Comments on: No Spend Month Is Wrapping Up http://www.expectless.com/2008/08/26/no-spend-month-is-wrapping-up/ Reducing Life's Clutter, Online and Off Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:53:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Expect Less » Blog Archive » One Day Left In No Spend Month http://www.expectless.com/2008/08/26/no-spend-month-is-wrapping-up/#comment-13 Expect Less » Blog Archive » One Day Left In No Spend Month Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:19:49 +0000 http://www.expectless.com/?p=52#comment-13 [...] haven’t spent anything since my last No Spend Month update, so it looks like I’m going to make it with $2 [...] [...] haven’t spent anything since my last No Spend Month update, so it looks like I’m going to make it with $2 [...]

]]> By: Expect Less » Blog Archive » Setting My Own Salary http://www.expectless.com/2008/08/26/no-spend-month-is-wrapping-up/#comment-11 Expect Less » Blog Archive » Setting My Own Salary Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:44:44 +0000 http://www.expectless.com/?p=52#comment-11 [...] Shane’s question about what percent I save each month made me realize that I hadn’t talked about how I set my own salary a few months ago. [...] [...] Shane’s question about what percent I save each month made me realize that I hadn’t talked about how I set my own salary a few months ago. [...]

]]> By: Christopher http://www.expectless.com/2008/08/26/no-spend-month-is-wrapping-up/#comment-10 Christopher Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:28:14 +0000 http://www.expectless.com/?p=52#comment-10 I'm lucky in that my job is very generous in what they give me towards retirement - more than anywhere I've heard about anywhere else. It's also not an option, we are required to contribute a certain percentage, and work does even more than that. That said, my current approach puts about 20% of my monthly check in to savings. If I had to guess at an average I think I've put a bit less than 15% in to savings over the past year, but as I've reevaluated my spending regularly I've gotten better at cutting back so I can save more. That 20% doesn't include what work puts in to my investments, because that skews the numbers quite a bit, and it's effortless to take that money. The challenge is taking money I could be spending and putting it in to savings. The easiest step to accomplishing that has been setting up direct deposit of a base salary to my checking, and everything else to my ETrade account. Anything I get over my self-imposed "salary" goes to savings, where I can't get at it with a credit card or check book. I’m lucky in that my job is very generous in what they give me towards retirement - more than anywhere I’ve heard about anywhere else. It’s also not an option, we are required to contribute a certain percentage, and work does even more than that.

That said, my current approach puts about 20% of my monthly check in to savings. If I had to guess at an average I think I’ve put a bit less than 15% in to savings over the past year, but as I’ve reevaluated my spending regularly I’ve gotten better at cutting back so I can save more.

That 20% doesn’t include what work puts in to my investments, because that skews the numbers quite a bit, and it’s effortless to take that money. The challenge is taking money I could be spending and putting it in to savings.

The easiest step to accomplishing that has been setting up direct deposit of a base salary to my checking, and everything else to my ETrade account. Anything I get over my self-imposed “salary” goes to savings, where I can’t get at it with a credit card or check book.

]]> By: shanereiser http://www.expectless.com/2008/08/26/no-spend-month-is-wrapping-up/#comment-9 shanereiser Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:16:13 +0000 http://www.expectless.com/?p=52#comment-9 What would you say over the past 12 months is the average % of your income you dump in savings or investments? What would you say over the past 12 months is the average % of your income you dump in savings or investments?

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