David,
I am happy to write you about my success. I ran into you at the DC National Airport back in June on my way to vacation as you were working on affordable housing issues. It was exciting to meet you and have you sign my copy of the Automatic Millionaire Homeowner that I had as my onboard reading material. I read the book once and was rereading it after deciding to put a deposit on a condo that is in pre-construction set to be built by Fall of 2008.
Besides this great news about my journey to homeownership, I also learned some great lessons and acted on some inspiration I felt from Smart Women Finish Rich. In the last year, I became debt free, increased my contribution to my TSP (like a 401 K – but for government employees) to 15% (with a 5% match from my employer), started an automatic $400 each two week deposit into a high interest savings account that will fund part of my future condo, an emergency fund, and my Roth IRA contributions.
Also, I sold my car and now depend soley on public transportation and the occasional taxi or zipcar ride for getting around. This saves me lots of money, almost $400 a month when you add up the cost of insurance, parking, and title and fees. That does not include maintenance or gas.
I do splurge on a few things, but I find that is what keeps me living richly. I figured out what is important to me through my values ladder and set some goals. It is a great feeling to feel in a good place financially and to see my future possibilities growing.
Another good thing…I got a new job that has higher salary potential. So…life is looking great.
Thanks David for your insight and inspiration!
