Our get out of debt journey. Why we are three months past the projected date and how and IF we plan on continuing this debt journey.
Remember that one month back in October when it felt like everything was going wrong.
Our debt free budget was derailed and we needed to take a step back and really decide if we were going to continue trying to become debt free.
No? Ok, check out our story from the beginning here. Check out the no good very un-fun month- here. Or, if you don’t have that kind of time, here we go with the way worse month than last October.
Oh, this is going to be good. I can tell.
Get out of Debt Journey- Part 5
3 Months Past the Projected Date
We started this get out of debt journey back in September 2018. We were inspired by our friends who took this journey years before us. Even though we thought they were crazy, 5 years later we decided to give it a try. After reading The total money makeover we were on our way to a debt free life.
Its been 23 months since we started and we are now 3 months past when we thought we were going to be done.
So what the heck it going on! Is it even worth it?
Debt Snowball
The debt snowball is where you take any extra money in the budget and pay off your smallest debt. We did this starting with our cell phones. Then our credit cards, car payment and we started working on our school loans.
Then last October my husbands car started making noises. Being that his car is 15 years old, we decided to shift our thinking and save for a downpayment.
Smart right?
So here we are minding our own business when BAM! We hit a deer
I say we but that’s just being polite.
No, I didn’t hit a deer with my totally awesome, paid off, still worth something, mom car. Oh no, it was hit with our 15 year old, broken 6 months ago but was fixed, not worth much of anything, car. That was going to carry us to becoming debt free!
But he was safe and thankfully the deer was nice enough to not total the car. WHOO! Right?!
I guess most people would have found that to be the perfect excuse for a new vehicle.
- 15 years old
- already started a downpayment
- thinking about it anyway
- the old car gave us trouble 6 months ago
Why even bother?
The answer is simple.
GOALS
The next vehicle will also be one that we keep for another 15 years. We aren’t looking for something cheap. We want something that will be reliable and…. um… be able to tow a camper.
You’re trying to get out of debt and want a camper?!
Um, yeeees?
Listen, listen, listen Linda!
We’re military. Do you know the last time we all went home TOGETHER? It was 8 years ago. We miss home, we miss family and a camper is exactly what we need-ish. I know need is a stretch. But we want to show our kids camping in New England! We want to go home for a month and see everyone! Go everywhere!
Big dreams, sure. But it starts with saving up and that means driving a perfectly good vehicle until we have what we need for our goals.
Oh right, hit a deer… still it was getting fixed!
The car was in the shop
While the car was in the shop we decided to save a little on a rental and he was just going to drive his late grandfathers antique car to work and back.
Ya, a couple days later… that car broke down. If you’re not familiar with the story, that exact thing happened last October. It seems like every time one car is broken the other isn’t far behind.
That's not all that broke
When it rains it pours. The next thing on the list was the weed eater, then vacuum cleaner, then the pool pump… twice.
For those of you that are new, I am completely in love with our 30 inch 12 foot round Intex pool! And if you’re interest you can check out our intex pool and backyard oasis here.
We bought this pool 3 years ago and since we need to stay home more this summer due to the virus going around, we’re using it more than ever. So is everyone else.
At the beginning of summer we bought an extra pool pump because we knew they would turn into gold. And so they have. That same pump I could get for 50$ is now considered a collectable and going for over $300!
Are you mad! I didn’t pay even half that for the entire pool and pump! (great sale back in the day)
You’d think I hate this cheap pump but I don’t. It’s great fun for a great price and replacement parts are cheap….most of the time.
Light at the end of the tunnel
Even though months like this can weigh you down, you have to remember what’s really important in life. We are all healthy, safe and spending a lot of time together. Being a military family any time spent ALL together and on the same sleep schedule is like finding a unicorn.
Since the kids and I are home more this summer, it would be ok if he needed to take the awesome mom car to work. But sometimes people come through with an extra hand just when you need it.
A good friend of ours heard about our car trouble and offered to let us borrow their second car while ours was being fixed. Talk about a blessing!
It took 15 days to get this car back from the shop, and even though we would have made it work, it was nice to not feel extra stuck to the house during this time. To be able run to all the appointments we rescheduled back in April. To the dentist, the eye doctor and for the kids yearly checkup.
Moving Forward
Yes, the antique is still broken… again…. our pool doesn’t have a pump and a few other little things that were just icing on the cake, but with a little creativity, a positive attitude and maybe a tad stubbornness, you can figure most things out.
Like how to vacuum your pool without a pump… and how to fix your 18 year, old passed down Dyson.
So here we are, with a clean-ish pool and really clean rugs, doing the best we can and finding the blessings around us.
We’ll continue this journey because it’s absolutely worth everything we’ve learned about the value of a dollar, priorities and being grateful for wonderful friends who support you even if they might think you’re a tad crazy.
Who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll be writing to you from our camper. One that we saved up for.
Best Wishes,
Sara
You Also Might Like
