:) Archives - Page 138 of 539 - Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt

Hope’s Debt Update – August, 2022

I feel REALLY good about the amount of debt I’ve paid off. Although I’m not where I want to be, I am headed in the right direction for sure!

Debt Description	Original Total (January, 2022)	Current Month Total	Goal to Payoff
Medical - COVID Hospital Stay	5,129	2,197
Medical - Hearing Aids	4,500	0	Aug, 2022
Medical - Testing #1	7,506	0	Oct, 2022
Medical - Testing #2	5,900	0	Feb, 2022
Mortgage	97,850	94,416
Student Loan	19,116	18,495
Total	$140,001	$115,108

For the rest of the year, I am focused on 3 things for my money.

Saving for a winter trip (it is the family Christmas present)
Rebuilding my savings
Continuing to pay down debt but not pushing it for this final half of the year

Here’s what I’m currently paying toward debt monthly:

$306 = Student loans
$658 = Mortgage payment
$250 = Medical debt

After Christmas, I plan to ramp up my debt repayment plan again. In the meantime, I’ve also got to source a new medical insurance policy. Currently, I’m paying for COBRA from my old corporate job. I’m now eligible for my contract job’s policy but it doesn’t look like coverage is worth the $$ so I’m going to try the healthcare marketplace.

Why Slow Down

In preparation for the “why are you slowing down” question, here is my reasoning…

This is Princess first time taking all this on herself. While I’m still paying for her car insurance, gas, and cell phone bill, she is covering everything else including her rent. I want to make sure I stay plenty liquid to help if I’m needed. Along that same line, I have no idea what Gymnast is going to choose to do after high school. And I want to have plenty to support his first year like I did Princess should he choose that route.

It’s getting more and more difficult to get all the kids together. The family picture I posted on my last post was the first time we’ve all been together since, well, I don’t know when. I don’t think it was last Christmas, but it might have been. We aren’t going to Texas for Thanksgiving because 3 of the 5 kids couldn’t go due to work obligations. So for Christmas, I have planned a family trip and everyone has gotten the time off. (It’s not over Christmas, but it is their Christmas present.)

P.s. I know I need to be making some extra money, so I’d been thinking about selling some stuff on Facebook Marketplace. Sometimes I’m in and out, so porch pickup is often a good idea for me.

Hope

Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.

Hi, again, from Georgia

by Hope

Hello BAD community,

It’s been a while. And like always, my life has been a crazy roller coaster. Summer is officially over with Princess moved into her college digs as of this weekend. And then there was one…

It’s just me and Gymnast now. He’s virtual schooling again and working as close to full time as he can. And I’m just working and working and working.

Where are they now:

Beauty moved out of the house into a rent controlled apartment with a friend from high school just a couple of miles away. She switched jobs and is currently taking a break from school, but says she will go back in the Spring. She’s over weekly to do laundry, raid the pantry or just hang out. According to her, she gets the best naps here at home.
Sea Cadet took a new position as a firefighter/EMT a county over. Previously, he was just a part time EMT for our county and volunteer firefighter. He continues to pursue his paramedic training.
History Buff went back to school this summer, but it’s a toss up as to what he will pursue…welding or auto mechanics right now. He’s also looking for a new full time job and has had several interviews but nothing has panned out so far. The twins both visit regularly to do laundry, eat a meal and help me with “man chores.”
Princess got a job in the field she hopes to pursue. She was able to train at the branches up near us this summer but will work from here on out where she goes to school. She moved into an apartment for this school year and signed a 12 month lease. She is paying her own way this school year. She even took her dog with her (the 3 lb chihuahua in her arms above.)
Gymnast is now in his senior year. He’s taking four online classes and then technically is eligible for graduation. But we have decided to continue “high school” through the spring. He will enroll at the four year university that Princess attends and commute two days a week to take college classes as a dual enrolled student. This is a win-win. Georgia pays 100% of the costs for dual enrolled classes while in high school. So no cost. And since he has no clue what he wants to do post-high school, it lets him really try out college without a huge commitment. Kind of a try before you by.

Some highlights of changes that have been made over the last several months:

My corporate job ended last month. I’m still pretty raw with what happened over the last six months since the woman that hired me left unexpectedly last Christmas. Let’s just say it was a mutual decision and leave it at that.
I fell right into a new contract job with a slight pay decrease, but no gap in employment.
I continue to work for my own clients on the side and that has grown significantly this summer.
Gymnast and I celebrated my last day at the job by adopting two new dogs. We now have 7 (see picture above) and they are all officially adopted and ours and staying.
I have paid off ALOT of debt. Debt update coming. But no more hearing aid debt, most of the medical debt is gone, etc.
Between the money from Princess first car, my tax refund and a small dip into savings, I was able to buy Princess a car that I feel good about. (That process was a debacle though, I’ll have to tell you about it.)
Prioritized and needed house work is complete. I still have a few projects I would like to do, but they will wait until additional debt is paid down and I know what Gymnast is doing post high school. But I did buy myself a hot tub. And I have no regrets there.
My fiance and I continue to be long distance. We see each other about once a month. He typically comes here, but next month Gymnast and I are going there for a long weekend.

Life is good. It’s quiet. We’ve got a few things planned for this fall. But overall, I think everyone is settling down into “school” mode. And I am ready to write again.

Hope