Blogging Away Debt

October Net Worth Update $-41,318 (up 3.46%)

Our net worth increased for October, so I am very pleased. I just don’t want to see it going down just yet 😉

To see the complete breakdown, you can see my NetWorthIQ profile here.

October was the first month without a car payment, and that helped with the overall picture for October. Unfortunately, I will not be able to snowball that payment into the rest of our debt. We will be using that $250/month to go towards obtaining health insurance for me and my family.

I am currently reading Health Care on Less Than You Think (amazon referral link) by Fred Brock and I will have a review shortly on the book. The beginning chapters are sobering, giving examples of individuals that have been devistated financially by medical problems. I know one medical problem can easily undo all of the progress we’ve made reducing debt, and reading those stories really hit home.

That will be my weekend – finishing reading that book and figuring out what health insurance company to go with. Stay tuned to hear more about the book or how I am going about finding decent health insurance.

I Finally Did It…I Gave My Notice to One of My Jobs

by Tricia

I finally scrounged up the courage to quit one of my part-time jobs. While I will miss the extra income, it will give me more time to focus on learning more (with taking a certification course) and that will help give me more earning power overall. I could even start my own business down the road if I wanted to.

It’s funny, because before I started on my debt-reduction journey, I don’t think I would have taken as long to quit. I’ve really thought through this decision and played out many different scenarios in my mind. How much less money a month would we be making? How much less money a month would I be spending?

The affect on our finances is important, but I couldn’t forget about other things. Would my stress level decrease? How much better could I keep track of home-related things? Would I be happier overall?

In this case, the part-time job was bringing in around $100/month (net). Every little bit helps when you are trying to pay as much debt as possible. But the stress caused from working over 40 hours a week was getting to me. There were deadlines at the part-time job and keeping track of everything was starting to overwhelm me. I think health and sanity wise – it was best that I quit.

I did give two month’s notice, so I have a little bit to go yet before I’m done. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulder. I’m pretty sure I made the right decision.