Reflection.

It has only been nine months since I started this blog. That doesn't seem like such a long time, but at the same time, it feels like a lifetime.

Nine months ago, my husband and I decided it was truly time to buckle down and get serious about paying off our debts. I don't know the exact amount that we have paid off, but it is somewhere in the $60,000 range. Divide that out over nine months and we have managed to pay off an average of $6600 a month. (Granted, selling our home did contribute to the major part of this.)

This is incredible. I never dreamed we would be at this point in our lives in such a short amount of time. The snowball effect truly does work!

Now, we are considering buying another home to move into, praying over job paths, and will be continuing our education in the fall (which will not require taking out student loans!). And we can start paying on our existing student loans next month if we so choose!

As I think about all this, I realize how blessed we are. I know that not everyone can make this kind of effort and see the fruits of it so quickly. It was hard. It took skill and restraint. It took failure. It took faith.

We are proof that God does not desire us to be burdened by debt. We know that He has us on this path for a reason and through all this, He will be glorified. I know that we absolutely could not have done this without His guidance and provision.

We still have a long way to go, but becoming debt free doesn't seem like such a pipe dream anymore. It's 100% attainable and is something that I would encourage others to do!

--chloe.

Good-bye Mortgage.

Debts to Pay	March 27, 2017
Doctor Bill A	0.00
Doctor Bill B	0.00
Doctor Bill C	0.00
Credit Card	0.00
Doctor Bill D	0.00
Student Loan D	2,889.44
Student Loan B	2,912.81
Student Loan F	2,998.40
Student Loan A	3,517.61
Student Loan C	4,495.04
Student Loan PX	7,925.70
Student Loan G	8,368.81
Student Loan E	8,320.70
Car Loan	11,638.98
Mortgage	0.00
Total	53,067.49

Amount Paid Off Since Last Post: $52,946.96
*Current chart shows adjustments for interest, pay downs, and pay offs.*


You guys. I am so excited to share that we FINALLY sold our house! We listed it for sale back in October, and closed on March 10! Not only did this knock out our mortgage, but we were also able to pay off our credit card! This is huge! That’s almost half of our debt! Now all we have left are student loans, and our car loan!

By selling our house, we also brought in enough for a down payment on our next home. We aren’t sure when we will be buying again, so for now, we saved back all buy $2,000 of our net so that we can have that money waiting for us when we are ready to buy or build a new home. 

I’m stuck in this weird place where I want to just jump up and get another house but also I want to just enjoy not having a mortgage. Currently, we live in a parsonage, free of charge or bills, and that is a huge blessing. However, we do know that eventually we will move on and most likely will need to look at getting another house. It’s really a waiting game right now.

I’m so thankful that God brought a buyer for our home. We know that He has laid it on our hearts as a couple to become debt free. I am grateful for all the He has provided for our family over the last few years. We have always been able to pay our bills on time, so we know that we will be ok regardless. I’m ready to start working on paying off our student loans now!

--chloe.

Focus.

Debts to Pay	February 9, 2017
Doctor Bill A	0.00
Doctor Bill B	0.00
Doctor Bill C	0.00
Credit Card	1,338.04
Doctor Bill D	0.00
Student Loan D	2,855.43
Student Loan B	2,878.52
Student Loan F	2,998.40
Student Loan A	3,517.61
Student Loan C	4,495.04
Student Loan PX	7,925.70
Student Loan G	8,311.95
Student Loan E	8,320.70
Car Loan	11,908.54
Mortgage	51,464.52
Total	106,014.45

Amount Paid Off Since Last Post: $264.48
*Current chart shows adjustments for interest, pay downs, and pay offs.*


Today I want to do things a little different. Real quick, here is how January went as far as paying down debts:
· We paid off a little over $200, which is not bad considering our income is about $600 less now that we aren’t renting out our home.
· Our spending was more than we would have liked, but not insane. Kind of a happy-medium. We had a couple of big purchases that we had to make for the kiddos.
· We traveled a little for work, so we automatically had to spend more than usual, but it was reimbursed, plus mileage. 
· We have a pending sale on our house! I’m super excited about this and am praying that it goes through without any issue! 

Now for what I really want to talk about. As I shared last month, I have a few New Year’s goals. One that I didn’t share in my last post was that I want to take more time for myself. I am a person that loves the company of others, but that company can also be exhausting, therefore I truly enjoy being alone. In the last year, I have neglected my mental health. I struggle with anxiety and depression and am often very empty. When you have a husband and two children who depend on you for various things, it’s kind of difficult to focus on you. So I decided that I would spend more time with just myself. I thought of things I could do that would benefit me. As I’ve mentioned before, I love crafts and art, and I’m a sucker for being organized. I bought a bullet journal and have been spending time daily, writing in it, drawing pictures, and making lists. It has come in handy in the month or so that I’ve been using it and it allows me to have “me” time. I highly recommend getting yourself a bullet journal if you are looking for a fun, leisurely project. 

I am also trying to spend more time with my family. Not doing the typical “mom” chores, but watching movies or old TV series’ with my kids, playing with stickers with my 3 year-old, or teaching my 1 year-old how to high five and give kisses. My husband and I don’t have a lot of time alone, but I’m trying to be on my phone less when he’s around. 

I want to be more intentional with my life and my family and our finances. It’s not easy, but I have found that taking time for myself has made a huge impact and I feel I am becoming a better wife, mom, and person. I am thankful for last year, but am incredibly ready for all this year has in store!


--chloe.

Money Saving Tip.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to hop on here real quick and share a tip with you all. Now this may seem like an obvious one, but it's also one that is overlooked often.

I don't know about you all but I love shopping at Old Navy. I always have, ever since I was a kid and a nearby town opened one up at the mall. But this love of mine can get pretty pricy. Yes, they do give you coupons sometimes and have great sales throughout the year, but did you know you can score an extra 10% off just by filling out a survey online? There is a ticket that is printed with your receipt that tells you have to snag this deal. I don't do it every time, but I really should, considering how much time and money I spend in the store! The survey takes about 5 minutes, but it's worth it!

There are other stores that have surveys for prizes and discounts too. CVS and Walmart come to mind. If you have a favorite store that you shop regularly, why not give your receipt a double-take and make sure you aren't missing out on some great savings!

--chloe.

New Year, New Goals.

As I mentioned in my last post, I made a list of goals I have for 2017.  I'm not big on "resolutions" but I am totally for having goals!  These are my main goals this year:

· Buy less stuff, spend more time.
· Pay down debts, and simplify.
· Excel with Plexus by getting healthier, and helping others
· Be more involved (my marriage, church, our kids)
· Live in kindness
· Read more (currently reading through the Bible, and for leisure, Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America from Parks & Rec)

As a couple, my husband and I sat down and reworked our budget.  We made it a priority that we would spend less this year.  One reason is that we will no longer be renting our home (hoping to sell!), and will no longer have that income.  We made cuts to all over our flexible lines (meaning those items that aren't a set amount, i.e. our mortgage or car payment).  It will be tough at first, but it will be totally worth it.  Additionally, we also raised our amounts that we set back into savings and our bills account from $50 to $75.  We have some work to do on our house and want to be prepared in case of emergency.  This seemed like a practical thing to do and with the other cuts we made, it was easy to add to these lines instead.

We also came up with two fun ideas for paying off debts we owe (as much fun as you can have with paying debt, that is).  One is that on the 1st of each month, after our mortgage and various insurances have been paid, if our primary checking account has more than $500 in it, we will take the remainder and put it immediately into our pay downs.  For example, if we have $653.97 in our checking account, we will take $153.97 and put it towards our credit card until that is completely paid off.  This will help keep us accountable by having us make sure we have enough money at the start of the month, not only for our family, but for our debts.  Even if it's only a few dollars that we get to pay down, it will add up!

Our other idea for debt pay off is a lot more adorable.  I don't know if I've ever shared this on here, but I'm a lover of craftiness, and Pinterest is my favorite app.  I found an craft a few years ago that I thought was cool, but never had any use for until now.  Basically, you take a shadowbox frame, put a picture inside of what you are saving your money for, drill a slot on top, and make a sort of piggy bank out of it.  I had these great 2017 stickers from Pipsticks.com (a sticker subscription club that I signed up for with my 3 year-old so we could have a project to do together), so I thought this would be perfect to make a spare change box for the year!  AND we have already saved $150 in spare change!!  Check it out!


I'm really looking forward to what 2017 holds for our family.  I'm excited to spend more time with my husband and kids, to take more time for myself, focus on things that really matter, and being closer to a debt-free life!!
--chloe.

Catch Up.

Debts to Pay	January 9, 2017
Doctor Bill A	0.00
Doctor Bill B	0.00
Doctor Bill C	0.00
Credit Card	1,337.74
Doctor Bill D	0.00
Student Loan D	2,855.43
Student Loan B	2,878.52
Student Loan F	2,998.40
Student Loan A	3,517.61
Student Loan C	4,495.04
Student Loan PX	7,925.70
Student Loan G	8,311.95
Student Loan E	8,320.70
Car Loan	12,081.64
Mortgage	51,556.20
Total	106,278.93

Amount Paid Off Since Last Post: $1191.63
*Current chart shows adjustments for interest, pay downs, and pay offs.*

You guys. I have been a huge slacker on updating the blog! My bad! So let me play catch up for a minute and fill you in on how things have been going.

First off, we have paid off almost $1200 of debt!! This is incredible, especially considering it was done right in the middle of the holidays! (I’ll share a little more about our debt pay-off plans for the New Year in my next post.)

Second, Christmas was insanely amazing for our little family! I’m proud to say that we were more than $100 under budget for Christmas gifts, thanks to some smart planning, and incredible sales!

Lastly, I wanted to share my New Year’s goals. I don’t like the idea of resolutions, but I can get behind goals!

· Buy less stuff, spend more time.
· Pay down debts, and simplify.
· Excel with Plexus by getting healthier, and helping others
· Be more involved (my marriage, church, our kids)
· Live in kindness
· Read more

I would love to hear some of your goals for the New Year!

--chloe.