The sweet Ride..

Five years ago, a few months after John and I first started dating, I made a little ATM run for him.. just to get some cash and go buy him a few pair of dress pants while he was at work. I thought he was serious when he told me " No more than $150, because I am poor!" So there I was, sitting in front of the ATM, money withdrawn, and waiting to grab the receipt as it came out before the wind could blow it away. (I have had that happen so many times, and then I look stupid getting out of the car trying to catch the receipt! LOL) The angel on my right shoulder kept telling me not to look at the balance, because it is so wrong.... but the little devil on my left shoulder got ahold of the curious, ok ok, nosey side of me.. and I looked. Yes I know, very bad. I remember sitting there staring and thinking..... He told me he was broke? He was poor? But he had over $23,000 in his account?! (My how his world was changed!) Ofcource I didn't say anything then. I brought it up after the house was done being built and we moved in though. And right away, I saw where that money was going. Closing cost on the house, check. New furniture, check. My new car (at the time)... check.

He was very good at saving and managing money.... but along came me. I was terrible at managing money... and save.. what was that? It took me almost 3 years to actually get money management down. My big weakness... Shopping. It used to be either for the house, him, me... me... and even more me. I had alot of growing up to do! I know! It is funny to look at the place we were then, and we only made about half of what we make a month now. Then, I though we were rich! I was 21. That was alot of money to me.. now introduce credit cards, with low intrest and high (to high for a 21 year old!) credit limits. Two words: Quick Sand. period. Six months (and after taking a loan to pay everything off) later.. lesson learned!

This year, John and I made a New Years Resolution. One goal. And be serious, because usually we make stupid ones, and let them go. Who doesn't! :) We wrote down all of our debt on a piece of yellow paper from one of them big tablets. At the end, we were in debt, not including the mortgage, about $16,000. February came, we paid off a few credit cards, and made paid off the remaining balance on the loan stated above. March... a few more bills.. Then, a set back, we owed on our taxes for breaking $100K income last year, AND because I decided to get a little grown up time and got a part time job at a jewelry store, whom did NOT take out enough taxes. I never paid attention, I had direct deposit. Ha ha! Sorry, back to subject... This month. This month we reached out goal. In less than 60 days we paid off all our debt! (excluding the mortgage.)

Just to show how spoiled I really am by my wonderful hubby, (and it took someone pointing it out to me) he bought me a new car! Something even funnier.. this is my
5th new car in 5 years.. HAHAHAHA! That's like a new car every year! But really, I had two new cars in one year. Shut up.. I hear you laughing.


Part 2:


Kids are very expensive. We have two. And that fact that they are my kids... (sorry honey, OURS. Love you!) well, they have the best of everything. The best toys, for learning, fun and creativity. The best clothes.. all name brand, and THAT its self is a HUGE expense! Ayanna just turned 3 in October, and since then I have placed her in the best Academic Preschool around here.. costing a whopping $500 a month just for two days a week. She is also in Gymnastics, which I can proudly say this is something she is very good at.. so we might have a gold medalist on our hands. ;) She's also in a Ballet and Tap class. Jaiden is still to young, but soon. He is very into sports for his age.. my little man. Education is really important to me. And for some reason, the way they dress or look, and what they have is important to me to. I am guessing the only reason this is... my childhood. My parents would rather spend money on themselves, and the only nice stuff we had was what my Grandma would buy me. Which when you become a certain age, your taste and grannies taste in clothes, well it just wasn't the same. So I worked to get what I had, and it wasn't much, since what was cool was really expensive! My friends and I would share clothes alot. I dint want my kids to ever feel the way I felt. Back in 5th or 6th grade, on picture day I tried everything to stay home, all because I "didn't have anything to wear!" Classic. Funny huh.. not really.. my Mom hated laundry. So do I by the way, thanks Mom.. but if I put something in the dirty clothes.. it would be there for a month. At 11, started doing my own laundry.


I know we will always be able to provide the best of the best for these two, but one thing that we spoil them with more than anything, is our love. I want them to know that family is important too.



Its funny now to have all this extra money a month.. all debt paid... (and I am laughing as I type this) because this summer we are going to have to plan and watch every dollar! Every dollar left over after we pay the bills and deposit into saving anyways. At the end of the month we have to pay the sales and property tax on my new beauty. This summer we have 3 weeks of vacation, and we are traveling to 3 different places to spend a week.. and with plane tickets, the locations (which I will get into later, because we have some AWESOME trips planned this summer!!!) ect. ect.. it adds up. AND FAST. Not to mention Ayanna is ready for a big girl room. This kid is one wild sleeper. Since she was 2 we converted her crib into the daybed, but she has now outgrown that. Soooooooo... we need to get her a new bedroom set, mattress, and bedding. And because I am so anal about things matching... new decor to. :)

Still, I am proud of how far we've come. Though we are making more now than we ever have, and have accomplished so much financial freedom, we don't take it for granted. Even when times were stressful and rough, our kids still had the best of everything and we were always taken care of. We have a beautiful house, beautiful happy (extremely spoiled) kids, beautiful cars, money in the bank and freedom to do as we please. **Sigh** Thank you God, for always watching over us.