Yay me!

I've updated all the tickers at the bottom for the month of March. I find myself thinking about this debt CONSTANTLY! When I had to draw on the line of credit last fall, it really knocked the wind out of my sails. I kinda fell off the blogging wagon and quit updating. Right now I'm trying to balance all my goals of wanting to pay extra towards the debt, wanting to put as much as I can in the Roth, and saving some money back to pay cash for some upcoming expenses.

I think I've finally (at least for today) resolved to be happy if I can pay a total of $10,000 towards the debt balances this year. For the first 3 months, the debt has decreased $2,407.35 so I'm not too far off track to meet that goal. It's not exactly gazelle-intense, but I'm really hoping to get through the summer without borrowing any more money!

As soon as ING credits my accounts tomorrow night for the March interest, I'll be able to finish my spreadsheet for how much the net worth has been funded this year. Maybe I'll also decide how much I can "afford" to part with to send to the Roth IRA. Or maybe not....since Uncle Sam is giving me until April 15 to figure that one out!

Not much to say

Well, I probably have alot to say...I just have trouble finding time to put my thoughts into the written word. We are hanging on right now. My husband is living at a sober house, going to lots of AA meetings and spending lots of time helping his very sick brother. He visits me and the kids, but isn't staying here. I am proud of his progress, but there are still many issues to be resolved.

Life is crazy. Tax season is in full swing, dance competition season has started for my daughter, and my 5 yr. old has his first spring soccer game tomorrow!

I did open a new Roth IRA account at Sharebuilder! I've only transferred $400 to it so far, but I'm very excited about opening this account. Mutual funds are okay, but I'm excited about having part of my Roth in individual dividend-paying stocks and not worrying about what cut the mutual fund managers are taking out of my returns. Sharebuilder also reinvests all your dividends, and there are no fees for IRA's!

I also updated ALL the tickers at the bottom of this blog. Hopefully, I can keep them updated even if I don't have time to write a blogpost.

Being a single mom

My husband had another terribly bad drinking binge. As advanced as his alcoholism is, these binges are terribly dangerous for his physical health. After 10 days in the hospital getting over the DT's, the hallucinations, he is once again admitting his powerlessness. He is not living at home. I can't keep putting our kids through the chaos. I've had to make lots of schedule changes and arrange additional child care. But we're getting by one day at a time.

DEAL for TODAY ONLY! My Headstart on Christmas shopping

Well, not really the shopping part...but getting my Amazon.com gift cards lined up and ready to use when I do start. I already have $5 from cashing in Swagbucks so far, but today's deal at LivingSocial is a $20 gift card for only $10.

I probably did 90% of my shopping for the kids at Amazon. You can catch some awesome deals, their service is top notch, and I don't have to fight the crowds. I even caught a great deal on a Wii game last December while I was browsing emails during a continuing education class....and was able to order from my phone and get those coveted hours to keep my license at the same time!

2010 Ending Balance - Chase Card #1

HUGE SIGH! If my readers have all forgotten me, I wouldn't blame them. I am really trying to stay focused on my goals, and spare time is just non-existant!

But I'm home today since schools are closed, and I found a minute to update this balance.

In August, 2009 the balance on this card was $6,698.00

Total paid through December 2010: $1,724.91

Ending balance = $4,973.09

2010 Ending Balance - Primary Mortgage

So I guess I should get back to getting the loans updated! WOW! I have been so busy, but other than a sick boy it's all good. I've made great progress on getting the office part of my dungeon deep cleaned and decluttered. Still have a long way to go to get the scrapbook/crafting side organized, but I'm loving the progress so far!

This is the mortage on our residence. This loan was refinanced in 2008 with a 4.5% fixed rate, but there are 28 years, 5 months remaining.

In August, 2009 when I started tracking the pile of bills, the balance on this baby was $254,984.88.

Total paid = $ 5,610.84

Balance today = $249,374.04

So glad we've crossed below the 250K threshold, but it still feels strange to know you owe a quarter of a million on your house!!!

The 2011 Bucket List

I'm listing ALOT here....most of which is not finance related, but life isn't all about finance. And I could have unlimited wealth and still not be satisfied. At least that's what I've been told. LOL

Personal Goals:

Health - Exercise 3 times a week whether it's walking the neighborhood, riding bikes with the kids, or playing Just Dance on the Wii. Make appointments for overdue health exams. Be conscious of finding healthy alternatives when I'm looking for something to stuff in my body.

Time Management - The most recent time-sucker has been playing games on Facebook, so as of yesterday I am only allowing myself online gaming time between 11PM and 6:30AM. If I happen to sleep through the entire time slot, so be it. More likely, I'll be up at 5:30AM like I was today. I just need to know when to make myself stop!!

Family Goals:

Marriage - Continue to work on rebuilding our marriage. We had a pretty rough 2010 (and 2009 for that matter). My husband is working his program one day at a time. I just need to keep working on letting go of resentments and fears.

Children - Be intentional with spending time together. Savor these last few months with my preschooler. He'll be starting kindergarten in just a few short months, and this is precious time never to be regained. My daughter will be turning 9 in just a few days, and it's hard to believe that her time at home before college is almost HALFWAY GONE!!! Make sure I say "yes" more than "no" to building Legos and baking cookies and the endless list of requests.

Professional Goals:

Use our current office remodeling project as incentive to declutter and organize my workspace better. Approach our shift to a paperless environment with a positive attitude instead of the fear that grips my chest. Become more of an expert in IRAs. I'm kind of the go-to gal for pension and IRA questions in our firm, but there is so much more I could learn instead of just knowing where to look it up.

Spiritual Goals:

Continue my journey in Al-Anon. Continue building relationships with others who attend our place of worship. Bite the bullet and take my kids to church even when I'm too worn out, 'cause I always get something out of it. Pray more often.

Home:

Over the course of the year, go through every nook and cranny of this entire house including all three attic areas decluttering, deep cleaning and re-organizing. I've already mapped out a schedule and January is the month to tackle the office/craft room which could also be called the dungeon! Work on organizing photos and scrapbook at least 25 pages during the year.

Financial:

Start over with my goal to fund the Net Worth by $15,000 during the year.

A longtime friend shared this verse on Facebook yesterday. So fitting for the New Year!

Thus says the Lord...."Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth." Isaiah 43: 16, 18-19