Happy New Year!

I am going to ignore how lax I was in posting in 2009 as this is a new year and a new start. Moving forward......

Dh and I looked at our finances this morning and set a savings goal. We ended 2009 with 41% of the money we need to start on a new house. Our goal for the end of 2010 is 75%. I have to say that our plan of paying cash to build a new home is not very popular with some people. I must admit that I am not certain how they think we should be concerned about their opinions regarding our finances. We are in a perfectly good home. It will never grace the cover of any home magazines, but it keeps us warm and dry and safe. We are quite content here so I am not concerned.

As we looked at the actual amount we needed to save I realized that I would have to practice creative frugality this year. I was reminded of hearing about the Tightwad Gazette as a child. The one thing that stuck out in my mind was the fact the family did not buy popsicles but made them from leftover juice from canned fruit. To me that is past the point of being frugal. Everyone has a different point where frugality goes too far.

A couple of weeks ago dh and I were visiting with some friends when the husband asked had we seen a particular movie currently in theaters. The wife quickly reminded him that we do not go to the movies. Not going to see a new movie is not an option for them. On the other hand my hubby and I are only calculating how many used DVDs we could buy for the cost of movie tickets and snacks.

This year I am going to walk closely on our personal line of frugal without crossing over into miserable. We have set a lofty savings goal for this year and will be overjoyed if we actually reach it. Let the saving begin!