[nathanbarry]

Yep, it's pretty much just spending more on lifestyle. I grew up relatively poor (for my area) so I always thought I'd live on just a little bit of money, even if I had far more. That didn't really happen like I thought.

But I have zero debt, no financial obligations, and $50k in the bank, so I'm doing fine. Just not what I would have expected after a year like 2013.

[nbouscal]

One of the best ways to prevent your spending from getting away from you is to set up automatic saving. Most banks and credit unions will let you set up automatic monthly transactions to put some amount into a savings account without you having to think about it. Once it's set up, the "out of sight out of mind" principle kicks in for your benefit.

It's also a good idea to do the same thing for investment. Especially with the amount of taxes you're paying, being sure to take advantage of government tax-advantaged retirement plans is important. You make too much now to do a Roth IRA, but you can still do a traditional IRA. I'd recommend using Vanguard, investing in index funds, and again setting up automatic investments so that you don't have to think about it.

(This is the first time I've read your blog and I know nothing about you, so maybe I'm saying things you already know, but I thought it couldn't hurt to post anyway. As you mention, you're in great shape either way.)