Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it's been a while! School and family have been keeping me very busy. I am enjoying my 5 days off for Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I will talk to you all soon.

Love to all,

Jess

Another Chance

Update: The interview lasted from 1-3. At 4:40, she called and offered me the job, which begins on Monday and requires a 3 year agreement. I am accepting the position this morning, and will be "shadowing" the long-term sub on Thursday and Friday! Thanks for your support!

Yesterday, at around 2:00 in the afternoon, I received a phone call from the principal at Chandler Creek Elementary school.

"Would you be interested in interviewing for a 5th grade position at Chandler Creek in the Greer/Taylors area?" she asked.

Naturally, I said that I would. When she asked why I resigned from my previous position, I informed her that I was looking to explore another school format, to find where I fit in. We set up an interview for 1:00 Tuesday afternoon (today).

I immediately called my previous principal to find out what my PACT scores were like from last year, so I had that information at hand. Unfortunately, he was not available at the time. After picking up Mandy and Andrew from school, I sent Dr. K. an e-mail asking for the same information. He called me almost immediately, and let me know that he just got off the phone with the principal at Chandler Creek!

He pretty much told me everything they talked about, and exactly what he told her. He was EXTREMELY flattering to me, and has wished me much luck in my interview. He even told me that, if he had a position available at this time, he would hire me back. Dr. K. said I had a really great shot at this position.

When I hung up the phone, I was just about in tears! It was so nice to hear these positive things from my previous employer. He has been extremely supportive.

Paul and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary on Sunday, and we lamented that we were beginning "lucky 13"! So far, it seems that it may actually be a lucky year.

So, if you are so inclined, and you read this before 1 pm today, I would really appreciate a prayer said on my behalf.

I love you all!

Jess

Andrew on TV

Check out this link to see Andrew...

His teacher won the "Golden Apple" award, and they filmed this.

Thinking...

You know, I feel like I should blog, but I just don't have anything interesting to write about.

So I won't until I feel an urge.

Don't give up on me yet...just be patient.

Jess

A Few Great Reads

I have recently read "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, and I have to say it is a MUST READ. I originally came across the book in Costco, and thumbed through it. I decided to check it out from the library, but it was on reserve for a while. I finally had the opportunity to read it, and it made me cry. What's more, he succumbed to his cancer about 2 weeks ago, which made the story that much more impactful. If you are interested in a truly inspiring book, this is one to read.

Also, I have read "The QBQ: The Question Behind the Question" by Dan Miller. This one I read back in May, but it is a book that I constantly think about, and has changed the way I view a lot of situations in my life. It is a book about self-accountability. If you have EVER fallen into victim thinking (you know, "Why did this happen to me? Why can't things ever go right for me? When will it be my turn to win?"), then you need to read this book!

I love it when GREAT books come across my path. It is amazing to me that someone else's written words can change my life. I hope they change yours, too.

What's New

Wow! So much has been going on since I last blogged. We are keeping very busy around here.

I have been working at my chiropractor's office for a couple of weeks now. I do not spend too much time there, however, as he is still relatively quiet. I do go help out on Tuesday's, which is his busiest day. I am learning all about running a doctor's office, and it is nice to be learning something new and different. Right now, I am being "paid" with free chiropractic care for the family, which is very helpful, as it is one less expense for us.

I also have been working on my web site, www.theprofessionalsub.com, which keeps me pretty busy. Most of the things I have been working on are not on the site yet, so you will just have to bear with me on that. I am hoping, however, that this site will be making money within a year, which I feel is fairly realistic.

Additionally, we have listed some of our hand made items on Etsy.com. My store is www.davisonfamily.etsy.com. We only have a few things listed so far, but we are working on that as well.

That brings us to school! We are one week away from the new school year beginning here. Andrew is moving into 4th grade, and he has my friend Melanie Holland for a teacher. I know from working with her that she will do a good job, but I worry about Math and Science. She is weak in those areas, and she is adopting a math program called Excel Math that I do not like. It is a lot of worksheets that Andrew could teach, because it is a highly scripted program. That is not teaching to me, but I do not get a say in the method she uses.

Mandy is so excited about going into 1st grade! She has been counting down the days until school begins. Every morning and evening, she double checks the days remaining. They go back on Tuesday, the 19th. She has Mrs. Gwinn for a teacher this year. Mrs. Gwinn has adored Mandy, so I am sure she will have a great year. She is one of those teachers that you hope your child will have, because she is so encouraging of all the children in her class.

One more thing...ANDREW MADE HORIZONS!!! OK, so you have no idea what that is. Horizons is the name for the academically gifted and talented program in our school district. At the beginning of the summer, we received a letter that Andrew did not qualify, though he missed by 2 points in each of the 2 possible areas for making it. On Saturday, we received a letter that he made it, based on Spring testing results, namely the PACT test. We are so happy for him, as he has many friends that are also in Horizons. It will be great for him.

Well, that's about it for now. Talk to you all again soon!

New Web Site up and running

Please check out my new web site and try out all of its features. I would appreciate it if you would let me know what you like and do not like about the site. If something does not work correctly on your computer, I need to know. Thanks a million for your help!

Jess

FYI

Just wanted to let you all know that we are still alive here. Though I do not have a "job" for next school year, we are making the best of the situation. I am working on starting a home based business. What kind of business, you may wonder?

Well, it seems to me that many people enjoy homemade crafts, but most of these people either do not like to or don't know how to make things. So, my idea is to create some crafts, such as knit and crocheted items, as well as some other items, and sell them online. I plan to have items for baby, children, and adults, as well as holiday and home decor items. I am working on a web site to sell things from, as well.

We are still working on a name, however. Does anyone have any ideas? It needs to be usable as a URL as well.

I have been working hard on creating items to sell over the past couple of days. I have a few already, too! I am hoping this idea works well, but we will see what time brings.

In addition, I plan to substitute teach this school year. That should keep me pretty busy!

How to Survive With What You Already Have

Jennie has a good thread going over at her blog, and I just had to add to it.

A lot of our culture today is based on "have it now". We definitely have entitlement issues. After several years of marriage, many of us have the same lifestyles of our parents, often with bigger homes, newer cars, and more fashionable clothing. The trouble is, they can afford their lifestyle after 20+ years of working hard for it, and we can not. So we go deeply into debt for it. Add to that the fact that we have to "keep up with the Joneses", and you have a surefire recipe for disaster.

So were does all that lead? It leads to fear, arguments with your spouse, and a general discontentment with the things we have. Isn't it time we stop this insanity? But how can we do that, you may wonder?

First, make it a point to communicate with your spouse about money issues. Paul and I had a hard time with this at first. I had been taking care of the money for so long, I was a little scared to tell him exactly how much we had (didn't have was more like it) and how much we owed. But it wasn't that bad once we actually had the talk. It seems he was thinking things were much worse that they were.

Second, sit down together and spend EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR on paper before the month begins. You know how much you make, you know how much you spend on your "necessities", and you should have at least an idea how much you spend on food and gas. When we did this, we noticed that we spent a ridiculous amount of money on paying back our creditors. It was almost a third of our take home pay, actually. Once you have this taken care of, you can see where you can trim your budget. We chose to suspend our DirecTV service for 6 months to add that $65 to our payoff plan. We also use cash now for food, gas, and clothing purchases. According to Dave Ramsey's research, people spend between 12% and 18% more when using a card of ANY type for these purchases, and I would have to agree.

Finally, learn to tell yourself NO. This is where the contentment comes in. If you really look around your house, how many things do you have that you truly love? Probably not as many as you would think. I can look around and see many things I would love to get rid of. Have a yard sale with all of the junk you don't love. Then, you have to be able to say no the next time there is something you just have to have. NO IMPULSE PURCHASES. If you want something bad enough, it will still be there tomorrow.

For more information on how to take control of your finances and become content with what you have, click on the "Family Tree" banner at the top of my page. It will take you to Dave Ramsey's site. I think you can learn a lot there.

Job Update

Well, it didn't happen. I was e-mailed this morning and told that the positions had both been filled. I have to say that I am a bit disappointed. I thought things were looking good for this one.

I am not sure where to go from here. I am feeling a little lost. I need to find my way.

More later.

Notice Anything New???

Money from Heaven

It is funny how, when you have a budget, money seems to come out of nowhere. We received an $850 check from Publix yesterday. It will put us about 2-3 months closer to getting out of debt! It is truly heaven sent.

Yard in Progress - Before and After

Paul and I (emphasis on Paul) have been working on the back yard the last 2 weekends. I have to say, it is coming along. If you have been here recently, you would remember the mish-mosh that was our back yard. The paths had grass and weeds growing on them, they were strewn with pots, and the berry bushes were perhaps a bit overgrown. The other paths were partially covered with gravel, with a healthy dose of weeds growing in it. And, you really could not walk on them for all of the pots in the way. It looked like this...

Now, after a lot of hard work on Paul's part, it is looking much improved! Paul spent quite a few hours removing the weeds and grass from the path. Then we both placed pavers on the ground to make stepping stones on the path. We also moved the fire pit to a more usable location, surrounding it with a paver patio and using some of that gravel underneath (my idea!!). Finally, we laid cedar mulch down on the path. The result is quite attractive, if I do say so myself!

What a difference!!!

It's Independence Day!

On this day in 1776, our forefathers saw fit to declare independence from Great Britain. It is in these words that we have since lived our lives.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, tha all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

To those of you who have valiantly fought to preserve these freedoms, and to the families of these brave men and women, we can never thank you enough.


Happy 4th of July!

Job Update

Things look good for the job. The principal e-mailed me to find out where I am at in the process of getting my NC certificate. She said that she can not move forward in the hiring process until I have that complete. Needless to say, I working overtime to get the paperwork needed and should hopefully have everything in the overnight mail by Wednesday!!!

On Money and Choices - REVISED

You know, this has been bothering me all week now. I have a friend that I taught with last year. She is making monthly payments to a debt consolidation company in order to "get out of debt". She and I were talking about getting together with the kids (she has 2 girls), and I said I would love to, but I would not be able to go out to lunch at this point. She knows our situation and what we are doing to get out of debt, but she feels sorry for me and felt bad about telling me about the fabulous beach vacation she has planned for July.

My friend chooses to allow an outside entity handle her debt. She has the money debited from her checking account each month, and she does not have to think about anything other than making sure she has that amount when they draft it. She has not changed any of her money habits, nor the way she thinks about money. She will often tell me that she is not allowed to have a credit card until she is done with these people. I fear that she has not really learned the lesson or changed the habits. As such, I fully expect her to fall back into debt within a fairly short period of becoming "debt free".

DONT' FEEL SORRY FOR US. The reason we are in debt is because we made poor choices. We were in the mindset of "have to have it now". We have seen the error of our ways and are working hard to correct them. But by no means do we want our friends to feel sorry for us.

I want people to know that the things Paul and I choose to do with our money are our CHOICE. We do not HAVE to put all of our "extra" money toward our debt, we CHOOSE to do so in order to be debt free fast. We could have gone to New Jersey recently, because we could have saved money to do so. However, it would have put us several months behind on our debt freedom plan to do so. Paul and I both felt that this was not in our best interest at this time. Unfortunately, that decision made some people unhappy. Know that it was our choice for our family.

In the three months that we have been actively getting out of debt, we have managed to reduce our debt by almost $20,000. We have sold some things that we realistically could not afford, we have reduced spending, we have been living on a budget and paying cash for everyday purchases, and we have put every extra penny towards our debt. And we feel great about this!!!!! On Wednesday, we put our final credit card payment in the mail!! We are down to 2 debts, and we feel great! By October (at the latest), we will only have Sallie Mae left to repay.

We are working hard and "living like no other" in order to be able to "live like no other" in the future!!!

The Interview

So I had my interview at 1:30, which you already know. I was given a brief tour of the school by the lead teacher, who is basically the Assistant Principal. Then, on to the conference room, where I spent the next hour and a half having a lovely interview conversation with the principal and lead teacher. We seem to fit well together, but I will have to wait and see.

They will hopefully be letting me know by the second week of July. And, as it turns out, they are NOT a year round school, and follow a normal school schedule. That will work out much nicer, though we were prepared for Paul to take a leave from work in order to make this work out.

So, I still need your prayers, if you are so inclined, or your happy thoughts! I will let you know what the plans are as soon as I know them myself.

Thank you for your support!!!

Today is THE day...

I am nervous. I have not ever really had to participate in many interviews before, so I still do not know what to expect. When I was hired at Fairforest, it was the only interview I went on. I was hired before my next interview was scheduled. So I have butterflies in my stomach and my interview is still 3 1/2 hours away.

I have a good feeling about this one, though. After praying about a position for next year, this school called me for an interview. It is the only school that called, so I feel like this is where God wants me to be next year. Perhaps that sounds silly. I also have been having dreams about teaching second grade next year. I do not know why. That may be because I would really love the chance to teach a younger grade than I have before.

The school I am interviewing at is a year round school. They actually start back in about 2 1/2 weeks. They have as much time off as a "regular" school, but the time is spread out over the course of the school year. They have 3 weeks off in September and December, 2 off in March, Spring Break in April, and then a month in June. It might be a great chance to earn extra money, as it would be possible to sub during my interim breaks.

Wish me luck!!!

A Third Dog?

Last Tuesday, we found a little dog wandering the street. The poor thing had no collar, and was covered in fleas and ticks. Surely it had been out on its own for a while. Well, we took it in, bathed it and fed it, and the children named it Max. We brought it to the vet and they put some flea and tick stuff on his back.

No one wanted to bring the dog to the humane society. We were really hoping someone would come around looking for him. After a few days, though, we had no luck. On Saturday, we brought the dog to the humane society, hoping someone had reported him missing. If not, they were going to put him down, and we just didn't have the heart to let that happen.

We were in luck! The dog had an owner. We met up with them, and they seemed so happy to have their little dog back. It turns out the dog's name was actually Max! They had reported the dog lost on Tuesday, the same day we found him. It was a little disconcerting to return him to a family that obviously missed him dearly, yet seemed to take poor care of him.

I hope Max stays safe with his family.

A Good Prospect

I received a call today for an interview on Tuesday. I will let you know how it goes! Keep happy thoughts for me, please.

Quick Fix

Yesterday, when we were trying to fill the pool, we noticed that the inflatable ring on the top had a hole somewhere. It was losing air fast. Today, I found the hole. Not having a repair kit handy, I thought of a fix. I used rubber cement and a piece of overhead transparency to make my own patch. So far, so good. I will keep you posted!

As of right now, the pool is nicely filling with water. While it is not totally level, it is close enough. It is awfully difficult to dig in our concrete ground this time of year!

Hard Work

Today, we are working on putting up our little 13' by 33" round pool. Yesterday, I tried to level out the ground, with the help of a bobcat and some extra dirt left over from when we had our drain field installed last month. However, we discovered last night that it is still about 2 inches lower on one side than the other.

As such, I will be working on leveling off the area a little more today, moving dirt from the middle to the low side, thereby hopefully leveling off any differences. Needless to say, it is supposed to be 97 degrees today, as well.

As a reward for all this hard work today, I am taking Mandy and Andrew to the magic show at the library this afternoon. I am hoping that it will be as fun as it sounds!

Hope you all have a great day!

New Beginnings

The school year is officially over as of tomorrow. Students had their last day on Friday, and there is nothing left for me to do except pack a few more boxed into my car and hand in my keys. I should be finished with the year by 9:00 tomorrow morning.

Thus said, it is time for a new beginning. A new summer means spending lots of time with my children, unfettered with planning for next weeks class. It means keeping my house as clean as it should be, because I have nothing to stop me from doing so. It means cooking good meals on a nightly basis, because there will be no getting home at 5:00. It also means setting up new habits so life will be easier when the new school year begins.

I love new beginnings.

My Graduate

Mandy is a Kindergarten Graduate! She graduated today at 10:30. The ceremony was a beautiful mix of children singing, a beautiful PowerPoint presentation created by the children, and children shaking hands with the principal! It was a sweet day.

WE'RE CAR PAYMENT FREE!!!!!

We may not be debt free yet, but we did take a large step by loosing the car payment. Thank you very much to CarMax, which made getting rid of the van a piece of cake. We even celebrated our new "payment free" lives by having a delicious dinner of....leftover macaroni.

Love to all!

Finally, Some Normal People Around Here!

Tonight, we went out with our Chiropractor and his family. They are from New Jersey, and it was very nice to spend an evening with people you have so much in common with! Rob and Paul get along famously, as did Rob's wife, Nicole, and I. They have a 2 year old daughter, which Mandy just loves! We had a great conversation, and I would love to do that again.

It seems like most people around here are just not willing to let you completely into their "circle" if you are not from the South.

I'm back...

Sorry it has been so long. It seems like we never stop running around here!

Well, it is May now, and Mandy is way excited because her birthday is coming up! She can not wait to turn 6. So, I wanted to share what we are doing for her birthday this year.

Paul and I have decided that the children will each have $100 to spend on their birthdays. That has always been our "budget" for birthdays (yeah right). This year, though, the kids have both decided that they want cash. The only stipulation is that their cake and party must come out of the $100. Thus, if they want a big party, they will not have a lot of gifts. Likewise, the cheaper their extras cost, the more cash they have to spend. Same with the cake - I can make one cheap, or we can purchase one for them - their choice.

Needless to say, they are both planning simple parties, with just a friend or two sleeping over, a cake from Mom, and as much cash as they can get their hands on! They are eagerly anticipating spending their dough - Mandy has several things picked out already! I can't believe how excited they are this year about the birthday.

April 15th

Tomorrow is tax day, and I have just filed my return. Talk about cutting it to the wire. It seems that we owed a bit of money this year, though not too much. I was expecting this, though, so it was not a surprise at all, and we were prepared for it! Now, we are awaiting the tax credit check to be coming out in the next month or two. Any idea where that will go? To the debt!

More Sights of Spring

Sights of Spring

Jump Rope for Heart

Andrew and Mandy are both participating in Jump Rope for Heart, which is a fund raising event for the American Heart Association. If you are interested in helping out a worthy cause, please consider sending a small donation. Checks should be payable to Fairforest Elementary School. Andrew and Mandy both are jumping in honor of Mama Ola, their late great-grandmother.

Thank you for your consideration.

It's Almost Over

Spring Break, that is.

Andrew, Mandy, and I have been home all week. Unfortunately, we have not had the best weather this week. We had only one warm, sunny day perfect for being outside. Otherwise, it has been cold, rainy, and generally yucky. We can't complain, though, because we really need the rain. Paul worked all week, as well.

However, we are well rested and ready for the remaining 8 weeks of school this year. I can't believe how quickly another year has gone by!

Why the Pricey Vacuum?

Actually, with 2 dogs who shed alot, 2 children who make messes, red clay outside, and a cat who is a little sickly, a cheaper vacuum did not really seem to be a viable option. If I had to purchase a new $150 vacuum every 2 years, I would easily outspend this purchase. Plus, I do not think it would work as well on all of our messes! :)

Thanks for the concern, though.

Beckie, we did cash in the annuity. We used it for various and sundry things that we "had to have", and it disappeared rather quickly. We did manage to pay down a little debt with it, however, especially after Christmas.

We have definitely done some "STUPID" things with money in the past. Paul and I are working together on this now, though, and we are both determined to be DEBT FREE as soon as possible!

Murphy is Knocking

You know that saying, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"? That seems to be the case around here.

On Saturday, Andrew took the vacuum cleaner to his room. He then proceeded to trip over it, breaking the connector between the power nozzle and the hose. It was irreparable. I tried every glue known to man to put that thing back together. To make matters worse, this is the ridiculously expensive vacuum that we purchases around 9 years ago. Granted, it served us well for those 9 years, but it really hurt that it broke.

Off to Sears we went, after spending several hours researching vacuum cleaners online. It seems that the Kenmore Progressive vacuum, rated #1 by Consumer Reports, was going the be the vacuum for us. We looked at customer ratings for about 15 different vacuums and were impressed by the overall opinion of owners of this machine. It was on sale for $279, and we added the 2 year protection plan for $29. With the plan, we take it in for service once a year (no additional charge) and they fix it up for us (no additional charge). Without the plan, if something happens to the machine (which is bound to happen - lots of electronics on board, and it is made of plastic), you pay $39 to drop it off. If it is something in the first year covered by the limited warranty, they refund the money. Otherwise, you pay that plus any additional costs associated with fixing it up. Seemed to me like the $29 was money well spent. Plus, at the end of 2 years, we can extend it for another 2 years, as long as we own the vacuum.

By the way, I love the vacuum cleaner. It has these lights that tell you when the carpet is clean, and my carpet has never looked better! It renewed the pile on the carpet, and eliminated the need to steam clean it right now. Pretty impressive!

In other Murphy news, we had DHEC come out to our house yesterday morning. Someone called to complain about our septic tank, which has left a bit of a wet spot in our yard at the end of the drain field. Seems we will have to fix that up. It will cost us $200 to have the tank pumped, which we are due for, apparently. In addition, they may need to put a gravel pit in our yard, which will cost about $1500. Yikes!

I guess it is a good thing we sold Paul's truck, otherwise we would be struggling a bit with the septic issue.

Otherwise, things are going well. We paid off 4 small bills yesterday - two doctor bills, a dentist bill, and money we owed back to Publix for vacation pay Paul did not earn. I also called the hospital and insurance company to reduce a $1500 bill for Mandy's ER visit a year ago. It should only have been around $250, but the insurance company did not pay it. Hopefully, that will reduce our liability for that payment. It really felt good to walk to the mailbox yesterday, knowing that we took care of some of those debts!

Now, if we could just get rid of my car payment...

Hope you all are doing well. Love to all!

Mandy's Fabulous Sentence

Mandy created this beautiful picture and writing at school. This year, she has learned how to write a complete sentence, using colorful, "rich" adjectives in her writing. I think she is doing a great job!

The picture includes the grill, my blue van, our house, and Paul's blue Subaru. And Mandy and Daddy, of course!

Not bad for a 5 year old!

Chicken Pox

Andrew has the Chicken Pox. Fortunately, with the vaccination he received as an infant, his case will be pretty mild. However, he will still be out of school for the remainder of the week. We have Spring Break next week, so it won't be that bad. I am home with him today, Paul will be with him on Thursday, and I have him again on Friday. He will be missing his big field trip to Columbia, as well.

SOLD!

Yesterday, we had a repeat visitor vying for Paul's Toyota pickup truck. Well, the offer was $8000 cash. We accepted, and are on our way to becoming debt free.

This is more than just a one-time reduction. You see, we will receive a refund of our personal property tax upon turning in the tag. In addition, it will reduce our insurance by about $50 per month. Also, it is one less vehicle to maintain! That is a pretty big deal, over all.

One down, one to go.

Paul will be fixing up the Subaru, which has a little problem. Then, he will be driving that again. We may need to carpool for a few days until that is done. Fortunately, we are on Spring Break in another week. We will have to drive together for Wednesday through Friday. No big deal!

Paul will be parking the van at the Plant Outlet next! Maybe we will have that sold soon, too! That would free up a fair chunk of change monthly, as well. We would also receive a refund of personal property tax, lower insurance, and NO CAR PAYMENT for the first time since 1993!

Can you hear the excitement!

Happy Easter

Game Day

It is baseball season around here. The Dodger's are gearing up for a new season, and so is Paul! But, Andrew is the focus here. He has joined a local Little League team. He is in the Minor Leagues this year. That means the kids pitch to each other this year. In years past, coaches and pitching machines have thrown the ball.

Here are some pictures from today you may enjoy. Let me know if you need your own copy e-mailed to you!

A Sale in the Near Future?

Paul's truck, which we purchased last July with cash, is on the chopping block! He has had a lot of interest of late, and someone is very serious about purchasing it. Once the truck is sold, we will fix up the old blue Subaru a little and Paul will drive that. It has been paid for since 2000.

Next up is my van. We still owe about 10,500 for it, but we can get 16,500. And we will lose a 347 monthly payment! We really only have a few debts to pay off, and both of these sales will go a long way towards eliminating all but one...THE STUDENT LOAN.

Sandie, I hope you do well with your plan. We will also be looking at around 2 years, mainly because a 28000 student loan is tough to pay down! Let's keep each other in check. Do I see a "race to be debt free" looming in the future? :)

Oooohhh - That was a little painful

OK - So the mail came today and the Kohl's circular was in it. Wouldn't you know that this is the time of year for their "15%, 20%, or 30% off" sale. Well, I pulled the little sticker back and there it was...30% off.

The trouble with this is that you have to use your Kohl's card, which I have cut up. I have to admit - two weeks ago, I would have run out and purchased some clothing for my family. After all, 30% off is great! Then, I would have had another card to pay for.

Now, I put the circular in the shredder, so I would not be tempted by the beckoning add. There it is, in 100 little pieces, sitting in the shredder basket. Now, the only one who knows it is there is me (and you :) of course).

Buy, bye, Kohl's card.

A Little Painful

Well, we did it. Paul and I sat down last night with a pile of paid bills and looked at where our money was really going each month. We wrote down every single bill, how much per month it is, and when it is due. We wrote down every single person we owe money to.

The good thing is, I was actually right about how much we owe to others! That means that I am being realistic when I think of our financial situation. There is no denial here.

We also set up a grocery budget of $500 per month and a gas budget of $240 per month. Anything left over there will go directly towards our debt.

Here is another exciting thing...we already have Babystep 1 complete...$1000 in an emergency fund. That means we can begin to work on our debt today!!! And, with this process comes the realization that the $67 we pay to DirecTV each month is a luxury we are willing to forgo to complete this process a little faster. That is now going to be $67 extra toward our financial freedom!

Like Dave says, "Live like no other, and later you can live like no other!" I am ready to "Live like no other." Let's do this thing.

Tired Of....

Well, it has been a while since I have posted. I guess I start to take things personally, and then I sort of shut down. Sorry I have disconnected from you all.

Anyhow, Paul and I have finally come to realize that we are TIRED OF owing other people money. We have some debt that, when it all adds up, amounts to quite a hefty amount of money. This includes student loans, a car, and "stupid" debt (isn't all debt stupid?). Finally, we are tired of owing other people our paychecks. It is high time that our money works for us, instead of us working so darn hard for our money.

Thus, I will take you on our journey with us. It is not going to be too pretty, but we are determined to become financially secure. Our goals are to pay off our debt, invest for retirement, be able to afford to educate our children through college, own our house free and clear, and be able to have fun in our lives. We will accomplish this only through hard work and dedication to our goals, but it is doable!!! Baby steps is the key.

We are following the advice of Dave Ramsey. As such, we will begin by placing $1000 in an emergency fund. Then, we will begin to tackle that pesky debt. We plan to sell my Toyota van, and probably the truck as well. While we own the truck, as well as Paul's old Subaru, we make monthly payments on the van to the tune of $347 each month. That is a lot of money that could be used in a much better fashion than a car. We should clear about $4000 on the van. If we sell the truck too, that will add another $10,000 to our debt removal. Not a bad start. Then comes the hard part...getting rid of the other $26K.

We are going to sit down and create a budget and a list of ALL of our debt this weekend. I expect it will be a bit painful, but it will allow us to look at what we are willing to sacrifice to become financially free!

How much debt are we looking at? Without the house, it is probably around $40,000 including the student loans. OUCH. With the house, more like $170K. Double OUCH. We are determined to succeed, and look forward to seeing you all on the "other" side of this journey.

Until then, please do not expect visits or fancy gifts. We are paring down to the essentials in order to improve the future for ourselves and our children. We love you all and hope you will understand our commitment to our futures. We know we will have support from you all, as well.