“Keeping Motivated” Archive
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When my sister told me that there is no way to express the exhaustion you feel as a new parent, I laughed at her. When she said, ‘Learn to sleep when the baby sleeps’, I felt like saying, ‘If I do that, when will I get back to running?’
Yup. Totally planned to start jogging on my treadmill while the baby slept.
I was hilariously ignorant.
It’s true. I can’t begin to express how tired I am. People visit. I stare. I smile. But I’m not here.
Fortunately, the kiddo keeps me home bound but even then, my finances take a hit. It’s amazing how much damage you can do to your checkbook from your sofa. Suddenly, I don’t care how much 20 more channels are on cable tv. I don’t care how much it costs for drive through dinners. I don’t care how much that nursing item is on Amazon. As long as it makes my life easier. I just don’t care.
I’m hoping this level of fatigue only lasts a few more weeks (ha ha right?), because my finances aren’t ready for the war I’m in.
I’ve been preparing our post-baby delivery finances and things aren’t looking good. Between the loss of roommate income and the addition of daycare expenses, we won’t be making those $1,200 debt payments each month.
In fact, for a while, we will only be making minimums on student loans. At best, we can hope for a killer tax refund next year to pay off the remaining debt, otherwise… we’ll be in this minimum payment boat for a while and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed at the sudden loss of momentum.
Since we both received nice pay increases this year, we will likely have to wait two years for further income boosts.
I worked myself into a nice emotional tizzy until I remembered that I need to be more optimistic so I sat down and wrote a list.
I’m grateful we don’t have car or credit card debt. Those payments would sink us.
I’m grateful my husband will graduate a few days before the baby is born. No more tuition payments!!!
I’m grateful we have a healthy emergency fund and savings account. I sleep a little better with them.
I’m grateful we have some household items to sell after helping someone move. We will likely be able to buy all the necessary baby furniture with that cash. Otherwise, I’m not sure how we’d pull it off.
And, I’m grateful for my family. If we can’t afford food, I know my mom and grandma always have something good cooking. We’ll never starve.
I’m with you. I get depressed and overwhelmed and my list made me feel slightly better but I’m certainly no Pollyanna.
I guess we’ll just have to work through it.
I struggle a lot with motivation. Sometimes, I actually convince myself that $19,000 in debt isn’t that bad and start to wonder why I’m working to pay it off so quickly.
Working to become debt free would be an easy journey if it were only a few months, but when it stretches to years, that’s when you discover who you really are in terms of dedication.
It’s been just shy of 18 months since we began our journey and to be honest, I find myself growing weary – especially when my personal life gets slammed (more on that tomorrow). I find that when my personal life gets messy…so do my finances.
I was browsing iTunes for free podcasts and stumbled over the Dave Ramsey radio show. His podcasts are free (shorter versions of his radio program – there are some commercials) and you don’t need an iPod to listen to them. You can listen directly from your home computer. I was feeling down this morning and for some reason, listened to his podcast on my way to work. A family had paid off nearly $100K in debt and drove all the way to Dave’s studio just to shout, ‘We’re Debt Free!!!’
It made me smile. Today, it was what I needed.
Check out the show. It’s free and a good source of encouragement.
You are going to get tired. You are going to get weary. You are going to flounder in your decision to live below your means. But we can stick through it because one day, it’s going to be you and me screaming…
WE’RE DEBT FREE!!!
The unemployment checks have started to arrive with somewhat regularity. What we didn’t understand at the start was that the unemployment office in California requires an interview. You receive no checks until the interview has been completed. My husband’s interview with the unemployment office wasn’t until 6 weeks after he filed the claim. Claimants have no control over this date and cannot request a sooner time.
My best advice to the recently unemployed, be ready for a long ride. Prepare your finances immediately and don’t assume a check is coming anytime soon.
Our finances took a hit since we were carrying our mortgage and bills on my paycheck and savings alone but we’ve been able to level out a bit since the checks arrived. Whew!
Looks like I can finally buy some splurge items – and by splurge, I mean an occasional sale priced ground beef instead of a cart full of Ramen alone.
When I went on my search to find a dog, my goal was to own a fat lazy dog. In fact, I chose him specifically because he sat on the floor, completely lethargic while the other dogs barked and jumped in the kennel.
Maybe it’s because he’s happy, maybe it’s because he’s eating healthy, or maybe it’s because he’s out to SPITE me, but he’s the most energetic dog I’ve ever owned.
Saturday, I went hiking and took him along to see if I could finally wear him out.
We hiked for HOURS.
Up hills, down hills, up steep mountain faces, jogging on trails, climbing through brush, he chugged along beside me. Naturally, I expected him to be exhausted and ready for a break…
But he wagged his tailless butt with fervor, suggesting no rest was necessary.
Drenched in sweat and resting my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath, I couldn’t help but compare him to my debt. I push, I fight, I struggle, but it pursues me with unending vigor. I feel like I can’t win.
My husband’s job loss and our recent setbacks have felt like an overwhelming stumbling block to our journey.
I pushed a while longer and ran a few more hills before going home. I took off his leash and tossed it on the counter. As I gulped a giant glass of water, I looked to see where my endless ball of energy went.
He was curled up on the couch fast asleep…and he didn’t wake up for a solid two hours.
I had two words for my energetic ball of fur…
I win.
Be stubborn with your debt fight today.
Eventually, we’ll win.
I was watching the weather report last week and was surprised to see ‘Weather Alert’ scroll across the bottom of the screen – surprised because I was sitting in front of my TV in a tank top and gym shorts. The anchorman was filming on location to demonstrate the ‘bad weather’. He donned a poofy parka as if he were standing in the armpit of Alaska. He held up a giant thermometer that hovered at 60 degrees and lamented about the ‘frigid’ weather.
Hey buddy – its 60 degrees. Residents in other states call this a heat wave.
In this economy, it’s easy to complain about our ‘sad, sad’ lives as Americans but compared to the rest of the world, we’re pretty darn fortunate. I didn’t get shot at, my house hasn’t been bombed, a tsunami didn’t harm my family, I was able to eat today (though probably too much), and I can worship as I please.
Thank you anchorman. Thank you for reminding me that, even with no job and bills filling my mailbox, life ain’t all that bad.
Smile America… it’s 60 degrees.
I received a letter of healthcare cancellation for my husband this weekend. His benefits run out at the end of the month.
I expected his benefits to expire but I did not expect the high cost to maintain his health insurance through COBRA. We’re looking at $250 a month for an active healthy guy who hasn’t been to the hospital for a medical reason since birth.
This expense isn’t an option for us. It’s either healthcare or our mortgage payment and since healthcare won’t keep us sheltered at night… it lost.
In light of this, I have restricted him from doing anything dangerous. He is officially banned from riding a dirt bike, surfing near sharks, standing on ladders, and clipping his toe nails. I have also encased him in bubble wrap and tied large sofa cushions to his stomach.
I think it will work.
About This Site
My Debt
- Original Debt: $38,495.86
- Added Debt: $1,781.50
- Total Debt: $40,277.36
- Paid: $36,084.36
- Remaining: $4,193.00
- Broken Down
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