Day 5

It is Day 5. That went by kind of fast didn't it? So far, we are kicking butt. I haven't purchased one unnecessary item since we started this and boy have I wanted to. It's amazing to me how much of an impulse shopper I am or an "Oh, that would be nice, I could really use that!" shopper I am. I did two groceries trips: one to Aldi and one to Hy Vee for the things I can't get at Aldi. I didn't buy one thing that wasn't on my list. *high five*

If you're curious how we budget, we do the written Monthly Cash Flow Plan from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University If you've never been through his FPU, you're missing out. It's a GREAT course with a ton of information and boy does it get you motivated. Andrew and I have been through it twice. Loved it both times. We also use EveryDollar on the computer and on our phones. It's a fantastical little app and if you don't link it to your bank account... it's FREE! We keep our written budget on our fridge as a constant reminder and we use our phones/computer to be able to see it on the go or when we are at a store. We do try and use cash for most purchases: groceries, pet supplies, kids, misc. items, etc. It helps. It's so hard to spend cash guys... it hurts more. Swiping a card has no emotional impact. Trust me and try it sometime.

We have been on this debt free journey since 2011. So far we have paid off about 20% of our debt. I would love it if that number was more, but alas, it is not. In the last 7 years we:

• got married
• went on a Honeymoon
• bought a house
• had two children
• had a car stolen
• lost jobs
• got new jobs

And all of those other life things that happen. Not to mention that we found out about Carson being Autistic and I went on a downward spiral of getting a credit card and buying whatever the fuck I felt like buying..... so, I added to that debt. *headdesk* 

However, I'm here and ready to dig my way out of it. 

Starting Debt: $83,000

Current Debt: $66,324

That includes a credit card, the van, and my student loan. It does not include the house. My student loan is most of that number. It's nauseating, isn't it? 

We are set to pay off $632.00 of debt this month. 

Since Andrew and I have paid ahead on the student loan (8 months ahead), we are skipping a few months of that payment to get everything else taken care of. 

During this time, and the last 7 years, we have also had out $1,000 emergency fund which has been used and built back up multiple times in emergency situations. Especially for car repairs and unplanned/planned medical expenses. 

I'm excited to see where this journey takes us and how quickly we can get this taken care of now that I am dedicated. I know it's not going to be easy, and I know people will probably think I don't like them because I will say "no" to a lot of activities that involve money.... but it will be 100% worth it in the end. 

As far as my minimalist journey goes, I went on a cleaning spree yesterday and worked on the bathroom, my closet, the linen closet, and the kitchen. The back end of my van is full with stuff to take for donation. Feels good to get rid of excess stuff. 

Starting Today...

Andrew and I are going on a journey. What kind of a journey, you ask? An emotional and spiritual journey. One that will require a lot of patience, a lot of saying no, and a lot of people not understanding.

As you know, we have been Dave Ramsey fans since about 2011. We have been on our debt free journey for awhile now (7 years) and although we've paid off a HUGE chunk of my student loans, we still have a long ways to go. It is almost infuriating knowing that if we just did a little more... buckled down a little harder.... we'd probably be a lot closer to our end goal. Well, now it's time to do just that.

Andrew is what Dave calls the Free Spirit and the Saver. I am the Nerd and the Spender. Boy can I spend money and justify it until I am blue in the face. Um, hello Vitamix anyone?!!? By telling you this, I am admitting that I am mostly the problem. I've never been good with money. I've always had the "you only live once" mindset and I felt I could always out earn my stupidity. Well, I was wrong. Especially since at age 25, I had to file for bankruptcy. I had so much consumer debt that I was drowning. I took the "easy" way out. You'd think that would have taught me a lesson huh? Well, technically it did... because the only debt I have is a tiny bit of CC debt, a small bit of vehicle loan, and my student loans. I do not count the house in with our lump sum because Dave doesn't. The house is the last thing you pay off.

I am reading an amazing book about a lady that decided she was going to have a shopping ban for one year. One year you say? Challenge. Accepted. When I showed Andrew a couple of screenshots of the book he sent me text back that simply said "#metoo". He's on board. I don't know why this is so exciting to me, but it is. I am curious to see how much we will actually save. How much MORE we will be able to snowball into our debt. How much we waste on things we don't need.

For awhile now, I have been interested in minimalism too and I still am to this day. I constantly go through the house finding things to donate or sell. I'm not done yet. I still feel there is too much that I have to clean and put away. Too much getting in the way of what's really important. So, this no shopping ban will really help us to narrow down what we actually need in our lives.

If you're curious about the book, it's called The Year of Less, by Cait Flanders

I will be back soon to list out our plan of attack, our budget, our debt, and our rules for any spending.