Debt Dumpers 2024

[pblack]

End of February update:

2024 Financial Goals:

• Add at least $2000 to my main emergency savings on top of my auto contributions - nothing added yet other than my auto contributions
• Increase my contributions to my other savings goals by at least $25/each pay period - Nothing added yet, but I did up my retirement contributions starting with this paycheck.
• Look into a living will/trust (We have friends that keep telling us to do this and with everything going on in my life at the moment, I feel like I should actually look into this more.) - No forward progress on this yet, more details below.

2024 Personal Goals:

• Exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes - I kept up with this throughout February. I definitely feel better when I exercise, but finding motivation is still difficult.
• Travel as much as possible - We didn't go anywhere in February (that I remember). We were going to take an overnight trip this weekend to watch my niece play softball, but it's raining here and i'm pretty sure her games will be cancelled. We'll try to make it happen one of these weekends in March though since it's her last year playing before she graduates. Next up travel wise for me is a work conference at the beginning of May, then our Luke Combs concert, and then our May cruise.
• Replace the patio cover in our backyard - No progress.
• Finally do something with our side yard - not sure exactly what at the moment - No progress, but lots of ideas.

My dad had been doing really well cognitively, but seems to have taken a couple steps backwards over the last week or so. I'm not sure if it's just something to be expected with his type of injury, or if something else is going on. For lack of a better way to describe it he has brain fog and is just not acting like his "normal" self. He has some appointments scheduled throughout March, but none of them are as soon as i'd like them to be. But this is partially why I haven't made any forward progress on his living will/trust.

February was rather uneventful for us otherwise, which i'd say is a good thing at this point. The Southwest companion pass came through for my husband, so I was able to get out flights for Miami taken care of. Also trying to convince him to go to Mexico over Thanksgiving to take advantage of the companion pass. It's supposed to be a rainy weekend here for us (i'm so damn tired of the rain) so it'll probably be a fairly uneventful weekend for us.

Happy end of February everyone!

 

[CinderEmma94]

End of February update!

This month was pretty uneventful! My main focus was wrapping up training for the Princess 10k that took place last weekend. Spending was all within budget thankfully (I'm local to WDW but stay on property for a couple of days due to early start times). We may be taking a trip across the country for my Grandmother's birthday later this spring so I am trying to save everything I can so we aren't going into more debt for the trip.

Financial:
1. Pay off card #1 (starting balance $11,600) Current balance: $8,610
2. Pay off card #2 (starting balance $6,500) Current balance: $5,875
3. Grow emergency fund to $15,000 (currently at $7,350) Paused, debt is taking priority right now.

Personal:
1. 30 minute workout at least 5 days/week
Still on track! I am currently at 3 months of working out every day. I ran the 10k at Princess 1/2 Marathon weekend last weekend and I finished! I am a slow runner, but did really well, I PR'ed my 5k split. I will also be running the 10k during Springtime Surprise, but will probably just do the 5k during Wine and Dine (assuming I can get a spot, registration is like the Hunger Games haha).
2. Read 100 books
70/100 read so far in 2024. I should have known that my goal was going to be too low, but it is what it is. It will be interesting to see how many I end up reading this year.

 

[disney-inspired]

Update time

 

[Tygerlilly]

but will probably just do the 5k during Wine and Dine (assuming I can get a spot, registration is like the Hunger Games haha).

Hopefully see you there! I'm super nervous about trying to get into the races.

 

[CinderEmma94]

Hopefully see you there! I'm super nervous about trying to get into the races.

Which one(s) are you trying to get into? From my experience the 5k goes first, then the 1/2 and the challenge, then the 10k but it depends on the race weekend and how popular the themes are. W&D 5k will be even crazier this year IMO because it is Swedish Chef/Muppet themed and so many people are excited about it. My biggest tip is to log into the runDisney website before registration opens. The waiting room to get in line will open before registration opens so I always start checking about an hour-hour and a half before the official posted time.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Which one(s) are you trying to get into? From my experience the 5k goes first, then the 1/2 and the challenge, then the 10k but it depends on the race weekend and how popular the themes are. W&D 5k will be even crazier this year IMO because it is Swedish Chef/Muppet themed and so many people are excited about it. My biggest tip is to log into the runDisney website before registration opens. The waiting room to get in line will open before registration opens so I always start checking about an hour-hour and a half before the official posted time.

Definitely the challenge and maybe the 5k if I can get it. But I'm 100% going for the challenge. This is probably going to be the only one I do for a few years so might as well go big!

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

End of February Update

I hate to make this post because I know I will be bashed for failing at my budget. But I tried. I will look where I failed, adjust and try it again until I succeed. But I know the vultures will come out criticizing me, like they did earlier in this post. So with that in mind, I'm making this end of month update.

Financial
Budget
We tried to live on a budget. Keyword is tried. We went over our budget unfortunately. I just didn't allot the right amount of money to certain things. So I will adjust the expenses and what goes into each category, and I will try again the first 2 weeks of March. This one will be really, really tight as we have to use nearly all of our double paycheck to pay rent. But we did a budget, and we've already done a budget for the first 2 weeks of March.

Credit Cards
I am almost embarrassed to say I only made 1 extra payment to my credit card. It was just $25, so really not worth it in my opinion. But I did it. However, I did look at my statements to see what I'd pay off if just making minimal payments. And I didn't use either CC a single time over the month. I didn't have any payments due over the last 2 weeks of February, but I will have them due the first week of March. So will make payments there. Maybe throw in an extra $5-$10 if I have it leftover after doing our budget.

Emergency Fund
Our goal is to get a $1k emergency fund going. We did put $400 into an EF on our last pay day, but we had to dip into it some throughout this week to buy groceries. Still had about half leftover, and that'll help this set of 2 weeks since we have rent due.

Eating Out
Still doing pretty well with this one. We budget for one night on the weekend and then Sunday after church. We ate out Sunday afternoon and we were able to make 4 meals out of that. The office paid for my lunch Monday and Tuesday. I got asked to go out today for lunch (would've had to buy my own), but I had brought a lunch. So decided to stay in and save that $10. Sad to say I was the only one left at the office, so I felt bad about not taking part.

Personal
Weight Loss
Not a good week. I went from 276.1 to 275.8. So only 1/3 of a pound. Again, down is better than up. But I just can't lose weight. Not sure what else I can do. I'm trying to eat more at home, exercise and move around more. I will keep at it though.

Exercise
This one's tough because I don't have support at home. I have to do it by myself since she doesn't like to do it. I have started walking 2 laps around our street. One lap is 2/3 of a mile. On Sunday, I worked in the yard then did my walk. Walked my street and the street next to us. Went 1 lap, then I decided to push myself and went another lap (I paid for it Monday as I was SORE!!!!) The next street over is equally as long. So, I walked 2-1/2 miles. I was shocked and so excited. Got home, told the wife and she said just rub it in my face. On Monday I worked on our backyard fence after work, so I didn't walk because it was dark. But I went 1-1/2 miles Tuesday, 1-1/2 miles Wednesday (in 40 degree weather) and 1-3/4 miles today, again in 45 degree weather. Today, I walked after eating my lunch at work. So spent 30 minutes eating lunch and 30 minutes walking.

March Goals
- Adjust our budget to where we don't overspend. I did a budget for the first time for the last 2 weeks of February and we went over it. So I need to adjust our categories and the amount of dollars in those categories to where we don't overspend;
- Continue exercising daily, if possible. At minimum, walk at least 1-1/2 miles per day 5 days per week. Also start some sort of regiment of pushups/sit-ups;
- Hit 10k steps in a day. The only time we hit 1k steps in a day is at Disney. Now that I'm tracking my daily steps, I've gotten to 9k (on Sunday when I mowed then did the 2-1/2 mile walk);
- Put money towards an emergency fund and make our budget work to where we don't have to draw from it at the end of a paycheck; and
- Pay more than our minimum payment on credit cards (maybe $25 over the minimum). It's frustrating because even though we're not using them, they don't seem to be going down at all.

 

[barkley]

Budget
We tried to live on a budget. Keyword is tried. We went over our budget unfortunately. I just didn't allot the right amount of money to certain things. So I will adjust the expenses and what goes into each category, and I will try again the first 2 weeks of March. This one will be really, really tight as we have to use nearly all of our double paycheck to pay rent. But we did a budget, and we've already done a budget for the first 2 weeks of March.

you tried, you learned and you are making adjustments-WIN!!! you were concerned about being able to try and do it but YOU DID!!! that is success budgets change and morph, that you are looking and making tweaks is part of the process (you did'nt just give up which is major).

Credit Cards
I am almost embarrassed to say I only made 1 extra payment to my credit card. It was just $25, so really not worth it in my opinion. But I did it. However, I did look at my statements to see what I'd pay off if just making minimal payments. And I didn't use either CC a single time over the month. I didn't have any payments due over the last 2 weeks of February, but I will have them due the first week of March. So will make payments there. Maybe throw in an extra $5-$10 if I have it leftover after doing our budget.

you aquired no new debt AND payed extra-WIN!!!

Emergency Fund
Our goal is to get a $1k emergency fund going. We did put $400 into an EF on our last pay day, but we had to dip into it some throughout this week to buy groceries. Still had about half leftover, and that'll help this set of 2 weeks since we have rent due.

not being able to buy groceries IS an emergency so you used the fund wisely. it's much better than resorting back to the credit cards.


your budget is like your fitness goals-some weeks will be better than others but the habits will serve you well over time.


happy March everyone!!! (coming in like a lion here).

 

[trenty]

End of February Update

I hate to make this post because I know I will be bashed for failing at my budget. But I tried. I will look where I failed, adjust and try it again until I succeed. But I know the vultures will come out criticizing me, like they did earlier in this post. So with that in mind, I'm making this end of month update.

Financial
Budget
We tried to live on a budget. Keyword is tried. We went over our budget unfortunately. I just didn't allot the right amount of money to certain things. So I will adjust the expenses and what goes into each category, and I will try again the first 2 weeks of March. This one will be really, really tight as we have to use nearly all of our double paycheck to pay rent. But we did a budget, and we've already done a budget for the first 2 weeks of March.

Credit Cards
I am almost embarrassed to say I only made 1 extra payment to my credit card. It was just $25, so really not worth it in my opinion. But I did it. However, I did look at my statements to see what I'd pay off if just making minimal payments. And I didn't use either CC a single time over the month. I didn't have any payments due over the last 2 weeks of February, but I will have them due the first week of March. So will make payments there. Maybe throw in an extra $5-$10 if I have it leftover after doing our budget.

Emergency Fund
Our goal is to get a $1k emergency fund going. We did put $400 into an EF on our last pay day, but we had to dip into it some throughout this week to buy groceries. Still had about half leftover, and that'll help this set of 2 weeks since we have rent due.

Eating Out
Still doing pretty well with this one. We budget for one night on the weekend and then Sunday after church. We ate out Sunday afternoon and we were able to make 4 meals out of that. The office paid for my lunch Monday and Tuesday. I got asked to go out today for lunch (would've had to buy my own), but I had brought a lunch. So decided to stay in and save that $10. Sad to say I was the only one left at the office, so I felt bad about not taking part.

Personal
Weight Loss
Not a good week. I went from 276.1 to 275.8. So only 1/3 of a pound. Again, down is better than up. But I just can't lose weight. Not sure what else I can do. I'm trying to eat more at home, exercise and move around more. I will keep at it though.

Exercise
This one's tough because I don't have support at home. I have to do it by myself since she doesn't like to do it. I have started walking 2 laps around our street. One lap is 2/3 of a mile. On Sunday, I worked in the yard then did my walk. Walked my street and the street next to us. Went 1 lap, then I decided to push myself and went another lap (I paid for it Monday as I was SORE!!!!) The next street over is equally as long. So, I walked 2-1/2 miles. I was shocked and so excited. Got home, told the wife and she said just rub it in my face. On Monday I worked on our backyard fence after work, so I didn't walk because it was dark. But I went 1-1/2 miles Tuesday, 1-1/2 miles Wednesday (in 40 degree weather) and 1-3/4 miles today, again in 45 degree weather. Today, I walked after eating my lunch at work. So spent 30 minutes eating lunch and 30 minutes walking.

March Goals
- Adjust our budget to where we don't overspend. I did a budget for the first time for the last 2 weeks of February and we went over it. So I need to adjust our categories and the amount of dollars in those categories to where we don't overspend;
- Continue exercising daily, if possible. At minimum, walk at least 1-1/2 miles per day 5 days per week. Also start some sort of regiment of pushups/sit-ups;
- Hit 10k steps in a day. The only time we hit 1k steps in a day is at Disney. Now that I'm tracking my daily steps, I've gotten to 9k (on Sunday when I mowed then did the 2-1/2 mile walk);
- Put money towards an emergency fund and make our budget work to where we don't have to draw from it at the end of a paycheck; and
- Pay more than our minimum payment on credit cards (maybe $25 over the minimum). It's frustrating because even though we're not using them, they don't seem to be going down at all.

This is a WIN! No one gets budgeting right the first time, or the second time or the third time. It takes several months of budgeting to "get it right." And even, then adjustments have to be made. I have been formally budgeting for years, and I still make adjustments from month to month. You will get it right. Don't give up.
You didn't use the CC at all and figured it out, even put an extra $25 there. You stayed in at lunch when invited out. These are all WINS.

One thing I would suggest (and this is a hard one): Don't go out to eat at all until after a certain goal has been reached. Then go out for a inexpensive meal as a celebration. For example: Don't go out or get take-out AT ALL until you have $1000 in your emergency fund. If you don't think you can wait that long, make it a $500 goal. But then don't go out again until you meet your next goal of $1000.

 

[piglet1979]

Financial
Budget
We tried to live on a budget. Keyword is tried. We went over our budget unfortunately. I just didn't allot the right amount of money to certain things. So I will adjust the expenses and what goes into each category, and I will try again the first 2 weeks of March. This one will be really, really tight as we have to use nearly all of our double paycheck to pay rent. But we did a budget, and we've already done a budget for the first 2 weeks of March.

This is a win. You are learning. Keep making adjustments where it is needed.

Credit Cards
I am almost embarrassed to say I only made 1 extra payment to my credit card. It was just $25, so really not worth it in my opinion. But I did it. However, I did look at my statements to see what I'd pay off if just making minimal payments. And I didn't use either CC a single time over the month. I didn't have any payments due over the last 2 weeks of February, but I will have them due the first week of March. So will make payments there. Maybe throw in an extra $5-$10 if I have it leftover after doing our budget.

No need to be embarrassed. This is a win. You paid extra on the card and that will only help. For many many years we only put a extra $25 (sometimes less) a month on our second mortgage (we did an 80/20 loan when we bought this house to avoid paying PMI. We were young and this was a mistake and we learned). Just paying that little bit extra we were able to pay it off early. It might have only been a year or so early but it was early. With paying extra and the 80% loan (for a very long time it was only about $50 think if any extra at all but we are now paying more into it) we will have it paid off maybe 5 years early, unless we buy a new house. So a little bit still helps in the long run.

Emergency Fund
Our goal is to get a $1k emergency fund going. We did put $400 into an EF on our last pay day, but we had to dip into it some throughout this week to buy groceries. Still had about half leftover, and that'll help this set of 2 weeks since we have rent due.

You did great here. You used it for an emergency. That is what it is there for.

Personal
Weight Loss
Not a good week. I went from 276.1 to 275.8. So only 1/3 of a pound. Again, down is better than up. But I just can't lose weight. Not sure what else I can do. I'm trying to eat more at home, exercise and move around more. I will keep at it though.

Slow and Steady wins the race is what I say all the time. I am on that only loses a pound or so a month. but it is a loss and a win.

Eating Out
Still doing pretty well with this one. We budget for one night on the weekend and then Sunday after church. We ate out Sunday afternoon and we were able to make 4 meals out of that. The office paid for my lunch Monday and Tuesday. I got asked to go out today for lunch (would've had to buy my own), but I had brought a lunch. So decided to stay in and save that $10. Sad to say I was the only one left at the office, so I felt bad about not taking part.

I know it was hard to not go out when you were asked and were the only one in the office. You did the right thing. That took a lot of will power and will make you stronger. Not everyone one would do this.

Exercise
This one's tough because I don't have support at home. I have to do it by myself since she doesn't like to do it. I have started walking 2 laps around our street. One lap is 2/3 of a mile. On Sunday, I worked in the yard then did my walk. Walked my street and the street next to us. Went 1 lap, then I decided to push myself and went another lap (I paid for it Monday as I was SORE!!!!) The next street over is equally as long. So, I walked 2-1/2 miles. I was shocked and so excited. Got home, told the wife and she said just rub it in my face. On Monday I worked on our backyard fence after work, so I didn't walk because it was dark. But I went 1-1/2 miles Tuesday, 1-1/2 miles Wednesday (in 40 degree weather) and 1-3/4 miles today, again in 45 degree weather. Today, I walked after eating my lunch at work. So spent 30 minutes eating lunch and 30 minutes walking.

It is hard to not have support. I am part of the wish weight loss group here on the dis and have also been in the step change group here. They have been supportive and great groups. Below are the links to the March threads. Feel free to join and we all can help to support you in your journey.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/march-2024-w-i-s-h-thread-🌸spring-🐣into-health-☘️.3941156/

I don't see a March one set up yet for the step challenge one but here is February's. I need to get back into this one.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/cruising-into-february-2024-exercise-thread.3939136/

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Thank you for these links. I didn't even know these existed. It's nice to have a group out there to support each other. I have already checked them out in the last 2-3 minutes. So I will study more and figure out how I can join. Thanks again.

I am part of the wish weight loss group here on the dis and have also been in the step change group here. They have been supportive and great groups. Below are the links to the March threads. Feel free to join and we all can help to support you in your journey.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/march-2024-w-i-s-h-thread-spring-into-health-.3941156/

I don't see a March one set up yet for the step challenge one but here is February's. I need to get back into this one.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/cruising-into-february-2024-exercise-thread.3939136/

 

[jackers]

That was really great progress @WDW_fan_in_TX ! As everyone else has said, it's a journey, and you are learning and making strides in the right direction.

I haven't updated yet this year, but here we go...

2024 Financial Goals

• Mortgage: Reduce balance by at least 50% - Currently at 8% reduction and my latest payment just took me from six figures to five figures, so that, in a very nerdy way, is pretty exciting.
• Savings: Increase savings by 10% On Track
• 401K: Max out contributions On Track
• HSA: Max out contributions On Track
• Stay under budget in discretionary spending (includes things like Gifts, Clothing, Entertainment, Dining Out, etc). On track

2024 Personal Goals

• Help DS18 with life plans – ideally he is either taking classes with his current part time job or has transitioned to a full time job by end of year. It’s still early on this one.
• Get a will drawn up Upon doing my taxes via Turbo Tax this year, I got a special offer for “WillBuilder” (which does more than just wills, also POA, living wills, etc) so this has officially been started! Once we are happy with our decisions will just need to get it notarized/witnessed.
• Get healthier (lose 30 lbs) Slow start on this one, but March is going to be full focus.
• Vacation plans – Sister trip in January was fantastic - just a condo on the beach, lots of card games, wine drinking and laughing. No other plans made yet this year but still hoping to book something for our 20-year anniversary.

In other news… taxes did not pan out well for us this year. Last year I decided to change up my withholdings in an attempt to not get as large of a return as we have been. This backfired, as my husband made significantly more than in the past few years (lots of overtime and he received several raises to keep up with the industry), and I didn't think about the fact that we are no longer claiming our adult son as a dependent. So we are having to pay a decent amount. I have that payment set up for April 12. I’ve already changed up my withholdings to hopefully not have this problem next year. On the plus side, I am getting my annual bonus this month and it's for more than I was originally expecting. It will cover what we owe in addition to what I had already planned for it, so thankfully it’s not a budget buster or something I have to take money out of savings for.

 

[huggybuff]

This week was a rough one. I've had an on and off headache all week. Seems better today though.

Week 9

2024 Financial Goals

1. Pay off my credit cards and car loan in 2 years by using the debt avalanche. My Lane Bryant card is paid off! The Q Card ($2500 balance) will start taking on the extra payments in addition to the minimum already paid later this month because it's a 3 check month and I'll have a chunk left over after my other bills are paid.

2. Increase my monthly payments to my husband for household expenses by $800 a month beginning in May and open a joint checking account where we will each contribute monthly. We figured giving me until May to sock some extra cash into my checking would be a good idea since my personal loan is now paid off and that was sucking $1000 off the top of my paycheck once a month. Snoozed until May. I will pay my husband $300 extra in April and begin paying him the full extra amount beginning in May.

3. Set aside $285 per month from January-June to cover the cost of our hotel for our anniversary trip in July to Monterey. $285 more into my HYSA (3/6)

4. Begin paying for our 2025 spring break cruise to Mexico in March. Payments will be $450 a month from March-December. I paid my first official payment on the cruise yesterday of $450. (1/10)

5. Continue using the YNAB app and website to track my money daily. I'm still tracking my money the old fashioned way with a register but I really like the budgeting aspect of YNAB and am getting more and more used to it. I'm still struggling with reconciling. This week was way off. What is going on here? (9/52)


2024 Personal Goals

1. Finish deep cleaning and organizing my kitchen. My husband is basically the Swedish Chef so he makes quite a mess when he cooks. I appreciate the fact that he does all of the cooking but it's a lot to keep on top of TBH. I need to do a better job and put in more effort. I will track this weekly. My sister, her boyfriend and my 3 nephews are coming into town for their spring break later this month. They'll be staying with us for at least a few days. Deadline city!!! (4/52)

2. Once I feel like my kitchen is back under control I'll transition to organizing my clothes that are in boxes in our bedroom. I will tackle this at least one of the days of my weekend. Snoozed.

3. Reorganize and deep clean my bathroom. I have too much on the countertop and need to make use of the cabinets in a more organized manner. Snoozed.

4. By July I'd like to be at the point I can begin to tackle my boxes that are still unpacked in the garage. I had a storage unit for years and now they're just sitting untouched since we moved into the house 3 years ago. Snoozed.

5. In August I'd like to make my stepson's room into a workout room. He's a senior in high school this year and he'll be starting college next fall. He's only staying over 1 or 2 nights a week at most at this point since he lives with his mom so I don't feel I'll be booting him out or anything. I am at my highest weight ever and I honestly don't even know what that is since I'm scared to get on the scale. I can have all of the DVDs and online workouts in the world but they do no good if you don't use them. I think having a space set aside will really help me out. Snoozed. Suddenly not snoozed! Waiting for the BODi bike to arrive. It's slated to arrive late this month.

6. Get my passport at some point this year to be ready for the cruise in 2025. This probably won't happen for at least a few months.

7. I came up with a new goal. Get back to baking on a weekly basis. This will begin when my kitchen is 'done'. JK, I know a kitchen is never truly caught up on. Snoozed until I cross #1 off of my list.

It's raining here again this weekend. We want to use our backyard so bad!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

End of February Update

I hate to make this post because I know I will be bashed for failing at my budget. But I tried. I will look where I failed, adjust and try it again until I succeed. But I know the vultures will come out criticizing me, like they did earlier in this post. So with that in mind, I'm making this end of month update.

Financial
Budget
We tried to live on a budget. Keyword is tried. We went over our budget unfortunately. I just didn't allot the right amount of money to certain things. So I will adjust the expenses and what goes into each category, and I will try again the first 2 weeks of March. This one will be really, really tight as we have to use nearly all of our double paycheck to pay rent. But we did a budget, and we've already done a budget for the first 2 weeks of March.

Credit Cards
I am almost embarrassed to say I only made 1 extra payment to my credit card. It was just $25, so really not worth it in my opinion. But I did it. However, I did look at my statements to see what I'd pay off if just making minimal payments. And I didn't use either CC a single time over the month. I didn't have any payments due over the last 2 weeks of February, but I will have them due the first week of March. So will make payments there. Maybe throw in an extra $5-$10 if I have it leftover after doing our budget.

Emergency Fund
Our goal is to get a $1k emergency fund going. We did put $400 into an EF on our last pay day, but we had to dip into it some throughout this week to buy groceries. Still had about half leftover, and that'll help this set of 2 weeks since we have rent due.

Eating Out
Still doing pretty well with this one. We budget for one night on the weekend and then Sunday after church. We ate out Sunday afternoon and we were able to make 4 meals out of that. The office paid for my lunch Monday and Tuesday. I got asked to go out today for lunch (would've had to buy my own), but I had brought a lunch. So decided to stay in and save that $10. Sad to say I was the only one left at the office, so I felt bad about not taking part.

Personal
Weight Loss
Not a good week. I went from 276.1 to 275.8. So only 1/3 of a pound. Again, down is better than up. But I just can't lose weight. Not sure what else I can do. I'm trying to eat more at home, exercise and move around more. I will keep at it though.

Exercise
This one's tough because I don't have support at home. I have to do it by myself since she doesn't like to do it. I have started walking 2 laps around our street. One lap is 2/3 of a mile. On Sunday, I worked in the yard then did my walk. Walked my street and the street next to us. Went 1 lap, then I decided to push myself and went another lap (I paid for it Monday as I was SORE!!!!) The next street over is equally as long. So, I walked 2-1/2 miles. I was shocked and so excited. Got home, told the wife and she said just rub it in my face. On Monday I worked on our backyard fence after work, so I didn't walk because it was dark. But I went 1-1/2 miles Tuesday, 1-1/2 miles Wednesday (in 40 degree weather) and 1-3/4 miles today, again in 45 degree weather. Today, I walked after eating my lunch at work. So spent 30 minutes eating lunch and 30 minutes walking.

March Goals
- Adjust our budget to where we don't overspend. I did a budget for the first time for the last 2 weeks of February and we went over it. So I need to adjust our categories and the amount of dollars in those categories to where we don't overspend;
- Continue exercising daily, if possible. At minimum, walk at least 1-1/2 miles per day 5 days per week. Also start some sort of regiment of pushups/sit-ups;
- Hit 10k steps in a day. The only time we hit 1k steps in a day is at Disney. Now that I'm tracking my daily steps, I've gotten to 9k (on Sunday when I mowed then did the 2-1/2 mile walk);
- Put money towards an emergency fund and make our budget work to where we don't have to draw from it at the end of a paycheck; and
- Pay more than our minimum payment on credit cards (maybe $25 over the minimum). It's frustrating because even though we're not using them, they don't seem to be going down at all.

This is really great progress! Not adding any new debt is huge! Starting a budget can be hard and takes trial and error. You’ll get the hang of it.

As for working out. I enjoy doing it alone. That’s my ME time. I prefer to do it alone. I encourage my SO to work out (he’s thin but I think it’s important to be active) but I tell him just not with me. To be honest I like my morning workouts alone and enjoy doing a couples or group walk, hike or activity but I still need my me time workouts. It’s amazing for my mental health.

 

[barkley]

Mortgage: Reduce balance by at least 50% - Currently at 8% reduction and my latest payment just took me from six figures to five figures, so that, in a very nerdy way, is pretty exciting.

rock that nerd vibe! when we were trying to pay ours off early and throwing so much as any random $2 rebate check at it i would plug in the payment to a mortgage payoff calculator and celebrate when so much as a single day from the original payoff day dropped off. going from 6 to 5 figures was/is a HUGE accomplishment!!!

My Lane Bryant card is paid off!

congratulations-way to go!!!

 

[barkley]

some good news on the savings front....been watching cd rates and finaly found one of my local brick and mortars offering a decent rate on the elusive add-on eligible cd. they are offering a 12 or 24 month with only a $500 minimum at a little over 4%. if i choose i can add to it at the same locked rate for the life of the cd. i know there are places offering a bit higher on traditionals but they won't let me make additional deposits so i can always snag another cd at one of those better rates while their around but if they dip again at least i know i've got this i can deposit into.

 

[Tygerlilly]

some good news on the savings front....been watching cd rates and finaly found one of my local brick and mortars offering a decent rate on the elusive add-on eligible cd. they are offering a 12 or 24 month with only a $500 minimum at a little over 4%. if i choose i can add to it at the same locked rate for the life of the cd. i know there are places offering a bit higher on traditionals but they won't let me make additional deposits so i can always snag another cd at one of those better rates while their around but if they dip again at least i know i've got this i can deposit into.

So how does that work? Say you do $500 to start and do the 12 month. If you want to add, would you do it before the 12 months is up or once it completes? If you add before the 12 months, does the 12 months restart?

 

[barkley]

So how does that work? Say you do $500 to start and do the 12 month. If you want to add, would you do it before the 12 months is up or once it completes? If you add before the 12 months, does the 12 months restart?

i can make additional deposits of no less than $25 but up to $5000 per month into the cd during the 24 months of the term. deposits do not extend it's term.

 

[Matty B13]

An Apple savings account has a higher savings rate if you don't mind using them, with out the restrictions of a CD.

 

[barkley]

An Apple savings account has a higher savings rate if you don't mind using them, with out the restrictions of a CD.

yeah, i'm not into a savings system where to participate i have to buy or subscribe to a certain consumer product. some people are comfortable with this concept as well as on-line banks but i like a local brick and mortar i can walk into.