From the left corner of my brain

Pay off the car.

I swear it is running better

Cash left in the grocery budget for the rest of the month: $50

Total bill at the grocery store: $49.78

Getting 22 cents back after getting the items you needed plus a few you didn’t: PRICELESS!!

We sat down this afternoon and finished our budget. (If you do not understand the significance of this, please read this link)  We have, of course, done budgets before. However our previous budgets went something like this:

                                                        XXXX (Income) 

                                                  —        XX (Bills)

                                                 ____________________ 

                                                                XX (Free Money)

Free Money usually included stuff like groceries, gas, eating out, etc.

 
With the budget we did for this class we are in, we had to spend every dollar on paper before the month starts. I was really sweating it. The budget form they gave us to use was pretty inclusive- it was three pages long!

When I saw that we had burned through 4/5’s of our income on the first page- I got a VERY.BAD.FEELING.

But it all turned out fine. In fact, at the end of next month, we will have completed Baby Step 1, have a good jump start on Step 2 and pay for our July vacation in cash.   Yep, in cash.

Worth it.

Recently, Jeremy and I decided to enroll in Financial Peace University.  This is our third week, and I have to say, we kind of love it.  The first week or two is really fun, I was all, “Whoo-hoo, we are gonna be debt free and smart with our money!”

And then the rubber hit the road. Our homework assignment last week- add up your total debt. Ouch. There was a small nervous breakdown in the house, and it came from me.

Let me say, we have been very good about not accumulating debt since we have been married. Except for a $70 toilet  we put on a credit card when we bought our house 4 years ago. And a partial amount for a new furnace. That’s it. Pretty good huh? ( oh, I forgot my Target card. I kept the limit low, but I tend to use it only in case of emergencies, as my fried Jess puts it. The Ipod was totally an emergency)

But then there was the student loans. As Dave Ramsey puts it, ” Sallie Mae has her own room in my house.”

I remember sitting in the financial aid office and someone saying, ” Now by signing this form you are agreeing to repay the total amount you are borrowing.” And I thought, “Sure, no sweat because after school I will have a job that banks and I can totally pay these off. Plus, I’m sure it is a small payment amount every month, I can definitely do that.” 

ha

Now I am working, and I have discovered it is more of a calling than a way to earn a million dollars. I love what I do, I just wish the field paid a little more.

Our homework for this week is to do -A BUDGET ……AND LIVE BY IT

This morning while I was laying in bed awake but trying to pretend the alarm clock did not exist, Jeremy rolled over and said, “Oh yeah, I forgot I have a baby shower for coworker at work today. Can you go online to Target and get more of those baby thingies (and by thingies he meant clothes) that you bought last week for that couple at church?”

I informed him he probably needed something today and the thingies/clothes I bought last week were on sale, and sale items were probably not online. About forty minutes later Jeremy asked, “Do you still have that bottle of Scotch-guard?”

There is currently a bottle of Scotch-guard with a small bow wrapped around it sitting by our door.

*Edit- After reading this, Jeremy wanted me to make sure to mention that he is fully planning on buying a real gift over the weekend.