Our budget is super tight right now, but we did make a little more progress this past week with three debts seeing a decrease. The beast (aka Discover) is now down to $7,800. The car is at $5,635.45. Citi is at $6,580. The Visa remains the same and won’t see another change until next month. The overall decrease from my report of last week is $571.13. We also paid August’s mortgage payment, which feels good to have out of the way for another month.
Our driveway project *should* be happening this week. Dealing with contractors, you never know though! Our check for 50% of the estimate cleared our bank, and we have the remaining funds ready to go for when the work is complete.
I’ve also been looking over our finances and realize how close we are to reaching our initial goal of paying off $18,000 for the year. We are $772 from hitting that mark! With our funds being lower than I’d like, I’ll need to wait until closer to the end of the month to see if we can reach it this month. Sure would be awesome to achieve this goal four months early! If not, we’ll get it next month for sure!
Initially, today’s post was going to be about a friend who is taking on more debt. To say that it frustrates the heck out of me is an understatement. What I have come to realize though, is that she is going to do what she is going to do regardless of my opinion. Sadly, it is one of those situations where “I’ll start next month, or I need to do this first” sort of things. I get it as Hubs and I did the very same thing for far too long. I’m pretty sure we had even convinced ourselves that we were fully on board. The numbers, however, told another story. Until one reaches the point of where no means no, you’ll always find a way to justify buying this and doing that. Again, I know this because, at one time, I owned that same shirt! Thankfully I burned that shirt some 19 months ago, and now own one that says, NEVER AGAIN! As for my friend, all I can do is continue to encourage her to draw the line, say no more…and mean it!
On another topic (well, sort of), have any of you watched the show “Til Debt Do Us Part”? I watched it years ago when we (gulp) paid for satellite TV. It is now available on Amazon Prime and included in membership. While I wouldn’t spend hours upon hours watching it, I thought it was interesting. It also made me realize just how far Hubs and I have come with our own finances. We still have a long ways to go, but we are on the right track and will get there!
When I first came across that Til Debt Do Us Part show, my daughter was still a teen. We watched a couple of episodes together. It was painful seeing families in jeopardy, but it was also encouraging when a couple figured things out.
It’s pretty neat to see how close you are to your year-long 18,000 goal, and it’s only July!
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It is good to see that some people realize they have a problem and need help! That being said, when I watched it years ago, I was still in denial!
You’ve almost met your goal for the year in AUGUST – that is AMAZING….even if it doesn’t happen this month, the fact that you are so close shows how hard you guys have worked toward this goal!!!
I feel for you friend – that was us as well – now there are things we “need” but they are all waiting until we have the cash to get them – NOTHING will go on the credit card ever again!!! I feel like this debt is a noose around our necks that is slowly sucking the life right out of us and it NEEDS TO GO!!!!
I have watched “Til Debt Do Us Part” and like her no-nonsense attitude – that is funny, I was just looking for it the other day – will check it out again now that I know it on Amazon Prime!!!!
Yes, I am getting excited about hitting this goal. Hasn’t been easy, but worth it to see the numbers drop.
It is so hard watching someone make the same mistakes I made. I’m proud of you for making the commitment to break the noose. Credit cards might be okay for some people. I’m just not one of them. Glad to have you on the same page!
Congrats on the milestone(s)! $18,000 in one year – you both should be proud as heck.
The rest of this 2 -week budget… heck the next 6 months budget is tight. But I will so love the milestone created at that time.
We can do this!
Sorry about your friend. Mail her a of Dave Ramsey’s book anonymously…
Jane has debt recently posted…June 2018 Debt & Expense Update [-73,315]
I’m beyond proud of this accomplishment! We are bound and determined to see this through! You are doing awesome with your debt reduction, too! Embrace those milestones!
Sadly, my friend has read the book. Sadly, she is just not ready to get fully on board.
It’s good to encourage but she’ll need to truly embrace the changes required. It is a mindset change and she’s owner of that. Congrats to you!
You are spot on! I hope that eventually, she will come around.
Hey Lucy,
I hear you about your friend not wanting to do what it takes to pay off their debts.
Friends, colleagues and peers have a tremendous impact on our own behavior. Can I ask if you’re actively looking to associate with others who have paid off their debts? I find that when I hang out with with people who have healthy finance habits, my own finances get better.
Hi James. You are 100% correct and I have made it a point to associate with others who are also ambitiously paying off their own debt. I also like to connect with others who have succeeded financially. The encouragement to keep working at it and not give up has helped me tremendously. Thank you for commenting!
You’re most welcome!
That is fantastic that you are going to hit your goal. I am still hopeful that I will hit my goal of paying off $25K…. I will come pretty close. Still a long way to go in the big picture, but I am getting there.
Regarding your friend, she will come around when she is ready. And she may never be ready. Which is sad.
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My gut says you’ll reach your goal plus more! You are completely focused, and it is showing in your numbers. Proud of you!
Hubs thinks my friend will just file bankruptcy. She is back to spending like there is no tomorrow, all while saying she’ll get back on board in September. To me, her spending shows she hasn’t yet reached the point of being tired of it all. For her own sake, I hope she eventually comes around.