Financial Stress...

This is a post I began to write on February 16th. I had forgotten about this draft post and now looking back on it, I realize much has changed for the positive since then. It's amazing that just about two months later... I feel WAY more positive about our circumstances because we kept trying to find ways to improve. Self reflection is often one of the best ways to learn and grow... and also to see that you HAVE BEEN learning and growing!!!

February 16, 2012


"Truth be told here, as much as I talk about budgeting and trying to keep it fun and less stressful, there are times that it gets to me. "Budget Burnout" as I recently saw someone call it. Even those of us who base so much of our time into becoming better and helping others understand budgeting and finances can really hate it sometimes. Last night was one of those times.


My husband and I began re-reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. As much as I felt I could relate to all the emotions of being stuck in debt and getting nowhere the first time I read it, this time around, I could feel it SOOO much more!


Why? Well, we really didn't have much debt the first time I read the book, so we just simply paid it off, cut up our credit cards and went on to saving money. We did it well. But we knew we were saving for more schooling for my husband. I had high hopes of being able to be a SAHM and a WAHM to keep us from needing student loans. Well, long story short. That was quickly revealed as impossible... I'll give myself credit for being a SAHM and a WAHM but with tuition hikes and unforeseen expenses we had no other option accept to take out student loans.


So now, the second time we are reading The Total Money Makeover(my husband reading it aloud), I had a feeling of being in WAY over my head. I feel hypocritical to be honest. I have tried ever since the first time of reading the book to live off of cash and cash only... I teach others how to live off of cash and cash only. I sold Cash Budget Books to help motivate others and myself. I coupon shop for all the necessities of life... and I do it well. And while I still feel as though I am now naturally more budget conscious than many, I am NO WHERE NEAR where I think my family should be financially. Depressing. Yes.


We plan our financial lives and budget super frequently, I'm beginning to think we do it too frequently. Where are we going wrong? Why aren't we getting ANYWHERE?


Well, I'm still trying to work through these feelings and maybe this post is a bit presumptive but we are getting SOMEWHERE. It is just not happening overnight like we want. There have been some flaws in our planning and we are trying to recover. BUT we want to be PAST the recovery stage and onto the debt free stage... and NOW. Good news is at the end of this month... we will be much closer."

The "much closer" I was talking about at the time was paying off Home Depot... but funny how we have now paid off 3, almost 4 loans!!! Home Depot, a small student loan, our car, and our loan to my in-laws. 

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