Confident in Our Progress (Even Through the Unexpected)

August 20, 2026

So far on our Project Money journey, we have been making slow and steady progress. And with that, our confidence has grown as well! We’ve paid off some smaller student loans and a credit card by making small changes and cutting back on our spending. We have been frugal and resourceful, like recently going to thrift stores for back-to-school clothes shopping. It felt like we were starting to pick up momentum on our financial journey, but with life things don’t always go according to plan.

David had some unexpected health issues come up out of nowhere that required necessary surgery. Although David now has a clean bill of health (which is most important) our finances are definitely going to take a hit. Life can throw you some major curve balls, which can feel overwhelming, and it’s hard not to feel defeated in moments like these.

But these life events are not unique to us, everyone goes through them. It’s important to stay focused on the future and realize these events, in the grand scheme of things, are not as big as they feel. Although they may slow us down, we need to keep moving forward and focus on tomorrow instead of today.

Now that the surgery is behind us, we need to find ways to make up for the cost of the surgery. We are going to go over our budget and see where we can cut back even more. That may be cooking cheap meals at home, getting rid of a streaming subscription or something else. Because of Project Money, we are confident we will figure it out!