Making The Financial Sacrifice To Get What You Want.

Last year, my wife and I decided we needed a change.

We decided that since we were living in Southern California, and we did not know how long we were going to be here, we really needed to live by the water. You know, the REAL California. Where we were living before, while it was still in Los Angeles, might as well have been in Ohio; it was like any other suburb. (No offense to Ohio of course..) However, this was going to take some sacrifices and changes in the way we handled/spent our money and our finances. When we started looking for a new place, most apartments were about $1000 more per month than we were spending and that was a scary prospect. But with some number crunching, we found some ways to save and scrimp our way to being able to live at the beach. At first I didn’t really think it was possible; I mean we came close to matching our income every month in the cheap apartment, so where would I come up with the extra $1,000 we would need to move? These are the financial sacrifices and money savers that I can remember that we did in order to make it happen.

Combining all of the above with a basic cutting back in our recreational activities enabled us to move to the beach, where we felt like we were really living in Southern California. Sure, we do not go out as often and we do not shop that much anymore for clothes or electronics, but when I walk out my door and see the ocean, it makes the sacrifice, both in finances and lifestyle, all worthwhile. Sacrifice is important to get what you want from life. If you want to retire early, you have to put away a lot of money early so compounding will work wonders for you. Want to take fabulous vacations every year? Start putting $100 a month into a vacation fund so you don’t have to put it on the credit card. It takes work and patience and some sacrifice, but in the end what you really want to have is attainable if you are willing to give up instant gratification and save for it!

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