24,000 Reasons to Stay at a Job You Don't Love!

I don't LOVE my job. 

Phhhhewww, it felt good to say that! Sure, when I took this job, it seemed like the right "next step" in my career and it made sense at the time. It pays well and I've learned a few new things, but I'm just not able to contribute at the level I want to. In this role, I'm one of many instead of the "go-to" one. I've realized that I want to be able to make more of a contribution.

I feel like Goldilocks, but I'm trying different sized companies to see what's the best fit for me, instead of trying different sized chairs. At this point, I believe a smaller company is my next step.

I've been contacted about another opportunity and I'm pretty far in the interview process. It would be a similar role to one that I had before. It would be at a start up company and I'd be the go-to person running the show. This is interesting to me. In this new role, I would also likely get a $6,000 pay increase, but they only offer a very small 401K match.

The thing that is mentally weighing me down is that if I stay at my current job, which has a nice 401K match, I'd be potentially leaving $24,000+ behind if I leave before I'm vested. Ouch! This is a large amount of money to walk away from. Given that our retirement accounts aren't where we'd like them to be, I kind of feel like I need to suck it up and stick it out with my current company.

What would you do in this situation?

I'm open to your thoughts on staying until after I've vested versus getting out now and going to the other job where I can contribute more and get a pay increase. Thanks!

I got a new job!

2013  is proving to be a good year so far!

I got a new job! I'm super excited about it too. With the exception of a longer commute (part of the week), I think I'm going to love almost everything about this new job. It's closer to home (when I'm working in town), it pays a little more, has a couple more days of vacation, every other Friday off, more 401k match and definitely more challenges and opportunities for growth!

I start my new job in 2 weeks and I can't wait!

Although I'm very excited, I'm also nervous (I suffer from a small, self-diagnosed case of "social anxiety") and there is also a bit of stress associated with us needing another car. Right now we are in the midst of figuring out exactly how we're going to do that.

We've been a "one-car couple" for years now and we've been able to make it work. This new job requires me to drive up to LA a couple of times per week which I'll need another car to do. I debated just getting a rental car for those days but unfortunately I'll also need one when I'm at the office close to home as there are many buildings that I'll need to drive between. Also, since I will have every other Friday off, I need to work longer hours which don't quite match up with my hubby's work schedule.

I'm okay with the car idea and actually negotiated a sign on bonus which will help us a bit with the costs (yay me!), and the hubby is excited because he'll finally have a bit of independence. What freaks us out a bit are all the options. New car, used car, and leasing!?!

We know that buying a new car is kind of a silly thing to do. The costs are so high and we're still paying down the one we bought in 2010. A used car is a good idea but since we don't want to get a lemon, it seems as though we should buy a "certified used" one so that it at least has a warranty. We are both not mechanically inclined, plus we don't have a trusted auto repair person. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though the costs between a certified used car and a new car are that far apart. I've heard that the used car market prices are up right now for some reason. Lastly, all of my life, I've been told how bad leasing a car is. You own nothing at the end of it, so why bother?

On the other hand, I've done my research and a leased car may be our best option. The hubby isn't the type to want to keep a car for 5-10 years. He loves new, bright, shiney things. I've done the math and if I were to bank the whole sign on bonus, I may be able to lease a car for the hubby for 2-3 years and have it completely covered. Minus the cost of gas, but that's okay.

We go back and forth on the topic. We found some pretty good lease deals and think they may even get lower next weekend when they have their President's Day sales. I keep telling myself that this may be the way to go but I'm really not sure. I want to make the decision that is right for us, but since I don't have a ton of experience in this area, I'm definitely open to suggestions!

Question? : Have you leased a car before? What are your thoughts on it? Any advice? Would you do it again?

Changing focus can be hard...

Hi there. Boy, it's been a while!

Things have been okay on the home front here. We've been making pretty good progress and although our debt isn't 100% paid off yet (we still have our car payment and an interest free credit card to pay off), we have changed our focus from paying bills to saving money. 

This has been challenging.

Although it really shouldn't be. We are pretty much just doing our zero based budgeting but now instead of sending everything extra towards bills, we are sending it to our savings account. The balance in our savings account is slowly increasing with each pay period. This is a good great thing! The hubby and I are super focused on buying a house early next year. But for some reason, it's really tempting to know the money is there.

It's almost as though it feels better to know that we have no money, so nothing to spend or to get in trouble with. I know it doesn't really make sense, but knowing the money is there, we think about it and get really tempted to spend it. This is where we need to get stronger and be more focused.

I'm thinking if I start to blog more and track our savings on here, then I'll be more accountable and stay on track better. So, that's my next step. I'll update the blog shortly to reflect our savings balances. Hopefully that'll help us reach our goals, just as we did when we were super focused on debt repayment.

Questions : Did this happen to any of you? Do you find it tempting to know you have a balance growing in savings and you are tempted to spend all of it? 

Condo Ownership Advice Wanted

(Photo Credit)

We'd like to make a decision later this year about possible homeownership. Right now we are renting the world's smallest cottage and really enjoying our time here. It's around 400 square feet and seems to work for our current situation. We'd both prefer to put our rent money towards owning something though, but we keep going back and forth on what to own, a house or a condo?

To be frankly honest, we are pretty lazy people and there are many things about a condo lifestyle that we think we'd enjoy. We are also still uncertain about having children, so the smaller size of a condo may fit us perfectly. It's challenging to find a nice single family home that is under 1,000 square feet in our area. Everything is much larger and way more than we think we'd need. We're defnitely thinking that less is more when it comes to homeownership.

What I'm wondering is what people who own condos really think. So, I'm posing the following questions below. Please feel free to add more advice if you have it. I don't know many people who live in condos, so I'm curious to get some honest advice. I appreciate your input.

Questions? : Do you currently own a condo or have you in the past? What are your thoughts on condo ownership? Does is work for your lifestyle? What are the positives and negatives of it in your opinion? Are there additional things that we should take into consideration when making this decision? Would you recommend it to someone else or do you wish you bought a house instead?

On the other hand, if you didn't purchase a condo and went with a house instead, what was your reasoning and are you happy with your decision?

Rent the Runway!

I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs, when I came across Erika at Newlyweds on a Budget, mentioning a dress rental website called Rent the Runway. I checked out their website and it really is such a great idea!

If you need a dress for a special occasion, you can rent a designer dress at a fraction of the price through Rent the Runway. It sounds like a wonderful program. Here are some of the perks:

-They send you the same dress in a 2nd size for FREE, just to be sure you get the best fit.
-You can rent a second style for $25!
-They offer 4 or 8 day rentals.
-They provide you with a prepaid return envelope (like Netflix).
-They handle the dry cleaning.

I don't have many occasions when I need to dress up, but I will definitely keep this in mind if an event comes up. If you are looking for an inexpensive option the next time you need to dress up, I'd recommend you check this website out! Especially for us gals on a budget, it's a good way to look good but save too.

Question? : Have you used Rent the Runway? If so, how did it work for you? Would you recommend it?

The Hunger Games!

I know I'm a little behind on jumping on the bandwagon, but I went to the movies this weekend with a friend for an early morning showing of The Hunger Games. For $6 each, we were able to enjoy the movie in an uncrowded theater (which is rare in my area). I really enjoyed myself. I had debated reading the books beforehand, but I didn't. I love a good story and felt this movie really came through and exceeded my expectations. 

I truly enjoy watching a film and losing all track of time and becoming fully engaged in what's on the screen. As much as I'm into movies, I find that I experience this pleasure less and less. With The Hunger Games, I was totally into the creative story and the talented actors. I can't wait to watch the next films in the series.

I know that we're all trying to be frugal and spend wisely, but if you are looking for an inexpensive treat, I'd recommend catching this film.

Questions : Have you seen the movie or read the book? What did you think?

5 Months From Now...

Five months from now, we will be out of debt. Five months. Five. Months.

If all of my calculations are correct (including our new estimated $6K due for taxes) and my guesstimates on what we'll owe in interest, we should have everything (minus our car) paid off by the end of July.

This is just in time for our trip back East and for our celebratory vacation trip to Mexico. I can not wait. We've been a little less focused since the holidays, but it's time to pull it back in and get this thing done. That way we can come back from our trip refreshed and ready to start the next phase of our journey.

We're tired of living in an apartment and we want to own our own place. Paying these bills off are the key to saving enough for a down payment. It's essential we do this.

We've come A LONG WAY and are in the home stretch. 5 more flips of the calendar and it will be over. Ahhhhh, motivation, where are you? I need you back.

Questions : What do you do to help motivate you to stay on track?

My Favorite Things - My Favorite Poem

As I start to get my debt under control, I find myself wanting to share more things on my blog. I've decided to start a new series called "My Favorite Things", where I share something I like with the readers. You can also share your favorite if you are interested :)

Warning

By Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
with a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy
and summer gloves and satin sandals,
and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
and run my stick along the public railings
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick flowers in other people's gardens
and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at a go
or only bread and pickle for a week
and hoard pens and pencils
and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
and pay our rent and not swear in the street
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner
and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked
and surprised when suddenly I am old,
and start to wear purple.

Here's Jenny Joseph reading her poem.

Question : What is your favorite poem?

New Credit Card

I have a confession to make.... I recently got a new credit card.

Hear me out though - we learned last month that my Sister-in-Law is getting married this coming summer. She asked us to attend the wedding. By that time, we will be out of debt so we plan on heading to New England for the ceremony. Right after learning about the wedding, I received an email from SouthWest offering me a special bonus of 50,000 miles if I apply for their credit card.

I was nervous at first and thought, no way! The last thing I want to do is put myself at risk for more debt. Plus, there's even a $69 annual fee that I would NOT be interested in paying. I'm fundamentally against annual fees and have never paid one. But, over a couple of days, I started to warm up to the idea. 50,000 equals about 2 round trip flights or $800 in travel. I started to do the math and realized that it may be a great way for us to save some money on our trip back East. Even with the annual fee, we are still making out on what the flight would have cost us. Plus, we do plan to travel more once we are out of debt so this could be a great way to get some free flights.

I applied for the card and was approved. It came in the mail recently and we had to make one charge on it to get the 50,000 points. I went ahead and paid a bill that we normally would have paid cash for. When the credit card bill comes in, I'll pay it in full. I do not plan on using the card much at all and DEFINITELY don't plan on having a balance on it. The days of me paying interest on a credit card are quickly coming to an end! I may even cancel the card after our trip (before the next annual fee comes up in 2013), depending on if we find that it's useful or not.

Question : Do you pay an annual fee for a credit card with rewards? Have you found it useful? Would you recommend for or against it?

2011 Goal Update

I believe that it's important to set goals in life. Something to give you focus and something positive for you work towards. They don't have to be on a monthly or yearly basis, just when it feels right for you. I also believe in writing your goals down. By doing this, you hold yourself accountable for trying to achieve them. When goals are written in black and white, they become "real". I honestly believe that if I hadn't started this blog and put the things I wanted to change out there into the universe for all to see, I wouldn't have come this far.

In that regard, I'm going to provide an update on my 2011 goals. Here goes...

Financial

Stick to our budget : We're starting to get the hang of paying in cash and zero based balancing, but there were some slip ups along the way. I really want to continue to make progress this year by better budgeting for expenses I didn't think about last year. UPDATE : WE ARE ROCKING THIS GOAL!

Replenish our emergency savings account : We were lucky enough to fund our emergency savings in 2010 but unfortunately, we depleted it. One of our big goals this year will be to replenish this back up to $1000 minimum. UPDATE : WE ARE LIVING ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS AND HAVE PUT ALL OF OUR SAVINGS TOWARDS OUR DEBT. (WE ARE PAID 4 TIMES PER MONTH AND IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY WE DECIDED WE COULD PULL FROM ONE OF OUR PAYCHECKS TO COVER THE EVENT.)

Pay $20K towards debt : This is really aggressive and probably only possible if my niece doesn't need as much help with college this year, but we're going to try! If we are successful, that will reduce our debt by 1/3... I really hope we are successful. UPDATE : WE DID IT!

Continue to find creative ways to lower our budget / increase our income : We've looked at getting a new (read - cheaper!) apartment, closer to our jobs, but haven't been successful... yet! The search for one will continue in the new year. I was able to lower or eliminate a few bills in 2010 and I hope to do more in 2011. I also keep toying with the idea of a side job to increase our income, but haven't quite come up with what will work yet. I hope to make progress on that as well this year. UPDATE : WE DOWNSIZED, CUT BILLS & BOTH GOT NEW JOBS WHICH INCREASED OUR INCOME.

Personal

Read more books : Since we've cut our cable and internet, I definitely have more time on my hands to read. I hope to read at least one book per quarter. Starting with finishing that book from early last year that I started! First, I need to find where I put it, then wipe the dust off... UPDATE : DIDN'T READ AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE TO.

Scrapbook : I've started a great scrapbook but have yet to finish it. I really enjoy being creative and want to spend time this year doing this. UPDATE : FAIL :(

Speak my mind more : At times I back away from confrontation and let things fester. My goal is to work on speaking my mind more before things become a bigger issue. UPDATE: DOING WELL!

Learn to forgive more and really let things go : Overall, I am a pretty easygoing and forgiving person, but I have a couple of things that I have been holding onto. I know that if I can find a way to forgive and let these feelings go that I will be a better person for it. UPDATE : PARTIAL SUCCESS.

Start a family : My husband and I have decided to start trying for children :) It's taken me a while to get here mentally (since I do enjoy our carefree lifestyle) but we both agree, that we'd like to have a family. As much as I'd like to be in a better situation financially before having a new addition, I am not getting any younger and more complications can arise with each year that we wait. UPDATE : PLANS HAVE CHANGED...

Professional

Continue to advance in my career : As I'm the breadwinner, I need to continuously think of my career and ways to advance. I hope I can continue to grow here with my current company, but if not, I'm prepared to move along to someplace I can grow with. UPDATE: WORK IN PROGRESS.

So, as you can see, I didn't meet each goal but I made some great progress overall. It looks like I did good in the financial area and not so great in my personal goals. My hubby has noticed this as well and is pushing me to focus more on doing what makes me happy. Being someone who focuses on others a lot, this is a bit of a challenge for me, but one that I'm very happy to accept! 2012 goals will be shared soon.

Question : Do you give yourself goals to focus your efforts on or do you naturally just do what you "should" without having to write it down and make much of a conscious effort?

What if I was unemployed?

As we all know, the economy is in tough shape. People are losing their jobs left and right. Sharon, over at Musings from a Midlife Mom, was talking about putting her emergency fund into overdrive. I get it. It's a scary time right now and I want to be prepared. I sat down this week and figured out how our budget would work if I lost my job. Since I'm the breadwinner I wanted to know what it would look like if we had to live off of the hubby's salary and my unemployment.

It was a bit eye-opening to see how little we'd actually need to get by. Which tells me we've been over spending for wayyyyyyy too long! It's good that we are on track now. Anyway, here is the breakdown:

Together we'd take home $3000/Month (based on 4 pay periods)

-$795 Rent
-$35 Electricity
-$125 Cell Phones
-$365 Car Payment
-$83 Car Insurance
-$200 Food ($50/week)
-$240 Gas ($60/week)
-$400 CC #1
-$400 CC #2

For a remaining balance of $357 per month. That would have to be for savings and misc. items that we haven't really accounted for, such as our annual car registration, oil changes, etc. Unfortunately I don't have health insurance figured in here. I believe Cobra would cost about $1K per month for both medical ($890) and dental ($100). Ouch! Luckily we are both in good health for the most part, so we could take a chance for a little while until I found a new job with benefits.

Hopefully this won't happen, but I can breathe a little sigh of relief knowing that in the worst case scenario, we'd be okay to get by for a little bit. Not to mention any income that I'd be able to generate from being at home working on crafts or something. In addition, with each pay period that goes by where we are both still employed, we're able to send hefty sized payments in to the credit cards. This is helping to lower the minimum payments due, so we may even have a little more extra wiggle room if/when that time comes.

Question: Have you taken a hard look at your bills and what your backup plan will be if the unfortunate happens and you or your partner are laid off?

Discover Personal Loans

So, I received an offer in the mail last week for a Discover Personal Loan. I know people have different issues with the different credit card companies, but Discover is one that I've found to be fair (for the most part) throughout the years.

The offer was to borrow from $5K-$25K as a personal loan for debt consolidation (or whatever other reason you need it). The interest rate was going to vary based on your credit rating and the repayment terms started at 36 months and went up from there. They stated that there was no prepayment penalty.

Our current plan is to pay off one credit card by the end of this year and the other around May 2012 (HOPEFULLY!). I thought that this loan may be a good way to get the interest rate down on the 2nd card. We currently have about a $17K balance on that card. About $2K is at 19.24% and $15K at 15.24%.

I went through the application process and was approved for the $17K loan. Unfortunately the interest rate they offered was 16.99%. The person on the phone tried to explain that even though this rate is slightly higher than the rate on the majority of my balance, it would probably be less that I'd pay because the credit cards compound interest daily, versus the loan company which will just add the interest monthly.

I wasn't able to find a comparison calculator online to do the math out but it just doesn't feel right. If they came back with a lower interest rate that would have been different, but it just didn't work out that way. That's okay. I'll stick to our original plan and stay focused on getting there.

Question: Has anyone else looked into consolidation loans? Did it work for you? Would you recommend it?

Another Payment Lowered!

Not sure if you recently heard about how NetFlix is raising their prices. I was paying $14.99 per month for unlimited streaming and 2 DVD's at a time. This came to $16.30 with tax each month. I was recently notified that they are separating their plans and the prices are going up. My new plan would be $19.98 before taxes.

I decided that I didn't want to pay that much. I considered downgrading to the streaming with 1 DVD, but then figured it's just as easy to stop at RedBox on the way home and get a movie for $1. The streaming alone through Netflix is just $7.99. Although there is not a ton of options on there yet, there's usually something I can find to watch.

I know it's not a big savings each month, but that's about $8 more I can put towards our credit card payment! Every snowflake helps :)

Question: Do you use NetFlix? Did you change your plan or are you going to just accept the increase and maintain your current plan?

My Walk to Work

I walk 3.8 miles to work each morning. I was riding my bike for a while, but this month I decided to change it up. I'm really enjoying the walk. I've actually dropped 11 pounds since I've started being more active.

Today on my walk in to work this morning, my legs were a little tired. As I passed two other apartment complexes we looked into previously, I longingly thought how much closer they are to my work and what a short walk I'd have. It takes me about 50 minutes now. One complex would take about 25 minutes and one would take 10.

Then I recalled how much more the rent was at these places. One was $400 more per month and the other was almost $700 more! Although these places are nice and my walk would be shorter (read: I could sleep in at least 30 minutes longer!), the extra price isn't worth it to me.

I've chosen to put that extra money towards debt each month, instead of making my life a little easier. That's another reason we don't have a second vehicle. That would be extra money each month on a car payment and insurance. It's not worth it to me. Later down the road, it may be, but right now it's not.

Question : What have you given up that could make your life much easier, in your quest to be debt free?

What Will the Future Hold?

As I pour over our spreadsheets and calendars and dream about the day when we are out of debt, I begin to ponder what we will do at that point. What will the future hold for us?

We've talked about relocating to another part of the country. I suppose if we save up enough money, we'd be able to move anywhere. There's an excitement in exploring a different place and finding a new home!

My career is a good one, but to be honest, I'm not in love with it. I think that's the case with many people. Often, life just "happens" (kids, houses, cars, bills, etc) and you get kinda "stuck" doing the same old, same old.

I'm thinking of something different. I don't think it's a bad thing to re-assess your life path and try something new that may be a better fit. Something that you have a passion for! It thrills me to think that I could start something new, something different. It also scares the crap out of me!

As I've mentioned before, I love film. I'd love to work in the film industry, do something behind the scenes. I know that I'd have to take a big pay cut and start at the bottom, but I think I'd be willing to do that. I also enjoy baking. I can see myself going to culinary school and taking baking classes and see where that takes me. Just the idea, that I have the FREEDOM to explore different options is liberating. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face :)

It's a good thing I have a year to ponder all these different options! I'll need it, so I can do all the research I need to so I feel confident in that next step... whatever it may be!

Question : Have you ever taken the leap and changed careers? If you could change your career, would you? What would you do instead?

What I'd do this weekend if we had extra money...

This weekend is the annual Balloon and Wine Festival locally. It seems like it would be such a fun event to attend. Unfortunately, it's out of our budget. I spent part of today daydreaming about what I would do if we had extra money this weekend. Here's my fairytale :)

- First off, I'd leave work a little early since it's a beautiful day and I'd grab my hubby and a few items from the house before we begin our lovely ride up the coastline.

- We'd stop for dinner at a quaint little restaurant along the coast so we can relax and enjoy the sunset together.

- Next, we'd continue along to our bed and breakfast, conveniently located right near the festival. We'd check in and take a walk over to the festival to enjoy a glass of wine by one of our favorite local wineries.

- After a leisurely stroll, we'd head back to our inn to get a good night's sleep since the weekend will be filled with lots of fun that we're sure to need energy for!

- Over the next two days, we'd sample delicious wines, taste scrumptious food, enjoy wonderful music and maybe even partake in a hot air balloon ride - if I can convince the hubby that he won't die. Late Sunday afternoon, we'd head back home with some new memories, a full belly and a little hangover.

So, that's what I'd do this weekend if we had extra money. Ahhh, it's fun to daydream!

Question : What fun activity would you do if you had extra money this weekend?

My $400 Challenge

I have a confession. I splurged with some of the money we got back from our rent deposit. The hubby and I came to an agreement to send $1,100 to our credit card. We were very excited because it was going to be one heckofa big snowflake!

Well, for one reason or another, I made a bad choice and spent some of that money. Actually, a good portion of it. I blew $400. (I'll pause for people to yell at me...) Okay, I know I made a mistake and I feel HORRIBLE. My husband is upset with me and that makes it worse. If only the damn bank cleared the check and I sent the payment in as planned, I wouldn't have been so tempted! Oh well, I need to learn how to deal better with temptation.

In an effort to try to figure out how I can make things slightly better, I decided I would replenish the amount I spent. I've issued myself a $400 challenge. Come hell or high water (I'm not really even sure what that means!), I'm going to get $400 more to put towards our debt!

I'm changing, but I'm not perfect. The old me would have just chalked this up as no big deal and I would've put it behind me. Not really learning anything in the process. There is a price to pay for making poor decisions and I need to be accountable for that. So, the challenge is on!

I've started to think of some ideas as to how I'll come up with the money...

• Sell my plasma. I've been thinking about doing this for a while but haven't really made the effort. Our local plasma donation place pays about $50 per week if you donate twice. Their hours aren't the greatest, but I think I can try to work something out.
  
  
• Sell my excess crap. I have some old items that I've been thinking of listing for sale. I may put them up for sale in hopes to get some cash.
  
  
• Make and sell some crafts. I'm a crafty girl and I bet I could list a few items online to help the cause.
  
  
• Use my personal Mad Money to fund my challenge. I get $30 per week for my misc. items. (Since we don't have clothes or personal items really in our budget, I planned to use this for those items.)
  
  

Question : Did you screw up along the way? What was it? Did you hold yourself accountable in a real way or did you let yourself off the hook pretty easy?

Fresh & Easy Takes Change!

Staying with the theme this week of our empty fridge and spare change, I figured I'd share with you that our local grocery store, Fresh & Easy, takes change!

See, after moving, we realized we had a good amount of spare change to do something with. Since it's almost the end of the week and time to go grocery shopping again, we decided to bring our spare change with us and use some of it.

We debated rolling it and cashing it in, but 1) we didn't have any rollers, 2) we weren't going to pay to buy some and 3) the bank was closed. Plus, I'm not a super girly-girl, but I hate how gross my fingers get afterwards.

We could have gone to a grocery store that has one of those automatic coin counter machines and dumped our bag in, but they take a percentage of your money and we didn't feel like sharing!

So, instead we went to our new favorite grocery store here in California, Fresh & Easy and thankfully, it happened to be a rather slow time. We are starting to like this store more and more! Food is really what the store is called, Fresh & Easy. The prices are pretty fair too. Not to mention I found a cheap bottle of wine that actually tasted good! It was a chardonnay from The Big Kahuna for only $1.99. Major score :)

Anyway, typically (recalling from my poor college days) it can get a little embarrassing handing the cashier a bag full of change to pay for your items, but at Fresh & Easy, you are your own cashier, so it was totally fine! I was a little nervous at first that people may get impatient with me but there was no one else in line! I pulled out our huge bag of change and started to put it in, one coin at a time. Did we have enough actual cash (bills) that we could have just paid for our items with that? Yes. Did it feel good to use up the spare change we had lying around and actually get stuff we needed? Yes! Now we have a few extra dollars in our pocket and less change weighing us down. Winning!

Question : What's your favorite thing to do with your spare change? Have you used it to pay for things before? Do you snowflake it and put it towards your debt?

It's So Nice When You're on the Same Page

So, ever since the hubby and I had our talk about putting the refunded tuition money into our emergency savings account, he's taken more of an interest in our finances! This has been exciting for me, since I now have someone I can share my overly detailed spreadsheets with. Yup, I'm a nerd.

To my amazement, he recently created his own debt repayment spreadsheet! Hold on... Okay, I'm back - I just fell off my chair!

It's been a glorious week or so since he really started actively participating in our finances. However, a few days ago he threw me a curveball. He suggested going a little slower than originally planned. Although my head was screaming "WHAT? SLOWER? If there was some way I could rent you out and get money faster to pay this off, I probably would!" I sat there quietly and tried to understand where this proposal was coming from.

See, for a very long time we have done pretty much what we want to with our money (hence the situation we are in). He is proposing extending our repayment plan by about 6 months so we can enjoy ourselves a little more along the way. Believe me, I get that, I really do! Recall my question about taking a vacation while in debt? He thinks that giving ourselves a little more breathing room along the way is going to make this whole process a bit easier. In my opinion, although we only have small buffers in for fun and a possible trip in the mix, it's what we need to do right now to change our overspending ways and get this monkey off our back!

Although I was loving the few days when we were in sync and totally on the same page, it appears as though he's flipped a couple of pages without me and we're trying to get back to the same one. Any suggestions?

Question : Would you recommend moving forward as planned with a 12-13 month repayment plan or take the slower approach so we can have a little more wiggle room along the way?

Planning out purchases...

For the first time in a VERY LONG TIME, I'm actually waiting to purchase things. I know, it sounds revolutionary, doesn't it? I've been creating a mental list of the items I'd "like" to purchase once I have a little money.

-A new pair of black flats for work.

-Replenish my ancient makeup (I've literally worn a hole through the bottom of my 2 year old blush container)

-Buy some night cream as I'm starting to notice wrinkles on my neck :( (Although I fear, it may be too late!)

This is real progress given my previous behavior was to just go out and buy whatever item I needed. Our new budget is set up so that we each get spending money (aka "Mad Money") weekly. This week my Mad Money went to send my Mom a Mother's Day gift, so maybe next week I can get something off of my wish list. If our gift fund was built up a little bit, my Mom's gift would have come from that but we're just starting those funds now.

For anyone out there thinking they can't do it, YOU CAN! You just have to make changes. I'm actually getting excited about the changes we're going through. There are challenges that I look forward to succeeding at -

• Can we afford groceries on what we've budgeted?
• What fun things can we come up with to do with our limited weekly date night funds?
• Where are we going to find more snowflakes along the way to help us move even faster?

Question : Have you gotten to the stage where you plan out your purchases now or are you still just buying things on a whim? If you are pretty diligent about planning out your purchases, when do you find yourself straying?