Being the one who does our finances, pays the bills and what not, I have struggled way too much with worry and anxiety over money this year and majority of it is due to the fact that Zach and I live financially in the past. The present money is going towards past purchases and I am DONE! And finally Zach is understanding the toll this issue has taken on me and is 100% on board!
When I ran all the numbers, it looked like we would be crossing the finish line of debt in September. We were pumped. But after Christmas gifts and some extra money in our pockets, we will be at the end much, much sooner....like right when we receive our tax check! Giddy doesn't describe my emotional state.
But in order to become debt free...sacrifices had to be made...and these small changes in our day to day lives is what has kept us from achieving our goals to begin with. We want but don't have the money for it....or we have the money but don't need to be putting it towards what we want.
Praying has been unceasing in this issue for me. Praying for my heart and my head to be in the same place. So many prayers. And through prayer...you don't always get what you want!
It has been unbelievably heavy on my heart to keep Zoe home and no longer send her to preschool. Like I said...
The first time this idea popped in my head...immediate shut down. But it kept occurring ..for weeks. So I started praying into the idea instead of smothering it and now...I could not be happier with our decision. Many tears were shed but totally worth it.
So the initial reason was financial. The $800ish spent to send her to school could go so much further in getting us debt free in my opinion and Zach agreed...that whole spending for what you want but don't have thing...ya not a fan. But, since I have been open to the idea of teaching Zoe at home...God has led me to so many different resources that have made me ECSTATIC at the thought.
If you follow me on Pinterest, this may be no surprise, but starting this week, I will begin homeschooling my Zoe Zoo. Now, Preschool isn't really a huge deal....I mean colors, numbers, letters...you know the drill. But I want Zoe to have fun and that takes some planning. Zoe loved school and that is what made it hard when we decided to stop sending her....but why can't I create that same fun in our home or at our library or with our friends. I can and will!
So my thoughts are that we will have some structure but not to the point of breaking Zoe's spirit. My hopes is that she will embrace the learning and fun, as she always has, but I am not shoving anything down anyone's throat! Looking at some of our local activities, it seems like we will be following the same Tuesday/Thursday regime. Our local library has story time for preschoolers on Tuesday mornings and my thoughts were to stay at the library and collect our books for the week in relation to the letter. But the beauty of this is flexibility! The only other thing I am setting in stone is ballet! Ya for my ballerina being reborn! And this will be Friday mornings!
So please keep me in your prayers. I have such high hopes and enthusiasm and truly feel confident this is the path we should be following. Any tips from all you Mommies are more than welcome as well!!!!
2 comments:
LOVE THIS!
We are big Dave Ramsey followers and are on our path to being debt free as well.
We pulled Olivia out of preschool because we couldn't afford it and then once we could again afford it we decided the money was much better spent on eliminating debt.
One of the hardest parts I've found on working this personal finance plan is that you feel kind of alone since everyone seems to have debt and be okay with it.
I know exactly how you feel! It is so hard to say no to some things...but with stepping away and seeing a bigger picture...it is so worth making small sacrifices for big gains! I have read a lot of Dave Ramsey and we listen to his radio station. We are following pretty much what he teaches. We have one small medical debt left before fully paying off Zach's student loan and then we are done! PUMPED! Then let the savings begin!
Post a Comment