Turquoise Major It's a great motivator! Welcome to the challenge. 😄

Grey Tux Wahoo!!!!!!! That's progress!!

farfromtheusual Yes!  I'm excited!  Though 1) it makes me want to go faster to pay them off but I have to make sure I maintain a balance (I have a coworker who before I got them on YNAB would go short every month and have to borrow from friends for food/etc because of paying too much debt! 😲) and 2) I'm going to be bummed when I get the "fast" ones paid off and just have the mortgage left...  My debt freedom date is Dec 2024 but if I can keep going I'll have the credit card and truck paid off in 2020.  That last is going to be a long slog....  😅  

Grey Tux WOOT! Yes, being careful to not over extend on the debt repayment is really important, and only leads to more debt down the road. As a horse trainer once said 'slow and right beats fast and wrong'

Grey Tux Congratulations on paying off that personal loan, and moving the end date up a whole month. Wow! 🎉

Nicole Thanks!!  :)  

rushiec 

Yay!  And now perhaps you'll add a Kids' Activities category if you don't have one now, esp. if they have expensive hobbies or activities.  Like band trips - now you know, you won't know how much or when they'll happen but you know there will be another one, so now you can start budgeting for them or budgetting more to the category to help reduce the "oh crud, I have to come up with how much by when?"

Like I know middle kitten will need orthodontics.  I don't know when or how much.  But to date I have $1000 saved up.  I know my cost for orthodontics is going to be much higher, but having $1000 out of $2800 of my cost is waaaaay nicer than trying to come up with $2800 in a couple months.  If my kids played sports or anything where there's travel or other major expenses involved, my kids' activities line would be much higher than $100 a month.  But they don't do a lot of paid after-school activities so right now I don't budget more.  Like if I had them in martial arts or hockey, I'd be budgeting a lot more each month.  

Skeettafic Oh those new animals! We added a puppy to our family in February, and it had a similar impact on the budget. 😉 Slow & steady progress is fantastic, and sustainable.

Hooray! Nice job, Kim Laskey . All of your hard work is paying off!

Orchid Display You can do it!

Isn't it nice to clearly see how aspects of the long term plan relate and are actionable? I love the way YNAB helps make this more concrete.

Orchid Display Sometimes your priorities and needs change, so your budget will too! I'm glad to hear you were able to make it to your destination safely, and enjoyed the family visit—despite the car troubles.

I love that you set a new goal, and are sticking with the challenge! You've got this.

Hot Pink Admiral Those break-downs can be eye-opening! Seeing when you're spending more on groceries and tying it to why can help target grocery needs on a schedule. Here's to finding trends that help with that reduction! :)

rushiec That's exciting stuff right there!!

Maroon Ink WTG!!! 

Slate Blue Vacuum said:
as long as we keep moving, we can't fail right?

 You got that right.  You're in the worst stretch right now. It gets better. 

Budget-ish Great progress!

WairereRose I like that perspective "Anything can happen.". I have had to pull back these last two months from an unexpected move but I'm not going to give up my goal just yet either :)

ecr250 

That is just awesome.  I'm looking forward to your September post.

HappyDance Thank you!

SiruhTheSantas I also dug deeper into Net Worth. Like you I was discouraged by the lack of significant changes to net worth but I realized that due to using the credit card for almost all of our spending, the balance on that card could be high at month end making net worth changes seem small while actual debt is chipping away. I am going to ignore net worth in YNAB for now and use the balances from undebt.it to follow my progress.

 MXMOM I'm also using my credit cards for most of my spending (for those wonderful rewards points haha), so maybe that's why my net worth is always so painful to look at. Do you use undebt.it as a supplement to YNAB? I love the YNAB model and it's definitely helped a ton at keeping me on-budget (for the most part), but this spreadsheet is pretty much the only way I'm able to accurately keep track of my overall progress and I wouldn't mind having another way of seeing it!

SiruhTheSantas undebt.it is awesome for the debt portion. You can connect to YNAB by paying for the premium version (which is actually pretty cheap at $12 per year), or use the free version and update manually. I think you get a free trial of premium when you first sign up. I use the free version mainly because I don't track my regular credit card there since I use it like a bank account and I don't use my cards that I am paying off to purchase things. I find that the YNAB credit card approach works great when using the card as a bank card vs credit (it moves the money to the credit card payment budget).

Pixel spender And just to note as well, my net worth has gone up over $2000 since November last year, so I feel accomplished a couple of different ways.  :)

MartyH So sorry to hear about your dog. I know how painful that can be.

MartyH My condolences for your loss! A few years ago, I sought vet treatment for my dog who was sick - they gave me antibiotics, assured me it was nothing major and he passed away the very next morning. The vet apologized and reversed the charges. It didn't bring my pup back, but it was one less thing to worry about in the aftermath.

MartyH Hugs. I am at the point with our dog where each medical concern will have to be addressed as a financial decision for the long term. I know that if I could throw money at it and be assured he would be better than new, I would probably do it. But unfortunately that is not going to be case.

For those with pets, I will say that having pet insurance is great if you are not self insured with emergency savings. My dog is a sock eater and had 3 surgeries (plus other treatments over the years). The vet uses me as the poster child for having insurance. Total payout over the 13 years has been well over $10,000. 

Sure we have paid that in premiums over the years so we are probably even when it comes to net cost over the years. But insurance is for peace of mind, especially when you don't have the money.  Yes, it is a stupid expense. Yes, you shouldn't get a dog if you can't afford it. Yes, you could put money aside into an emergency fund each month and keep the money (this is what I would do if I ever get another dog but this requires a fully funded emergency fund in case the pet emergency wipes out the pet emergency fund). 

MartyH Do you have a low interest rate on that Amex? Every little bit helps!

MXMOM zero percent for my balance transfer last year and for purchases until Jan 2020.  So a lot of expenses are going on that now so I can be sure I can avoid interest on the card that I normally use for the 2% reward.

Madkat-Z Hitting your goal in September? That's great! And leaves you a good amount of time to push that envelope - I can't wait to see just how far above you go! :)

internettie you'll get there eventually. We all fall off the wagon now and then (Myself included, not looking forward to the next update either), you just have to climb back on and keep working at it. Kudos to you for the extra funds that you are bringing in. Every little bit helps!

farfromtheusual thanks! I have to remind myself that I was always taking steps backward prior to this past year and at least now I'm taking a lot of steps forward in between those steps backward. I will keep plugging away until I reach my goals. Then I'll set new goals! Every little bit does help.

internettie very true - it didn't happen overnight, and it's not going to shift overnight. What's important is the awareness and always refocusing when things get slippery!

farfromtheusual I've been on that slippery slope so many times that you'd think I'd see it coming. lol One day. One day. 

internettie eventually you just get better and better at anticipating it, and then things smooth out a lot. It takes a while, especially if you haven't been using YNAB for all that long. It takes a solid year + to REALLY get a good handle on the rhythm and flow of the normal things, let alone dealing with the bumps in the road.

farfromtheusual I've been using YNAB for 10 years! I mostly used it as a tracker, not as a budget tool. I was in an abusive relationship until 2015 and money was a constant issue. About a year ago I finally was in a place physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially, to use YNAB as intended - TO BUDGET! I know it will take time. I have nothing but time now to turn things around. I have lots of emotional stuff to work through when it comes to money, but I'm doing it. I'm further along than I ever was before. 

internettie That's fantastic!
And I would say even though you've used YNAB for that long if you weren't really working into the future with it, then it's a "new" tool. The only up side is that you've already got the history there, which a large part of what makes learning YNAB tricky - you don't have the history to be able to ask questions of to figure out how to handle the budgets. So you can go in and look up to see how much you've spent on average on groceries, or the power bill, or any number of other really interesting things to get a bigger picture of what you need each month just to keep the normal stuff covered. When you don't have that history it's really hard to plan.
Kudos to you for getting out of the bad relationship. That isn't easy, and takes time to get yourself sorted out. I know reading Money: A Love Story helped me to deal with a lot of how I *thought* about money, which changed how I responded to  money (or not having money, or having debt). The mindset work is so important. A tool like YNAB is great, but if you can't shift your mindset around things, then your use will still remain the same... you'll just be able to see it in black and white :)
I think you're on the right track for sure!

internettie  wow 10 years! They should give

you a free year to celebrate. And congratulations on moving forward with your life  luckily I’ve never been in that situation but one of my best friends was and it was A long and lonely struggle for her. So again, yay you!!!!

farfromtheusual having years of YNAB history was definitely a help. I was married for 27 years when I left. I didn't know that what was happening was abuse. It was only when he threatened to get rid of or harm my dogs that I got the courage to leave. The first year after leaving was a nightmare. The second year after leaving was so much better because I had my foster pup, Addie the Wonder Hound. I was still taking care of someone else though. Once Addie went to her forever home I finally had time to grieve all my losses and focus on me for the first time in 57 years! The next year was a transition year, moving back to Colorado from Maine, living with Lisa and her family for 6 months, then moving into my apartment and community. It really wasn't until last summer that I was settled enough to figure out what I wanted my life to be. I feel like a newbie at just about everything. I was so sheltered for decades in my marriage. Now I'm making up for lost time. At first that meant a lot of spending, but then I realized that doing that wasn't in my best interest. I'm learning every day what is best for me. It will take time but at least I'm working at it now. And I don't have anyone to sabotage my progress, except for me. lol I'll check my library for Money: A Love Story. Sounds interesting! I know that it's the emotional stuff that holds me back. I have the tools (YNAB) and the motivation to technically do a budget, but I get in my own way too often. It's happening less often now though, so that's progress. I feel like I am on the right track and it feels good!

MXMOM I did get a YNAB t-shirt which I covet! I know how lucky I am to get one. I used YNAB for 10 years but I've only been LIVING YNAB for about a year now. I still feel like a newbie. lol The last four years of my life have been full of struggles and obstacles but I have been able to get through them all so far. Now it's time to work on the finances. It's a whole new world for me being on my own but I'm the happiest I have ever been. It's not easy all the time but it's SO much better than any of the time I had before leaving. I hope your friend is doing okay and finding her way. It's not an easy road but worth all that you have to go through. Thanks for the encouragement and support! 

internettie wish there was a LOVE button (instead of just like).😄

internettie What an amazing story! It sounds like you're totally on the right track, and there really is something to be said when all the wins and losses are a direct result  of how you choose to handle things. It means you can't hide behind someone else's choices, but it also means you get to take FULL credit when things DO go right! And it sounds like you've been on an upward trend now for a while, even if progress feels slow. Keep on keeping on!

ecr250 WAHOOO!! That has to feel fantastic!

ecr250 Congratulations! That is so exciting! Great job!

ecr250 Congratulations!! Ahead of schedule and your car is all yours now! 🚘

Faness Thank you!

ecr250 they always ride better when they're paid for!  Congrats!!

ecr250 Not having a car payment is an awesome feeling!  This time next month you will really be able to relate.