Total Money Makeover: UPDATE!!

The hubs and I decided back in September to put ourselves on a diet. Not a food diet really but a money diet. We want to have a complete money makeover in our family and it all started here.

We did like every American does when they begin a diet. We went fast and hard at it. Watching every dime, working a few more hours at the job, cutting back, eating at home more. We were determined and dedicated to making this work for us.

But then what happens.... you hit a bump, a snag, you have "bad days." Well our bad days really turned into a few bad months. In October I ended up having an emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder that had completely stopped working and was ready to explode at any moment. Who knew?

In December came Birthdays and Christmas which meant traveling a very far away and my car, though I love it, loves gas even more.

Then came January. Which I am praising God that it is February for it was a very difficult, stressful hard month for our finances. We were hit with over $800 worth of bills that we were not expecting. Add to that the extra $800 that I knew was coming that is not normally part of our monthly bills and let's just say I was a little overwhelmed.



So we went from having 2 credit cards paid off AND a savings of $1000 to not having a dime in savings and adding $1800 on one of those paid-off cards.

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess its just a minor set back. (What did I think was going to happen... perfection?!? This is life missy and things just don't happen that way.) Dave Ramsey said to roll up your sleeves and get dirty and right now I am covered in mud.

But it is now February and we are still making it through. Day by day and sometimes hour by hour. But we are still making it.

As for our total money makeover. Well I still have us on a budget. It is even stricter than the one before. I went from working 20 hours a week to 32+ hours a week. I took a promotion at my job so that I can make more money to put into savings and bills. I am working more hours to make sure that by the end of 2011 we will be out of credit card debt. That would be a HUGE accomplishment and would allow a little bit of breathing room.

This is not easy. This is coming out of pure hunger for a "healthy family." And I would tell any family that it looking down a long list of bills to roll up your sleeves and start getting dirty. It will take a while but I believe that the end result will be well worth it!