We rang in the New Year with some of our closest friends last night and lots of food. While 2008 was great for me personally — we got engaged and had a lot of fun overall — it was, suffice to say, a truly shitty year for personal finance. My 401(k)s were decimated (more like quadrimated, but hey, I just made that word up), and I know more than a handful of people who were laid off.
When I woke up this morning, I took an account of our finances and realized we’re in pretty darn good shape (minus the 401(k)s, of course, and I know they’ll rebound in a few years). We’ve met our goal for wedding savings more than 3 1/2 months prior to the big day, and we’ve vowed to continue saving at our current pace from now and into the months beyond the wedding in order to increase our cushion and be prepared in case we want to buy a house this year. We’re also going to pay off whatever credit card bills we have left by the end of April, starting our marriage debt-free (well, we’re pretty close to it now, but a few wedding-related charges will need to be paid off).
Personally, my New Year’s resolutions are to be less judgmental and improve my optimism. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t a bit judgmental, but I truly want to improve my attitude. After all, you never know the whole story when passing judgment, and I’ll need to keep that in mind. I have faith that I’ll find myself in a better place by the end of 2009 — mentally, physically and financially.
What are your 2009 resolutions?
