Put 80 more dollars into the stash... movin' on up...
We have Dave Ramsey as our guru right now. Someone on the blog suggested him to me, and so, see...now I am listening quite intently to him and following his practices. And, sad to say, I wasn't before. It just never occurred to me to live life the way he is suggesting. What a big difference it is going to make in our lives. We have to get started on it soon.
We have already got a baby step done...
We have established an emergency fund.... Hubby doesn't know about that one. Like I said, he is not on board like I am, but he will be when he finds out how well it works.
Next, we are cutting out some expenses. This is a little more difficult for us, for we are used to living like "ken and barbie"
We are going to stop the lawn care that comes and spray the weeds, we are going to stop the house cleaning services, we are going to go down to basic cable (that will be a tough one for the big guy) We are going to stop going out to eat as much as possibile or any at all.. (also a big one). We will spend no money in vending machines for I will not keep cash on me. I only have a debit card and since I know that he checks it daily, he will know what I spend.
Those are a few of the first ways we will stop spending and I am thrilled with so many more ways that we will stop. This is the first summer that we will not be going on a vacation. The kids will be less than enthused, so I will make it up to them by being an extra great mom at home.
You, see the problem that we have, I am going to lay it out there for you all to see right now, is that we owe, just in unsecured credit card bills over 136, 000 dollars. Not small change.
But, guess what, that does not deter me in the least. It came on by a rough habit by someone in my family who was going through a rough time. I think he is about done with it, so now it is time for me to help him get his lfe back to together. That is part of the journey. If we can successfully beat this... which we will....OH MY LANDS! What else can we beat...
So, I have to help him understand that we conquer it one day at a time and one bill at a time. And we pay a little extra here and there, and we only focus on getting it paid, not what we owe.
So, that is my inner most gossip. But, as shocking as it may sound to anyone reading it, it does not faze me in the least. It is just money, just paper. And after all I have been through in my life, we can handle paper. We will get control of this. We are doing the research that is teaching us how to do so. And we are ready for the ball to start rolling. But, I guess it has already, because we are starting to feel it getting under our control instead of letting it control us. We will make it, because that is what we do.
We have a goal to reach and the only wasy to reach goals is to go through a few obstacles...
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11 comments:
hmm let me wish u for all the efforts u are taking and i wish everything turns up perfectly .also obstackle and difficulties means u are going into right path ...
keep up
It sounds as if you are very determined to take control of the situation, well done, and good wishes.
Good luck for you! Never give up, I say with Winston Churchill.
Hi,
I think I’m getting in on the end of this conversation. Is that $136k in credit card bills?
I don’t know what to say…and certainly don’t want to say something stupid. All that I can speak from is my own life experience.
I was single mother of two small babies and working three minimum wage jobs when I was in my early 30’s. I was so sleep deprived and worried about my children. I thought I had taken a detour and landed in Hell. During that time, I don’t think my head ever hit the pillow at night without tears. But the extraordinary thing is that I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. I grew and changed in ways I couldn’t begin to list here. Like you, I put my plan into action and I achieved and succeeded very well in the end.
I’m retired now and the babies are grown. I can afford to shop at Tiffany’s and smile at the thought. But, you know- I still prefer to shop at Walmarts.
Vikki
Hey KC, I am so glad that you are working at it.. All the best and never lose control.
wow KC i really praise your determination... i'm sure you can pass by/round/over/through any obstacle...
and yes... each baby step counts...
funny my next post's name is "another step..."
i think i'll put your link there when i put it up... everyone will enjoy reading you for sure...
thanks also for your kind words on my blog... they really warmed my heart...
hugs.
Hi K.C....
Those obstacles will get in the way....but they CAN be knocked right over...and don't let IT control you, you control IT...
With lots of support and determination, you WILL reach that goal.... :-D
K.C.
this is great! and I applaud your willingness to be open and honest here on your blog - for all the 'world' to read...
when my husband (to be ex) and i were first married, combined we had quite a large sum of debt. our humbling moment was going into a bank, all dressed up, to speak to a loan officer about purchasing our first home.
he took one look at our debt load and chuckled. he wisely advised us to reduce our outstanding debt before we come back ...
i remember my dad sent me a 'get out of debt' plan complete with worksheets to help us. the basic premise was to start out with the smallest debt and as quickly as possible, pay it off. then take that debt's payment and add it to the next lowest debt's payment (you can see where this is leading...)
and like eating an elephant: one bite at a time, we slowly climbed out of our debt load.
sounds like you are right on track!
good luck and keep up the good spirits!
fondly,
lady blue
I wish you all the luck..well it isn't luck, it will take hard work. I am in the process of reducing our family debt as well and it is a big task. When I started looking at it in a more positive way and telling myself, we can do this, things turned around. I send my money monthly to pay my debt and I mark it all off on the spreadhseet. I don't even think about the debt until it is time to send the checks out. Thinking of money used to drain me. It is workable and we will do it just as you guys will. Keep it up! I have a friend that used Dave Ramsey and speaks highly of the plan. I got most of my info and plans from blogs *lol* It may seem wierd but it has helped me.
good luck with your journey - it won't be easy but will be worth it!
K.C. - I am right there with ya, girl. I have also discovered Dave Ramsey (maybe that's how you found my blog?). We have so much debt it often feels like we're drowning. We're getting ready to sell our second car (leaving me stranded in the winter, as my hubby will take my car instead of his motorcycle), we've cut back on eating out, we've cut back on extras for the house...it's hard. So hard. But it will be worth it in the long run.
Peace - D
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