This is my first entry in a few weeks, and I can't decide if I've just been too busy or if that's an excuse for not wanting to own up to some "failures". (Mind you, I don't personally feel like a failure because of these, since I know that it wasn't some luxury spending that caused it, but they are still failures to keep on track with everything.)
#1: Inability to pay the one credit card that we ALWAYS pay in full each month. I don't even want to look at what this added to the totals on the sidebar, so I didn't update it yet. It will be ugly. I was so happy to see the totals drop under $29K, and now I'm sure we're back over $30K. What caused it? Repairs and maintenance to equipment, lack of a crystal ball, and poor planning. Ugh!
#2: Purchase of a new refrigerator on credit! I fought this for 2 - 3 weeks, as we tried to revive the one we had. We got it working sort of, but knew it was doomed and it would be just a matter of time. I called about several used ones, but none were as cheap as I wanted to pay for used. I have to admit that we were being picky here - we didn't just want any old fridge, it "had" to be one with ice & water in the door. (*hanging head in shame here*) Anyhow, I shopped around, and did end up with a great deal on a brand spanking new one, and I love it. I bargained hard with the sales crew, and got free delivery 40+ miles from the store. And the happy ending is that it's a 3-year 0% interest credit. That sucker will be paid off well in advance of the 3 years, mark my words!
DH & I had some good discussions about how to handle our growing money crisis. Without farm expenses, we could make it just fine. Adding in the labor and other expenses to keep things going, the farm income doesn't pay for itself. We may limp along through the hay season, since that brings in some money. Most of what we cut we end up using. We'll try to sell more critters, though, and will let some of the hired help go. I don't think we solved anything, but we at least had a decent discussion. This is a big plus as most of our money discussions are chaotic, with him saying he doesn't understand where it all goes (but at the same time he doesn't want to hear the details of where it all goes). It's been a struggle to discuss things like this for many years, so maybe we made a little teeny headway.
I have to update my coupons and spending and all that jazz, but have been putting it off. I got burned out on finding great deals, mostly because money has been so tight. A great deal is great only if you really need the item or will absolutely use it. I have razors and toothpaste and deoderant in stock for the next year, so I don't need any more of those deals. I have been shopping more at a discount grocery store, and they don't take coupons, but I still consider those great deals. When I tally it all up, I'm hoping our overall spending per week will be down because of it.
My last gripe for the day is that I haven't found any money on the ground in a long time!! I used to always find coins, sometimes daily. It's so weird, like all of a sudden everybody ahead of me started looking at the ground and finding the coins, or everyone got more careful and quit dropping it!
Well, this was quite long and depressing, but at least I got it out in the open. I feel somewhat better!
Not in a blogging mood lately
July 5th, 2009 at 02:28 pm
July 5th, 2009 at 03:54 pm 1246809298
I wouldn't feel bad about the fridge- they last forever, but when they go- they kind of become a need rather than a want. So one less thing for you to worry about.
July 5th, 2009 at 04:57 pm 1246813071
At least you have a plan for paying off the fridge, though. We had to do that with a fridge near the beginning of our debt-payoff adventure, and we also replaced our dishwasher (talk about your want vs. need, but I think it's really kept us on track cooking vs. getting takeout).
If I were you, I might pay the minimums for awhile and build up an EF of $5000 or so before I started paying down the credit cards aggressively. Then you'll be less likely to have to run them up again in an emergency.
July 5th, 2009 at 09:51 pm 1246830685
July 6th, 2009 at 02:41 am 1246848069
I learned the hard way that you can be just as addicted to shopping and get into just as much trouble shopping for lots little things on sales or lots of garage sales. Its only a deal if you are going to use it! Time to use the items you bought.
And keep on blogging - remember that your blog should help you. Who cares what we all think! (and we are a supportive group.
July 6th, 2009 at 04:35 am 1246854942