Money, Money, MONEY

Makes the world go 'round? or go crazy?

I pick crazy.

Here is the reality. Kyle and I don't make a lot of money. Period. I love working in the non-profit sector - I love what I do and where I work. What I don't earn in a paycheck, I receive a million times over in the satisfaction I get from making someone's world a little better. Kyle is a pilot. "What?!," you say, "I thought those pilots on the 747 I fly make lots of money," well, YES, THEY do. But a mid-20-something pilot who doesn't have a degree from a military academy or an "in" with a sweet job, does not make much...at all.  So there you have it. We are happy, but we are broke!

In this post-wedding clarity we have found that making new priorities is much easier than it was before the wedding. Getting total control of our finances and becoming financially secure is our #1 priority. So, in light of this, I am going to write about it!

Step #1: Kyle sold his car! He had a beautiful 2006 VW Passat which was in great condition. He sold it for more than he paid for it! Then, he turned around and paid cash for a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder, which is also in excellent condition! Savings = $200/month.

Step #2: Combining things now that we are married. The first thing we combined was our car insurance. By combining our policies, and Kyle getting an older car, we save $50 a month! Next is our cell phones. My contract is up in September so we will hopefully be saving more then!

Step #3: Changing service providers. First, we opted to leave the Vet we have used for 4+ years. They are very expensive and no longer 1 minute from our house. We are using the Banfield Vet at Petsmart for $25 / month / dog. If we even use this 3 times in one year (not per dog - total) we will come out ahead.

After these.... we are talking about getting rid of our beloved DirecTV and DVR. We are also talking about selling my car and buying something for cash to eliminate ALL car payments. Lastly, we are going to sell stuff! Kyle has already started selling some items on Craigslist, and we will continue to do that as well as have a garage sale this fall.

Writing about this will be fun! It will keep me honest about what works, what doesn't and force me to fess-up when we fall off the saving wagon. Wish us luck!

Till next time...