Q and A Debt

2011 is coming to a close and I couldn't be happier.  I hope to seriously reduce our debt in 2012. My goal will be to completely pay off four credit cards.  I know its a large undertaking but I am totally up to the challenge.  Aside from reducing our debt, all I want from 2012 is health and happiness for my family and I.  Wishing everyone a very Happy and debt free New Year!

So went to a girls night in (aka Moms night in) and it was a total success :)  I decided to take banana pudding, a veggie tray  and moscato.  I already had some ingredients at home. I spent the following: Vanilla Wafers 2.98 Bananas 1.12 Moscato 10.98 Pudding 1.50 Tomatoes 1.98 Celery 1.47 Cucumbers 1.74 Total: 21.77 A little over budget but I brought leftovers home so it worked out!  There was so much yummy food, I ate waaayyyy too much. It was money well spent!

So tonight is a rare, rare occasion. I'm going to a Girls Night In.  It should be named Moms Night In because basically its a bunch of moms meeting at a mutual friend's house to eat, drink and chat. My main reason for going...the FOOD!! We each are to take a dish and its byob.  So of course my immediate thought is what do I take? Luckily, I was asked what's my specialty...which got me to thinking...banana pudding.  My family loves when I take banana pudding to our gatherings so I'm going to make it.  Its super easy and inexpensive to make...I use boxed pudding. Hey, I never claimed to be a great cook?! Hopefully it will look as nice as the stock pic above! I will also take a bottle of moscato so I can partake in a glass while I nosh, nosh and nosh!  My goal is to spend no more than 20 bucks. How do you socialize on a budget?

We would have made more headway had we not charged anything but at least we moved in the right direction! Mortgage - $92,431 Auto Loan- $22,879 Loan - $6647 Credit Card A - $8215 Credit Card B- $4882 Credit Card C- $1956 Credit Card D- $1837 Credit Card E- $1300 Credit Card F- $1700 Credit Card G- $1120 Credit Card H- $1124 Medical Bill - $ 700 Medical Bill- $ 544 Misc Med Bills- $ 191 Grand Total-----------$145436

Hip Hip Hooray!! Received a check in the mail.  It was $98, totally unexpected and very much needed.  I promptly deposited it and hope to put it towards this weeks medical bills. I always feel like my disorganization goes hand in hand with my debt. So with that said my shredder will be getting a workout these next few days.  I'm also getting rid of a lot of clutter around the house.  Trying to start the new year off right! 

MENU PLAN MONDAY I was motivated this afternoon to plan this week's menu after reading today's post at Cents to Save. I will be pulling out the ol' coupon binder and hope to keep my grocery bill under $100.  Wish me luck! Monday - Chicken broccoli stuffing skillet  Tuesday - Pork Stirfry Wednesday - Meatloaf , salad and gluten free corn bread muffins Thursday - Crab cakes and salad Friday - Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn Saturday - Gluten free spaghetti Sunday - Pork chops and salad **Update - Grocery bill was $134. Kids came along and of course extras made their way into the cart.  Also Christmas clearance lured me in.  Picked up a couple gifts I needed for 5 bucks a piece and a couple of things that can be gifted on Valentine's Day. 

Yesterday, was going swimmingly.  I did some last minute shopping and found some great deals at Kohl's, Justice and CVS.  My husband roasted a turkey and it came out great. Thankfully, I did not need to charge any more gifts on credit. I wasn't feeling well but looking forward to a nice evening with the family at my parent's home.  It went well for a while and I was actually having a good time and laughing.  Unfortunately, conflicts arose and Christmas Eve just went downhill from there.  Needless to say we decided to stay at home today and avoid any more drama.  It doesn't help that everyone seemed to have financial issues and other personal issues. Money never solves problems but I wonder if others were at least addressing their financial issues if then they would be happier with their lives. All I can do is continue moving forward to make a better life for my family. Our Christmas Day went well.  We opened gifts, enjoyed just being around each other and ventured out

Got a bit of money in and paid a lot of bills. Glad to not carry anything over! Resumed shopping for my last few gifts and hope to be done tonight. Family is coming into town and I'm actually happy about it. My siblings and I have a love/hate relationship. Luckily, Christmas brings out the best in me and I am looking forward to seeing them :) I am excited to say I sold an article to a publication. It was my first submission and I'll be putting the money toward medical debt. As a parting gift, I present to you this wonderful little Christmas video :)

Well...whoop di doo!  I pulled out the credit card.  Don't have money coming in till a few days from now and I needed a few gifts to give out today and needed a few more things for the gift packs for the hospital.  Its all done so now I can concentrate on home for the next day and  a half.  I am disappointed but there was no other way.  Oh well...here's a pic that can always put a smile on my face :)

More money going out than coming in :(  Good news is I've resisted the credit tempation...but boy am I tempted.  Bad news is we are running low on the fundage.  I still have about 15 gifts to go...woo frickin hoo! But Friday it will have to be positively absolutely done.  Plus I still have about 10 gift sets to put together for the children's hospital.  I'm actually really excited about that.  I might even post a pic later.  So, moneywise where do I stand.  Status is NO BUENO. 

Since my last post, I've been trying to get some more Christmas shopping done.  Since I'm quickly running out of money, I am tempted to just charge what little I can .  Luckily, I haven't given in. Considering its about 50-55 gifts I have to buy not counting the kids, I am trying to average no more than $10 per gift which is really hard when you actually put some thought into each gift.  I've been using coupons like crazy!  If I can get all remaining gifts with cash that would be amazing.

So only 8 days left to Christmas shop and I am sooooo NOT happy about it.  I have an insanely huge family and we buy a gift for everyone.  Now I know everyone will say "Tell them you can't do it or make your own gifts" but frankly I can't do either.  Its the one time of year we can say we all are sacrificing for each other plus I'm terrible at making things...really terrible. Of course, finances as always are tight, I have been scouring sales and I have done pretty well. I had been reading on a few blogs about the sealed pot challenge which entails sealing a container and saving money until next December.  Did it and hope I don't break down and tear the containers open before March!  As you can see my containers are rather crude and small but I figure I'll keep my goals small and see how long it takes to fill them.  

So here it is...my debt!  Every last bit of it.... Mortgage -              $92,600 Auto Loan-              $23,300 Loan -                       $6797 Credit Card A -          $8293 Credit Card B-           $4932 Credit Card C-           $1975 Credit Card D-           $1855 Credit Card E-           $1265 Credit Card F-           $1007 Credit Card G-          $1245 Credit Card H-          $1131 Medical Bill -             $ 700 Medical Bill-              $ 544 Misc Med Bills-          $ 191 Grand Total----------- $145,835 That definitely is an insane number! But I am determined to bring it under $100,000 by Dec.31,2012.