Do you save all your raises?

[Broken Arrow]

Yeah, we typically get a 3-4% increase, depending on performance evaluations.

However, I am seeing a much more substantial increase by streamlining my insurance.

Any additional take-home would be thrown into my student loans.

[vishenda]

I agree with you, the more you have the more spend, its always proportional if you dont try to save. When I had my first job, I didnt mind saving (earn and spend stage), but when I quit the job, I just realized how broke I was. My second job taught me to save fairly. Now if my raise be granted next month I'd probably allocate 3/4 of it to my piggy piggy.

[Thrif-t]

I always up my 401 contribution to equal my raise percentage, but this year I've decided to add the money to our savings cause DH will need a new car soon and I'm hoping to have a substantial cash deposit for it.

[MonkeyMama]

YEs and no. In general we always save our raises - keeps us living well below our means.

Has not been the case so much in last few years. 1 - we went down to 1-income so we stopped saving raises. Our cost of living has been shooting up much faster than my raises. 2 - health insurance will generally eat my raise.

This year we saved our raise and it feels a good place to be. BUT our health insurance premiums would have eaten it up as usual if we hadn't of lowered our coverage. I am not sure what that means for next year. I would hope our lesser coverage will not go up $200-$300/month next year as it always seems to. But maybe too much to hope. We'll see... I get good raises to - cost of basic living has just been crazy. HEalth insurance has eaten up most of my raises the last 4 years.

But I Am optimistic going forward I can save a good chunk of my raises - whatever is not going to basic bills like health insurance.