How we're doing it

As of 9/2014

Saving

John and I always pay ourselves first, then we pay our bills, then we spend what's left. We've always been pretty good at sticking to a budget. Though I have a degree in finance, John is actually the expert in budgeting. Since we met, he's always told all of his money where to go, whereas I would get paid, pay my bills that were due and just let the extra money sit in my checking account. We all know that if money is sitting in a checking account, it's most likely going to get spent on miscellaneous items. So, when John and I got married, I joined him in his approach of telling his money where to go. This strategy has saved us thousands.

Investing

Currently, neither John nor I have an employer 401(k) plan. I'm a freelancer and John works for a small construction firm. We both have some money that we're rolling over into a Merrill Lynch Traditional IRA (a little less than $10K). We plan on contributing another $100 per month into that account until we retire. We also have a Roth IRA that I've had for about 10 years now. I opened it with $2,500 and sadly haven't contributed to it since then. John and I plan on opening another Roth IRA to contribute $100 per month to, as well. Since we're both inexperienced when it comes to investing, this blog will showcase what we plan on doing.

Living below our means

This one's going to be a tad tricky since our income is on the moderate-low side. I recently started couponing and plan on sharing my experiences on the blog. We don't really like buying "stuff" and when we do spend money it's usually on a meal out or a coffee run. In addition to couponing, I try to only buy items that are on sale. Once we buy a house, we plan on starting a garden and growing most of our fruits and veggies. Not only does this sound fun, but it will save us a good amount of money, too.

Having multiple income streams

And finally, John and I plan on having multiple streams of income to bring in money. As of right now, I freelance write and edit for two different companies. With a one- and two-year-old in the house, it's safe to say I'm maxed out. At some point, I hope this blog becomes an income stream, but I'm not banking on that. John works for a construction company and does painting/handyman work on the side. He's hoping to start his own full-time business within the next two years. We also want to get our real estate licenses, possibly turn our first home into a rental and, of course, invest our money so that our money is making us money.