Well, both boys are napping and even though I have PLENTY to do around the house... i'm just gonna sit here and blog.
Things lately have really been going well. We have a lot to be thankful for. Trav and I are a great match because we think very similarly on things that actually matter. One of these things is money. Money is a big stresser in adult life. Most of our time is centered around money and what money symbolizes in our society.
Lets back up 4.5 years. When we bought our house (4.5 years ago), I was a CNA, Travis was a bank teller. We were both in school. We had Zuka. No kids. No money. I'm not even sure how we got approved for that loan. But it was a HUGE blessing. We weren't even sure we would be able to make the house payment. Since then, Trav has had approximately 5 promotions. I finished nursing school and have my second nursing job. We have two children. And we still live in that same house. As much as I would looooooove to buy a bigger house in a nicer area, we have GOALS!
We both had to take out student loans for our education. They give you 10 years to pay those loans back but we are definitely not going to take 10 years to do it. Last month we were able to finish paying off Trav's student loans and have started chiseling away at mine. We were going to buy a bigger car and decided to save the money and run our car completely into the ground so that we can pay off debt first. We also wont be getting a different house until we are debt free (other than our mortgage).
We decided to refinance our house and change to a 15 year mortgage. Trav has been trying to get me to do that for a while but I have been a little shy about it. But I think it's going to be great to pay off more every month. It literally is the way to go (if you can afford it obviously).
Trav just got a new job and I totally have to brag on him for a min. There were 180 applicants. 3 interviews. And he got the job. He is seriously amazing. And he got a pay raise along with that. We are feeling so overwhelmed by blessings right now. We truly feel that we have been blessed for living within our means, being happy with what we have, and for our efforts to pay off debt.
I'm so thankful that I got to grow up poor for a while and although I don't want to be stressed about paying the bills, I want my kids to learn to find happiness in things that money cannot buy. There are so many more important things than a big house, fancy car, expensive clothes, big vacations, and just straight up possessions. My parents did an awesome job of teaching us about money and being very open with us, and I hope to do the same with my children.
I feel that a lot of people get help from their parents or in-laws. Maybe with vacations, paying for school, getting into a home, or just straight up paying the bills. This is awesome, but we don't have this luxury. Travis and I always laugh that our parents are "the worst" because we don't get any help. This is a total joke because we are so thankful for our parents and they totally help us out in other ways but they let us figure out money on our own and I am so thankful for that. I think paying for yourself really makes you appreciate it more and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
So here we are, working on our goals and feeling so lucky and blessed for where we are at in life. This has kind of been a ramble session but I am just really counting my blessings. My life is far from perfect but I have a lot of moments when I know I would not change a single thing. <3 br="">
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