Happy Blog Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Today marks my 1 year birthday of my blog.  One year ago I decided that I needed to take control of our situation, and spurred on by success stories I had read out here on the net....I started my own blog.  I didn't know anything about blogging.  I didn't know much about a website.  But I did know that even if no one read my blog, I was doing it for me....not for them.  The "them" part....that just helped continue the motivation.


What Have I Learned...LOTS! 

1)  I am a complete novice.  While I thought I had a pseudo handle on things, I discovered through Yakezie that I know nothing.  Yeah, I can post a basic entry and a picture.  I can change a few things around.  But after learning the POWER of a blog....I have found that I am a baby in this arena (ok, I confirmed I was a baby....I already knew that!)

2)  This blog holds me accountable.  I know I should be accountable all on my own, but knowing that I report back to you, and knowing that every time I open the home page and see those numbers staring at me....I keeps me in check.

3)  The tools available out there.  I discovered Mint.com, and Lending Club via blogging.  I read other blogs who sang their praises, and explored it on my own.  These have been so helpful to me, and I don't know if I would have known about them if I wasn't blogging.

Victory and Defeat

By far, the greatest victory was paying off the hospital bill!!  Go Us!  The second victory for us, was the A-HA moment....when we realized that weren't doing all we could.  That while we thought we were working the program, and then discovered we weren't.  This was a victory because it wasn't until that time point where the balances started to drop.

But we also used our credit cards some (grrr) and weren't paying as close attention to it at the time.  We also have made a few purchases (granted, small ones) that maybe could have waited, but we did it anyway.

No body is perfect!


What Does The Future Hold

Good question.  Right now the goal is to be debt free (minus the house) by August 2013.  I would really love to shave some time off of that....maybe by May 2013, or if I am really shooting for the stars, by December 31, 2012.  I think there are several factors that will impact that, so the best I can do is give it 200% and keep on plugging away.

I would like to improve my site, which was one of my New Year's Blogging goals.  I have made some changes, that I like, but after reading more and more blogs, I am learning what works and what doesn't.  Not quite ready to make some of the bigger changes, but over the next year, the research will hopefully continue to shape the form.

I never set out to make this a blog where that gives you advice on investing, how to get out of debt, etc.  My blog always was, and will continue to be our personal journey.  So don't hold your breath on informational posts....unless you consider our screw ups to be informational!

So....that is it.  In one year we have paid off about 8% of the debt we started with.  But we also managed to charge more to our cards (mostly this past Fall), and pay that off.  I haven't pulled all the numbers yet (see future post), but I am almost scared to see what we actually have paid in one year.

For my blog birthday.....ok, it just so happened to collide....G-man and I are taking his precious boat out on the lake while the kids are at camp.  We haven't done that in about 10 years.  So I will catch ya all later!!!