So back to the hum-drum of a typical day. I am really focused on paying down debt & finding ways to cut back on expenses. It's very challenging because our current budget shows us spending more then we are making which scares me to death. I've never been in this position before and I don't know the best way out of it. I listen to my husband say, 'we need to just make more money' but I'm not convinced that's the full solution. I will give him credit that I am quick to think about our current income, rather than thinking of ways to create additional income. However, I also realize it's not as easy as saying 'I want to make more money' to see that happen. I'm an analytical person. I think about everything all the time & how I can make things better. Right now I need to figure out how I can come up with $200/week additional for my daughter to go back into daycare. My mother-in-law has watched her for the last 4 months & it's been a huge help but my MIL wants to enjoy retirement & the other grandchildren in her life. She's also got to prepare for 2 additional grandchildren that are coming...one in a couple weeks and another one in early spring.
Another goal of mine is working on getting a $1000 emergency fund together. I mentioned this to my husband & he thinks it's a good idea but he hasn't exactly been working towards creating this goal yet. I'm going to keep focused on it & hope that he can do the same. That would be a huge step for us & then I would feel like we were getting somewhere to getting in a better place with our debt. But this goal is also being worked on simultaneously with the cutting down expenses/creating additional income goal. Something has to give and I can't just throw up my hands and give up. I must find a way to make it work.
I think I've figured out how to afford Christmas gifts this year. My husband's business credit card accummulates points & he's got enough points right now that we should be able to get the majority of Christmas gifts through his reward points. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that will be enough. However, there will still be other expenses that come up between now & then so we'll see what happens. We were able to use these points last year for gifts but I don't think I planned it out as well as I should have and therefore didn't manage the gift cost as well as I could have.
So at 33 yrs old, I feel like I'm in a very complicated place in life. However, I do believe that we can make our future better. I do think that if I focus on finding ways to make life better for my kids and husband, that eventually, it will happen & things will work out. I am a very responsible person so I believe that's one of the reasons this is all weighing so heavily on my mind. I can get out of this debt and make it work. I can make my future for my kids better. I will be able to provide for them things I was not able to have as a child, but then again, I got all the necessary things I needed as a child. If for some reason, our life is more challenging, then I'm not so worried about the material things I can provide, but to ensure that my kids see the character in myself and my husband that shows them how to survive the difficult times. How to grow and learn from each challenge we are faced with is more rewarding to me as a parent then to make sure my sons have the latest fad. If I stay true to my values and morales in life, then my kids will turn out just fine, no matter how much stuff we have!
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