12
Jun
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 4 Comments
Every time I want to text someone with that crap phone I am reminded of our goals
Okay, there’s really nothing fun about buckling down and getting out of debt. Or is there?
No, there can’t be; it’s a barren, joyless trek through sacrifice with nothing but denial and self-discipline.
Ha! Haven’t you guys seen Mary Poppins? Spoonful of sugar, baby. Our family has had loads of fun while working this debt snowball. In fact it’s forced us to find free & low-cost things to do together that we wouldn’t have sought out back when we were brain-damaged. …continue reading
4
Dec
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 12 Comments
There is always tomorrow. Another month. Another budget. Another chance to get it right.
Oh. My. God.
After ten months (TEN MONTHS!) of financial responsibility… no, financial PERFECTION, today I screwed the pooch.
Actually, I screwed the pooch more than a week ago when I ignored our budget and decided things were going even better than I thought they were… and gave away the farm. …continue reading
9
Jul
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 10 Comments
If only he had looked back. A huge smile burst across my face like a badge of honor…
The huge spot of missing hair you chopped off with kitchen shears in kindergarten, a pimple on the end of your nose as a teenager, the dent along the side of the car in college… some days we all plod-on hoping against, but nonetheless awaiting, the inevitable: someone to notice and say it out loud.
Living like no one else, paying off debt, spending less than one makes, all of it is supposed to garner a certain amount of ridicule and contempt. Yet thus far I found it almost easy to live with a plan, cut up the cards and look forward to a day of freedom from debt.
Today I finally got made fun of! …continue reading
26
Jun
Posted by The Wife in Climbing Out. 6 Comments
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I had to put it back. I ran out of money. I couldn’t afford it today.”
The girls and I have just returned home from a grocery shopping trip. It started off well, but didn’t end that way.
The Dad and I have agreed on $110 per week for groceries. That may not sound like very much, but I think I shop pretty well, plus that includes $20 for our CSA veggie box. I make a list every week in my iPhone app that also keeps track of the prices of items, so by the end of our trip around the store there should be no surprises. Today, however, I strayed. I had inadvertently invited some friends over for a BBQ, so I bought some hotdogs. I promised the girls new chapstick. There were some items on sale, so I bought a couple additional things thinking I was using up the money saved from the sale items. …continue reading
11
May
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 5 Comments
I am amazed how a few months on a written budget can bring such clarity
Oh I did NOT just do that. You are kidding me. There is no way I just plowed into the car in front of me, right? I guess every plan needs a good testing now and then. This is apparently time to test ours.
On the way home from work last week I was stopped behind a minivan, second in line at a light in my little Civic. The light changed, we all accelerated and I allowed my attention to be distracted for a moment. Half a second, I’m sure, but nonetheless… I glanced away from the minivan then back to find it completely stopped again. …continue reading
2
Mar
Posted by the Dad in Climbing Out. 7 Comments
In Kung Fu Panda, Shifu brings about the thing he dreads most by taking steps to prevent it. He sends an envoy to make sure his foe is safely imprisoned only to have the envoy drop a feather that enables the foe’s escape.
A self-fullfilling prophesy.
it certainly felt like something I thought was a nice gesture had become another debt owed
People have warned me that although some will support us, we will be faced with other friends and family members who do not understand a focused drive toward debt-freedom. Those people may criticize, mock or simply distance themselves from a situation they either don’t “get” or perhaps makes them uncomfortable.
I don’t want my own self-fullfilling prophesy so I have spoken with very few people about what we have begun financially. I fear a friendship will become uncomfortable or strained.
Sigh. A few days ago one did. …continue reading
