Back in the saddle

Yes, it has been over a year and a half since I last posted. I guess a quick update is in order.

April 2010-Ben thankfully got a new job that did not require any travel! After about 9 months of him traveling 99% of the time, this was a huge blessing.

July 2010-I FINALLY GOT A JOB. :-) Another huge blessing.

April 2011-Ben got a new job (again). Here's how it went. Tuesday: Hey we saw your resume online, do you want an interview? Wednesday: Interview. Thursday: Offered the job. WHOA! He is extremely happy in his new role...he is managing the lean manufacturing/six sigma/continuous improvement functions for the plant.

July 2011-I got a new (better) job! I'm finally doing what I love (training development/instructional design) and my commute is 30-45 minutes instead of an hour and a half!

So what do I think made it rain, so to speak? I truly believe we had to get our finances in order before the job thing was going to happen/improve. We went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University in early 2010, and it changed our lives. Was it really hard to make a budget and stick with it when our one income barely covered our bills? Um, yes. Did we have arguments about it? Uh-huh. Did I have regrets about past decisions? Definitely. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

I could tell you many of the lessons I have learned over the last year or so, but I'll just choose one for now.

Sticking with a budget is free-ing.

After taking care of all the necessities, we have money in the budget for entertainment, eating out, treating friends, and personal money to spend however we want. What does that mean? I know that if I have cash in my envelope, I don't have to feel guilty about spending $3 on a latte. I know that if we have money in the entertainment envelope, and we decide to treat ourselves to a 3D movie in the theater on a Saturday night ($26 for 2 tickets in CA!), it doesn't mean I can't buy milk next week. Ok, yes, it also means if I want In-N-Out, and we're out of eating out money...well, it's lots of calories I don't have to worry about burning. :-)

What has resulted from our financial bootcamp? We have an emergency fund with 3 months' worth of expenses. Just this month, we bought a new-to-us car and paid cash. It. Felt. Awesome.

I didn't begin this post to taut Dave Ramsey, but I'm a little passionate about it, so it just happens sometimes. So let me just throw this out there. Ben and I have money set aside to co-sponsor any one of our family members or friends who wants to go through the class. We feel so very strongly about helping others get to financial peace, we are putting our money where our mouth is (mouths are?). If you are in a place where you are interested in the class but can't quite come up with the funds, please contact me.

If you are wondering who Dave Ramsey is, or what the heck I'm going on and on about...check out this link to watch a couple of videos. I'm not sure how long the videos will be posted, though, so don't delay!

I think that's enough for now. Enjoy your holiday weekend!