Financial Goals 2012

Two years ago, I sat down and wrote out goals, not resolutions, for myself and our family. One super long post was about our financial goals for our family and future. In that post, I told about many opportunities we had to learn how to live debt free, how to be better stewards of our money, etc. Since then, we have continued learning. By no means are we experts and we make a ton of mistakes, but it is great to reflect back and keep learning, so we can press forward. For 2012, I wanted to write a list of updated goals and update what has been accomplished/changed since 2010. Below is a quick look back:

Highlights from "Financial Goals of 2010" Post

Our Debt List January 2009:
1. Brent's truck (Used 2008 Tax Return to pay off 1 year early.)
2. My Jeep
3. 2nd Mortgage
4. Small student loan
5. New AC Unit *added in June 2009 (Used utility bill savings and 2009 Tax Return to pay off 4 months early.)

If you would like to read the full post, then go here.

We had big plans of knocking those debts out, BUT the LORD had something else in mind, which I didn't mind one bit...A BABY! One month after writing that post, we found out we were pregnant with our second child. What a blessing! Maybe for some families and their budgets, a pregnancy would not rock their boat, but it certainly did ours. With Cole, I was terribly sick and it was two to three times as worse with Claire. There was a couple weeks I couldn't even get out of bed or shower. Gross, right. We were eating out like crazy and Brent was doing his best with the grocery shopping. But by no means was I going to get him to start couponing. I didn't even have it down yet. So that to say savings/paying off debt in 2010, came to a screeching halt.

January 2010 Debt List:
1. My Jeep
2. 2nd Mortgage
3. Small student loan

December 2010 Debt List:
1. My Jeep
2. 2nd Mortgage
3. Small student loan
4. Credit Card
5. Baby Medical Bills

2010 was not a good year for us, financially speaking. I was totally stressed. The credit card kept growing and it was out of control. At this point, Brent made the money, but I paid everything. He had no involvement. That needed to change and thankfully it has! Two brains are better then one for sure and checks and balances are definitely needed. We need to be on the same page of where we are and where we want to go. In September 2011, we finally split up the duties and now both know where we are with everything. Of course, the person that I am and loving numbers, I do make intense spreadsheets, so that is my main role. :)

In October 2011, I bought Dave Ramsey's book Total Money Makeover with some of my birthday money. I like those type of books. But I also don't read fast or alot. I read the whole book, cover to cover, in THREE days! I couldn't put it down! I wanted to get started right away. I posted about being debt free two years ago, and we were derailed (with a GREAT thing), but it was time to get back on track.

Let me just say, the last few months of 2011, have been a whirlwind and The LORD has done great things for us!

In September 2011, just after Labor Day, we put our house on the market. The market IS slow, good for buyers, not so much for sellers. We didn't know what to expect. Houses in our neighborhood, if in good condition, were selling pretty well. We listed it fast, just before we were going to be out of town for two weeks, knowing that most showings happen in the first two weeks. Well, we didn't have ONE. After 7 weeks, of NOT ONE showing, we had two on back to back days. The second was our buyer! WOW! My realtor kept telling us that it only takes one buyer, not a bunch of showing!

I am telling you that because it is part of our debt free journey. Like I said, not one showing for 7 weeks. Well, the weekend before the showings is when I read Total Money Makeover and we decided to start his methods of the baby steps and paying off our debts. We began to pray over what we should do about our house. Should we stay put? Keep it on the market? Buy another house right away? OR live in an apartment and save money up for a down payment? So many questions. The LORD answered some of those questions very quickly. We SHOULD sell our house. We had a contract by the very next Friday.

The next question to buy or not to buy took a little longer. We had a target neighborhood and there was not much available in our price range or needed a TON of work. It was looking like an apartment was the answer because we did not want to settle. We started looking at apartments and came to find out that it was almost impossible to find one in our price range (less then our current mortgage to allow for savings), so our search for a home continued. Still waiting on some clear confirmation from the LORD.

Long story short, some funds were offered to us to help with a down payment and it was the PERFECT amount (to the penny) needed for earnest money and the percentage down required. And a house became available with the space we needed, investor property (under market value $$), and move-in ready. New carpet, new roof and new siding. Big and expensive projects already completed for us. A huge relief to Brent. All things that our old house needed desperately. It was not in the target neighborhood but super close to some of our greatest friends here in town.

Selling our house was a huge springboard to getting back on track financially. Dave Ramsey tells you NOT to include your primary mortgage in your debt list, BUT any second mortgages, which we had on our old house. And both mortgages had horrible interest rates of 6.5% and 8%. The amount of money we were throwing away in interest was insane. And it was the vast majority of our total debt. If we could get rid of that, then we would cut YEARS off our debt list and be living debt free WAY sooner then ever hoped.

October 2011 Debt List:
1. Baby Medical Bills
2. Credit Card (Used some savings to pay off, as part of Baby Step One, in October 2011.)
3. Jeep (paid off January 4, 2011, 18 months early, with escrow refund.)
4. Student Loan
5. Second Mortgage (Paid off by selling house, December 12, 2011.)

Added in December 2011:
6. New Credit Card for Moving Expenses (Used bonus and profits from the sell of our house to pay off, December 27, 2011.)
7. Lowe's Credit for new appliances (No Interest)

January 2012 Debt List:
1. Baby Medical Bills (must call, bill not received in a few months)
2. Student Loan
3. Lowe's Credit for new appliances (No Interest)

So in the last couple of months, three of our biggest debts have been PAID! God is SO good! We are still expecting more reimbursements from the sell of our old home, which will also be put to paying off the rest of our debts.

Also, in November, I started a part-time job at our church to help pay for some of the moving costs that would occur and also speed up the process of paying off our debt. I know that Lord's hand has been all over this process of selling our home, purchasing a new one, opening the door to a job that my kids get to go with me to and love, and getting our debt snowball rolling FAST!

Thank you LORD! You amaze me EVERY day in a new way.

New House: Playroom

Our new house has a home for all the toys, so this week I have been working on getting it organized. This space will also serve as a guest room when family comes in town. We have decided not to put an actual bed in here like we originally planned.

Still to come is new wall color and fun wall art/magnet boards.

Here is what we have so far:

Claire: Just Days from 14 Months

On January 4th, Claire will be 14 months. It's been awhile since posting about my sweet girl, so I decided early is better then never.

Claire's personality has developed/came out in the last couple of months. She laughs and smiles all the time now when at one time it was a rare moment. She is clapping and jabbering (in a sweet whisper) constantly. She also has this adorable head nod she does when you are talking to her or even near her like she is agreement with you. So cute!

She is like a ninja crawling, so quite. Also, she is pulling up/walking furniture, etc. but she is not trying to walk independently at all yet. Playing with toys and her brother is also new. It is so sweet to hear them laugh and play and wrestle together.

She sleeps a good 12+hours at night and takes two maps a day. And eats more then Cole! It's quite the difference from a few months ago when she would only take milk.

Overall, Claire is my precious, sweet, raspy voice little girl and I love her!

Merry Christmas ALL!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Our Abba Father

Yesterday, Cole and I were reading his new book about creation that his teachers at Tallowood gave him. He had lots of "why" questions for me, which was good but also tough to explain some of the more complex concepts.

The illustrations in the book are awesome and detailed, so when we arrived at the part about Adam and Eve in the garden and how they sinned or for him, disobeyed, it showed God crying.

Why? Cole said. Why is he sad?

So I began to explain that we are God's children, He is our father. Just like you (cole) are to obey and listen to your daddy, we are to listen and obey our Heavenly Daddy.

Cole's response (with confused look): My daddy has a red truck.

We will get there. :)

Asking God to "Fix-it"

Last time I posted about moving, it looked like we were moving forward greatly and possibly closing early. Then Friday, everything blew up. There were road blocks with our loan. Apparently, there are strict rules for buying a flipped property with a FHA loan. It looked like we were going to no longer close early, probably late on the new house. We were thinking through where we would go with all our stuff and ourselves, etc. I know many have been praying for a miracle to happen because that was the only way this was going to work out on time and for us not to more twice. Today, I was talking to my friend Staci about other things and then she asked about when we were moving. I told her it was a mess. She said lets pray.

"Lord, you are not a God of confusion and mess but of structure and order. In the words of Gretchen, please fix it Lord."

A couple hours later, He fixed it! To God be the glory!!

We do not have an official date yet but soon!

I <3 Pinterest

Tonight I started my first craft project found on Pinterest. I have made a few desserts but no crafts. I pin like a maniac but no major projects have been attempted. Finally, I started one and I am so excited! I love canvas art, photos, etc. But they are so expensive, especially photos. But with Pinterest, I found a way to make them myself. I am making 6 total for this project. The first two are in process now but not complete just yet.

I will post the results and how to once complete.

Moving is Bittersweet

Today, it's official. I am emotionally torn about moving.

On one hand, I am so excited. I love moving into a new house. Always have. I remember helping several of my close friends move in elementary/middle school. It wasn't even my house but still thrilling! I remember going with my dad to look at model homes as a kid to see how they were decorated or laid out. Odd for a kid I guess but I loved it and still do. I love looking at different homes and finding inspiration, rearranging furniture and using things in a new way. I am excited about the new space we will gain and the ability to host more people more comfortably. I am stoked about the great interest rate and the money we will save. And I am beyond thrilled of how close (within blocks of some) we will be to several of our friends!

On the other hand, I am emotionally attached to this house. It is the first house Brent and I called home. It is the place we brought our two kids home to. It is a place where we made it our own with lots of remodeling. We love our neighbors and street and we will miss them greatly. The change in daily routine is tough too. What will our mornings look like? Will Cole still walk across the house and climb in my bed if I am still asleep? I love that! He is so independent outside our home, which I love too but I treasure our snuggle/watch shows time. I like the coziness of our home when it's just us. I will miss that I think. I love Claire's room and how it is decorated. Is it weird to want to decorate it just the same?

I still want to move. I am not doubting our house choice in any way. It is just bittersweet. Happy and sad all rolled up into one. We are more then halfway packed I would guess and hoping to close next week.

I guess I am just ready to called the new house "home" instead of the new house all the time. Right now it's just a house and this is our home.

Short Update

I am so far behind on updating about my kids and I know I am going to leave many things out. Just now, I downloaded the blogger app so maybe this will help do more short posts, more frequently.

Today, Nov. 28th, Claire is clapping! So cute and she also imitates us singing/"sings" with us. She is nowhere near walking but like every other stage she must get to one day she isn't close at all and doing it the next. She pulls up and transfers between furniture, cabinets, etc. At her 1 year check, she was in the 8% for height and weight. Petite girl. She is wearing 9 month clothing and they are baggy.

Cole is getting so tall. He is becoming more picky when he will eat, not so much what. He is very detailed and particular about his routine. It's kinda funny and very impressive regarding the detail. He loves relaxing in our bed watching his "shows." Curious George is probably one of the favs as of today. And he has already declared he is having a cat in the hat birthday party several months ago.

We are moving! If you didnt know and we couldn't be more excited! Less than two weeks!

Hopefully this app will help me blog more!

Claire: 9 Months Old

Today, Claire is 9 months old. This summer has been so busy, something almost every weekend and we are still going. We are completely booked for August and almost there for September. My kids aren't even in organized sports or school yet! How can this be??

Anyway, Claire's monthly post have been lacking, so I told myself "you have got to write something about that sweet girl this month!" Much has changed since her last post.

-Her favorite toy is anything that she can put in her month and chew on, especially her pacifier.

-Raspy singing/static voice, followed by a shrill scream. Maybe a singer in the future??

-Rolls every way possible.

-Pivots, slides backwards, moves all around the living room. Very close to crawling I think. I can tell she is thinking about it and just trying to figure out how.

-Sits up completely independently (7.5 months). Also, gets down to a crawling position from sitting up, on purpose (not falling into it).

-Prefers to sleep on stomach now (8.5 months). Just put her down on her belly, pacifier in, blanket over back and head, lay her head down, and she is out. Super easy baby!

-Bedtime is closer to 6:30 or 7, sometimes later these days which is great, because she then sleeps until 7 or 7:30am the next morning. She no longer wakes at night mad on her tummy because she now prefers to sleep that way. Yes!

-Eczema is extreme still and we have a whole medicine bag full of products to use on it. It does not seem to bother her which is a blessing because it looks painful.

-She is not big on eating baby food or soft solids. She still prefers to only nurse or take formula. She doesn't even want water or juice. A sippy cup? What's that? Totally unique and different from her brother at this stage. We gave all baby food away and he only nursed 2- 3 a day, and the rest of the time ate everything we did and drank water from a cup. She will get there. She is a happy, so I know she is not starving.

-Eyes are blue, hair is turning blonde. Weighs 15 pounds. Tiny girl. Wears 6 month clothes and some are still too big.

-Very happy, content baby. Loves to watch Cole play and he is beginning to play with her and her play back.

-Loves to nap in her pool float! Awesome!