Showers of Blessings

***I realize this is a weird way to come back to blogging - there's about 5-6 months of really fascinating details from my life that needs to be documented, but this is what needs to be proclaimed right now.***

It is not a secret that I struggle with budgeting. I believe I've mentioned it a time or two in "year in review" and "about me" posts. It's something I know the value and importance of but have never succeeded in putting to practice. Several things have happened in the last couple months that brought to mind the parable of the talents.

A couple months ago, our dear friends invited us to live in their finished basement and we moved in the beginning of last month. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to focus on paying down our debts and build up a nest egg. 

We want to make the most of this time we have, so a couple weeks ago we sat down and focused on our budget and debt snowball. We were encouraged to see we could be debt-free (with the exception of a student loan we're still trying to get all the details about) by August 2016.

We then opened the first of what we thought was a medical bill. Inside was a reimbursement check for an overpayment I had made. The check was for $1.24 more than an unanticipated dental bill Jason had received a call about the day before. We had been budgeting for 5 minutes and were already winning!

The following week I had my annual review at work, where I received a 5% wage increase that will be retroactive to August 24, which is my hire anniversary. When I came home, there was an envelope holding another unexpected check for our refundable apartment deposit. (I have lived in several apartments and have never received my deposit back, no matter how spotless I have left the unit, so this was incredibly surprising.) Suddenly, we were ahead of the game.

I want to build an altar here in this place of how God is providing for us. We recognize the blessings that have come our way and we want to be good stewards of the resources we have been entrusted with. For the first time in a very long time we are caught up on all our bills, can put extra towards our debts, have made tithing a priority and don't feel like we're suffocating. We're still far from being debt-free, but in light of last week's events our debt free date has moved up to January 2016 (with the same caveat as above) and suddenly doesn't seem so unattainable.

Transitions & Things

There's been a lot of change and chaos in the Bentley household as of late. In short, our house has been in a constant state of recovery after the July rainstorm, all our office and kitchen things have been piled in our bedroom and living room, I've been working two part-time jobs, and we've been housing friends and family nearly every weekend since May.  My mantra this summer has been, "Two more weeks, you can survive anything for two more weeks."

Two weeks ago, I accepted the Campaign and Donor Records Coordinator position at Adventist Medical Center Foundation. This is the job I have been filling in at and was honored they invited me to interview and ecstatic when they called the next morning after my evening interview to offer me the position. For the first time since graduation I feel like I can breathe again. Our finances have been stressful and this is just the boost we needed.

During the last two weeks of transition, as I look at my piles of laundry and pile of things in the living room, I feel the chaos of my surroundings permeating my being. The more the stuff sits, the more I begin to wonder if I really need it. And really want it gone. I've been reading minimalist and simple living blogs trying to figure out how to go about downsizing and simplifying my life. I like peace and clean lines, but you'd never know it looking at my house (or desk) right now.

As part of our transition to a DINK household (double income, no kids), something we haven't been for a couple years, we are taking a hard look at our finances and our lifestyle. We want to expand our family in the next couple years and as a caveat to that we really want to ingrain healthy habits - both physical and financial - now by paying down our debts and making exercise a staple in our routine. 

One option we are looking at is leaving our 2 bed/1.5 bath townhouse in the suburbs for a 1 bed/1 bath apartment closer to my new job. It's easier for me to take public transit and the commute for Jason from the places we're looking at are shorter than what I will be driving starting next week. I love my townhouse and am both excited and terrified of downsizing. 

I want simplicity back in my life, I want those clean lines and a place for everything. I want to reach in a drawer and get exactly what I'm looking for. The difficult part is deciding what to let go of and what to hold on to. I'm starting small - a drawer here, a cupboard there, a closet - and slowly but surely freeing myself of things. You can do anything for a year, and if moving to a small house is what is best for us at this time I have no fear that we will be happy in our new little nest - wherever that may be.

On the Road to Financial Peace

Budgeting. It's something that strikes fear into the hearts of many or is something we aim to do, but always put off until we have more money. Ironically, the lack of budget is usually what prevents us from having money in the first place.

Three years ago the boy and I began our marriage with a plan to set a budget. Then the boy lost his job. Then the car needed work. Then my student loans came due. Then I went back to school. A job loss or two more and more student loans and we soon found ourselves in the position so many Americans do: the race to keep up, living paycheck to paycheck. And not knowing where our paychecks were going in the first place.

The one blessing that has come out of this last week is the two of us sat down with all of our bills, our paychecks, and a calculator. We wrote down every bill - its average cost if it fluctuates - and what day it is due. We also broke down bills, like our car insurance which we pay every six months, to a month-to-month rate. We totaled everything and held our breath. To our great surprise, our net was much larger than we thought it was. (Three times what I thought it was, actually.)

After determining our net, we budgeted every cent for food, car payment (the Cavalier is paid off, but we plan on replacing it since it is not running safely now and costs more to repair than replace), gas, cat care, and savings.

We have watched two friends pay off debt greater than ours in two or three years, so we knew it was possible, but didn't realize how possible it really was. Honestly, we were so blinded by our debt we couldn't see clearly to make a plan. The car disaster gave us the motivation we needed to stop complaining and take control of our financial situation.

Our future is looking much brighter. Yes, there will be cutbacks. We don't have an entertainment budget for at least three months, which will be difficult, but three months to get ahead is not so very long. As Dave Ramsey says on the bottom of every page in his book, "If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."

We're starting our journey to financial peace and this first step is very freeing.