now for a look at the numbers

I spent some time today looking at our finances and updating spreadsheets. We are definitely making progress. It is slow, but each time I update and the final number goes down, I feel better.

I rolled the payment amount for the Honda into the CC payment as soon as it was paid off. I did it officially through the credit union. We thought we might just do it ourselves each month, but I knew how that would end up. It would get absorbed into our monthly vortex and never make it to the cc.

Spending time with our finances helped strengthen my resolve to spend less and more wisely so that we can get out of debt. Looking at the numbers makes it easy to see how $50 here and $25 there can really have an impact on the bottom line. What will bring me more happiness--a pair of shoes or watching our debt shrink? I won't lie--the shoes. BUT, I am retraining myself to make it the debt. It's not as if I need the shoes. If I did, I would buy them. I just want them. But, I also want to be debt-free. So, who wins?

I need to remember to check the numbers more often. Now that we have been making progress for an extended period of time, I get excited instead of frustrated. I see progress, however small, as a triumph. It serves as a motivator to do what I can to continue the downward trend.

found money

Well, NBA's new company is quite different from his previous one. His first day in the office was Monday, and he brought home his new phone yesterday. We are still waiting for reimbursement from the other place. NOT!
So, the real benefit of this new arrangement is that we get an extra $80 per month, $960 per year. YES! And, being the committed people we are to reducing our debt load, we promptly went to our cc account and upped our monthly payment by $80. Sweet! It doesn't seem like a big deal, but for us this is big. The fact that we took care of it right away is a great step forward.