What do You do when You get a Raise at Work?
I received the biggest salary adjustment of my career, and I couldn't figure out what to buy. I had to buy something, and I decided I was going to do it. So, I bought towels. Yep, you read that right. All of my bills were paid, and my mortgage was paid off, so I thought about how I could treat myself with the pay increase I had just received. Typically, the only place I spend money is at the hair salon, so I decided to upgrade my towels. Now, these aren't your regular towels. They are soft and plush luxury towels from Frontgate, and I love them!
I Saved and Invested Some Too
Now, I'm not going to lie. I did save and invest a considerable part of my increase. I increased my retirement contribution percentage to the maximum allowed and called my financial advisor to see how I could invest a little more of my income. That may sound a little scary in today's market, but I think it's the perfect time to invest. I'm just going to sit back and wait for the market to rebound.
A portion of the money I saved also went towards future unexpected expenses and the oh-so-fun travel trip with my husband. We love to travel and have visited Antigua, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos, and Jamaica. Living in Florida and Georgia, we've visited all the hotspots like Savannah, Atlanta, Orlando, Tallahassee, and more. Next up is Los Cabos, Mexico, this summer and Curaçao in December. Through sheer diligence with our savings and paying off our bills and loans far in advance, we can pay cash for our vacations and any other significant purchases we may have.
See my feature in: Gen Z: Here's How You Can Save For Travel On a Tight Budget
My Husband Encourage Me to Buy A New Purse
I wanted to buy a summer purse for our upcoming summer trip to Mexico. I was debating between two different purses on the Michael Kors website. So, I asked my husband for his advice. He said since you only bought towels when you got promoted, why don't you buy both purses. This was in celebration of my 10-year anniversary at work as well. In the end, I only bought one purse because that was what I initially sought to do.
Living Within My Needs and Treating Myself Every Now & Then
I tend to live within my needs. I know the normal term is living with your means. However, living within my needs helps me continue saving and investing for my retirement future. It's a few years away, so living life based on the current needs that I have allows me to double down on my retirement savings for my future. My goal is to continue to tick off travel places on my bucket list and bring my husband along with me. Happy travels!
Originally published at https://www.harriscashcoach.com on June 1, 2022.