Saving 30

I just hit a big milestone in my life. I just turned thirty.

Turning thirty made me take a step back and take a look at where I am in life, where I'm heading, and where I'd like to be heading.

With my twenties behind me, I started to realize, I've (hopefully) only got thirty more years until I get to reitre. I know it's an odd thing to say, but it's something that we're all looking forward to one day.

And I'd rather wake up now, then say, ten years out and start worrying about my impending future.

My parents are retired. My in-laws are retired. Two of my uncles and one of my aunts are retired. I'm lucky to have a first hand look at the retirement process now, and learn from my family's victories and from their mistakes.

My wife and I are happily married, we own a nice little townhouse (or at least the bank does) and just adopted a psychotic puppy named Kenzie. We both have great jobs (hers pays well, mine helps me sleep at night). I am the proud owner of a small videography business (we shoot weddings on the weekends).

Saving money was something my Mom always tried very hard to instill in me. My brother and I started shoveling driveways during the winter while I was in elementary school to make a couple of bucks. I worked for a landscaper a couple of times, worked at a town day camp throughout high school and college. I tutored middle school and high school students during the week. During spring and winter breaks, I would sub for teachers and teaching assistances in the North Rockland and Ramapo School districts (mentally, emotionally, and physically disabled programs).

Once I turned fourteen and got my working card, I would bus tables at a local restaurant (Annie's Snack Shack) every Friday and Saturday night. I worked my way up to become a waiter and then eventually the bartender. Even when I got my first full time job out of college, I would rush out of work to cover the 6pm-1am shift at the restaurant, four days a week.

Needless to say, my parents made sure they instilled a hard work ethic in my brother and I. It paid off in the long run despite my shortsighted temper tantrums, but that's a whole other story.

So, I've created this website as a way to document my current financial situation, and who knows, maybe my life in general. Industry experts suggest that by writing about and keeping track of your savings, you tend to pay more attention to what's going in and out of your wallet.

I'm not claiming to be an expert in this field. Please don't take anything I write on this site as gospel or expert advice. It's just my way of keeping myself in line and keeping an eye on the future.