Elusive Wealth

First of all, thank you for visiting this site!  Things are just getting started here, but I hope to provide regular commentary, stories, and discussion on personal finance and consumer related topics.

The downturn in the economy has certainly spurred a lot of interest in personal finance.  Not long before the downturn, my family became focused on our goals and began making changes that hopefully provide us stability in the short term and eventually financial freedom. I want to share some of the good, and the bad, steps that we have taken.

So what is this blog about?  Here are some of the areas I plan to cover:

• Ideas on saving money and spending wisely
• Opinions and reviews on items and services that may be valuable
• Stories and opinions from my family’s situation that may benefit readers
• Thoughts / opinions on the economy, politics, and other topics related to money

Equally important, here are some things that this blog is not:

• A professional advice column - I don’t have a degree in anything related to finance so I am not a professional and I am not giving professional advice.
• A major source of income – well, that is unless it becomes a major source of income   If it can pay for its hosting, I am happy.

I want to provide some context for this blog by telling you a little about myself and my family — then hopefully after that I can get onto some content you might actually care about!  My wife and I are fortunate enough to have a great income.  This may come across in some of my posts, especially if I talk about saving money on things that many others don’t have the same opportunity.  Living in the United States itself provides a level of freedom of opportunity that many don’t share.  My ultimate wish is that everyone have that opportunity, but I realize that is not the current reality.

My wife and I are also fortunate to have to two wonderful children.  Our second child was born prematurely at 24 weeks, and this has become a big source of inspiration and direction in our life. Even with our solid income, after he was born debt and spending began to feel constricting and frivolous. Then it became essential for us to have a plan, get out of debt, and begin living for freedom instead of living for others. We are on our way, and discussing the good and the bad of the journey is what this blog is about.

I hope that you gain some motivation and even some entertainment from this blog.  Thank you for visiting.