There are only two more days until Thanksgiving! And so many more than two more things to be thankful for! Here are a few more things that I am happy about this year!
6. Employment
We tend to take this for granted, but after having several months off, I don't sneer at a steady income. Of course, I am still keeping an eye out for the perfect traveling, photography, writing job with good pay, so if you know of an opportunity for that, let me know.
7. Having a 401k
When I was 18 and I was getting my first corporate job, an older friend of the family told me to put at least as much money into my 401k every month as the company would match. He suggested putting more if I could, but that I should at least put in the company match, since if I didn't I would be essentially throwing away free money. He was right, and now I am giving the same advice to people just starting out in their first big job.
8. Travel
Clearly these all go hand in hand. Whatever money I am gaining from employment and not putting into my 401k is going toward as much travel as I can do! Some years it's more than others and this year has been a bit slower than normal, but I have been lucky to both do some traveling around my home state as well as doing some visiting with friends and family around the country. I hope I will continue to make time for travel, as it is something I really love!
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Do you have a 401k? Did you do any fun traveling this year?
I definitely have a 401k and am very thankful for it! I exceed my company's match (which is an awesome 6%!) and am trying to get to the point where I put in the maximum amount allowed each year, but am not really there yet... I love looking at the balance in it because it's savings that I don't really 'feel' since it's always come out of my paycheck from the very first day I started (and has slowly increased each year).
ReplyDeleteI did travel for fun this year when I went to the Pacific NW for Amber's wedding. I'll be back out to the NW in July for another friend's wedding and am so excited to check out another area (the Bend, OR area). I am also looking forward to visiting YOU in just over a week!!
Great stuff! IT was my goal to travel this year and travel I did! Cali, Denver, Wash DC a cruise and more to come before the year is out. I truly believe it's the memories not the stuff that matters most.
ReplyDeleteThat said it blows my mind how many people do not contribute to their 401k.
I get to start my 401K in January and I'm really excited about it! It's something I need to learn more about but I DEFINITELY want to take part in it because I know how important it is.
ReplyDeleteYay traveling! I did a lot of traveling this year which depleted my bank account but I'm not sorry about it. ;) Two cruises, two trips to Orlando, and a trip to Atlanta. I can't complain!
My stay at home mom job doesn't provide a 401k:( Luckily my husband has one!
ReplyDeleteWoohooo for employment and travel! I love my job, and I'm glad I've had lots of opportunities to travel this past year. I do have a 401K but since I only started it two years ago (when I was finished with grad school and had a job) it doesn't have a whole lot in it. I feel like I'm about a decade behind my non-academic friends in that regard.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have done more fun travelling this year, but it just didn't happen. I do have a 401(k) from my old job that I still need to roll over into my IRA. Ya gotta feed the retirement machine.
ReplyDeleteEmployment, travel, and a 401K are definitely things to be thankful for! I thank God every day for the wonderful job I have.
ReplyDeleteVery practical things to be thankful for--I agree! I do not have a 401(K) right now, but as a city govt worker I do have a pension fund and I also have a Roth IRA into which the savings from my old jobs was rolled. Very lucky!
ReplyDeleteI have never been so thankful for a steady paycheque and a roof over my head as I have the past 6 months since I started working at my "newish" job. Because I work in non profit I am exposed regularly to people going through REALLY hard times. We should never take our family or the roof over our head for granted and I don't think I ever will again!
ReplyDeleteI used to pay into a 401(k) when I was in the private sector. My job now puts money into the CalPers system, which is a great deal for employees. Not such a great deal for taxpayers. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI only wish my company would match what I put into my 401k. Wah! But, I do have one and I have always contributed to it. A couple years ago when we started meeting with a financial planner, I upped the mount I was putting away. It still doesn't seem like nearly enough to live off of ... but, I'm doing what I can while I can.
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