Thank you everyone for the kind words. I decided to go ahead and re-plug in numbers to my budget.

It is going to be tight for a bit but it looks like around the start of June the purse strings are going to be able to be loosened a bit so that I can maybe even knock out the last of that crappy revolving credit card debt. Or put more than a few bucks toward retirement.

We decided to tackle one bill early so I will have an extra 440 to throw at that balance between here and there if not more.

I'm just glad that I took the steps I did or I would be in a really not fun situation at the moment.

Aside from re-configuring the budget. I did a look back at last years situation to see how things have improved.

Issues I had 4/15 that I don't have 4/16
- I didn't have a job. I was temping for the company I now work full time for.

- I was iffy about my car even though it was paid off. I have since traded in that car for a lease on a new car which was so low I was able pay it off all at once and continue not having a monthly car payment.

- I was dreading a rent increase and trying to figure out how to save for a house. I have a house now.

- I had an old medical bill in collections. I paid this off early this year.

- I knew I had to get my teeth fixed after years of neglect. I have since gone and taken care of all the issues. This work is also paid off.

- I had a part time job that stressed me out and kept increasing in hours. I was plotting how and when I could dump it. I have since quit. Life is easier now.

Of course I have new issues:

-I have to figure out what to do about the next car

-I have to see the dentist for routine keep-ups to keep my teeth in good shape

-The house still needs some work done which we need to budget for (less than 5K at this point)

-I need to rebuild my emergency fund after it funded so many emergencies.

-The house needs its own fund for routine maintenance things like: Eventual roof replacement, hardwood floor coating for the floor every 5 years, and a plumbing structure that will need to be replaced in 2 years or so.

-Kids will probably be coming into the picture in the next few years in a way truly negating any debt payoff progress.


Either way though, I'm hopeful. It seems things do get crazy but I have been handling them okay. Preparing for them as well as I can and trying to make whatever the best financial decision is that I can. Now I guess I just have to see about possibly increasing my income (without another part-time job) so I can knock out some debt and build up some wealth.