Saving for retirement makes since to do. We are only able to invest 6% of our income in DHs 401K but it has the advantage of a employer profit share and profit match. Still I am disheartened when today I received our first quarter account statement to see the expected decline in the value. I tell myself that Yes we are under 30 giving us time to ride it out and that our continued investing just means we are buying more shares at a lower cost.
Still when faced with CC Debt and living pretty close to the edge it makes me fill like we should pull out and use the extra income to pay off debt. I won't do it of course I was just wondering how others handle seeing investment loss. Being new to investing in general this is only the first quarter I have experienced losses.

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006

Yeah, the losses really stink.

I just moved around some of my 401K according to DH's suggestions. Unfortunately, I should have kept my $$ where it was, as I took more losses than I would have.

You have to not look at it, or worry too much. You are in it for the long haul and just think of it as purchasing those shares at a lower cost. You do need to periodically adjust your mix according to your age and retirement strategy, but watching it that closely can just make you frustrated at times.

You are doing the right thing, maximizing your contributions at such a young age. It WILL grow. I know it's frustrating now to see that you could be using that money to free up your budget more, but think about the free money that you are getting with your DH's company match.

When I was your age, and was working, I also wanted to contribute less to my 401K so I could have more take home to use for bills. I did cut down my contributions for awhile. Now that I'm no longer working, I really do regret doing that. I still have a good amount in there, but I could have had alot more. Not only did I miss the growth on my account, I also lost the free money from my employer's match.

Hang in there. The market always has its ups and down. Pretty soon, you'll see your $$ going up.

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SAHM of 4

August food budget (groceries/take-out): $500.00/$75.00
Total spent: $238.97/$14.12

July budget/spent: $500.00/$650.00