updated debt totals!

We have been at this thing called "Getting out of debt" for 14 1/2 months. We started out at a whopping $59,063.20 and, as of last week our current balance 10/15/09: $27,643.19.

It is hard to believe we have paid of $31,420.01 in what seems like a pretty short period of time looking back..but - boy- hasn't always been easy! And, quite frankly- it seems like a long way to go! But, month by month, a thousand at a time, we continue to see progress. We continue to be inspired to press on..and we continue to watch our money.

I think the hard part, right now, is that we feel like we have been doing this forever and we have a long way to go...and then when we get the debt paid off, that extra money goes to fund retirement accounts, college, and then start paying on the house..so you never really get this "windfall" of cash that you get to start throwing your money around...and I guess that is the lesson in all this. Being fiscally responsible, or as I like to call it "Being a Fiscal Grown-Up" is a committment you make for the rest of your life...not just to get out of debt...for the rest of our lives we will be budgeting, saving, making trade-off's. But, oh how sweet when we hit retirement age, have a couple million in the bank and can really LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE! Now- I'm motivated!

Go get 'em!!

Uh oh! How'd we do that?

Can you imagine waking up to find that you have spent $59,023.20 and you really didn't know where? You don't see bags from Bloomingdales (www.bloomingdales.com) or Macy's (www.macys.com) in the bedroom. You walk out to the living room and there is no 58" plasma screen that you picked up at Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com) that past weekend. And, then, there it is...you walk out and see the nice shiny 2004 Lincoln Navigator out in the garage. But, that cost $33,000.00 and you bought it in 2007 (because you were doing the right thing - you bought used and let someone else take the equity hit, right?). So, where else did it go???

Well, that is what this blog is going to be all about. Not so much about how we spent ourselves into debt...but how we are getting ourselves out of debt and how we are going to stay out. We welcome you along for the ride and if there is anything you can glean from this and not follow the same path..or lessons that you have learned and can share with the blogsphere...then we have left the world a little better (and a little less in debt) than we entered it!

So, a little about ourselves: Jeff is a 39 year old project-manager for a large IT company. Melissa is a 37 year old work at home mom (taking care of our 6, 4, and 18month old is WORK! - make no mistake). And we are the parent's of three wonderful children who live near South Lake Tahoe in California. Hey...if you are going to be in debt...pick a good spot, right?

So, over the next couple of days, we hope to get you caught up on:

1. How we found Dave Ramsey (www.daveramsey.com)
2. A budget? You want a budget?
3. Ummm, I am not going to carry around envelopes!
4. I cannot shop on $600.00/month for a family of 5!!
5. You sold the Navigator for that piece of crap?
6. Did you know that "Murphy" was in the back seat of the Jeep?

So, be patient as we get you caught up and move forward! It will be a fun ride!