Getting Out of Debt in November - Page 6

[smallmama]

You guys are knocking it out this month! (I think there should be a shot for that too.)

I'm lining up for a spanking though. I made a budget, but haven't looked at it in weeks. We have more than half the month to go and are down to $250 (and at least half of that needs to go to bills still). I haven't yet cancelled my gym membership or the cable, like I meant to this month. I only paid the minimum on my debts so I could put the normal snowball amount towards Christmas, but I don't even know where that money went now. Eek!

[Maluhia]

@smallmama Sounds like time to sit down with the checkbook and track everything to figure out where that $$$ went, that often helps me get back on track when I feel like I've "wasted" $$$ somewhere I did not want to.

[eirual]

DH has worked two weekends in a row now. We're chugging along to financial freedom, but I miss him

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by eirual

DH has worked two weekends in a row now. We're chugging along to financial freedom, but I miss him

I am in the same boat with you! DH & I have made a plan to revisit after we do our taxes because this working thing is making our family happiness go downhill at a rapid rate. Ugh! I'm trying to rally but really is $800/month worth so much unhappiness?

[sweetjasmine]

Originally Posted by eirual

DH has worked two weekends in a row now. We're chugging along to financial freedom, but I miss him

Originally Posted by _ktg_

I am in the same boat with you! DH & I have made a plan to revisit after we do our taxes because this working thing is making our family happiness go downhill at a rapid rate. Ugh! I'm trying to rally but really is $800/month worth so much unhappiness?

Aw mamas! I would feel the same! Hopefully, it's only temporary. But sometimes any amount of money doesn't supersede basic human needs such as love and the importance of "together" time.

[mtm]

ahem, we have reached mid-month. How is everyone doing? Too many doctor's appt which result in a coffee out here/a dinner takeout there have emptied our entertainment envelopment, whine, complain.

[Softmama]

we are doing pretty good so far. I THINK we are on track with our grocery budget. And I just sat down with the circulars (and my 4 week meal plan) to see what nonperishables are on sale that I can stock up on. I had been good with that for a while and then got off track.

[Maluhia]

We are doing....OK, but DH left for sea today (Navy) which tends to be really good for my budget as it means he won't spend and I can control my own spending more easily

[sweetjasmine]

I'm doing okay. Actually not bad at all considering the holidays are coming up (so far, anyway). I'm doing much better than in past years where I said to heck with the budget (what budget?!) and spent whatever my lil ol' heart desired for the holidays.

[_ktg_]

We have been visited by a flu over the past couple of days so... so I made an emergency run to the store for supplies (juice, flour, noodles, sugars, a doz qt canning jars )

So we are down $50 from that run, but I'm going to count it as "emergency" since we burned through those items for sick tummies and feeling lousy. Other than that... pretty good. Still have $50 for regular groceries for the rest of the month (easy!) and all my gas money still left before we trek out for the holidays!

DH & I have to sit down at some point and figure out a budget for the holidays or we will be screeeeeeeeeeewed!

[annettemarie]

In the interest of picking things up to Gazelle intensity and not just plodding along like turtles with intent I'm trying to knock out an Advent Seasons of Joy book. I really need to get it done by Black Friday at the absolute latest, and start letting people know this week and next week. But I'm afraid to let people know because I'm afraid I won't get it done. So wish me luck! This is my version of getting a part-time job, LOL!

[Hedgehog Mtn]

Mid Month Update

Well I liked Oct better :-) Extra paycheck and all that LOL.

We had a terrible first week but it was sort of planned. We've not been able to stick to the original envelopes for any of Nov. BUT I can't exactly say we are not in budget....sorta confusing.

I'm feeling the stress of this upcoming birth (due in the next couple weeks) and I needed some birth supplies. I also need a digital camera for the birth - there won't be anyone else here that has a digital camera so it's buy one or no baby pics until visitors come and they aren't expected for a couple days....we tried for the past 6 weeks to borrow one and didn't have any luck I tried craigslist and every other option and now that birth is any day now I went and bought the cheapest one I could do. Same with the birth supplies. On top of that we ended up needing an axle for DHs truck (and our only vehicle at the moment)

I *should* have budgeted the camera and birth supplies but there just wasn't money to budget FOR them (hmm supplies or groceries, supplies or gas....lol). Every week this month was shorter pay than normal due to less OT and time that DH had to take off. What I ended up doing was taking the 200.00 per week that I set aside in an envelope and used that.

Now the 200.00 is set aside every week as my non-EF emergency money. The main EF is locked away and my goal is to save the 200.00 per week and throw it all at something on the last day of the month or save for the birth week of no income. If I were to just add it to the envelopes then it would get spent every week. I want that money to be either A) for a non-expected bill/cost that we couldn't or didn't anticipate so I'm not touching the EF OR B) to throw at our debt at the end of the month OR C) use it so DH can be home to help after the birth for a couple days. The birth stuff pretty much is option A so I don't REALLY feel I was out of line to use it but I would have felt better with C. I guard that money like my life depends on it so I'm really not worried I's just spend it.

Otherwise we've spent very little, stayed within the envelopes for everything else and managed to get by with the temporarily decreased income Nov brought.

The GOOD NEWS is there will be an extra OT weekend because DH will get Thanksgiving day off then work the weekend (sat time & 1/2 and Sun double time) so things should improve towards the end of the month. Plus we get a free turkey from DHs work and usually his single boss gives him his turkey so we will have 2!!!!! Plus DH used his vacation time to hunt and put almost 100lbs of venison in the freezer so the grocery budget should be easier to stick to.

My fear is we haven't had time to set aside money for DH to stay home after the birth and we won't have income so it's either he doesn't stay home (leaves me with 4 kids + newborn) or we figure out a solution.....optimal would be this baby cooks until we can save up enough to get through an extra week or two of no income.

[RoadWorkAhead]

Send us some good thoughts. DH is working for 2 days this week, and we got official confirmation that its "pre-shutdown" work which means the shut down is around the corner. DH has worked at this particular site a few different times so I'm pretty hopeful that he'll get first dibs on this call (goes through the union). It could be as much as 6 months. Shutdown work means guaranteed OT and a very decent wage as well as pension contributions and health&welfare contributions. Even better, its in the next state (GA) and Georgia has Katie Beckett medicaid (for disabled kdis regardless of parent's income) so we can file as residents and stop freaking out about DD's medical needs being met. No more worries about her way expensive formula or tube supplies...Oh, it would be an awesome thing for us. So we need all the positive vibes we can get. It should start within the next 2 months. I'm so hopeful!

In other news, we're still managing to make no progress on Step 2 but we haven't had to touch the BEF. We're going to have to travel some coming up b/c we found out DD has a chromosomal deletion and so we've got appointments from that out of town, but a friend found a resource to help with expenses so it should be okay.

[eirual]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

In the interest of picking things up to Gazelle intensity and not just plodding along like turtles with intent I'm trying to knock out an Advent Seasons of Joy book. I really need to get it done by Black Friday at the absolute latest, and start letting people know this week and next week. But I'm afraid to let people know because I'm afraid I won't get it done. So wish me luck! This is my version of getting a part-time job, LOL!

Sink or swim baby!! If you let people know, you won't have a choice BUT to get it done. Go rock it!!

[annettemarie]

Laurie, that's just what I needed. I'm 1/3 done, and I'll start promoting it today. *gulp*

[mtm]

Maluhia, hope dh isn't gone too long but yay for the budget relief.

sweetjasmine, good job on putting together your holiday budget. My fil just offered us plane tickets to see them for the holidays so I'm

ktg, is everyone over the flu? Its definitely a budget breaker.

annettemarie, turtles with intent I need to know what an advent seasons of joy book is.

Hedgehog Mtn, I didn't realize the baby was coming so soon!

RoadWorkAhead, off topic but can I pm you about your dd and her feeding tube? We're on the verge of one and I'd love to hear about your experiences. I hope your dh gets the call for the work!

[Maluhia]

I think the Seasons of Joy is her business of toddler activity guide that is waldorfy/non-academic and for prek/k kidlets

Yeah - I'm used to the work trips so I just pay attention to the up sides to stay nice

[smallmama]

Originally Posted by _ktg_

I am in the same boat with you! DH & I have made a plan to revisit after we do our taxes because this working thing is making our family happiness go downhill at a rapid rate. Ugh! I'm trying to rally but really is $800/month worth so much unhappiness?

Me too. DH has worked every Saturday, and about half the Sundays all year. It is taking a toll, let me tell you. On me, who has zero alone-time. On us, who have no time together. It sucks, and the one time I remember someone asking Dave about it on the radio, he basically yelled at them to grow up.

RoadWorkAhead - good vibes for your husband!!

_ktg_ - we had the flu too and you're right, that can seriously add up.

We are down to $50. Seriously. This month sucks. The good news is that I found out DH had to pay some of his business expenses out of our personal account, because his business debit card got demagnetized or something so he had to wait for them to send a new one. They did, and tomorrow I'm going to transfer $150 from his business account back into our personal one.

[eirual]

I'm waiting until pay day to celebrate, but I can hardly wait 'cause big things will happen:

We'll have our car payed off (we swore it wouldn't take us the full 5 years, and here we are just getting our butts in gear the last few months- it was due to end in January).

The next debt we'll tackle will be our last (LOC), and with the car payment gone we're hopeful it will be gone by summer. *fingers crossed*

We'll have managed to come out ahead (by picking up other work) at the end of a month that had a significant pay deduct from my regular salary. We're working our tails off, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel.



....sorry, I may have celebrated just a little there.

[eirual]

Originally Posted by smallmama

Me too. DH has worked every Saturday, and about half the Sundays all year. It is taking a toll, let me tell you. On me, who has zero alone-time. On us, who have no time together. It sucks, and the one time I remember someone asking Dave about it on the radio, he basically yelled at them to grow up.