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Out With The Old And In With The New! (sort Of?)

September 21, 2023 We just had a busy weekend! On Friday, we paid Travis’s auto payment on time and then stayed home and relaxed with friends outside. Before starting Project Money, we would have gone out for food and drinks on Fridays, resulting in an unnecessarily large bill. Saturday was then my day to look at our finances and pay what I could with what was left over. We really had it backwards!  This Saturday was haircut day for the boys, and this monthly ritual helps them bond and look good and is an expense that brings value to their lives. We planned to get the grocery shopping done after their haircuts, but there was a cooler breeze in the air, and we were feeling the anticipation of the upcoming season change. Routines are about to be different with the start of school right around the corner, and the changing weather is turning our attention to the indoors.  In response, we decided to take a trip to the furniture store without a specific need in mind. It was fun walking around the store and thinking about all of the possibilities of how we could improve our comfort level within our home. Two goals we have are to get a new, more supportive mattress and buy a sofa set for our basement. The very nice salesperson told us all about financing options, and it would have been so easy to sign up for payments and get that new bed home. However, without hesitation, Travis and I both politely declined. We would not have slept very well in the new bed knowing that we bought it by taking on high-interest credit.  We do plan on purchasing a new mattress in the future, but for now we can pick up a much less expensive mattress pad to try out on our existing mattress and see how that improves our comfort level. This kind of change is getting us closer to living within our means. The grocery shopping trip was pushed out another day and that made for a bigger grocery bill because our daughter came along. A lot of things went into the cart that were not on any list, but she gets a pass because she will take some of it with her when she goes to college next week.  And speaking of college, all the back to college shopping is done, at least for now!  We feel so good knowing that she is headed to campus and her dorm with the things that will help her feel more comfortable living in a new place. We are learning more and more that shopping is necessary and can add so much value to life, but mindless shopping doesn’t have to be what life is all about. There is such a difference between being busy for the sake of being busy… and being busy for a purpose.  Have a good week! ~K&T You might also be interested in Bills used to be a lot easier to ignore, but of course ignoring them was not the right thing to do long term. For instance, the water bill, which arrives in our mailbox on a quarterly basis, always seems to show up when we are least prepared for it. Last quarter, I misplaced the bill, and it was out of sight and out of mind, so it was paid late. This week, we took a few days to go on a trip together! We called it a ‘Midwest tour’ and started out in Wisconsin Dells. The highlight of this stop was taking a ride with the WI Dells Boat Tours and taking in all the natural scenery on a beautiful fall day. We also liked strolling around downtown and had a tasty lunch at a local bar and grill. A favorite part of our travels was taking in the local sights and getting a feel for each place. Our medical bills were processed by our insurance this past week, so we were able to see what our balance is, which allowed us to pay down a large portion of what was owed with the accident insurance policy that Kelly has through her employer. This was the first time that we used this policy, and we are feeling fortunate that we have it to help with the medical expenses.  Having the right amount of insurance has helped us keep financially secure when the unexpected happens. Oh my gosh you all, have you ever thought about simplifying your life? If so, what would it do for your daily processes? The past couple of weeks we have been de-cluttering our kitchen and spare room, which we have done on numerous occasions over the years. Each time, we meet the goal of purging things and trash pretty well. But until today, we didn’t actually think about the WHY of doing it. So, why is it worth getting rid of the things that add clutter and visual chaos to your daily routines? This time of year always has me feeling nostalgic for days gone by. Today, I pulled out some old storage boxes that hadn’t been gone through for at least 10 years and took a trip down memory lane. Our daughter has gone off to college this year which has brought all kinds of emotions. When I pulled out pictures, report cards and art projects from her elementary years, we all had some laughs! I was also so happy to find my college diploma which I thought had been lost to history. I finally had to pull myself away from the boxes when Travis called to remind me to write this blog. This experience of reflecting on the past has again made us realize just how far we’ve come. We just had a busy weekend! On Friday, we paid Travis’s auto payment on time and then stayed home and relaxed with friends outside. Before starting Project Money, we would have gone out for food and drinks on Fridays, resulting in an unnecessarily large bill. Saturday was then my day to look at our finances and pay what I could with what was left over. We really had it backwards! Wow, we just finished up week 13, which means that we have been a part of Project Money for over four months! We are feeling that we are not quite where we want to be, but we’re closer than we have ever been. The past couple of weeks we have experienced some financial setbacks, and there have been moments when we felt discouraged. Travis put it into perspective for me by reminding me of the habits that we changed since starting our journey and that we are spending less money overall. This has been a week of changes for our family, and some of them have been easier than others. Changing places demands on the mind and body and creates stress even if the change is positive in nature. Travis and I are dealing with many loose ends in our finances, including two medical claims, student repayment status and our daughter’s college expenses. Some of the ways we plan to work through these financial challenges are: We just had a busy weekend! On Friday, we paid Travis’s auto payment on time and then stayed home and relaxed with friends outside. Before starting Project Money, we would have gone out for food and drinks on Fridays, resulting in an unnecessarily large bill. Saturday was then my day to look at our finances and pay what I could with what was left over. We really had it backwards! 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