Well, it’s that time of the month for me. The big bills come in – health insurance $1258, mortgage plus escrow for insurance and taxes $2800, ½ a car payment $316, and sons medical $500.
Am I worried?
Well, each month I worry about this time of the month less and less. Between the 10th and 15th is when all these bills seem to be due, and it is a lot of money shooting out. This month, I’ll actually have to have all the envelopes funded with my 3/7 paycheck, as the 3/14 will come too late. It’s a good feeling to know the amount you have due, when, and a plan to have that money there for the bills.
On a side note, the wife is having a hard time. Most of her luxuries have been cut out. I had started cutting the monthly clothing budget, entertainment budget, eating out budget, and vacation budget. She started complaining that she can’t live like this. So a little fight broke out (ok maybe not little).
I think this is the time when the rubber meets the road. Either we move forward or fall back, and I ain’t going back. The good news is she is going to get a part time job. She’ll make about $500 a month and we’ll just use this money for the discretionary items.
Anyway, it’s stressful now in the household, but I think if I can make the transition a little easier on her, she’ll get on board. Deep down, she knows that we have to do this. I also think that once we start baby step three and she sees mad cash going into her money market account, she’ll be all right.
Right now it’s just tough to keep the focus, if you don’t see that light, very faint in the distance. It doesn’t look like it’s getting any brighter on a month to month basis. You need scientific tools to measure these small changes, but the changes are there and that light is getting brighter.
Crunch Time Again ... So Soon?
March 4th, 2008 at 01:07 pm
March 4th, 2008 at 01:44 pm 1204638285
March 4th, 2008 at 01:45 pm 1204638312
March 4th, 2008 at 02:14 pm 1204640081
That's my thinking. If you look at my debt on the sidebar, you can see it moving int the right direction. You can also see that nothing has been paid off. I think she is seeing the latter. I think once the snowball really starts, things will start ticking off at a decent rate.
Since January, we have paid of about $8,100. If you look at the numbers, it really doesn't look like tht much has been paid off.
March 4th, 2008 at 02:45 pm 1204641936
Oh looking back and rereading. She can't shop and she has to cook? Well if I were you I would be MAD.
I have a friend who was a stay at home mom and she didn't want to cook and I used to get so mad at her. She complained about it all the time. "I don't like to" she would say. So I finally asked her if she thought her husband "liked" getting up and going to his extremely stressful job every day.
Sorry to be so mean to your DW, but she needs to wake up and stop watching Housewives of Orange County.
Ooh this sounds really mean and I don't mean it to, I just have a spouse who likes to bury his head and I guess it set me off.
March 4th, 2008 at 03:05 pm 1204643154
You definitely brought a smile to my face.
The neighborhood I live in is like stay at home moms who have maid service, au pairs/nannies/helpers, landscaping services, and that type of stuff. Of course, my wife hangs out with them for play date and the like.
Well, I’m the odd guy on the block – I shovel my driveway, have a push mower, and do my own landscaping.
There was a new lady who joined my wife’s playgroup, and she has a gorgeous house and actually is really nice. Well, my wife had the playgroup at our house with the lack of interior decorating and couches that are stained and falling apart. I am waiting for our 6 month old to get a little older before purchasing new couches. Anyway, I think my wife was a little embarrassed by our décor.
I think that is what the real issue is and not the budget. Just the keeping up with the Jones’ mindset.
March 4th, 2008 at 03:31 pm 1204644686
DW needs to realize people are going to like her for who she is, not what she has. And if they do like her for what she has, then they are not worth having as friends.
Okay enough preaching for one day! Ha Ha. Good luck.
March 4th, 2008 at 08:17 pm 1204661871
$8100.00 since January??? YOU ROCK!!!
March 4th, 2008 at 09:02 pm 1204664533