House Goals Revisited

Okay, so sometimes I feel like this is all I talk about.

But then... then I realize it's actually only (almost) all I think about and aside from updating the chart and posting about reaching our goal last year, it's really not an overdone subject.

So on that note, I thought I'd let you all know we made some changes to the goals we set last year for this year for the house. Seeing as we hit an unexpected jump ahead towards the end of the year and ended up saving 153% of our goal of $8,000, we've rethought what our stretch might be for this year. You know, the thing that makes you - when you're standing on your tippy toes - have to jump just a little bit to get it?

Here's what our goals were (for a recap):

End of 2008 = $8,000
End of 2009 = $43,000 (having saved $35,000 in the 2009 fiscal year)
End of 2010 = $93,000 (having saved $50,000 in the 2010 fiscal year)
End of 2011 = $160,000 (having saved $67,000 in the 2011 fiscal year)

Here's what they are now:

End of 2008 = $12,212
End of 2009 = $50,000 (having saved $37,788 in the 2009 fiscal year)
End of 2010 = $100,000 (having saved $50,000 in the 2010 fiscal year)
End of 2011 = $160,000 (having saved $60,000 in the 2011 fiscal year)

So, that little $7,000 difference might not seem like a big deal but it's enough that we're super-charged about doing what it takes to get there. Going into this year knowing we were already $4,000 closer to where we need to be kind of made me a little too comfortable. You might think, "Well, what's wrong with that?" or "Why don't you just go ahead an buy a house already while the markets are down?"

But comfortable isn't the point of all of this. I mean, eventually it will be. But this is supposed to be hard. This is supposed to not make sense to everyone and this is supposed to be something that, for the time being, we work our butts off to achieve.

And like we've said before, just because we have goals and plans doesn't mean we don't know that just about anything can happen - for the good or for the detriment of what we believe is our mission, financially speaking, for right now. But while we've got the opportunity and the determination to do this, I think we'll just keep moving right along...

Teamwork Moments

Q: How does a husband spend his evening when he realizes his wife needs to, in the the next hour or so before going to bed early at 9:00PM, do some further research on peer institutions, reflect thoughtfully on previous professional experiences, and pray... a lot?

A: He does all of the dishes, runs to the grocery store to buy mints for her to keep in her purse during the day, fills up her gas tank, irons her suit and collared shirt, and offers to lead her in prayer... all without her asking. Consequently, he doesn't find time to post a blog... just yet.