I’m half way through my “Maxing 401K in 6 Months” Challenge and I must admit I haven’t felt a difference. Despite my paychecks being half what they used to be I haven’t felt stressed or stretched. Saving in the current month for the next month’s rent has become routine. And the thrill I get seeing my 401K amount increase $1,500 every 2 weeks is something I can’t even describe. I’ve already saved $10,000 in my 401K and $11,000 overall this year and it’s the beginning of April. That’s 27.5% of my $40,000 savings a year goal which would double how much I saved last year.
The only aspect that has introduced a little bit of stress is that I went $120 over my $100 eating out budget last month. I was worried that this trend would continue, but it was a very unique month filled with a lot of laziness and inefficiency. I can do better. And even if for some reason I don’t improve I’ve been continuously running the numbers and if I keep within budget I will be able to pay all my expenses during my funemployment month of July without dipping into my savings at all and have $200 remaining. That’s much better than I expected. So a small (or not so small) increase in eating out to enjoy the delicious food of NYC before we move won’t break the bank. I’ve decided to just enjoy it.
I just received my first paycheck of 2015. I was so excited to see it that I accidentally awakened at 5am to view the paystub that’s sent at 4am. I wasn’t excited to see all the money I could spend, but how much that would be left with after trying to max my 401K in 6 months and the challenge of living on the remainder. After I opened it I was excited to see how much was going into my 401K. It was over $1,500 in one pay period, which is about how much I would input into my IRA every few months. A few months of work done in two weeks because of the miracle of tax-advantaged accounts. I was so excited. 
I thought it would be good to create an annual State of the Union to remember what I did each year regarding my investments and why. This was a big year – the first year I really dove in and learned how to have my money make money of its own.