Eeek

We are getting so close! $3700 left on our van until it is fully paid for! I can't wait to have this bill GONE. Every time we take a check for it it makes me think of all the things we could be doing (and I cringe!) We have enough to actually pay it off, but Joseph has gotten a new job (and we are so excited!). It comes with. A paycut, so we aren't wanting to take money out of savings just yet,  until we see how much he actually is making.  "Murphey" likes to hit when times get tough, so we want to be prepared!
We had a tree fall down a week ago. It fell for free, as opposed to the $2000 we were quoted to have it come down. So that itself is a huge blessing.
Our fence is almost finished!!! I absolutely can not wait for it to be complete. Joseph has worked so hard. I am so thankful to have married a handy husband!

Update

I can't remember the exact number but we are under $6000 left on the van (and have a big check to take this week!) It definitely has taken longer than I ever expected,  but we are so much closer than we would normally be. I can't wait till we own both our vehicles outright! I follow a family on instagram that paid their mortgage off this weekend. I may not love where we are now, but until God sees it fit for us to move, that's my next big plan - to pay off our house!

Snowball update!

I meant to post this last month but forgot! Our car debt is down to about $9200! I picked up overtime at work to help roll it on out! We are hoping to have it paid off soon! And then be debt free except the mortgage!  (But Wells Fargo we will be coming after you too!)

Update to debt snowball!

We paid Josephs car off in March! It was a great feeling. To know that no matter what we have a vehicle that can't be taken away - one less worry! We are down to about $17500 in debt (my van alone!) However we expect to get some medical bills soon which will bump it up, but we will just tackle it that much harder. Joseph and I sat down tonight and made our September budget, as well as came up with a 1 year, a 2 year, and an 11 year plan. We are not naive. We know life is going to happen, but as my mom tells me, a plan is better than no plan at all. We are looking forward to starting financial peace university in the next few weeks. That extra motivation should help kick us into gear even more. Looking forward to getting focused with our goals!

Official amount!

Our official amount of debt is - $22217.96 (this does not include our mortgage). wow. It's kinda sickening when I think about it. But once its paid off it will feel so rewarding! :) so here is to owning two cars and having them eventually paid off! Dave Ramsey wouldn't agree with our strategy because we are not lowering our savings to $1000 and he probably wouldn't like that we have a van that is that new. But this works for us :) please pray for us! It's a constant challenge to stick to our budget but we know it is best! I will post small updates as we lower the amount but my next big post will be celebrating that Joseph's car is paid for!  :)

Debt Snowball!

Several months ago I read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (I HIGHLY recommend it!) We decided to do the program to an extent. We came up with a small plan but didn't tackle it too hard, especially with Christmas being thrown in the mix.  I purchased and read the book again and this time we are doing it right! We already had baby step 1 complete so it was time for baby step 2 -the debt snowball! Our debt is only car payments (big thank you to my parents for teaching me financial lessons at a young age! ) - however when you state the full amount it seems like a lot. We owe approximately 23,000 for 2 cars (I will have an official total in a few weeks). As we move along I plan to type updates to keep us motivated! We do have extra money in savings. I was not ready to give that up. It just helps us be on the correct path to baby step 3! :) Thank you for joining our journey to financial freedom!  We are excited!

3/28 grocery trip

One of the biggest things with Joseph and I, and grocery shopping,  is we had to decide and set a budget for how much we wanted to spend a week on groceries. We have now been living in our home for 6 months and so far so good! If we are under we roll it into the next week and so on. Our weekly budget, for the two of us, is $50. That being said, today's grocery trip is over budget. There were several things that I felt were too good of a price to pass up on. So, here is today's trip and totals!
If you want a break down let me know and I will!
We went to publix and target (had a minor snafu but nothing terrible!)
$196 worth of groceries/personal products/dog food for only $59 before tax. This is why I coupon! I know it doesn't look like many meals but we break things down! :) the reason for all of the powerade?  Joseph takes them to work and it is MUCH cheaper than if he goes to a gas station.  Enjoy! ps we have meat in the freezer!