3rd Reset Anniversary - the talking part

Happy 3-year reset anniversary to us!  For those who don't know....the quick version is this is when we took out the current retirement loan to consolidate high interest credit cards and were at an all time high of debt.

Some day I will actually figure out how much debt we have paid, since it has gone up and down.  For example...we paid off G-man's car in 2011....and then bought my car in 2011, and his current car in 2013.  Just those 2 purchases added about $19,000 of debt that wasn't part of the original number back in 2009 when I started tracking.  And as a side tangent...I wish I had tracked certain things better...

This past year has definitely brought about changes.  It was June 2014 that a possible move came into play (and as an aside....having talked about a move for a year is REALLY tedious).  Once this was on the table, we had to rethink plans.  It was late August 2014 that G-man was offered the job, and our house went on the market a few weeks later.  We spent money prepping the house for sale (and lots and lots of hours cleaning things out!!). We had to build up a buffer of money for him to draw from, start planning for a change in salary, and figure out how to pay for a move.  All of this really drove the major decisions.

My car decided to break down in January, to the tune of almost $2,000.  Yeah, that was fun.

We also spent about $900 sending Sassy to Quebec....a choice that I am 1000% happy we did, and I know that the 4 days she spent will go down as some of her favorite memories.  She experienced things that she may never get to experience again.

Over the year, there were quick dinners out because of poor planning and impulse purchases here and there (nothing major...but little things can add up).  There were things that I did for myself that weren't budgeted for, but I needed to do for my self-esteem, sanity, and to drag myself up from the bottom of the hierarchy of importance (why am I ok buying shoes for my husband when his are falling apart....but I am not ok buying a pair for myself when mine are?)

For good or for bad, these were just some of the things that impact our newest numbers. 


A little over a year ago, I was hoping this total would be under 40k.   Part of that plan was using part of G-man's second job pay and using any bonuses (as small and few as they are), tax returns, etc to make some large payments. After looking at the numbers (which will be revealed Monday!), we would have been in the ballpark if the move wasn't happening.  I have played with numbers just to see where the most "bang for our buck" would have been if we used that money for debt.  I really never decided what I would do....but it was sort of fun playing around with it.

And here is my usual disclaimer:  We are not gazzelle intense.  There have been choices along the way that we made that we felt were in the best interest of our family.  You don't have to agree, and you don't have to do what I have done.  We have made mistakes.  We are human.  We have worked within our income to find a repayment system that we can live with.  And no....I don't lose sleep over any of this at this point. 


Until we move, there is too much that is unsettled.  I am not willing to do anything MAJOR at the moment to change any of this.  Each month we make a payment.  No big surprises in there.  No "killing it" with some gigantic payment.  We took a paycut when G-man left....and while his new part time job is helping with the "extra" stuff that we save for....his base salary took a hit.  We simply don't have anything more to put toward this.

We are paying bills that are not part of the cost of living for where he is earning his salary.  $300 oil bills don't exist there.  Gas and food are less expensive.  Taxes are less expensive.  I can't change this.  And consumption isn't the issue...the fact that they exist is enough.

So right now....outside of this annual updates...the month to month stuff is boring.  There isn't anything to talk about.  This is about as exciting as watching paint dry (well...I guess that could be exciting if you are re-doing a room and can't wait to get all the decorating done).

I think this will be my last full update for awhile, simply because it is boring.  I may highlight something as we go....if we hit a milestone or something.  But otherwise, I will update the sidebar, and there ya go.  As a whole....the number is down.  I don't want to say too much about the numbers without showing you the numbers....because there is something to talk about as a whole this time.  So come back Monday for the number reveal!

Exhausted

I planned on writing a more detailed account of things...but I just don't have it in me.  The past seven days has kicked my physical and emotional tushie.  I have been overwhelmed and stressed out.  So I am HOPING that this weekend can be less eventful....let me catch up on some sleep and house stuff....and start February fresh.  February is booked solid....I gotta get geared up.

But I will at least give you the highlights of the past week....some of I have already shared:

Saturday, January 24

• Shovel out from snow
• Fix broken sink
• Wedding anniversary

Sunday, January 25

• Calm before the storm (literally!)

Monday, January 26

• Busy day at office (including the copier breaking)
• Car break down on the side of road
• Drank wine

Tuesday, January 27

• Shovel out from 2 feet of snow
• Multiple calls to deal with car
• Multiple calls to talk to Brother about something big with my parents (I will not be going into this...but this has been a huge source of stress, has required many hours of phone calls, and we weren't sure how it was going to end)
• Work from home for 6 hrs

Wednesday, January 28

• Kids still home from school
• Shovel the several inches of snow we got overnight
• Borrow neighbor's car for work (I can't believe she offered...and it was a lifesaver)
• More phone calls about car, and had to go down to the place that towed my car to deal with them

Thursday, January 29

• Copier broke at office (2nd time this week...and I NEED the copier for alot of things....and the repair guy couldn't make it out to fix it), 
• Work computer died (seriously....not my week for things breaking....),
• Borrowed car again
• Car repaired to the tune of $812 (+$93 from Monday, but $100 will be reimbursed from insurance....needed new battery and my power steering cables blew out....part of the bill was for the 2nd tow, and half of the remainder of the bill was the labor charges)
• Children locked themselves out of the house
• Things came to a head with my parents (but thankfully went way better than expected)

Friday, January 30

• As I write this, it is only 6:40 in the morning...the day is still young!  
• Will need to deal with the little bit of snow we got overnight and whatever falls today

ETA, 10:30am:  Car still making noise that caused me to pull over on Monday...called shop and I have to bring it back on Monday....and get a rental car.

Realtor wants to do a showing on Sunday...so I have to get the house show ready...and leave.  And did I mention we ate getting more snow Sunday night?


Stick a fork in me......I am done.  I have a busy weekend of paperwork ahead (normal bill paying, taxes, and submitting financial waiver request for Bossy's medical supplies), need to catch up on laundry and do the "once over" in the house, and prepare for something else that is next weekend (that I will share after it is all said and done).  I hope your week was WAY better than mine.  I am not a football person....so no Super Bowl stuff for me....but if that is your bag, baby....you have a great time!!!!

Happy Third Blogiversary to Me!

Today is my third blogiversary.  And...HAHAHA....our current debt level is actually just under $300 MORE than it was when I started!!  HAHAHA.  I did a "reset" of the numbers on May 7, so I really should use that as my new benchmark for looking at the debt, but I couldn't help but notice how close our debt is to where it was 3 years ago.

For posterity....today's numbers are:

Retirement Loan -$35,135.52
Student Loan -  $27,064.43
Car Loan -$11,358.75
Credit Card - $468.56
Medical - $2,903.16

As of today....I have 170 "followers."  I remember getting my first follower...and was amazed that someone was actually reading my dribble.  This is my 774th published post, and will probably hit 1000 before my NEXT blogiversary. 

So what is different now than when I started:

Layout.  I have played with this many times, and it still isn't right.  One day I would love to hire a professional to fix it, but it just isn't in the budget.

Retirement.  When we started this blog, we were still contributing to a retirement account.  Per the Financial Advisor (who was fired shortly after I started this blog), we stopped so we could increase our cash flow.  I soooo wish we didn't do that.  I know that the debt needs to go down, but I don't think that this was the best decision.  We are toying with starting up again...even with the current debt load.  You learn to adjust to the numbers.  And G-man gets a match from his employer up to 5% that we have lost out on for 3 years now.  Plus, we had a retirement loan when we started this....paid it off....and took another one (the LAST of them).

How we "save."  We used to "save" whatever we had left over...which usually was nothing.  We didn't save for upcoming purchases per se, nor bills.  We now save ahead for all of those things.  Christmas, personal property taxes, camp, just to name a few.  Yes, it takes more out of our paycheck each time, but we no longer have to "hope" we have enough, or rely on "third" paychecks.

Interest.  When we started all of this....our CC rates ranged from the 9's to the high teens.  We were paying HUNDREDS of dollars a month, just for interest.  Now we pay very little.  The highest rate we pay is 9.24% on the CC, BUT, we haven't paid interest in several months due to some small changes.  Our largest debt has a rate of 1.63%.

And what hasn't changed much:

Car loans.  We had a loan on G-man's car when we started, and that was paid off in 2011.  My car was paid off, and has since been replaced with a newer car, so we still have a car loan.

Medical.  Until Bossy doesn't have a feeding tube, and until we have decent Dental coverage....this is just going to be a fact of life.  I would really love to be able to keep up with this stuff, but right now it isn't an option.  We keep paying, but each month more gets added.  The Dental....I almost want to cry.  $2000 for my dental work really hurt this year.  It would have gone so far in paying other stuff.

Home Dynamic.  G-man continues to let me steer the ship.  While he does weigh in some, it really is all on my shoulders to figure out the best options.  

I love blogging and have no plans on going anywhere.  I really hope that a year from now we are MUCH better off than where we are now.  Maybe in the low 60's????  *sigh*

Good thing I am super busy today

Today is my wedding anniversary.  Please....no Happy Anniversary.  We (more ME) decided not to acknowledge it.  We aren't at that point emotionally.  Wounds of the past year run deep.  Add in that this is a super emotionally loaded day for me, and I will be honest with ya.....what I really want to do is go buy stuff to make me happy....even though I know that 5 minutes later I will not be happy anymore.

All rolled into the emotion of today.....

• Wedding Anniversary - 14 years today
• It was the due date for my twin girls who died (they were due on our 10th wedding anniversary)
• My "surprise" baby, that I miscarried was conceived (sorry...TMI) on the aforementioned 10th wedding anniversary.

All of this is weighing heavily on me.  I started getting upset last night, and was so off my game.....I just went to bed.  It is strange this morning....G-man and I have talked all morning, blah blah blah.  Part of me wonders if he forgot since we already decided that we aren't acknowledging it....out of sight, out of mind?

My day consists of 2 doctor appointments, work, shopping for PTA, and bookfair planning meeting tonight.  It is full to the brim with responsibility and no time to think about "stuff."  If I didn't have all of that....I would probably perseverate on everything....do on-line window shopping and eventually convince myself that for everything I have been through....I deserve something!!!

But don't worry.....I won't.  Promise.  Knowing that I am making progress on our debt (we are down $1,200 since the first of the year, not including the $500+ we have paid on the retirement loan this month) is enough to keep me from back-sliding. 

Happy 2nd Blogiversary To Me

Today marks 2 years since I started my blogging journey.

I had this goal of having our debt load under $60K by today.....yeah, not so much.  All of the overtime that G-man has had since May has gone to something OTHER than debt.  The pool repairs, the cars, the coffee pot.....so much for that plan.

On a positive note....in the past year, we have paid off Student Loan #2 and G-man's car.  We were able to save $1000 for camp for the kids, and save for their birthday.  We were able to make some cosmetic changes to our bathroom using our tax refund, and love the results.  So those are all good.

On a negative note, we have had ALOT of car expenses in the past year...and I KNOW that has really cut into the bottom line.  I haven't done the math, but it is probably in the $4500 - $5,000 range between the 2 cars. Not an excuse...just reality.  And our medical expenses have been higher than usual. 

Have we eaten out...yes.  Have we taken one small family trip....yes.  Again....not excuses, just reality.

As of today, we have paid $6,813.60 during this year.  That is $747.05 more than last year, or about 12% more.  Not much, but it is something.  I am a bit disappointed when I look at the numbers.  But those are the numbers.  Like them or not.

Since I started blogging, we have paid $12,880.15 of the original debt load. Although we have incurred more debt as we have gone, we have been paying that off, so I can only go off of the original numbers. The thousands of dollars of new debt isn't reflected in the total of how much we have REALLY paid over 2 years.

I will have a meme for Monday that reviews some past posts...maybe some of them will be new to you!  In the meantime, my blogiversary will be spent doing what I usually do...cleaning, crunching numbers, and obsessing over all of this!!!

My First Giveaway!!!!

In honor of my upcoming blogiversary (2 years on Saturday!), I am proud to announce my first give away!

Novica.com, a fabulous site that strives to unite artisans through out the world with YOU, has generously sponsored this giveaway to allow you to meet their artisans and partake in some beautiful goods.  Their mission (from their website):

We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.

I will be reviewing some products shortly, but wanted to get the party started NOW!  If you are interested in entering this giveaway for a $50 gift code to the site, to purchase anything from clothes, scarves, jewelry to home goods, spiritual items, and more....then here are the rules:

1)  Contest will close at 7pm (east coast time) on 8/8/11 (that's Monday).
2)  Anonymous entries will not be honored.
3)  The winner will have 48 hrs to respond to me.  In the case that the first winner fails to contact me, another winner will be chosen.


So, how do you enter?  I don't Facebook or Twitter, but I want to allow you to have a few chances. Each of the following ways will gain you one entry into the contest (just make sure you leave them as separate comments).

1) Follow my blog (it's at the bottom....keep scrolling!).  If you already are a follower, then leave me a comment that says so.  If you aren't, then become a new follower, and THEN leave a comment!


2)  Check out Novica.com, and let me know what you are interested in.  I will warn ya, it is soooo easy to want it all!


3)  Tell me one talent you have....c'mon, we all have them.  Don't be shy!

4)  Tell me why you read this blog....the good or the bad.  Am I just a train wreck and you can't look away???


So that is it folks.  You have up to 4 ways to enter.  Get to it.  And Good Luck!!!!