The farm and farmhouse

Put $50 towards goat payment and I forgot the lady owed me $50 so I only need to come up with another $150 and that will be all covered!

Put back $50 for car payment.

Paid all the utility bills, and also paid an extra payment on the propane.

We signed up for budget billing this year to lock in a lower rate per gallon. Instead of being hit with the $3-$4 per gallon rate over the winter, now we are locked in so the rate cant exceed $2 I believe. Hurray!

They figured up how much we would use based on our first year though, which was like 800 gallons because we didnt have drywall up so most of it was leaking out. This past year we only used around 400 gallons.

So I talked them into lower payments based on the smaller amount, and told them if I happened to use more than that I would just pay the balance up front. The payments arent suppose to start until June, but I always put the money back monthly, so I just sent my normal budget amount to them as an extra payment this month. That way I will have a buffer in case we do use more than I expect.

Ace Hardware was running a buy 1 get 1 free on paint.

We went and got 4 gallons. So we spent $100 but saved $100, and we were going to have to buy the paint soon anyway, so Im thankful for the savings.

Not much progress here. Went shopping the last 2 weekends, and trying to play catch up.

I did get some AWESOME deals shopping on Saturday though. Got over $120 worth of clothes at Kohls for $30, and got back $10 in Kohls cash. So $20 total really.

Put $50 in animal fund.
Put $50 back for car payment.

Payment posted today bring my total mortgage down to $50,431.08!

Getting close to my goal of $50,000. I am sure I am going to go way past it by the end of the year, which is great.

Borrowing an idea from another blogger on here I created my own house chart to be a visual motivator on how much I have left.

Click on the picture to make it larger.

Text is and Link is http://imgur.com/wlUGNCK

I have a $500 payment to give to grandpa when I see him on Wednesday. Bringing my total owed to $2,000 on the Neon.

Father-in-law found an engine for my Cobalt finally. It is $900 with 100k miles on it. Which is not as good as I had hoped, but we are having trouble finding engines, so we may just buy it and be done with it.

We are FINALLY putting up trim in our house. We are making it ourselves, and we stained the first couple pieces on Saturday and I must say they are quite beautiful. I am impressed.

But atlas when we were measuring the windows I noticed that one of our new windows has a crack in it. GR. I called the installer today and told him I want it fixed. He is suppose to call me back. But it is probably going to slow down putting our trim up. I was hoping to get it up tomorrow.

Paid mortgage today. I will update numbers when it goes through tomorrow.

Two posts in one day. Sorry!

Currently I just have my 4 big goals for the year. I think to help keep my motivated I am going to start breaking them up into monthly goals so I can make sure I stay on track, and have little victories.

Recently my focus has been putting every dollar towards car payments, but I think I need to change a bit. I would like the car payment gone, but realistically once I get the Cobalt fixed and sell it, it will pay off my current car loan on the Neon anyway. Besides the car loan is interest free, and has no real scheduled payment, although I was trying to pay $500 a month.

I have other things that are needing attention that are more pressing. Our trip is at the end of June. I have to come up with another $300 to pay for the goats I bought, and we also need $500 for gas and spending money.

We just got our LOC so Im going to have to start making payments on that as well. Plus my savings have been lacking. So Im going to cut back on the car payment. I still have my next $500 to pay him on Wednesday, but my June payment will most likely be smaller.

So for the month of May here are my goals!

1.) Put $250 towards car loan.
2.) Save $150+ for goat purchases.
3.) Save $250 for our trip.
4.) Any extra goes to LOC or Animal Fund.

I spent a lot yesterday. I took my mom out for dinner and shopping for her birthday. I had a big list of stuff I needed to buy. But I did thrifty shopping, and it was all needed stuff so Im trying not to worry about it too much.

I bought 4 shirts for a total of $30. (All resale)

I bought mom a Bluetooth for her birthday for $50 but dad pitched in $20, so total $30.

Both sets of our sheets had holes in them, a new set like we had was $50. So instead I went to Ross and got 2 sets for $15 each.

Bought all the stuff we need to start working on our trim. Sand paper, brushes, clothes, stain, poly, etc. It cost $125 after I used a 10% off coupon. Will be put on the LOC.

Bought a $3 vase at a thrift store.

Used $25 of our grocery money and went to Sams and got some items. (We have been going under grocery budget lately, hurray!)

The good news is, another goat had kids, completing our unexpected spring kidding. I counted them yesterday and all told I have $1,200 worth of goats that are sold right now, plus 3 babies that I am keeping. And perhaps another goat or two I am considering selling. Not bad!

Now I need to hurry up and get the other bred for more fall babies.

Our LOC went through today.

I think it is weird how you get money out, but Ive never had one before. You have to call the bank and tell them how much money you need, and then they transfer it to your checking account.

That is a pain if your going to purchase something at a store and you have no clue how much it is going to cost. Or if it is out of regular banking hours, which is when I do ALL my shopping.


To simplify things I think I will just buy what I need on my credit card. Then the next day I can call the bank, transfer to checking, then pay the credit card online.

Does that make sense? Not only will I not have to worry about calling the bank before buying the items, but I will also get 1% back. Also if I wanted to wait until the statement was due on the credit card before paying it with the LOC I would get one month interest free technically.

Has anyone else done it like this?

Excited to purchase some of our trim tomorrow! Its a long overdue project.

My parents are paid in full! Hurray!

I also put back $200 for the next car payment. I will give him $500 next week.

We were denied from the snobby bank for the 2% HELOC. Our credit score was good, but they said we didnt have enough credit history established because we have paid back all our loans too quickly. *eye roll*

Well I am sorry I dont like being in debt...

They offered to refinance my house though? I was like, heck no. If you wont give me a loan for a couple thousand there is no way I am going to give you my business for our mortgage.

I walked right into the other nicer bank, and told our loan officer I wanted a LOC and he said, how much?

They are much nicer to work with, I should have went there in the first place. He approved me on the spot. There is a price to pay though. The interest rate is 6.5%. But its just a LOC not a HELOC so Im not taking away from my equity. And with the small amount we are borrowing, really its only a couple extra dollars a month.

I HATE taking out a loan. But I am also excited to get some much needed projects done on the house.

School is almost done, and then I will start drumming up some freelance jobs to help keep working on our goals. We have been on a stand still for a while now.

Just for cuteness factor here are a couple pictures of the unexpected surprise!





It doesn't get much cuter than that!

Received another freelance payment.

Put $100 in animal fund, and saved $100 for car payment.

Had a big surprise a couple days ago. I am getting ready to breed the goats that didnt take last fall, so I had to give each one their shots and health check. Well when I was holding down one I could have sworn I felt a baby in her belly, but I just laughed it off and thought I was crazy.

The buck I used last year got really sick during breeding season, so I figured he didnt do his job. I even pregnancy tested one of the does he was suppose to be bred to and it came back negative. So I just considered the season a loss.

Well I came home from work the other day, and low and behold there was a baby... From the doe that tested negative... ?? Im guessing that the result didnt come back correct because they have to be so far along for it to work, and he must have bred her right at the end.

Well that made me suspicious. So I felt again on the doe which I thought I felt a baby, and also the other goat he was bred too... Pregnant!

Looks like I will be having babies after all! Hurray!

Sold my first goats of the year.

I spent $100 on fencing, and put the rest in the animal fund.

Still waiting on payment for one of them. Once that goes through, I will have the cash to pay my parents back the rest of what I owe them. Whoot!

I check on the estimated value of my house from time to time on Zillow. Im not sure how close it really is although when we got our appraisal 2 years ago it was spot on.

Well checking today it said the value has went up close to $13,000 in the last month!

That puts the estimated value at just a little under double of what we bought it for! Wow!

That is amazing for an old farm house that was destined to be torn down before we saved it.

We do more work on it all the time, so the value will continue to go up. I feel we made a great financial move, even though at the time we were not sure if we were ready.

I finally sent my two state taxes. I may get one back, because it wouldnt let me submit it online, so Im guessing something is wrong with it.

Today was a good payday. I paid off my credit card, paid the $63 I owed for taxes, paid the $75 electric work, paid all our utilities, bought $40 worth of materials for our house improvement projects, and I still have $100 left to put back for my next car payment!

Speaking of house improvement. We finally built our first raised garden bed. We planted tomatoes and peppers. Hoping to build another one and plant several kinds of berries and some onions. Just waiting to save up another $30 to build it.

Too bad it is suppose to get down to 30s tonight. Now I will have to find a way to cover them.

We applied for the HELOC on Saturday. Should find out today if we got accepted.

I guess I forgot to post about the loan we are considering.

Getting a HELOC has been in the plan for a long time. We are going to get one to remodel our house hopefully next year. But we actually need some sort of loan right now, so I figure if we get the HELOC now we will use the same one for our remodel.

I have delayed getting a loan as long as possible, but I just dont see a way to go around it.

There are several big expenses that are needed asap. I thought I had talked about it before, but I guess not. lol.

The big expenses that need to be taken care of are:

1.) Put up goat fencing. $3,000 (By June)
2.) Pay for car repair. $1,500 (This month)
3.) Buy new computer. $1,500 (ASAP)
4.) Pay for goat trip. $1,00 (By June)

The fencing is a MUST have. It has to be put in before I go to pick up my new goats in June. I will have goats to sell that will cover the cost, but I wont get the money until Fall.

Cobalt needs fixed so I can sell it. Again I will get my money back from it, but I cant sell it until it is fixed. So need money to make money, as they say.

I need a new computer. Mine is dead. I have been doing my freelance jobs, at my computer at my work. But it does not have some of the programs I need to use, so it is very limited. Plus I cant do it at home. Im to the point now, where I cant really take anymore jobs until I get a new computer. And if I am going to buy a new computer for web design, I am getting a nice one that will work for a while. I have been putting it off for years and years, but it just isnt going to work anymore.

Goat trip is in June. I should have enough cash by then, but it is still a big expense that needs taken care of.

We are looking at getting some sort of loan for $5,000. All extra money would be cash flowed to pay it off, along with profit from goat sales, freelance jobs, and selling my Cobalt. I have no doubt we could pay it off in a couple months.

If anyone has ideas to cash flow these big expenses instead of taking out a loan I am all ears. Ive thought and thought, and I just dont know what else to do.

Finally getting somewhere with my debts.

Freelance check was bigger than I was expecting. Besides giving grandpa a car payment, I am able to pay back $250 to my parents and pay $100 to the mechanic for the work he has already done. Whoot.

Got the Electrical Work bill. $75. A little higher than I was expecting, but Im just glad to have it done. I should be able to cash flow that on Monday.

Tomorrow we may stop by the bank and see about the HELOC deal they are running. 2% for 6 months then 4% afterwards. We have to find out all the fees, and how often it goes up and all that fun stuff.

Even if it is a good deal I am not sure we will get accepted. That bank is pretty snobbish, and I dont really think our credit scores will qualify. But we can try I guess. Otherwise we will have to get a 10% personal loan from the other nicer bank.

Finally got paid for some of my freelance work.

Giving $300 to grandpa on tomorrow to bring my car loan down to $2,500.

Mortgage payment hit, new balance $50,592.64.

The mechanic said he would put in a new engine for $400-$500 counting the work he has already done. The couple we have found have been around $1,000 although we are still looking and hoping for the $700 range.

So it looks like if everything goes smoothly I can get the Cobalt in good shape for $1,500 or less. Whew.

I recently got a credit card offer from Discover. I use Capital One, but was seriously considering switching because of the free credit score they give you monthly. Well when I logged into Capital One today I was surprised to see that they offer this same service now!

My score is 721. Which is the same score Credit Karma gives me. But I do not think that is right, because I went to my bank and got my credit score pulled about 2 or 3 months ago and he told me it was only 690. So I am not sure it could have jumped that month. Gr. That means it really wont give me an accurate reading. But it will still help me see when my score goes up. I will just remember to subtract 20 to 30 points from it.

I got word back from the mechanic on my Cobalt. It is bad news. The timing chain did in fact fall off, and completely damaged everything in the engine. Which means, the car will not even start again until a new engine is put in. Ouch.

Now I need help deciding on what to do.

A.) Find a used engine and spend $1,500 - $2,000 replacing mine. Then sell the car for $3,000 - $3,500.

B.) Cut my losses and sell the car for scrap. Probably get about $200 from it. But I already owe the mechanic a couple hundred for the work he has already done.

Paid myself back the final $50 for the cabinet today.

I put $250 in my Roth today to complete my first 2014 goal!!! Whoot!

I paid myself back another $50 for the cabinet. $50 to go.

I paid down my credit card below $100 again.

I was finally paid a very small amount from one of my freelance jobs. Less than 10% of what I am owed, but I am just happy to see any money. Hopefully more will be on its way soon.

My car is sitting at a shop, still trying to figure out how/when it it going to get fixed, and how much it is going to cost me. Estimates are about $1,000 right now.

My parents talked to insurance. The barn was not covered under their insurance because it was too old. So they are stuck with all the bill. The fire call alone was several thousand dollars because they live outside of city limits.

The electrician came out and we finally finished the last bit of wiring in our house! It is so exciting to have light in a room that has been dark for two years! lol. Not looking forward to the bill though.

Outdoor clean up has begun, trying to get the yard and animal pens cleaned up and maintained for spring. Lots to do!

My family could use some prayers.

Yesterday morning one of my parent's barn burnt down.

It was a giant over 100 year old barn. It was gone in only a few minutes and all that is let now is about 8ft deep of ashes.

It was so windy that it caught the surrounding park's field on fire, traveled 1/2 mile to the neighbor, and nearly caught their house on fire. They called in 3 fire departments, and managed to put it out right at the neighbors fence line, praise the Lord.

Thankfully the wind of blowing the opposite direction than it usually does. So it blew it away from the other barns, and my parents house. The barn that burnt was where they kept all their hay, it had no animals in it, so my goats are safe.

They lost all their hay, their lawn mower, motorcycle, and smaller items like wagons, wheel barrels, and some old farm equipment.

The barn was not insured because it was too old. They are praying that the insurance will at least cover the fire call which will be a couple grand, and the replacement of the lawnmower and motorcycle.

They will also have to pay for the debris to be removed because there is no way to move all the ash by hand.

It could have been a lot worse, so they are counting their blessings. But it is still sad, and they are worried about financial problems.

This Payday I managed to pay $200 on my credit card. Bringing it down to $100 not due until May. Whew.

I got my EF back to where it was. I also paid myself $50 back that I owed from the cabinet I bought. Still owe myself $100.

Next Monday I HOPE to finish the IRA and put some money back for another car payment. It would be nice if the freelance clients would pay me. *grumble*

I was very bad.

Despite owing way too much money to too many people I bought something yesterday.



It popped up on my facebook feed on a sellers club and I had to have it. It matches my kitchen perfectly, and we were in desperate need of some cabinet space.

We have literately only 3ft of cabinets and counters...

When we go shopping we have to just stack our food on the table because it just wont fit.

We also had our silverware and our cups sitting on the table, because there was no drawers to put them in.

Our kitchen was a disaster with no organization and no storage.

The night before I bought this husband was ranting about how we HAD to have some more cabinets in our kitchen. Then the next morning I saw this and I took it as a sign.

I only paid $150 which I think is a steal! Its the exact color of my kitchen, it is made out of real wood, it is heavy and a very nice piece of furniture. Nothing cheapo. Plus it has nearly no scratches or anything on it. Perfect condition.

We had to do some rearranging in the kitchen, but I think it works out nicely. A little snug, but much more cozy looking. Now I have more than enough cabinet space, I wasnt even able to fill it up!

It is way bigger than it looks in the picture. Its almost 7ft high, and over 4ft long.

I am super excited, and cant wait to finish decorating it, and organizing.

And yes if your wondering, if you squint hard you can see lots of pigs! My kitchen is green, with pink pig accents!

Well after lasts week craziness I hope starting this week it will settle back down.

With this payday I managed to pay all our bills as normal, and pay $300 on the credit card. So only leaving less than $300 not due until May. And I put back around $70 into my cushion/EF.

Grandpa finally gave in and took my lower offer for the Neon, so that is essentially $200 less I owe.

As for the Neon, I am getting used to driving it. It is not horrible, but I honestly really miss my Cobalt.

The Neon seems to have a tiny gas tank? Grandpa said it held 12.5 gallons, but I just was on the red mark and filled up and it only let me put in 7 gallons...

Which is only about 200 miles. So that means I will have to fill it up about twice a week. Gr.

This is the 3rd time I have filled up in the last week already.

Maybe the gas gauge is just messed up, and it actually had another 5 gallons in there, but I dont know if I want to risk it.

Husband had lots of overtime, and possibly more this week, so we should be able to pay down our debts and get back on track soon.

I am about to the end of my mental and financial rope.

Car is broken. Timing chain major problem Father-in-Law thinks. Car is parked and not able to be driven in my work parking lot. Called the mechanic... $800 to fix it.

So I had to scramble to get insurance and plates on the Neon so I could drive it to work the next day.

I had to pay $611 for 6 months of insurance up front. I could have paid for only a month + a fee, but it was over $100 difference not counting the fee.

Of course I didnt have that much money on me, so I had to borrow $500 from my mother.

Then I have to get it titled and plated, and that cost $240.

I had put the propane bill on my credit card, and had the cash in the checking account to pay for it. But I had to use that money to pay for the plates. So now,

I have over $500 on the credit card.
I owe my mother $500.
I had to take $100 out of my EF.
I owe my grandpa $3,000.
My car is broken down in a parking lot and has to be fixed to the tune of $800.
I have to put $250 in my IRA before April 15th.

This is the most debt I have ever had. It is really stressing me out. I went from $0 debt to close to $5,000 in just a week or two.

Father in law is throwing around the idea of taking on the timing chain himself. It would only cost $200 for the parts. I am a little weary to let him do it.

Praying everything with work out, and I will be able to catch back up quickly.

Some good news is the car parts only cost $75 instead of $100.

The bad news is, he fixed it yesterday, and it still died on me, and the rattle is worse than ever. It was so bad while I was driving to work, I dont think it is safe to drive at this point. He is leaving work and coming to take a look at it. Something is very wrong.

Probably needs the timing chain replaced now. Which is upwards of $500+.

I am not so sure I want to invest any more money in this piece of crap. I may be titling the Neon sooner than I thought.

ARG!

Now some good news. My two does had kids on Saturday while I was running an errand. 4 healthy babies. They had them at exactly the same time, so they are all confused and the mommas are just sharing the babies and they just eat off of both of them. They are so cute!



Here is the little boy I am keeping. The rest are girls and I will sell them for $250+ each. Hurray, hurray!

Putting the propane on my credit card today, and will pay it off next Monday. So glad that will be done.

Now I just have to rush to finish the Roth and continue paying down the Neon.

My freelance jobs need to send me a payment, that would help a lot.

So the Dodge Neon is officially parked in my driveway. Grandpas new car came in and he wanted the Neon out asap. I do not plan to get it licensed or drive it yet.

Still debating with him on price. I doubt I will be able to talk him down. But it was decided that I need the car either way. My Cobalt died on me again.

I am giving him a $500 down payment today. I am still sad that I have a car loan. My other two cars I paid for with cash. At least it is interest free I guess.

I am hoping to pay it off asap. I feel weird owing my grandpa.

We got a quote back to fix the rattle on the Cobalt. $500!!??

We said no way. Father-in-law is going to try to do it himself for the cost of parts. $100. So that at least is saving me some money. He is working on it tomorrow.

Money is going to be a little snug until my car is sold and I am out of this loan. I also still owe the propane company $272. Scrapping that together, and should have it by next Monday.

Still have to send $250 to ROTH before April 15th.

I am due some money for my side jobs, but havent heard anything. I pray they pay me soon. That will help a lot.

Mortgage payment hit. My new balance is $50,702.12! I do love seeing those numbers go down.

Another long night of listening to the baby monitor. I did get more sleep than before, but I am still exhausted. It is slowly warming up. We are in the 20s today, by Friday we are suppose to hit the 50s. The goats just need to hold off a couple more days and they will be fine with or without my help.

Husband works at a gun & ammunition warehouse. Everyday he gets to handle all types of guns. He has wanted one for a while, but didnt know which one. So for the last 8 months or so he has been saving his money and handling all the guns he can and asking questions to the gun smith.

Well he finally picked one out. A Smith & Wesson 9mm A&P. It retails for around $600 but he gets to buy them at whole sale price because of his job so that saved us $150.

Well when he ordered it yesterday, they gave him another 35% discount for being an employee, so he only had to pay less than $400 including tax and everything! I love his job!

Now he has extra cash on hand, that he can spend on ammo.

The funny thing is, he was out of checks so he had to use mine. Which are pink and have Pooh Bear on them...

Everyone who works there is a red neck complete with camo and a beard... They call him pretty boy because he is good looking and most definitely not a hick, which I think is hilarious. He was complaining all day that they will never let him live this down.

Needless to say we are going to get more checks on Saturday.

Haha.

After losing the goat kids yesterday I am paranoid.

I tried to get my dog kennel back from my mother so I could lock the last two pregnant does in the big barn. She was using it and wouldnt give it back, so we went to the farm store and she bought me another one.

I got the goats locked in the hay barn and they are having the time of their life eating all they want.

I hooked up the baby monitor and took it to bed. But all night all I could think about was them having babies in the night and them freezing to death. So I stayed awake all night just staring at the baby monitor.

They were so quiet (they were sleeping, duh) that a few times I was paranoid that it was not working, so I got up and put on my coveralls and walked out to the barn to find them sleeping.

Ugh. One of them is due on Monday (husbands birthday) the other I dont have an exact date, so it could be any time.

I can tell I am not going to get any sleep until these babies are born. I think I need a nap.

I lost two more baby goats this morning.

It has been in the 50-60s for a while now. But suddenly we got a cold snap and a bad ice storm. Temps below zero or single digits. Figures it is the week babies are due.

Found two this morning, they froze to death.

I feel like such a failure. I have never lost babies goats until this year. I am so upset, and feel so guilty for the little ones. I have already bawled my eyes out.

Of course the babies were sold. So another $600 down the crapper.

I only have 2 more does left to kid. I am going to the farm store today and buying a dog pen that I can set up inside my big barn, hopefully they will be warmer in there and the babies will have a chance of survival. I also am hooking up a baby monitor so I can tell if they kid over night.

It is suppose to warm up within a week. Pray the last two can hold their babies in until then.



I set another $100 to my IRA.

So while I was leaning towards keeping my Cobalt instead of buying the Neon.

My mind has been changed again.

Father-in-Law inspected my car last night while trying to clean the throttle body. He found a cracked hose, and a couple other problems including needing to replace the thermostat. *sigh*

This on top of the new recall on Cobalt has pushed me just about over the edge.

Grandpa told me he was firm in price... then he said he might negotiate. The Neon is a 2004 not a 2002. I checked Kelly Blue Book, and it is listed as worth $3,800. He also just had the timing belt changed, which costs about $600-$800 so that is nice. I took it for a test drive, and had Father-in-Law look at the insides and drive it as well.

I like it okay. It is smaller than my car, which I do NOT like. But I can deal with it for a couple years.

We found the original receipt for it. He paid over $17,000! I am thinking I can talk him down to $3,300.

The problem with my car is that it is going to need several repairs before selling. New windshield, cleaning, new thermostat, a timing belt tensioner, and various smaller ticket ideas.

We are looking anywhere from $200 - $500 before I can put it up for sale. Even with the repairs I highly doubt I would even get $3,000 for it.

So getting the new car will cost me around $1,000 I am guessing.

Right now my car is in my moms name, and on her policy. If I changed it to my own my insurance I would be paying about double.

It is suppose to go down in August, which is also when my plates expire.

So the current plan is to get the Neon and park it in the garage, and continue driving my Cobalt until August. During this time I would get the necessary repairs. Then as soon as my insurance price drops, I will license and insure the Neon in my name and sell the Cobalt.

I will make some payments to Grandpa until I sell the car, then he said I can square up the rest then. He is loaded, so no big rush for the money.

Part of me is still clinging to my Cobalt. I love that car. But we just keep finding new bad news on it.

I received two of my extra checks.

I deposited them and paid down this months credit card bill. I also send $150 to my animal/goat fund & $250 to my Roth IRA.

I'm getting so close to meeting my Roth IRA goal! Whoot whoot! Only $350 to go. I should be able to knock that out within a couple weeks, or maybe sooner if some of my others checks come in.

If I get all my goals met before the year is out, I have a feeling I might be temped to add more money to my Roth. But we shall see how it plays out.

I am very busy at work right now, and these 3 side jobs are about to kill me. But at least I enjoy it. There is another small side job still being talked about right now as well.

I'm so happy to continue seeing progress on my goals, and our savings grow. It feels good!