Working for retirement

So Paul and I have been talking about our retirement the last few years and what it is we want to do when we retire. As you can gather from the picture we would like to buy a sailboat and learn to sail so we can travel by boat around the world. The reason for posting about this now is that we have to take some steps to make this dream a reality. So this Christmas we have toned it down a lot from the past years when it comes to the presents. I had a goal to only buy the girls 4 gifts a piece and I came really close. Also Paul and I have decided to not buy presents for each other. But with this being our first year of doing this we cheated and bought 1 small gift for each other (I am talking under $30). The amazing thing about this is that Christmas really doesn't feel any different. We are still making the treats, seeing the Christmas lights and all the other fun activities that we have done in years past. I am glad to know that our Christmas spirit hasn't changed with limited amount of money that we are willing to spend this year.
Well cutting back on Christmas is only one small step. We have cut back on our living expenses, limiting all the extras. We will not be buying a new car anytime soon, we shop with a grocery list (it is amazing the difference in the price when you shop with a list rather then just going through and buying whatever looks good!) and we are looking into some investments that will help secure our future. There are times when this is hard and I want to buy things that aren't on sale or name brand things but I need to force myself to keep thinking about our future. Don't get me wrong this is something that we have been talking about for years but haven't really started doing until this last year. Also I love being able to stay home with Brooke but I have decided that the sooner I get back to work the better for our retirement and the sooner we can retire. So I will be looking for something that I can do and still have Brooke with me. Once Brooke starts school then I will get back into the work force full time. I know there will be sacrifices that will be hard for me but it will be well worth it to have years of Paul and I just enjoying our time together. I will also love the freedom of going to see my kids and their families and not worry about taking time off work. This is our current plan for our future and I am hoping with the steps that we have taken so far and the steps we are going to take that our dreams do indeed be come our realities.