Adios cable...

Having a husband who works only part-time has been extremely rough on the finances lately. We've been doing pretty well selling items on ebay and half.com which has supplemented our income slightly (my husband is getting good at locating items at thrift stores and then posting them online). After getting billed over $100 for our satellite this month, I almost had a heart attack. I told him, NO MORE. Not only is cable bad on the budget, I've noticed that I spend way too many hours in front of the TV when I get home. I've been wanting to get out and do more things, i.e. learn how to sew, reorganize, read more books, take my dogs out..just do more.

I'm curious to know how many other people have given up cable for other reasons besides finances. I lived without cable for six years when I lived in England, only when I moved back did I get it. Now, I'm quite relieved that I won't have it any longer (and won't have to pay that bill!) The husband was quite resistant to eliminating it, but, happy wife, happy life, right? :)

Falling into place...

So, on March 3, 2010, my husband and I flew into Las Vegas in the early morning..found the perfect wedding chapel..and then got hitched at night! No one in our family knew of our little plan. We had such an amazing time and considering we got married "Vegas-style" we were so pleased w/ our simple service at our chapel. We honestly couldn't have asked for anything better.

On the other hand, we found Vegas to be a little overwhelming and overrated; we decided while we are super happy we got married there, the next vacation will be on a cruise or at a beach where we can simply relax! :)

When we got home we had each set of parents over separately for dinner and broke the news. Let's just say everyone is excited for us. Most of all...WE are excited for us. We continue to thank God on a daily basis for bringing us together (thanks e-harmony too!) and are growing and learning everyday as a couple. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better husband.

Right now we are living in the Dallas-area and own a home *happy sigh*! It's so nice to be in our OWN home and settle in to a comfortable place that is not an apartment. We are so grateful! And for me, it's nice to have my things out of storage after 9 months! Our place is coming together and it feels good.

Right now *N* my husband, is in school, internship, and work 60hrs/week 6 days/week so I'm getting adjusted to being by myself a lot of the time when I'm not at work. It's not always fun but it's a small sacrifice! I can't wait for him to be done.

We are also working hard to get and stay out of debt! We have such similar ideas about finances and it's nice to have a pro-active partner w/ me to attack this DEBT issue.

Hopefully I will begin posting on a more regular basis and start new issues regarding debt pay down, home improvements, and general Texas nonsense.

I hope my readers haven't given up on me!

Always,
LL

Yay!

I just made a payment of $317 to my 1st and lowest credit card balance, this means I only owe $120.62 on that card! I'm so excited! Even though it's not going to be paid off because boyfriend owes money on it, it will be so nice knowing I can focus on paying my other credit card off! :)

My 2nd card has the highest balance at this point, but I'm still working out my amount with boyfriend's amount. I will definitely be debt-free before the end of the year, I can feel it.

I got the book Debt-Proof Living by Mary Hunt from the library on Monday (she also has a website) and I'm almost done with it. I've been devouring it everyday and learning new information everyday. If you haven't read it, I HIGHLY recommend it. She has great insight on managing debt, as she was $100,000 in debt once. YIKES! If you've read her book or are familiar with her ideals, last night I discussed with boyfriend starting our Freedom Account. This is basically a separate checking account that is used only for larger, expected (and unexpected) instances that sometimes require large amounts of money.

One designates which categories are going to be covered by the Freedom Account. I chose Clothing, Car repairs/upkeep, and Vacation. Then one figures out the yearly amounts in which to cover those categories.

• Clothing

$600/year or $50/month

• Car repairs/upkeep

$1200/year or $100/month

• Vacation

$1200/year or $100/month

So basically boyfriend and I will be paying $225/month together or $112.50 individually into this account. The cool thing about this system is that there is money to cover those things, thereby eliminating the need for a credit card or a loan. The idea is that one builds up this account so in the event of an emergency or a need, the money is there and there is no stress about coming up with $250 to make a car repair or a $375 plane ticket; it's already taken care of.

I'm really excited about starting this! I've put my credit cards on ice in the freezer and once credit card #1 is paid off, it's going to be closed. I will continue to keep #2 just because I think one should have at least ONE credit card, just in case. I feel I'm pretty well-informed on financials but after ready Ms. Hunt's book, I feel even more empowered. Check it out if you can! :)