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Wednesday, April 26, 2006
turning over some new leaves, and other stuff
things we have done in the last two weeks to make our lives more organized:
1) all our bills are actually really truly completely totally 100% paid off for the first time in our marriage. This is a new development. AND, because this was T's "extra check" -- he gets two a year since we base our bill-paying schedule on two paydays per month and he gets 26 paydays per year and you should have SEEN me trying to prove to him that this really happened when we were first married; I looked like Ross Perot with the charts -- we actually have money in savings. For the first time in our marriage. And we have cancelled every form of credit we had, and please don't write and tell us how we need a credit card for our credit rating because honestly we are never going to buy a house in this state and if we ever go to move elsewhere, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. It's much worse for our credit rating and our life in general to have credit at our disposal. In times of weakness we tend to cave and do atrocious things with it.
So. No debt, and money in savings. Honestly, I don't feel like myself.
*****edited to add********
I should note that we have had retirement savings building up for years. At least we've been doing THAT right. This savings account is a contingency fund for things that pop up like car tires, hospitalizations, etc.
2) I made a meal calendar. I've continually sworn that I needed to do this. It's just four weeks of meals, and we'll repeat them. This way I'll know what groceries I need ahead of time and I won't need to wander the aisles of the local store every afternoon trying to figure out what I should make for dinner that night. (Yes, I really have been in the habit of doing that.)
What do you mean, it doesn't take normal people thirteen years of adulthood to figure this stuff out? Since when have I ever been normal? These are big steps for me. Next thing you know I'll have my house decluttered and it will stay clean for more than five minutes at a time. Or -- here's a concept -- I'll file papers as they come in, rather than stuffing them in a drawer until they won't fit anymore.
Don't hold your breath on those, by the way.
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Um, other stuff. C has been sick for the past 24 hours. I have been feeling not-so-stellar, myself. We both slept for about an hour and a half this afternoon while LT played Civilization III and Falling Sand.
I am again behind on the LBY study. I'm also behind on laundry. No big news there.
We had a fantastic time at LT's birthday party on Saturday. Nineteen rocket launches, the aforementioned bb-gun shooting, and about six hours of running around outdoors playing boy games (including C, the one girl) made for some very exhausted but happy kids (and parents) by the end of the day. I made a cake shaped like a castle, and T and LT decorated it with Lego people and marshmallows, and we are STILL trying to finish off the leftovers, my gosh I'm so tired of chocolate cake.
I am SO READY for the eighty-degree days we're supposed to have this weekend. We keep having these dreary, gray, drizzly days, at a time of year when we've ordinarily had our winter clothes put away for weeks.
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And there you have your post, Debi, is that better? At least it wasn't a meme. :) (that'll be tomorrow.)
Comments
Rachel, I am so proud of you!!! (not that you posted, but what you posted about!!) A savings account!! We will have one too when our check comes. I am praying that I will be good and leave it where it belongs. AND we will be getting rid of our Target card. Man that is hard for me to do!!!!!!
Saturday was a lot of fun! the kids are making rockets every day.
I look at your mom's food calendar and think I need to make menus. I have been wanting to do that for a LONG time!!
Next time I am at your house, I will have to look at yours and get some ideas.
Praying that C feels better, and you too!!
Ps. I do enjoy your memes! =)
Posted by: debi at April 26, 2006 09:12 PM
LOL, I keep meaning to do a meal calendar, but I never get around to doing it. Congrats on the bills, and the savings! I keep telling Jason we need to get life insurance and I have been seriously thinking about our retirement too...Unfortunately we don't make enough money to have more than a hundred bucks or so left over at the end of the month. One day we won't have to live check to check :)
Posted by: jenn at April 26, 2006 10:28 PM
I find it so weird that you need a credit card in order to have good credit in the US - but it's something I hear a lot. It just doesn't make much sense to me... Isn't it better to show that you're able to handle money without a credit card, than to show you know how to pay off a debt?
Ah well... just another thing I puzzle over.
I'm impressed with the meal planning! I NEED to do something like that too!
Hope C feels better soon and that you don't catch whatever she has.
Posted by: Maria at April 26, 2006 11:03 PM
Woo hoo on being debt-free. SO exciting. Good for you guys. I miss that "extra" check -- I used to get one but now we're on once a month paydays. I am not as big a fan of that. The best part was when the "extra" check was around Christmastime.
Meal calendar? What a fabulous idea! I try to plan a week's worth of food but even that is hard. But if I had a revolving plan ...
How can you be sick of chocolate cake? Send some my way! :) Can we see a picture of the castle-cake? Please? ;)
Maria, with the credit thing, they want you to prove you can take on a debt without defaulting or being late all the time before they give you a big fat loan like a mortgage. It sort of makes sense but when you try to figure out how you GET a good credit rating, that part doesn't make much sense. It's better to have a credit card for a really long time, even if you never use it. But having TOO much credit will mess up your credit rating too. What a headache.
Posted by: mary at April 27, 2006 05:15 AM
Congratulations on getting out of debt. If you ever do decide to have a credit card again (and I'm not saying you should) one thing you could do is ask them to keep the credit limit low. I don't think everyone should have a credit card just to have one. I find mine very useful for things like traveling and buying on line or via telephone - I have a debit card but am uneasy giving out a number that's linked to my actual bank account online, even though I know intellectually it has the same guarantees - but I agree it's much better to make the decision to have one or not based on what's best for you and your specific situation. My FIL bought his truck for cash and had all kinds of people telling him it was financially "better" to finance it - but for him it wasn't. He's not comfortable having much debt, his finances and credit rating are just fine, and doing it this way gives him a lot more peace of mine.
I just took the time to look through your 30-day photo project. I really like what you've done - I've left a more detailed comment there.
Posted by: dichroic at April 27, 2006 09:31 AM
Rachel--
Congratulations! Those are some of the same goals Mrs. Muley and I are working toward, and we've only been married 17 years. Don't let anyone talk you into keeping a credit card if you don't want one. About the only thing you really need one for is to rent a car, so if you're not in the market, forget it.
I'm still enjoying the photo a day. You look a bit different in each photo -- adifferent mood, locale. Interesting.
Posted by: Muley at April 27, 2006 09:35 PM
