savings, and feeling better financially

We have been putting money into ING and savings every week, trying to put more in than normal because of the move.

But tonight, we actually sat down and figured out what percent of income that we can put into savings each week, and just have the money come out automatically, so we don't even have to think about it. We discovered we can comfortably put 20% of our paychecks into savings each week, 10% into ING and 10% into regular savings. Obviously, my 20% would be higher, but we are putting the same percent in each week.

20% still leaves us cash on hand, and emergency or play money for the week. If we stay on this plan, and it doesn't seem hard, especially since I am getting better about budgeting, we should be able to have $6,000 in ING and $6,000 in regular savings in a year.

Knowing how many financial mistakes my parents have made, and how...not optimistic their financial future looks, it is a really nice feeling to know we are going to be building up our savings steadily, but without it feeling like too much work. That's not to say that this isn't work, because budgeting is definitely work, but I think the more you do it, the easier it becomes. And when savings is just a part of that budget, it becomes somethign you don't think about. The thought of ending up like my parents, close to retirement with no money and the possibility of losing their house, terrifies me, and I really want to take steps now to prevent that. I really like that we are both working toward this, and saving for our future, for a house, for money to pay off stuff if we want to.