59 1/2

Today is the day my hubby turns 59 1/2. THIS is the day we've been waiting for - the day he can start making withdrawals from his retirement accounts without incurring the dreaded 'penalty' for taking money out before you're 'close' to retirement. We've been dreaming of this day for years...and it's finally here! The glee we've been anticipating is upon us....

And now that it's here, we're not withdrawing a dime. Nada. Zip. Not a penny. True, a good reason is the recent implosion of the financial markets and a significant portion of our savings having disappeared into the cosmos somewhere (along with zillions of other people in our country/world). But truthfully, there's nothing we need or want that we don't already have or couldn't get if we really wanted it. That's a pretty nice feeling.

Our 19th wedding anniversary is next week - and this time next year, we just may withdraw a bit to celebrate our 20th in some 'grand' way. I've got a bauble (or two) in mind and perhaps, if our savings recovers a bit, we'll feel 'ok' to take out a little bit this time next year for a 'splurge'. We'll see about that.

For now, we hold tight and continue to sock money away monthly - and adjust our retirement goals to accommodate the 'new' economy.