Good Year Thus Far

Well 2009 has started off well for me and my savings/debt elimination. A lot of this can be attributed to bonuses, tax returns, and continuing to reduce costs. Ali and both received bonuses, tax returns ~$700, and I have saved at least $500 of Jan and Feb takehome pay. We discussed if it is feasible to stay on track for having enough money to fund a downpayment at the end of the year, and there are two dependencies that we aren't relying on but hoping to come through. The end of this summer we plan on doing more research and getting pre-approved for a mortgage. But we assume/hope that we will be receving a good amount of money from our wedding in August. We may delay a home purchase for the reason of affording to take the Brasil vacation at the beginning of 2010. The feds are making it more appealing to purchase by the end of 2009 because of the new tax credit just passed through the stimulus bill. I assume we will continue seeing our economy in turmoil throughout this year, but I'm thankful for having a stable job, emergency fund jsut in case of loss of employment, and a good plan to continue to eliminate my debt and continue saving.