by Hope
As we end the last month of summer, we are tightening our belts again. And heading into a no or at least minimal spend month. Beauty and Gymnast start back to school within the week while Princess’ school has delayed their start date until the end of August.
I’m not sure what is going to be required as far as school supplies go so I’m staying a little flexible on that. Otherwise, we are planning for a typical no spend month…our groceries and household supplies are well stocked, we are as planned as we can be with the unknown of school and COVID-19 around us. I for one am ready to get back into the school routine…especially since I no longer have to drive kids to school on a regular basis!
And I am super excited about my debt update…I have been on it!!!
| Student Loan #1 | $17,000.00 | $8,993.60 | $7,460.01 | 2.88% | $0 |
| Student Loan #2 | $21,750.03 | $19,536.55 | $19,433.43 | 2.88% | $0 |
| Honda HRV | $21,200.00 | $17,335.27 | $17,128.61 | 3% | $250 |
| Total | $59,950.03 | $45,865.42 | $44,022.05 | $250 |
Tuition – almost paid!
At the same time, I have been paying a bit here and there towards Princess’ tuition. I only have $400 more to pay and her entire senior year will be paid for. Woot, woot!
I’m still not clear on what “senior” expenses will look like, but I am confident that I have the savings to cover it in my slush fund so will not be including it in my ongoing budget any longer.
Moving Out
Sea Cadet will return from his summer as camp nurse in Virginia in the next couple of days. He still has his part time job here as an EMT for our local county. And anticipates having a full time firefighter/EMT job for the next county over within the month.
The hiring manager was his instructor during his EMT program. And plans to have an in-person interview before finalizing an offer. With that being said, Sea Cadet is planning to move out immediately. He will be moving into a spare bedroom in another firefighter’s home. This has been planned since early in the summer. We are all excited about this big step for him. (And yes, I am a bit relieved that we don’t have to squish one more person into this house.)
With Gymnast staying, the two girls and History Buff and I…let’s just say it’s a bit tight. (But we would make it work if we had too, we are good like that.)
History Buff has moved into the living room, giving up the small single room for Gymnast in anticipation of him moving out as soon as he finds a place/roommate situation. This was decided some time ago, if Gymnast was to return, and I didn’t want a big upheaval once school started.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
Awesome progress on your student loans!! $1500 paid off is huge!
You’ve been busy! Nice work! Good job sticking with it!
Great Job – I bet it feels wonderful to see those totals going down!