fresh veggies when we go to the grocery store, but good food and drink are our mutual loves.

We could do a lot more and a lot less with what we have, and we're still trying to find a good balance. All I know is that there is now way we could every afford a house, a child, a car, or even a dog at this point. It's too much to afford the simple things that we do allow ourselves. At this point we are just holding on and enjoying life for what we can get.