Financial Peace University just wrapped up...sad to see something that has become a big focal point in our lives end, but the hard work is just beginning. At the beginning of the course, Russ didn't want to go with me. We had $200 in savings and just barely covering everything in the month that we had to pay for. I am happy to say after the 13 week course...Russ attended every class after the first one, we have $2300 in savings and at the end of the month, everything is paid for on time and we have money left over. I can't say that we don't worry anymore financially but it's not about paying stuff on time, it's more about paying stuff off and not taking twenty million years to do it. We're getting ready to pay off a big chunk of our debt and be left with about $900 of it left. That is definitely easier to handle paying off and I don't feel like the finance company is making a killing off a decision that we made. The first year paying off this debt the finance company made $600 just off finance charges!!! If we continued in that light and not tried to pay this debt off early they would ultimately have gotten $1550 in finance charges from us. We're already paying off a $3200 set of pots!!! And the finance company decides to get greedy and tack on finance charges...Sorry boys...The Thurston's have wised up and gonna suck alot cash away from your sorry butts!!!!!! After those frickin pots are paid off we only have credit cards and student loans and the house to start throwing money at. That's called Debt Snowball...the credit cards and student loans have the same balance so I don't know which we'll attack first, but this isn't about not paying anything. You make the monthly payments on your bills but the lowest amount you throw all your extra money at. When it's paid off you take the monthly payment from that and any extra money and throw it at the next bill...you keep doing this until your bills are G-O-N-E!!!! I don't know how to truly thank this man whom I've never met in my entire life, but I feel like is an incredible friend to me and my husband for saving us! His class has changed our entire life style.
I wanted to start a cake business as an extra source of income, but have decided for the time being that it wouldn't be enough for us to get out of debt faster! I was looking around at what I could do to earn extra money...and about two weeks ago an incredible offer landed in my lap. I have an associates degree as a paralegal, but have never been able to use it. I had a lawyer whom my place of business had to use call and offer me a part time position as their firms paralegal!!!! This was incredible...it was a God Send and the answers to many of my fervent prayers. Now I've switched my shifts at work...I'm back on nights. It's hard being away from my husband, not being able to sleep with him, but I know that this isn't permanent. A couple of years from now we'll be debt free, excluding our house. I won't have to work full time and can afford to send myself back to college to finish my teaching degree. I thought life was handing me a lemon when I was put on financial aid suspension, but it was just God giving me a shove telling me that I've already made a commitment to get my family out of debt and I was just going to pile more on it. So I'm going to get used to the night shift for a while and then start at the law firm during the day for a small amount of hours during the day. Extra funds...work and experience in a field that I thought I would never be able to work in...and the opportunity that once I have kids I can stay home with them, but still work! GOD IS GREAT!!!! Also Dave Ramsey is GREAT TOO!!!!
Russ had his birthday today. For me birthdays are a huge deal!!! I don't care how old your turning, just celebrating that you are living is the best part. So I sang him happy birthday at four am. Got him a card and a gift...he hunted around the house till he found it. (I swear the man is completely oblivious because it was right by me the whole time and he never saw it. And it was plainly wrapped in a bag!) Then after a nap...(Again just started back on nights) I took him out to dinner at a buffet place with a group of his friends. He didn't know it, but they were doing a rib special so he was very surprised when he saw the sign. Two hours later the waitresses are very subtly trying to shoo us out and the kids are falling asleep. (Along with me...again night shift..nuff said!) All in all Russ had a great day. I think the icing on the cake though was when he told me that out of everything he got today, my birthday card I got him was his favorite. He cried, I cried and we cried together...that's how great this stinkin card was...I'm trying to teach him to be more romantic...it's not sinking in, but it's great to know that my over the top romance is greatly appreciated by him. I try not to do this every year, but I can't help it. I'm already excited to see what he has in store for me...to see how he's going to make my birthday special. Every year though I always try to have a back up cause you never know when someones gonna forget or just not plan anything. (THAT'S RIGHT MOM I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU FORGETTING MY FRICKIN 16TH BIRTHDAY!!!! THE BIGGEST BIRTHDAY FOR A GIRL IN OUR FAMILY...and sorry a couple of weeks late would have been fine, but to write on my birthday cake sweet 16 and never been kissed was MORTIFYING!!! It in no way made up for your lack of mental facilities when it came to remembering pushing out an alien on August 24th 1983!!! All it did was make it ten times worse and ensured that I would remember and never forgive!!!)
Please excuse the tirade that just happened,
we now return you to your regularly scheduled blog!
Well I guess I am done for now. I'll need to post some pics in the next couple of days, so be watching for them. Hopefully, I will catch the hang of this and start posting at least once a week! Tootles y'all!!!
PEACE, LOVE AND GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!!
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