June Financial Update

So far I’ve written twice this year specifically about finance. The first time was this post back in February, and the second was this post just last month. I thought that now would be a good time to re-visit our finance goals, you know, with it being the middle of 2013 and all. Wait, is it seriously June already? Holy moly.

Goal #1: Pay off student loan by end of 2014

Update: We are currently still on track to meet this goal, which is pretty exciting because it is our “largest” amount of debt at $5,500.

Goal #2: Pay off credit card/credit line by July of 2014

Update: We’ve had quite a few hiccups on this one. We’ve paid off both the credit card and the credit line…and then subsequently charged more to them. Between having an emergency surgery on a dog, a non-emergency surgery on the same dog, truck repairs, and our pesky impulsive buying habits, well…..let’s just say that with some hard work we will still meet this goal, but it’s going to take some serious cinching.

One thing that we’ve done to help with this is switch back to using cash as much as possible. For some people, this doesn’t work very well…and in some cases it doesn’t work very well for me either. I can’t just carry cash around in my purse indefinitely because if I do, I will eventually spend it on something it was not intended for. So what we’ve been doing is taking out the cash for our groceries the day we get paid and then we buy what we need for the next week that night. I also give both of us a certain amount of cash for lunch for the week and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

This has not exactly been foolproof, but it has helped. Example: yesterday I forgot that we had to eat out for lunch because we were not going to have enough time to cook. Only except we didn’t have enough cash for that. Thank you, credit card for saving the day. But in my defense, I fully plan to pay that $20 back when Roman gets paid this Friday.

For the most part though, having to hand over actual for-real cash has been painful enough for me to re-think a lot of my impulse purchases, and it has helped in cutting down how much we spend on groceries as well.

Goal #3: Go on a second cruise in October

Update: We actually already went on a cruise back in March. So we can call this goal “met”!

Goal #4: Have $3,000 in savings by end of 2014

Update: We actually changed this goal to the end of 2013. Why? Because we’ve realized through Duke’s surgery and our truck repair incident that we really really REALLY have got to save up a healthy emergency fund. An emergency fund saves you from charging $400 to an already-paid-off credit line for a dog’s surgery.

Goal #5: Pay off our couch loan by end of 2014

Update: We are currently still on track to meet this goal as well. Wahoo!

Goal #6: Be 100% debt free by end of 2014

Update: We may or may not actually get to this goal by the target date. Currently, all of our debt is actually scheduled to be paid off by July of 2014-including my car. But we’ve been talking about trading in or selling my car so we can get something a little bigger, so if we do we probably will not be 100% debt-free by December 2014. But honestly, if we can get everything else paid off and keep a healthy savings account, then we can pay extra on the new car payment and get it paid off super early-which is certainly our plan!

The biggest hiccup that we see coming down the line is my impending furlough starting next month. Unfortunately, I am a federal government employee, so I get to endure the 11 furlough days that are being served to pretty much the entire federal workforce. I’ve done the math, and I will be losing $553 out of my net pay during the months of July, August, and September. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about all of this, but I know that God is going to take care of us regardless of whether I get paid or not. We are just really praying that Roman will make enough commission over the next few months to cover my loss in pay, that way we won’t fall behind on our goals-and so far he is on track for this month, so that is really encouraging!

How about you? Got any big financial goals you are working towards? Anyone else really hate those “sudden” financial situations that seem to pop up at the least appropriate times? And who else thinks it’s too early to be June already?? Feel free to share in the comments!

Three Years!!!!

You probably noticed that I decided to take an impromptu week off. I guess the start of summer put me in lazy mode-but that's okay because I'm back all refreshed and full of ideas and all that great stuff. But besides all of that, today is a very special day. Why? Because today marks me and Roman's third year of marriage.

Holy moly. We have been married three years!! It's crazy to think that a little over three years ago we were taking our engagement pictures......

....And then all of a sudden our big day had arrived!

"First Look" at our private reveal. 

It was a whirlwind of a day, but it was the best day of my life.

Dancing with Dad

Including our three years of marriage, we've been together for around seven years. We got together in tenth grade at the ripe young age of fifteen years old. Out of pure respect for your eyeballs, I will not post a picture of us in our early dating days. You're welcome. But I will post these:

On the escalator leaving a Brave's game

Senior pictures

We've grown from being silly and in love to being even more silly and even more in love. 

Cruise: 2013

So, fun wedding story: my parents paid for our first night of our honeymoon. We were so exhausted from all of the prior day wedding festivities (no hidden meanings there), that we way overslept our alarm the next morning. We wake up at ten-ish and are just kind of sitting around the room. At about 11:00 I decide that maybe we could go swimming before we check out, but then we think "hey. we should see what time check-out is." Check-out was at 10:00.  Um. Uh oh!! The only thing I could think about was my Dad getting charged for an extra day because we missed our check-out time. We throw all of our belongings into the luggage, I splash some water on my face, and we run out of there real quick-like. No shower. No fixing of my hair. No make-up. Which resulted in me looking like this:

HI! My name is Sarah and I just got married yesterday,
so I do not care what you think about me right now.

To rescue myself, here we are the next day.....after waking up on time and showering and actually making ourselves look like we could venture into the public. Haha.

And here we are again....still looking all presentable. Yay for us!!

But seriously. After three years of marriage, I can be 100% honest when I say that I am the luckiest woman on the planet to be married to this man. I thank God that He has blessed us so abundantly in our first three years of married life, and I can't wait to see what else He has in store for us. 

"And the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh."  ~Mark 10:8

WFMW: How to Clean Glass Showers

When I first got married, I was really naive concerning all things grown-up related. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and she took care of most of the cleaning and cooking while we busied ourselves with school and extracurricular activities. I can't tell you how many times I've called her since I got married three years ago and started the conversation with "How do you......"  

One thing I've struggled with is how to get those water-stained glass shower doors clean. The usual all-purpose bathroom cleaner didn't do the job, and I was getting tired of watching the grime build up. Here's the before shot:

See what I mean? G-R-O-S-S. So what's the best way that I've found to get all that junk clean? CLR. 

After you spray it, you let it sit for about five minutes. Then you take a rag, sponge, whatever and scrub the surface. Once you get done scrubbing, you simply rinse it off and you're done. See how pretty my shower door is now? You can't even tell that this picture was taken while looking through the glass:

And while I'm bragging on our clean shower, check out our new shower head. I'm kind of sort of in love......

CLR works for me!!


Note: I am not an affiliate nor was I reimbursed in anyway by the company that produces this product. All opinions/professions of love are 100% my own.  :)

"She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy."  ~Proverbs 31:20

The Day After Memorial Day

My dad served for twenty years in the Army, but that was before I was born. He was not a typical retired officer: he didn’t force our family to adhere to a strict schedule. He didn’t make me and my brother fold our clothes or make our beds like they did in the Army. In fact, I think the only time I ever saw the true “Army side” of my dad come out is when he called my ex-boyfriend and told him to leave his baby girl alone. And that was more funny than it was anything else. Even though my dad served for twenty years, I did not grow up an “Army brat”, so I honestly cannot really relate to the families of other military members.

However, I do work on a Marine base, and that changes things for me. I work with countless Marines, a Navy officer, and who knows how many retired military men and women. These people are my friends. I’ve watched them get shipped off to a war overseas. I’ve learned about their spouses and children and parents. We joke about sequestering the coffee mess and we play pranks on each other. I work with some really great people, and I’m proud to have a small part in something so much bigger than me.

Yesterday was Memorial Day. I saw countless Facebook statuses showing support of our military, and it was really great. But let me encourage you on this: don’t forget our military men and women and their families. We often fail to tell them how much we appreciate them unless it’s on a national holiday, but they deserve much more respect than that. Regardless of what you think about our president, or our government, or whether we should be fighting in a war or not, our past and present service members need the support of this country. They need to know they are appreciated. They need to be prayed for. They need to see our love and pride for them.

So as we head into the official start of summer (and as I sit here starting at my computer with sleepy eyes), don’t forget about those who sacrifice to keep our nation as great as it is. Thank a veteran. Thank a service member. And above all else, pray for God to bless them and keep them safe as they fight for our freedom.

To all my readers who have served/are serving: THANK YOU!!!!!

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” ~John 15:13

Living or Existing?

“Are you living or existing?”

One of the church signs I pass by on my way home has had this question up for about two weeks now. I’ve seen it several times, but yesterday was the first time I actually gave it any real thought.

Am I living? Or am I just existing?

I have had a friend for the past several years who has not made any real progress in her life. She gets herself into relationships with guys who treat her badly. She enrolled in college twice and dropped out both times. She has a job, and then she doesn’t. Ever since I’ve known her, she’s been in this constant cycle. I’ve tried encouraging her….all of our circle of friends has tried to be there for her and give her guidance, but she never really takes any of our advice, and the cycle continues on. She’s not really living and she’s not really growing. She’s just existing.

Then there are the people who are very successful: they have great jobs, good kids, and lots of luxurious items. But all they do is leave for work, stay late, come home, eat a cold dinner, and then go back to bed. They have what appears to be a great life, but they aren’t actually living their life, they’re just existing.

I think at one point or another, we all hit periods in our lives where we just exist. We get into a routine, overwork ourselves, get tired, and before we know it we’re on autopilot. Go to work. Do the laundry. Watch a little TV. Go to bed. Go to church. Go to bed. Repeat the week. It’s pretty easy to just “exist”, but that is not what God intended for us.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  ~John 10:10

God never intended for His children to lead a mundane life. Sure, we have to do boring things like sit in a doctor’s waiting room or go to work. But our lives are supposed to be filled with joy and excitement! He gives us beautiful blessings so that we can experience life to the fullest!

After examining my own heart, I am sorry to say that lately I’ve just been existing. I haven’t really taken the time to enjoy life; I’ve just been putting one foot in front of the other. But after God opened my eyes yesterday to this truth, I’ve started asking Him to wake me up again—to help me really start to live again and see the beauty around me.

It can be so easy to slip into a state of existing, so I encourage you to ask yourself the same question: Am I living? Or am I just existing? And then ask God to help you re-learn how to truly live again.

“But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover him with favor as with a shield.” ~Psalm 5:11-12

WFMW: Dog Problems

Today's Works For Me Wednesday is for all my fellow dog owners out there. If you've ever had a dog that has gone through surgery, then you know the heartache that follows: your dog has stitches and/or staples, and you now have the task of getting them to leave. it. alone. so it can heal. And if you've ever owned a dog like Duke, then you know that this task can be downright impossible.

Duke had stitches. Within three days he ripped out half of them. So he got staples put in. He ripped those out within two days. 

Why didn't you put the cone on him? You might ask. Well, we tried that. But when he immediately started slamming his head into the ground to try and get it off, it came off real quick-like. Because the only thing worse than a $450 vet bill from surgery is a $200 vet bill to pay for your dog's busted face right after the surgery. Basically, if he was going to be that desperate to get it off with us standing right there, what would he do while we were gone at work? Would I come home to find my dog knocked out and my house a wreck? Not a chance we were willing to take.....

So after he ripped out the staples on Sunday, we started to get pretty desperate trying to figure out how to get him to leave it alone. Because there was no point in getting staples put back in if he wasn't going to leave it alone. And even if we didn't take him back to get staples again, it was never going to heal if he sat there and licked it all day while we were at work.

Cue our lifesaver: the Kong Cloud. This thing is AMAZING and I wish I could buy whoever invented it a milkshake. Or at least say thanks. Because after a week of trying everything we knew to try, Duke-y Face is finally unable to mess with his wound. (PS: the vet didn't put staples in again when we took him back, it had already started healing enough on its own.) The Kong Cloud was right under $30 for a Large, and I purchased it from our local Pet Supermarket. 

The Kong Cloud is a protective collar that attaches to your dog's regular collar. It has an inflatable tube surrounded by thick cloth (so they can't puncture it by scratching at it). All you do is attach it to your dog's collar, blow up the inflatable tube to the needed amount, and then put your dog's collar back on him.

It took him a little while to get used to it, but we did our best to be really upbeat about the collar. And as soon as we put it on him we gave him a treat and then played with him so that he would learn that the collar was not a punishment. He wears it all day and all night and so far it is working really great for us! Here he is so you can see what it looks like (don't mind Lauren in the background #photobomb):

It has also brought a whole new realm of nicknames for Duke to our minds: balloon-face, bubble-head,  balloon-dog...just to name a few. But for real, I'm just so glad we finally have a solution so that he can finally heal. 

The Kong Cloud really works for me!!

Note: I am not an affiliate nor was I reimbursed in any way by the makers of the Kong Cloud. I just have a deep appreciation of their product!  :) 

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  ~Mark 8:35

Swing....and a Miss

Has anyone ever told you life is hard? Because if not, I’m here to tell you: life can be stinkin’ hard some days.

I’ve written before about our quest to get out of debt. Our original plan was to be 100% debt-free by the end of 2014. Then we got a nice tax return, Roman made some great commission, and we were able to take a cruise and pay some serious debt down. So our goal was able to be moved up to June of 2014.

Cue: Life enters from stage right and takes up the. entire. stage.

Did I mention life is hard? Because if I haven’t yet, let me tell you: life can be stinkin’ hard.

I had to have knee surgery, and I know there is a not-so-nice doctor bill coming in the mail for me any day now. Roman is going to need some oral surgery and possibly braces, and God knows that’s going to cost us. And then, Duke all of a sudden needed surgery this week. He had a sore on his back that we couldn’t get him to leave alone, and it welled up into a giant red thing that we had to get cut off. After the fish hook incident, I thought it would only be around $150. After all, we wouldn’t be paying for emergency surgery this time. Oh no sister, try $400 (!!!!!).

Needless to say, I freaked out. And only one day after the credit line being 100% paid off, I had to do an emergency transfer of $400 into our checking account to pay for my dog-child. Hmph. Check out his battle scars: Only except now you have to imagine that half of those stitches are staples. Because shortly after me writing this post, he ripped out half his stitches and we had to pay another $40 to get the staples put in. Thanks Duke.

My poor baby. He sat in my lap all the way home from the vet’s office, he was so upset. And of course, I feel like a terrible dog-mom. And an awful budgeter on top of that.

So to all you other peeps out there who may or may not be in a quest to pay off some debt: life can come at you hard and fast. And it hits you hard when you least expect it, and often times when things are going super awesome. But don’t give up. Slow and steady wins the debt-free race. I can almost guarantee you that there will be set-backs. Flat tire? Probably. Cracked windshield? Been there. But you can’t just throw up your hands and call it quits just because life throws you a fast one. **This may or may not be a self-counseling session. Forgive me, I just revised our budget for the month for the ten-millionth time.**

Chin up all you debt-paying-people. Just keep trucking as best you can, and we’ll arrive at our destination sooner or later. Although, I can’t tell you when Roman and I will arrive at our destination now that we’ve had our big three setbacks, because I refuse to re-calculate our payoff dates. I’m still in denial. Ignorance, for the win!  ;)

"The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives." ~Psalm 37:21