We were so stupid. We flew by the seat of our pants when it came to our money. No way to keep track of spending, just keeping our fingers crossed and praying that we'd have enough to squeak by to the next payday. What really makes me shake my head now is that we actually made more money back when I was constantly stressing out about going into overdraft and wondering if we'd be able to pay our bills.
I'm so happy those days are over.
It's been a while since the last time I wrote an update about our money makeover, so I figured it was high time I dish the goods.
We are still on Baby Step #2 of Dave Ramsey's plan and probably will be for a long time! The good news? We are about five months away from paying off our very last credit card. Man, does that ever feel good to say!
After we destroy that credit card in a new creative way, the only non-mortgage debt we'll have left is my student loan. Granted, that is a rather substantial debt, but if we keep working on building our debt snowball, it will be paid off long before I ever dreamed it would be.
Our debt snowball isn't as big as it should be simply because we had to throw less money at our debt the last year and more at saving for a down payment on a house for our upcoming move, but we'll get it back to where it should be.
I love having a budget. I love knowing I have the cash ready to go to buy the things I need to buy. Sure, I may have to wait a little longer to get a haircut because I have to have the time to save up the cash, but it is so worth it. It's freeing.
I haven't had to whip out a credit card to pay for something in more than 2 years.
I haven't had to worry about whether or not the check I just wrote is going to clear.
Are we rolling in dough? Absolutely not. But being on a budget was definitely the key to helping me worry less about money. We have a goal to be debt free and to be able to give generously someday. Dave Ramsey's baby steps are helping us do just that.
I'll be sure to celebrate with you and share a photo of destroying that last credit card as soon as I've sent the payment!
