When preparation meets opportunity.

We finally made out a budget today.  Stress was shown within just a couple of minutes after beginning the exercise.  We are behind on the mortgage. Our bank account is negative $430.  We have $250 to live on for the entire month after 2 months of mortgage, the bank, the utilities and all the minimums on credit cards are paid.  We were planning on doing so many things in June. Most of them got deleted from our itinerary because a lack of money.  We were going to go to Colorado with some friends, spend some time in LA and then we were going to go visit my dad in Tijuana. We have two weeks off in June but now instead of having a vacation with multiple destinations we will be sitting at home and doing our spring cleaning in the summer.  His mom will come and visit for a week and then we will drive her home to LA.  Hopefully we'll have enough money for gas. :-/


While trying to do our budget I had my dh write stuff down as I read off our creditors, utilities and other expenses.  Man o' man.  He sure was shocked to find out how much money actually goes out.  At least now he understands the stress that I have to go thru all the time trying to figure out who I can put off paying so that we can have some spare change.  I guess he never really noticed before.  I'm glad he is aware of all of this now.  We are supposed to sit down when he gets paid and do this all again.  We have it all "planned" out.  Now we just have to make sure it gets done right. 


After having cancelled our up coming trips I thought the depression would settle in.  But just the opposite has happened.  I am even more excited about getting all of this done.  I keep thinking of these small things that I have to pass up because I am not prepared for them.  What if something really big and meaningful came along? Would I be forced to pass it up because I didn't save enough money or have things paid off? Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.  And I don't want to miss another opportunity again!

Day 1

Do most blogs begin this way? Day 1? I have never blogged and don't really read them too often.  But today is SO special I want to catch every detail!  So that when I reach this HUGE goal I have set for myself I can look back and see where it all began.

Yesterday-Sunday. I began reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.  Most of it is all stuff I had heard before.  Most of it on Oprah when Suze Ormann is on.  About debt snowballing, make sure to build up savings and so forth.  But as  I was reading yesterday Dave Ramsey says we can live without Credit Cards or their debt.  WHAT!?!?!?!?  He even mentions that we don't really need a FICO score (not on his plan anyway) unless we are going to purchase a house. This goes against every single thing I was ever taught.  Who are we if not our FICO score?  It's our report card on life.... isn't it? 

Well, this morning I began organizing all of my paperwork.  My office has been in shambles for so long and all the bills are piled together on top of a half-empty file cabinet. Before I begin even one single baby step in his process to financial fitness I have to organize my file cabinet.  It will be done before the days end.  At that point I can officially begin my first step to my financial makeover. 

Oh, wait!  I almost forgot.  I have to do a budget for next month.  Okay and then I can officially begin my first baby step.  Since the hubby will be doing this budget with me it might take a few more days than I would like.  I know he is dreading it greatly.  But then again so am I. We are behind on some bills, this month I even put off paying the mortgage so that we could fix his car, get my car registered, and have enough money for his birthday weekend. I know, I know!  IT'S SO WRONG! and trust me it's NOT the way I want to live at all.  But I gotta start somewhere right? And honestly.  As ugly as it feels to have all this debt. Owe friends and family money and have no money in savings at all. I know that it would feel worse to not do anything about it and lose the house, cars, friends and family because I just couldn't get it together. 

So this is my quest for a  Total Money Makeover.  I want to become the financial HOTTIE I know I can be.