Paying off debt

Christine's Rules/Thoughts on becoming debt free Rule 1: Be willing to sacrifice. Even if it means living in a small room, which takes away any and all ability to have your own space. Rule 2: Hang on for dear life. There will be moments when you are pushed beyond what you thought capable. And, you will hear yourself or your partner say, Just hang on a little longer. Rule 3: Keep a count down of your debt. Every time you pay down your bills, keep track of it. Post it on the fridge as a constant reminder that all the sacrificing is worth it. Rule 4: After you pay off one part of your debt, take the money that you would normally put toward that bill and put it towards another one of the bills that you are still working on. Repeat. Rule 5: Continually simplify. If it's in a box and you haven't used it in 6 months, chances are you really don't need it. Donate clothes, toys, books, shoes, furniture, etc. that takes up space but is not being used. Rule 6: Talk with others who are going through the same thing. It's easy to feel alone when going through something like this. Allow others' to encourage you. Rule 7: Celebrate after you meet your goals! Give each other a high five, go out to dinner! Find a way to celebrate.

The sound of my heart crashing

Finally, finally Glenn and I both believe that it's time to move on. We are outgrowing our 2 room apartment. Imagine that. We have finally outgrown our 526 square feet. Living on top of each other is getting old. And you know who else is getting older? My two year old! It's hard sharing a room with a little girl who also needs her own space. So, we went yesterday to look at this amazing home. Located on top of a ridge overlooking a valley. It was a beautiful 3 bedroom, two and a half bathroom house. The kitchen was beautiful, there was plenty of storage, a finished basement, a fenced in yard for the dog, and even a place to create a garden. It was perfect for us. Whether we realized it or not, Glenn and I both got our hopes up. And rightly so. It seemed that this home had come into our lives for a reason. It was the perfect place to move. Way beyond all we could have asked for. The right price range, a perfect location, and a beautiful home for a our small family. Had God led us to the perfect home? Imagine the crash that was heard round the world as my heart splattered all over the floor upon hearing a rejection voicemail and reading a rejection e-mail. We knew it was a possibility that the property owner could possibly choose the other couple who had beaten us to seeing the property. Now, they had in fact, beaten us out of the opportunity to live in an unbelievable house, with an unbelievable view. How do you pick up the pieces of expectations?

Wind in my Sail

About two months ago, Glenn and I created a list of "wants." Ya know, things that we would want to have in a house that we rented in the future. The list went something like this- Christine 2-3 bedroom house 2 bathrooms a large kitchen with plenty of counter space walk in closet storage in the basement room for my piano a garage or storage a nice sized living room a nice yard, big enough for our dog Glenn 2 bedroom apartment 1.5 bathrooms basement or alternative storage electric heat utilities included 20 minute commute to work medium to large kitchen a/c heat pump So, I found a home for rent on craigslist that seems to have every single one of these "wants!" Trying so hard to not get my hopes up. Can't wait to see if this is the place. Something in my spirit says, This is it!

The water that broke the camel's back

Water. Simple. To the point. And why does it always seem that you need water when you are without? Our landlord had work done on her pool. Like, a TON of work done on the pool. It was completely drained, power washed with acid, and re-tiled. "Momma, look! The pool is clean!" my two year old cheered as we walked up the stairs one day after school. I had to laugh. We spent most of the summer staring at green water. For some reason, maintaining the correct pH balance for clean and clear water seemed to be impossible for our landlord. We certainly swam in the pool and tried to ignore the fact that it looked more like a pond rather than a beautiful inground swimming pool. Hey, who wouldn't in 98 degree summer heat?! Anyways, the problem with emptying a huge pool of all its water is that sooner or later, it needs to be filled again. So, on one beautiful Saturday morning as I covered my hands with soap and reached to turn on the water, I was shocked to find we had no running water coming out of our sinks. Needless to say, I was NOT happy. My hubby later explained that when the hose is on so that the pool can be refilled, the water pressure for our apartment goes way down. WHAT??? "It's only for a week," he replied. But, I knew better. One week can easily turn into 4 weeks.