Every year I feel like I'm in debt for most of it. Even though I'm not.

[Nika]

Being responsible feels like a pressure sometimes.
Every year I feel like I start out with 13K+ in debt. Because it is something I MUST fund, an obligation.
11K for 2 IRAs and 2K for ESA. (401K and 529 come out of regular paychecks).

So with taxes that are paid in April, I feel like I'm starting out the year 20K in the hole and am paying down the debt, that will just re-appear next year.

So every time I consider something - goals, vacations, large purchases, I think of it. That I still "owe" such a large amount that needs to be funded. I know that I am doing a good and necessary thing for my future, but how do I stop from feeling that this is limiting?

[JoeP]

We feel the same way sometimes...the feeling of perpetual payments with no ground gained or finish line to celebrate.

Some of those, like utilities and insurance and taxes, and simply mandatory budgetary operating costs. Others, like saving for retirement and funding kids' college, are optional...but we all know those are worth categorizing as mandatory.

We tend to look at it this way: we all have mandatory expenses, but most also have debt, which is mandatory as well. If you could shed the debt, then you'll have one (or more) less mandatory expense, leaving more capacity for optional expenses.

[disneysteve]

Being responsible feels like a pressure sometimes.
Every year I feel like I start out with 13K+ in debt. Because it is something I MUST fund, an obligation.

Suze Orman often says that the key is to learn to get as much enjoyment from saving as you do from spending.

I have never felt that funding our Roths was a drag. I look forward to putting that money in every year and I feel a big sense of accomplishment when I max them out for the year. I just made the first contribution for 2015 last week of $4,000 and I was very happy about that. I usually fund them earlier in the year but we had some other stuff going on and I was uncomfortable having waited that long. I felt much better once I made that transaction. So it actually relieved pressure in my mind. I didn't cause pressure.

It's hard to focus on a goal that is years or decades away, but it's really all about your mindset. If retirement is important to you, then preparing for it should make you happy, not stressed.

Do you have a budget that you follow?

[bjl584]

Sometimes my automatic fun transfers to my brokerage account feel like "bills", but I enjoy watching my accounts grow and get closer and closer to financial independence. Watching most of my peers struggle and live pay check to pay check is also a good indicator that I am doing the right thing.

[disneysteve]

I enjoy watching my accounts grow and get closer and closer to financial independence. Watching most of my peers struggle and live pay check to pay check is also a good indicator that I am doing the right thing.

I couldn't agree more. Don't watch your accounts daily or weekly even but at least every month or so, review and enjoy seeing the numbers grow.

And the point about seeing that you're doing better than those around you is good too. It makes you feel better about what you're doing.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Suze Orman often says that the key is to learn to get as much enjoyment from saving as you do from spending.

I have never felt that funding our Roths was a drag. I look forward to putting that money in every year and I feel a big sense of accomplishment when I max them out for the year. I just made the first contribution for 2015 last week of $4,000 and I was very happy about that. I usually fund them earlier in the year but we had some other stuff going on and I was uncomfortable having waited that long. I felt much better once I made that transaction. So it actually relieved pressure in my mind. I didn't cause pressure.

It's hard to focus on a goal that is years or decades away, but it's really all about your mindset. If retirement is important to you, then preparing for it should make you happy, not stressed.

Do you have a budget that you follow?

I couldn't have said it better myself. It gives me great joy knowing that I'm saving for retirement.

[snafu]

Another voice that sees funding our future as a positive action, a fun challenge as opposed to a negative feeling or obligation to pay for a product or service that did not satisfy or live up to expectation. It takes about 20 minutes on the last day of the month to create a Net Worth statement outlining value of the important categories based on Petunia's model on the blog side of SA

http://petunia100.savingadvice.com/2015/05/01/net-worth-4-30-15_199624/

I write in quarterly figures March figures to June Net Worth Statement, June Figures to September statement etc. because there are contributions, dividends and changes that affect Net Worth that I need to acknowledge. Is it perception?

[Nutria]

Being responsible feels like a pressure sometimes.
Every year I feel like I start out with 13K+ in debt. Because it is something I MUST fund, an obligation.
11K for 2 IRAs and 2K for ESA. (401K and 529 come out of regular paychecks).

So with taxes that are paid in April, I feel like I'm starting out the year 20K in the hole and am paying down the debt, that will just re-appear next year.

So every time I consider something - goals, vacations, large purchases, I think of it. That I still "owe" such a large amount that needs to be funded. I know that I am doing a good and necessary thing for my future, but how do I stop from feeling that this is limiting?

How expensive/bad is your debt? High consumer, or low asset (car, mortgage)?

Are you adding debt (and/also only paying the minimum)?

Do you have the discipline to temporarily stop funding your retirement plan and blast down your bad debt, or will your just spend more?

Those are questions that only you can answer.

(I minimized -- but not eliminated -- 401k contributions to get the debt down, and became A.R. about using a debit card instead of CC.)

[Fishindude77]

Rest assured, you are doing the right thing.

In the early stages of retirement saving you typically have lower income and even sometimes question why you contribute so much. You think that money could be used for other things.

Then after a decade or so in a program you look at it and realize there is no other way I could have ever saved / accumulated that much money without participating in such a program, and you get a sense of pride for your accomplishment.

After several decades, time and compounding is really starting to work for you and you now have a real sense of security seeing how much wealth you have amassed and how it will sustain you to the end.

Good job being disciplined!

[Rachael777]

Being not necessarily young but definitely on the uphill side of the curve with saving and in my mind seeing it as a requirement almost like an obligation.. I know exactly what Nika is feeling. I too feel that way sometimes and it is nice to know that in 5-10 years the compounding will really start to pick up and I will see a larger amount of progress.

Totally agree with NOT looking at things daily and looking at them instead once a month or quarter. I mentioned this frustration earlier (in trying to so hard each month but not seeing a lot of rewards yet) in one of my blog posts and Another Reader compared it to 'watching paint dry' I believe.

Hang in there. It will be worth it and others feel the same as you sometimes.