Monday, July 8, 2013

Groovy, Baby!!!

I just wanted to point out that we are OFFICIALLY out of the 70’s!!!   Into the wild and swingin’ 60’s, baby!  Can’t you just see the Austin Powers-esque-ness (that is a phrase, right?)

I fully know that Bossy’s Supplies are a wild card.  First of all, the durable medical equipment (DME) company is having a hard time with the insurance company.  The insurance company is asking for all sorts of documentation before they will pay.  So as of right now, there are 6 months of outstanding charges that we have yet to be billed for, let alone have any clue what those charges look like.  And second, there is the whole mess up on the bill where I think they double discounted us.  But at the moment ….it is ZERO.
 
G-man will go to the dentist next week, and will pay a big chunk of the balance while he is there. I may pay it this week, just to give myself the electric “charge” of paying stuff.  Granted, his appointment is going to run the bill up, just not as much as we are paying….so it will still show a decrease.

The CC is slightly screwed up because of the 3-pay check month.  The increase I am showing will be paid off by month end, plus a little more.

All the rest….they just do their thing.  We are closing in on the next “thousand” number down on all of them.  It will be nice to see that.  The retirement loan and student loans….I can’t wait to break the 25k mark.  No idea why that number is important.  And the car…..well I really won’t be excited until it hits $6k (that is the 50% mark).  We have a FEW more payments before we get there though.

Bossy has an orthodontics appointment this week…..and we will find out what all of that will entail.  We have ZERO orthodontic coverage, so all of it will be on us.  We are “estimating” it is going to be close to 10k based on our research.  I am hoping we are wrong!  We will have to work out a payment plan (which the website shows is very common).  My debate is if I call this “debt.”  It is money we owe.  It is money we will be paying on a regular basis.  But is it “debt?”  Not sure yet.

Since camp is paid for in full now, we started saving for Christmas.  The kids really are so hard to shop for.  We are considering doing a few SMALL things for them, and then doing a larger “family” gift.  Of course, we have no idea what that is.  We have some time to decide.

Of course, my oil budget plan needs to be done in the coming weeks.  That will be a separate post.  But G-man is still resisting changing the system over to gas (even though our monthly cost will be about the same as we are paying right now).  Yes, it will be about 2-3 years before we actually SEE the savings.  But I really hate paying so much for &^*%%^$^% oil. 

I did some quick calculations on the IRS website to make sure our withholdings are ok.  I think we are fine.  We have talked about using the refund money towards the deck (which was supposed to get done this year).  We are also considering having a landscaper come in and draw up some plans for us.  We have no way of doing all that we want right now.  But a plan is good.  And then we can chip away at it.  Plus, if we have to re-do the deck, now is the time to make the changes we would like (which include a second set of stairs, some seating, a storage box).

All in all….I am happy to actually see some PROGRESS.  Last May, we were at 80k in debt, and now we are in the 60’s!  And we should be in the low 60’s by year end…..MAYBE high 50’s!!!  It has taken us so long to get here……I am glad it has finally arrive. 

11 comments:

  1. Tell G-man I said you need to convert to gas. Like I have any authority. Does your state have a fund for paying for braces for children with Bossy's needs? As braces will help him chew and talk and breath better I think if you do your homework you can get help with this. I know you can in Idaho.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will tell him that THE KIM said we HAVE to do it. :)

      I will look into help with the braces....but I have never heard of such a thing. The kicker....if he was on Medicaid, we wouldn't pay a dime.

      Delete
  2. You're doing great! And just think: Roughly a third of your debt isn't even to any company or bank or dentist - it's to yourself! I know, I know, we already went over that, and I see why you want to count it - because you didn't pull the money out of a free-money tree, and counting it documents the restoration of the retirement account to its former condition, approximately... but it seems like you've made even MORE progress when you look at how much the debt owed to banks etc. has shrunk. So when you get to the point that they're paid off and you're only paying yourself back - well, I don't know about you, but I'd rather owe myself than some stinkin' bank. It's going to be a great feeling getting to that place sooner because you were able to access some of your own funds to jettison the outstanding consumer debt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know what the worst thing is? The retirement loan, the car, and the student loan (fingers crossed!) will all get paid off within months of each other!!! So while technically we are paying ourselves back....we won't get to a point where that is the only loan left.

      Thanks for the encouragement.

      Delete
  3. That is awesome. How good is it to see the numbers going down! We had our orthodontics appointment recently and found out we will only need a plate when Mr. 9 is a teen. So you never know...hope it's better than you think!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doubtful. He has a cross underbite, and his permanent teeth are coming in on the side of his gums. He has a high arched pallate, and overcrowding. It is a mess in there!

      Delete
  4. I think your estimate of orthodontics is too high. Both of my kids did it in two separate steps but the total price was less than $7000.

    I just categorize it as a fixed expense like gas and electric.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you are right, but we were told how extentive of work he will need....so I am bracing (no pun intended) myself!!!

      Delete
  5. I agree with Anne, I am just putting my third through braces now. My friends and I have all compared notes on this and it seems no matter if you have several steps or just one, it always runs about the same ($6500-$7000). We are in the San Francisco area so also have a high cost of living. I would get additional estimates.

    ReplyDelete