Savings 2009 Update

Since I don't have a 401k, I'm always paranoid about not having enough saved for retirement. I know they advise workers to put at least the % match in their 401k above and beyond their Roth, but without a 401k, I'm still at a loss for where to save my money. Also, with grad school in the future (2-5 years away) I don't know how much to save for retirement vs. that. Oy.

To be honest, beyond my Roth IRA, which I max out at $5000 each year, I don't keep great track of what money goes into my other savings accounts. I save, I probably save quite a bit all things considered, but I haven't really looked at what that means until today.

This year, so far, I've put $4850 in my Roth IRA. I have invested $5000 in ETFs and stock purchases in my Sharebuilder account. Plus, there's about $600 in my 529 plan. Ok, so I think I stashed away $10k this year, or more. That's not too bad. Then again, I know people who are saving 30% or more of their after-tax income. Which would be probably more like $20k.

Granted, I lie to my net worth spreadsheet and tell it to deduct more taxes then I will need to in order to have a fiscal boost come April 15. But that usually goes straight to next year's Roth IRA. I always like to start it out with a $3000 one-time investment in April, then add in for the rest of the year until I hit the $5000.

I really wish I could buy a house right now, but besides not having the money to do that (I only have $30k saved, and much of it is in retirement accounts) it just wouldn't make sense. So I'll keep throwing away $600/month on rent. I was at my friend's house yesterday -- the one she bought with her engineer fiancee -- and I'll admit, I'm a bit jealous. But then I remember I don't NEED a house right now. What would I do with a giant house besides pay a lot in bills and make a mess of it?