Living well on the amount you make

I am piggy backing on a post from Carla over at http://halfdozendaily.blog.com It got me thinking on this chill Saturday morning. Why not answer the questions yourself to see how you stack up, are you living the life you want or the life the world says you should be living?

Do you avoid a lot of the expenses that many of your peers spend money on, such as technology and meals out?

We are so not into all the latest gadgets that continue to come out, my cell phone is 7 years old I think I have the only flip phone left in the US. Hubby has a much more updated cell phone but only because his company requires and pays for it. We have 1 television in the house, that might be another oddity to others, 1 desktop PC also many years old and 2 laptops, the laptops were both priced under $300.00 obviously not the best on the market but they get the job done. I have medical issues with food additives so we don't eat out much, breakfast is the one meal we tend to eat out and I can enjoy it as most breakfast foods are cooked fresh its also one of the cheapest meals to eat out.

What’s your typical meal

Home cooking for sure. Most of our meals are old recipes we both grew up on nothing fancy.

We grow and preserve as much as we can, by fruits and veggies that we can't/don't grow from a local farm. The majority of our meat is also from local farms. I'm not much into the organic deal, too much of it comes from other countries that have no checks and balances, they also charge an arm and a leg for the stuff. I like to go with local farmers, most of them can't afford pesticides, hormones and whatever else are put in foods these days, I also don't worry about outbreaks of food contamination, we know where our food comes from.

What about clothes?

When I was working outside the home I had to have clothes, now that I am home full time I go for comfort over style. When I have the little girls its tee shirts all the way(they are messy little boggers) Lightweight sundresses in the summer with flip flops, jeans and tee shirts in the fall and winter. I still have enough clothes left from working a full time job to wear(I fit in) if I need to dress up. Hubby is on a construction sight most of the time so jeans and tee shirts are about it. I have a thing for "life is good" tees, Hubby collects Harley tees. I spend way more than I should on things for the Grands, and like to treat our Daughters to things they might not be able to afford.

What about going on dates?

Hubby works out of state so much that when he is home every day is a date day. Just watching TV together or mowing the lawn is a special treat for us. We don't go to the movies much because we wouldn't agree on what to see and I know we would fall asleep anyway. Eating a home cooked meal is a real treat for him since he has to eat out most of the time when on a project. We like to pack a lunch and take a ride on the Harley or go on little mini vacations with the bike. I do think it is VERY important for couples to have time for themselves away from the kiddo's. The marriage is the most important thing in a family, if the marriage fails the family fails so you need to do whatever it takes to stay connected and committed.

Do you indulge in any luxuries?

Yep, no question about it we do spend on big ticket items sometimes but always with cash!!! The boat is one example, but we don't use it enough to justify the upkeep so it will go on Craig's list as soon as hubby is around to unload it. My sewing machines are another, while they are not the top of the line they are from one of the top of the line companies around. The Harley was another big ticket item my hubby wanted once we had all our girls walk across the stage to receive their college diplomas, we didn't blink and eye when it came time to make the purchase. Other than that we don't go for fancy cars, trips, purses, shoes and such. We are really low key and enjoy the simple stuff.

Do you have health insurance?

YES!!! Thank goodness hubby receives insurance from his company, we pay extra for me to be on the policy. Don't get me started on Obama care!!!! What a crock of s......

Do you have any savings for emergencies?

Yes, without our emergency fund we would be forced at times to pull out a credit card. Our emergency fund is the difference in getting a good nights sleep and walking the floors with worry, everyone needs an emergency fund!!!!!

Do you anticipate or look forward to having a higher salary one day?

Na, hubby is about as far up the ladder in his profession as anyone can go. He makes a very good salary we just need to be better stewards of what we have.

What about retirement–do you plan on ever saving enough to retire?

That's a BIGGY at our house, we are at an age where retirement is hopefully only 10 years or so away. We save diligently towards retirement but with the economy in such a mess and not improving who know how much is enough? And will what we have saved for 37 years be gone tomorrow if the economy continues to spiral down. In the past when things were not so crazy with the economy we were on track to have a comfortable simple retirement. All we can do now is continue to save and VOTE!!!!