Happy 1-Year Anniversary!

Happy 1-Year Anniversary! Today is officially one year since I began blogging. After reading homemaking and couponing blogs for about a year, I decided to take the plunge and start one myself geared to the bigger financial picture without getting too complicated. I believe that we should all learn to be good managers of our finances. And good financial habits start young. If one grows up observing good role models handling money well, then one is more likely to handle money well himself as he gets older. However, if one grew up with poor role models in that regard, then one will probably not be so lucky with his financial future. And that’s where more financial education is needed.

I was fortunate to have grown up with good financial role models. Because of that and an inherent interest in numbers and saving, I have been able to successfully put away a little bit of my income each year in order to reward me in the future. Sacrifices and smart money moves I made years ago have helped allow me to stay home with my children while they are young. Sacrifices we are making now will hopefully pave our way for paying fully for college education our children and providing us a stress-free retirement, financially. In this blog, I hope to be able to impart some basic financial knowledge to those who may not have yet learned how to handle their money. It really is the simple things that work: spending less than we have, saving for a rainy day, learning about general investment vehicles, and being aware of basic tax advantaged products.

Much of what I write about becomes somewhat repetitive over time, not just with others who write about finances, but with myself over time. Good financial rules bear repeating or being worded in other ways. Most of what I write about is based on what has worked for me, and what I have learned from managing my own money for twenty years. What I do may not be the best for everyone. But I try to write about good, basic money management methods that would apply to a broad spectrum of people. I appreciate all of the readers that I have so far. And I look forward to another year of writing about Saving Money In Real Life.

This weekend marks the observance of Yom Kippur, a Jewish Holy Day. I will be spending it with family and will be back next week with more financial ideas.