Update Weeks 8, 9, Oh who am I kidding....I don't remember

So you all may have been wondering where on earth I ran off to.  I haven't done a weekly update in quite a while.  Sorry!  I have been working my patutuie off!!!

I was finishing up one class, starting another and getting a promotion at my main job.  Need less to say, I have been HOPIN'!!!

The good news is, we are still making progress.  We have paid off another $1000 worth of debt and put some money away in savings.  That may not seem like a ton given it has been a few weeks since an update, but keep in mind, it is back to school season.  And holy moly can school supplies get expensive. We use coupons and try to buy in bulk when we can, so that most definitely helps.  But there are still things that we feel strongly about buying quality and that does not always mean the cheapest. 

Shoes are one of these examples.  Again, we buy on sale and use coupons when we can, but buying the absolute cheapest shoes is not always smart or money wise.  We have had seasons where we have had to buy each of the kiddos 2 or 3 pairs of shoes from Target or Walmart where one pair from Famous Footwear or Land's End would have been cheaper in the long run.

This can be frustrating when you are spending good money on shoes, only to have to buy them again in a month.  We spend anywhere from $20-30 for a pair of shoes now.  That is much better than $10 or $15 a piece only to have to replace them in a month.  You end up spending more that way.

Any way.....We are still moving forward.  We have also decided to save for a vacation for my husband and I.  This was a long conversation over several months.  We realize that we are paying off debt.  Our thought process is that we need time away also.  In order for us to be motivated, {for most people to be motivated} is to have something to look forward to.  In our case it's a cruise.  We are excited!!!!  We can plan ahead and stay on budget.  Most importantly, we don't have to add more debt to have a good time.  

This will set back a little of the debt payoff, but in the end, like the shoes, it will help us and be more cost efficient in the long run.  It's a way for us to recharge half way through the first year of our journey.  

I promise to keep up.  I am on a pretty good schedule now, so it should be easier!!!

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week. 

Week 8 update.............REAL PROGRESS

Hello!!!  So we have had some real progress this week!  We finally got some of our reimbursements as well as a bit more money that we were able to play catch up with.  Yay!!!  We were able to pay off about $4,100 in debt this week!!!  Woot woot!!!  This will save us about $560 per month. Of course this will go towards getting caught up on other things.

We discussed putting some of that in savings instead of paying off the debt, but when looking at the big picture, decided this route, THIS time was the way to go.  

So......We are making progress.  We took my dad out for a late Father's Day dinner, but have otherwise kept spending under control.  I am really proud of us!!!

We also haven't added any new debt.  HUGE accomplishment.  We do love our credit cards.  But after my cut up party a couple of weeks ago, we haven't added any debt or done any sneaky things like get the number off of our statement and use it to buy something. 

So more next week.  Baby steps!!!

         

   

After we bought socks.....

I am convinced that God has a sense of humor.  I believe that he looks down at us at times and thinks "Silly child.  When are you going to learn that I am in control.  Here maybe this curveball will help."  And then he smiles, maybe even laughs.  

I say the aforementioned because my husband and I had it all figured out.  We just KNEW what we wanted in a child that we adopted.  We wanted an older child so that I could still work.  We were ok with a small sibling group, but thought that starting one at a time may be best.  We wanted a child that was ready to adopt because we didn't want the biological parents to "interfere" in our child's life once they were placed in our home. 

Insert God's sense of humor here {   }........

Our case worker called my husband to tell him that she thought she had the perfect children for us and could she come over to chat with us about them.  She wouldn't give us any details over the phone.  So DH called me at work and told me that I had to be home on time, because the case worker had called and she had the perfect children waiting for us.  I was stunned into silence.  This was really happening.  All of the waiting.  All of the anxiety.  All of the socks.  Were all now coming together.  

Addy Kathryn. 6 months old

Emma Grier, 20 months

H54F

1. How crazy is it that I love to see updates come up on my phone??? Sorry, folks. Call me crazy. But it makes me smile every time! 2. I got my office nice and clean recently and am feeling uber appreciative of my Thirty One totes at the moment. Cute and they hold EVERYTHING! 3. Along with my hubby's birthday, the Army celebrated their birthday last week. Yet one more opportunity to thank our military personnel. 4. We got a new faucet this week. Our last one had a mini explosion. 5. Feeling blessed to be living back in Colorado. We have had (and still do) had several wildfires, yet our state pulls together and gets it done! Thank you firefighters, police, military and volunteers for keeping us safe. Have a great Friday folks!!! Talk to you soon and thank you for reading.