"Plans"

Oh my goodness!  Just noticed that it has been more than two years since I have blogged.  SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN!  Of course there is the obvious but we won't go down that rabbit hole. 

Since my last blog post, we have continued to simplify our lives and have conquered some big goals.  (I will use that as my "excuse" for being a bad blogger.) I cannot emphasize how much simplifying and de-cluttering our life has been the best thing we could have done.  It was overwhelming and scary at first but we had a "Plan."

We used a very simplified version of debt reduction - something along the lines of Dave Ramsey's program.  We budgeted, moved to smaller digs, shared one vehicle, and used all extra funds to pay on that debt.  It took nearly 8 years but WE DID IT!  All of our credit card debt is paid off!  That was the biggest stress in our hectic lives! 

Our oldest daughter suggested a great plan to our little family to simplify the Holidays: draw names, set a cost limit, Amazon wish lists...  It was and still is a perfect solution to our desire to de-commercialize Christmas and make it about spending time with our family during the season.  Instead of shopping, we bake, make and create other memories. It is a tradition that we love!  

Our "plan" had three prongs:  (1) Pay off all credit card and vehicle debt; (2) Purchase a home and second vehicle; and (3) Pay off home loan in time for retirement.  

While we were in the first phase - the universe had other plans for us. 

The perfect house came on the market and it had everything we wanted.  It was located in the right community, small, renovated, all one level, a music room for the hubster and a sewing room for me.  Even faces north south - which is important in the southwest desert. 

However, we still had about a year to go before all of our debt would be paid off.  We were not ready for the second phase yet....But we just could not let that house go.  

On April 3, 2020, we moved into our new little house.  We could not be happier!!! And it has been a great investment - it has already gone up in value more than we could ever imagine.  

So a little deviation from the "plan" was a good thing.  

In March 2021 we could check off the first part of our "plan".... all of the previous debt was paid!  We were ready to finish out the second part of the "plan" so it was time to look for a second car.  

The hubster researched for nearly a year for a vehicle that would be best for us.  I wanted a Ford.  I came from a Ford family.  His was a Chevy family.  So during our whole 36 year marriage we never owned a Ford. It was almost blasphemous if the "F" word was spoken. 

Until. . . . . . He began to research and boy do we do a lot of researching nowadays!  He found that a Ford Edge would be the best thing for us - even over a Chevy!  I love that he was willing to do that research and be willing to share that with me.  

Guess what??!!  We are the proud owners of a 2019 Ford. Our son-in-law helped us steer away from a new vehicle.  Love that guy! 

It feels good to be in the third phase of our "plan."  

But I cannot help to wonder what the universe will have in store for us....