$$ Financial Freedom $$

With February quickly drawing to a close I have been reviewing our 2009 goals, specifically our financial goals. This has lead me to think about the things we do to experience our own financial freedom. Here are some of the things I came up with:

• Our budget, when we spend the allotted amount in each category, is less than our take-home pay. This seems like a simple concept, but it's harder to actually do than to type.
  
• We have a mortgage that we have set up to repay in 15 years. The increased amount is automatically taken out with the actual mortgage payment, so it just seems like our payment is higher. We don't miss the money, and the benefit will be completely owning our home in 14 more years.
• We have an emergency fund, set aside where we don't see it everyday, which gives great peace of mind.
• We have no other debt besides our mortgage and a small student loan. We took out the loan my last semester of college to boost our credit score. Not having credit card debt, a car payment or any financing means that we are in control of more of our own money and don't have to worry about making payments.

Other things we do to experience financial freedom:

• Having a car fund that would allow us to go out and buy a car for Luke tomorrow if needed. This is very important because if Luke does not have a car, he cannot do his job.
• Health insurance and 401(k) contributions come out before we get the paycheck deposited. We don't miss the money, and these two very important items are taken care of almost unconciously.
• We have about a month's worth of meat in the freezer, and a well stocked pantry. If Luke did lose his job, we could live off of the food in the house for quite a while, further reducing our expenses.

Each thing on its own is not enough to experience financial peace of mind. But together, they mean that we spend less time stressing about money, and more time enjoying what we do have.