My Debt Free Journey Tips

Some of you might know that we have been working towards paying off our debts for the past couple of years. It hasn't been easy, nor has it always been fun, but it is so worth it! I wanted to share some tips that I’ve learned along the way.

My first tip would be to write down (or create a spreadsheet if you’re more tech savvy than I am!) of all of your current debts.  Include interest rates, total amount owed and original total of debt. I like to start with the lowest total at the top and go down from there.  Many of you may have heard of Dave Ramsey’s Debt Snowball approach.  He suggests you pay off the smallest amount first regardless of interest rate.  This accomplishes smaller wins so you stay motivated to keep going. Once you pay off one debt, you take what you were paying to that debt and “snowball” it into your next focused debt. As you pay things off, you will free up more money to put towards your next debt.

My next tip and something that really helped me was writing out all of our bills, debts and income in a calendar each month. My husband gets paid weekly so I could see how much our bills were that week and could put any extra towards debt. Most of our bills come out automatically so this also helped me to visualize when each bill was actually coming out of our bank.

We have had to sacrifice a lot of “extras” but it really hasn’t been too bad. We cut the cable, we downsized to one car, we stick to a budget when it comes to groceries, spending money and eating out. Such small changes have led to big results for our family and I am excited to continue on this journey!

40 Days & Counting!

The smell of the ocean air. 

The sand between my toes. 

The sounds of the waves crashing and my kids laughing. 

The feeling of the sun warming my face.

These are the things that keep me going each and every day between our annual beach vacations to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.  My grandparents are the masterminds behind this trip that we all look forward to so much, and we couldn't be more appreciative to them. There are 21 of us that travel from Kansas City, St. Louis, Cleveland and Winston-Salem to spend a week in paradise together.  By this point (14 years, I believe!) we have the logistics down to a science: the menu is the same each year but updated as needed, the sleeping arrangements, everyone's assigned tasks throughout the week, and helping out with kids or cleaning and cooking whenever needed. It's a well-oiled machine and we absolutely love it. 

The beach itself has a very interesting history and feel to it, compared to many other beach towns I’ve been to in the past. First of all, it is tiny; it is only 4.5 square miles in total and has a population of 550 people.  In the summer months, however, that population increases to 100,000 people weekly. It is a very popular summer destination spot for families especially. It is one of the few beaches that runs east to west, instead of north to south, so we are lucky to get to view some amazing sunrises and sunsets each day. There are some amazing pop-up thunderstorms throughout the week, and one of our favorite past-times is sitting on the covered decks to watch the storms together. There are two grocery stores in town, along with some little coffee and gift shops. 

Our favorite things to do while we are there include visiting the fishing pier, going to the local creamery, catching Blue Crabs along the Intracoastal Waterway, swimming, walking out onto the sandbars to search for seashells and going miniature golfing in town.  It feels like an old beach town, which is part of its charm and appeal.  There aren't a lot of options to distract you from just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful scenery. My husband catches as many crabs as he can during the week so we can all enjoy some fresh, delicious crab cakes! 

Luckily, there are numerous destinations within driving distance if you do want more to do. Myrtle Beach, SC is only a 45 minute drive from Ocean Isle and is a highly commercialized location with lots of shopping, shows and tourist attractions. Bald Head Island is a short drive and ferry ride away with its unique “no cars allowed” policy. People rent golf carts or bikes and cruise around the island with a speed limit of 12 MPH. Wilmington, NC is also only about 45 minutes away and has some really interesting history including the Battleship North Carolina, fun little shops, and some areas where scenes from many television shows and movies have been filmed. 

The countdown is on: 40 days until we get to experience all of this again for a whole week with some of our favorite people. I am so grateful that my kids get to form these memories with family that we love the most. I have a feeling we will be going there for many more years to come!

When did this happen?

Tenley is officially big.

I'm sad.

Wasn't she just born?

8 1/2 months and counting...

Red Barn Farm

Last weekend we ventured to Weston to the Red Barn Farm.  It was the perfect fall day and a fun way to celebrate Dallin's birthday as a family.

6 Months?! Already?

I can't even begin to tell you all that has happened in the past few months! Ok...so maybe I can. But it's a lot.

We moved back to Missouri in April. I got an A.MA.ZING job that I absolutely love at an orthodontist's office in Liberty. Dallin got a job that will help him get through school. We bought a house. Tenley is 6 months old. We bought a car with four doors! Yay.

Life has done a complete 180 for us and we are so grateful.

Tenley is growing up so fast. She is Army crawling now. I can't believe it has already been 6 months. She is the happiest baby.  We love her so much. Pretty sure we are the luckiest.

Tenley Nu'u Alofa Ah-Mu

Clearly I am fashionably late with this post, so please forgive me. I have been busy not sleeping, changing diapers, doing laundry and taking care of this new baby we have welcomed into our lives.

I ended up being induced on Sunday, March 20th. We were blessed to have amazing nurses throughout our eventful stay at the hospital.  Little Tenley's heart rate kept dropping pretty low, so I was lucky enough to get to lay on my right side and have an oxygen mask on the entire time. The doctor kept threatening (ok...so not really threatening, but you get the idea) a c-section if it kept happening.  Luckily everything worked out and she was born on Monday, March 21st at 6:25 pm. She was 19 inches long and a whopping 6 pounds 1 ounce. For all of you who kept telling me that they hoped she looked Samoan, sorry! She is definitely a tiny little thing. Some newborn clothes still don't fit her.

We are very lucky that she is such a good baby. She usually only wakes up twice during the night and is fairly content to just hang out with us during the day. We have loved getting to know her little personality so far and can't wait to watch her grow up.  Here are some pictures from the first two weeks of our little Tenley's life.

                                                              

                                                    

                                                      

                                         

                       

The Countdown

Today is my due date.

Still no baby.

At my appointment tomorrow, I am going to make a request to be induced this weekend.  I am sure that my doctor will accommodate my wishes right? I'll keep telling myself that. Cross your fingers for me.