$5,000

I did it! I contributed the full $5,000 limit to my Roth IRA for 2008. I didn't think I would be able to pull it off after the disaster of my layoff, but I managed to scrimp and save and it all worked out. A priority for this year is to again max out my IRA for '09 - after this the limit will be increased by $500/year according to inflation, which is excellent.

I now have more assets, specifically retirement assets, than I've ever had before!