The farm and farmhouse

This year the goals were hard to figure out. Our budget is going to be super tight so honestly the main goal is to just survive without accruing more debt.  Which puts us at our first goal.

Increase Net Worth

2022 was the first year we had net worth loss. This was a combination of overspending, new land debt and market decline. For 2023 I want to go back to saving more than we are spending overall. Which I think the next two goals will help with.

Save $1,000 Extra in HSA

We already do an automatic paycheck deposit weekly but it’s not enough to cover our entire OOP max for medical bills. We don’t have enough in the weekly check to set anymore up on auto pay so I would like to send more directly over the year with windfalls. $1,000 is kind of an arbitrary number, I want to deposit enough to cover all our medical bills for the year so we can use tax free money. This number could be $0-$2,900 depending on how health issues go throughout the year. $1k is a good starting point.

Save $3,000 in IRAs

I was hoping to save $5,000 this year so we would hit 15% of our income but it is looking unrealistic for our budget. We’ll start with this and see how it goes.  

2023 is going to be the year for hustling and scrounging. With our barebones basic budget covered by paychecks, spending and saving are going to have to be fought for. At least I am aware in advance so I can tighten the purse strings and start looking for ways to save/make money. Our first big decision will be our tax return. It is going to be tough to decide where the money should be allocated. I am eagerly awaiting our W2 so I can get a rough estimate of what I’m working with. Hoping the return is bigger than I’m expecting and I get a nice surprise. It would be great to fund the IRAs and HSA at the beginning of the year.

Cash/Liquid Savings:

$1,686 Animal Fund ($1,214)

$6,042 Escrow Fund ($7,537)

$2,062 Checkings ($6,427)

$20 Car Fund ($20

$1,119 HSA ($1,491)

$10,929 Total Liquid Savings ($16,689)

Retirement:

$42,860 DH's 401K ($45,294)

$5,050 DH's IRA ($5,463)

$16,122 My IRA ($15,337)

$64,032 Total Retirement ($66,094)

Liabilities:

-$115,833 Mortgage (-$119,044)

-$10,861 Land Loan (-$0)

-$1,263 Hospital Loan (-$0)

-$127,957 Total Liabilities (-$119,044)

Assets:

$185,000 House
$20,000 in Cars (not counted in figures)

2022 Total Net Worth: $132,004 ($148,739)
2022 Net Worth without Mortgage & House: $62,837 ($82,783)

Numbers in () are 2021 figures for comparison.

This is the first year we have lost progress that I can remember. I do know the land we purchased increased our house value but I'm not sure by how much without a new appraisal, and the markets are down even though we kept contributing this year. Sadness.

A wake up call that in 2023 we need to do better at more saving, less spending, and knocking down our debts again. I'll have to think a while on specific goals to set for the year with our tight budget.  

Debts

Mortgage −$115,832.60 (-$241.04)
Land Loan -$10,860.87 (-$184.25)
Hospital Bill - $1,263.02 (+$1,263.02)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,172 (-$825)
401K +$42,860 (-$1,108)
Emergency Fund +$7,325 (+$49)
Maternity Fund +$0 (-500)
Animal Fund +$1,686 (+$4)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$1,199 (+$184)

Overall: -$3,033.73

Bad way to end the year. Received a large medical bill and several more hospital bills pending and more sure to come with our deductible starting over and our child’s continuing health problems. We made the decision to just do 0% monthly payments on it for now until our HSA builds back up. Once we are in better shape we will pay it off. But I have a feeling we are going to need every dollar for more medical stuff in the next few months.

I would love to be able to fill the HSA completely each year so it would 100% cover our OOP max, but on the weeks my husband doesn’t work overtime we would be short. So at this time we have to scrounge $2,500 each year from overtime to pay the entirety of our medical bills. Hopefully next year we can bump it up even a little, and hopefully eventually we will be healthy and stop having astronomical medical bills every year.

 Markets are down. Used up the last of the maternity fund I had saved. So happy I was able to put that back and then “pay myself” for over an entire year. I’m going to miss it for sure.

I will compare our end of year net worth in a separate post.

Upon reviewing our income and spending for 2022 and forecasting for 2023 I am feeling very discouraged. I track everything and so I know the numbers are accurate. With our estimated income I am putting us at $4,800 short in 2023 for our budget NOT including vacation spending, home improvement or IRAs.

Adding those three categories makes our deficit a whopping $17,200! Which is almost half of our total budget.

Well how did we get here? The main thing I can figure is that we have received over $11,000 in tax returns and/or stimulus payments for both of the last two years which has given us a deceptively inflated income. I am estimating our tax return this year to be somewhere between $4-7k. Which will help offset some of the deficit, but we are going to have to make hard choices of where to put that money and where we are going to have to cut and/or scrounge up more income for the rest.

This is estimating very little side income besides husband’s paycheck, so if I can hustle a little, pick up more web design, sell things, etc, then we will be in better shape but it’s still a large mountain to climb. I’m also not sure what the impact of husband’s raise will be over the course of a year because he works so much overtime it’s almost impossible to see the difference in the last couple months. But I’m thinking it should give us $3k+ more to work with than I am budgeting.

Unfortunately there aren’t many areas to cut drastically, but every little bit helps I suppose. I may have to seriously consider going back to the workforce if we can’t hustle and cut enough in the next few months. Such as bummer since I don’t feel like we have added too much extra spending, the price of all the normal things have just increased dramatically.

Debts

Mortgage −$116,073.64 (-$240.46)
Land Loan -$11,045.12 (-$180.79)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,997 (+$1,324)
401K +$43,968 (+$2,950)
Emergency Fund +$7,276 (-$817)
Maternity Fund +$500 (-500)
Animal Fund +$1,682 (+$3)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$1,015 (-$473)

Overall: +$2,908.25

It's been a rough month for our household but the best the market has done in a long time! We paid around $1,300 for our new 500' main water line and hydrant.

I purchased nearly all our Christmas presents and my husband's and daughter's birthday presents for later in the year. Only two more things to purchase! I love buying everything early. It takes some of the stress off and I make sure to capitalize on sales. I spent a little more than I wanted to. I stayed mostly in budget for the gifts but with kids old enough to be excited we felt like we needed to replace a few things. We got a new tree, some new lights, plus a few small decorations and little things like a gingerbread house kit and pjs for the kids. Our tree and such were what we have been using for a decade and it was free/used when we got it. So it was time to replace.

I had to put to sleep one of my pets this month. ☹ I had him for almost 20 years and I am heart broken. On the budget side of things his geriatric care and food were costing $100+ a month so that should free up some extra cash flow to catch our overflowing expenses.

My human kid had more diagnostic testing for a chronic problem and also an unexpected hospital stay. So yay… more medical bills. At least it fell before the deductible starts over I guess. Thankful she is doing better-ish, still working on a long term solution.

Hoping we are about done with the spending because we have been bleeding money this month, along with high stress and busy schedules. My house is a wreck, I’m mentally and physically exhausted. I had my yearly doctor appointment and they said I’m constantly sick because I am chronically tired and stressed. Not much I can really do about it since most is out of my control but I sure hope life winds down a bit soon. I’m ready to have a peaceful and relaxing Christmas season. 

Debts

Mortgage −$116,314.10 (-$239.89)
Land Loan -$11,225.91 (-$185.66)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$20,673 (+$134)
401K +$41,018 (+$457)
Emergency Fund +$8,093 (-$32)
Maternity Fund +$1,000 (-500)
Animal Fund +$1,679 (+$1)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$1,488 (+$358)

Overall: +$843.55

Markets are slightly up which is better than the typical sharp decline. Still pulling some from our buffer / EF, and we just completed a large outdoor project (replacing the main water line) so who knows what that bill will be but it will come out of the EF. The EF includes our saved amount for home projects as well but I leave it and label it as EF until it's used just to keep the numbers more simple.

I am thankful to have another project done especially before the cold weather sets in. I am thankful to not have another year of worrying about water lines freezing and breaking again, and I also added an outside hydrant which will improve my quality of life greatly. I've been carrying buckets of water from the bathtub for ten years all winter to water all my farm animals because my current house spigot freezes.

Still need to run gutter drainage lines and put in a new septic but that is looking like it’s going to be put off until next year again. Which is fine with me, gives us longer to save.

Just got our yard regraded a month or so ago and now it’s a disaster with the 500’ water line that was dug up and installed. Sigh. They are going to come back and regrade again in a week or so. Wish the projects would have coincided a little better but it is what it is.

Still having pretty consistent medical bills. Our medical costs are crazy crazy high. Me with my chronic health issues and both kids have been sick pretty much nonstop all year. We have been averaging over $12,000 a year out of pocket including our premiums for the past 4 years. American healthcare sucks. That is 20% of our gross income.

I have several friends who make around what we do and all have free healthcare and food stamps due to taking cash jobs and not reporting all their income so they quailify and/or having more kids. Kind of sucks that since we follow the rules and pay our taxes we have to lose 20% to medical every year plus our taxes. Bad system that is easy to scam. 

Debts

Mortgage −$116,553.99 (-$239.31)
Land Loan -$11,411.57 (-$179.30)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$20,539 (-$1,426)
401K +$40,561 (-$2,060)
Emergency Fund +$8,125 (-$399)
Maternity Fund +$1,500 (+$430)
Animal Fund +$1,678 (+$6)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$1,130 (-$923)

Overall: -$3,953.39

Ouch! Markets are down, and our savings are down. Even sadder is the fact that we got an extra $600 in back pay this month. We did go on vacation, which was supposed to be to Florida, and then of course once we got there Hurricaine Ian was coming so we had to abandon that plan and leave to another state. Bad timing for sure, but thankful we were able to get out and praying for all the residents there. That did end up changing our costs a bit but we only went over about $400 and we have $600 in flight credits for next time so really it's a wash. 

Otherwise just lots of expenses that popped up, including a much needed new (used) lawn mower because our old small one couldn't handle the new acreage of land we purchased. 

Husband's raise contract passed, not the number he was wanting but he did also get some extra vacation time, and possibly paid paternity leave for the future. Plus a couple other perks. We are expecting $50-100 extra a week depending on overtime. Hopefully that will be enough to dig us out of the hole we are sliding in. 

Debts

Mortgage −$116,793.30 (-$238.74)
Land Loan -$11,590.87(-$187.98)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,965 (-$189)
401K +$42,353 (+$268)
Emergency Fund +$8,524 (+$926)
Maternity Fund +$1,070 (-$500)
Animal Fund +$1,672 (+$2)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,053 (-$163)

Overall: +$770.72

Got the bonus which we used to replenish the emergency fund and save more for our upcoming vacation. Raise negotiations are currently on hold due to a different plant strike. The good news is that they will be back paid once the raise goes through eventually.

Haven't paid back the maternity fund yet until some medical bills are settled. Had another urgent visit with the other kid. Sigh.  Retirement is about even with our contributions which is better than declining. 

Debts

Mortgage −$117,032.04 (-$238.37)
Land Loan -$11,778.85 (-$181.61)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$22,154 (+$665)
401K +$42,353 (+$1,659)
Emergency Fund +$7,598 (-$1,635)
Maternity Fund +$1,570 (-$1,430)
Animal Fund +$1,670 (+$2)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,216 (-$853)

Overall: -$1,172.02

Retirement accounts were actually up a bit. But not enough to counter the dumpster fire that July was. One of the kids needed an ER trip. Then we all caught covid again and husband was out of work unpaid. Had to purchase the rental car for vacation which doubled in price since last year's vacation and quadrupled the price of our 2015 vacation. $1,600 vs $400! I'm still waiting on another person to pay me back for their share. 

Our propane which has always been on budget billing was increasing from $110 to $200 with no changes in usage. When I inquired they told me they could no longer offer a rate cap and this is how much they expected the rate to increase. Yikes. I found out if I pre-paid for the entire year they would lock in $2.14 a gallon so we went ahead and did that. Which was another large expense. 

Still have some large medical expenses coming, some of which I pre-paid but I expect another two thousand or so next month. 

Basically had to use up my entire buffer and pull from my maternity fund to cover things. About one thousand will be reimbursed from the HSA and thankfully husband is getting a bonus in August. Just kind of bummed because we were hoping to use that to get ahead and instead we will have to use it to dig ourselves out of the hole.

Some good news is that husband’s union contract is up on Monday and the entire plant is fighting for a large wage increase. They are wanting $5 an hour effective immediately and then 5% a year for the next 5 years to battle inflation. For reference he has usually gotten about $.30 a year in the past. So it would be a significant bump in pay for him. We really need that since the price of everything like groceries have ballooned and are really killing us. It could be months before they come to an agreement so we’ll see what we end up with, but husband says the workers are pretty firm so fingers crossed.

Debts

Mortgage −$117,271.22 (-$238.61)
Land Loan -$11,960.46  (-$184.54)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,489 (-$914)
401K +$40,694 (-$2,279)
Emergency Fund +$9,233 (-$400)
Maternity Fund +$3,000 (-$500)
Animal Fund +$1,668 (+$301)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$3,069 (+$257)

Overall: -$3,111.85

Retirement accounts were down as usual. It was a hard month for us with little overtime and some bigger expenses so sadly we had to pull from our buffers/savings. July is shaping up to be better though. Except some looming medical bills which will probably deplete our HSA. 

Debts

Mortgage −$117,509.83 (-$238.04)
Land Loan -$12,145.00 (+$12,145) New Loan!

Savings

Roth IRAs +$22,403 (-$389)
401K +$42,250 (+$723)
Emergency Fund +$9,633 (+$203)
Maternity Fund +$3,500 (-$500)
Animal Fund +$1,367 (+$501)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,812 (+$208)

Overall: -$11,160.96

Retirement accounts were almost even with our contributions this month. Sold some goats, paid for hay and hired someone to clean the barn. Several more goats will be leaving in June. 

Land purchase went through, waiting on the county to record it so we can combine with our existing property and move onto the septic. Super excited!

Debts

Mortgage −$117,747.87 (-$237.47)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$22,792 (-$2,010)
401K +$42,250 (-$3,497)
Emergency Fund +$9,430 (+$743)
Maternity Fund +$4,000 (-$500)
Animal Fund +$866 (-$0)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,604 (+$200)

Overall: -$4,826.53

Retirement accounts plummeted again. Saving as usual.

Things have turned out better than expected! We are getting approximately two acres and he is only charging us a total of $10,000!!! We were honestly expecting to pay around $30,000. 

This changes things because now we can take a lien out on our car instead of getting a second mortgage. This reduces the loan fees from over $1,000 to around $75. We don't have to get an appraisal or do a proper closing or anything like that, so it also speeds up the timeline by over a month!

We are getting the survey next week and I already have a lawyer in waiting to prepare the deeds. Unfortunately, we must get a deed on the new property and then combine it with our current property and get a new deed again. Which means lawyer and recording fees x 2 but we are still getting a huge deal. We are estimating a final cost of $13,500 and hopefully it will be ours by the end of the month and then a few more weeks to get it combined.

The septic will take a while longer, but we are still hoping to complete it by the end of summer. It’s $700 just to file a permit and do the required soil testing which can’t be started until the land is purchased and combined.

Debts

Mortgage −$117,985.34 (-$236.90)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$24,802 (+$995)
401K +$45,747 (+$3,475)
Emergency Fund +$8,687 (-$287)
Maternity Fund +$4,500 (-$500)
Animal Fund +$866 (-$100)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,404 (+$69)

Overall: +$3,888.90

Retirement accounts rebounded a little. Cash is down due to buying hay and also getting some old trees cut down. Thankfully I am owed $1,000 in web design which should come in this week. I will refill my buffer and then start saving the rest for our land purchase.

We also bought all our plane tickets for the year and our hotel for our fall vacation. So glad that is done and there was cash set aside for this. Makes vacations so much better to not have to worry about money! Just need to get a rental car and everything big will be paid for in advance. 

We actually have one ten day vacation and four long weekend trips planned this year. Plus I'll be going on three goat related weekend trips as well. Lots of traveling!

We had septic problems last week again. Our septic is 50+ years old, homemade, and every year we just hope it holds on another year because replacement is expensive. 

Well we finally told the company to go ahead and put us on the list for replacement this year. Then we realized that our property line is too close to our house to put it where we want. Currently part of our septic is on the farmer's land who sold us the property. We would have to put it in the front yard and also do a more complicated and more expensive type of septic because of limited room and distance from the house.

So we called the farmer and asked again if we could buy some more land from him. (We have asked multiple times over the last 10 years and he has always said no way.) Surprisingly he said yes! He is going to come over and walk about and talk to us about how much he is willing to part with. I'm guessing somewhere between 1-3 acres.

We are suuuuper excited to be offered the chance to purchase more land, but also a bit nervous because we were not expecting that and so we are going to have to get a loan. Which is a bummer when you are debt free. But we can't pass up this chance of a lifetime!

We will have to wait and see how much land and what price he offers and then decide if we are going to have to cancel the septic or not for another year. I've already talked to the bank and have some options. Most likely a land loan for 4.25% which we would pay off asap.

We have been working on all our different yard projects. We got our old trees all cut down. Still need to bury the gutters, run the new main water line, get a hydrant installed, install the septic, regrade the yard again and plant grass and trees. I wish we had known about buying more land before we agreed to all these expensive projects. But it is what it is. 

Debts

Mortgage −$118,222.24 (-$586.33)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$23,807 (+$2,426)
401K +$42,272 (-$450)
Emergency Fund +$8,974 (+$303)
Maternity Fund +$5,000 (+$3,000)
Animal Fund +$966 (+$1)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,335 (+$469)

Overall: +$6,335.33

Big bump from our tax return and overtime. We contributed quite a bit to savings and retirement and started saving for multiple vacations this year. (Not included in above figures)

We paid a little extra on the house since we have a separate checking account that gets weekly deposits where the mortgage is paid from and it’s a pain to withdrawal the extra from the 5th week months. Figured we might as well just start sending it to the mortgage in the future. 

Debts

Mortgage −$118,808.57 (-$234.93)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,329 (+$529)
401K +$42,722 (-$2,572)
Emergency Fund +$8,671 (-$616)
Maternity Fund +$2,000 (-$0)
Animal Fund +$965 (-$250)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$1,866 (+$375)

Overall: -$2,299.07

The first time we have lost in a while. Markets are down despite contributing to retirement. Bought hay with my animal fund, and had to pay for a home project and car insurance with our emergency fund. (Our short term savings are lumped together with our EF.) Just unfortunate that it all hit at the same time. But this month should be better!

In other news husband was told he is likely going to have to work 7 days a week until April. He has already worked 7 days the last 3 weeks. And also a worker is out possibly for up to 13 weeks. Which means 12 hour shifts... They are training a new guy but he won't be ready for at least 5 more weeks. My husband really needs a new job. He is worn to a frazzle. 

I submitted our taxes today. We are getting back a little over $10k which is super high but most of it is from having a kid in 2021 and qualifying for the child tax credits and 3rd stimulus. 

We are putting $3k into my Roth IRA, $3k for vacation, and I'm saving $4k so I can continue to "pay myself" a monthly salary. I don't want to use it and then have a deficit later in the year without my income. So I will continue to pull and use only $500 a month from my saved buffer towards specific savings or expenses. This is working well so far and making the transition to a one income household much easier. If husband has overtime (always does) or I bring in any extra income then I don't have to pull from the buffer. I have enough saved to keep receiving my previous salary for this entire year and therefore not put any strain on our normal budget. 

I still have the original $2k I saved for maternity leave back in September. I have pulled from it a couple times and then was able to refill it with extra income. So perhaps keeping a $6k buffer seems a bit superfluous but it makes me feel more comfortable about not having a job to rely on, and we could always pull from it in a pinch. Just increasing our emergency fund I guess.

2021 was a good year for us despite the pandemic. 

2021 Goal Priorities
1.) ($3,500 / $3,500) Medial OOP
2.) Regrade Yard & Install Water Heater
3.) ($3,000 / $3,000) Vacation

We managed to complete all our goals, plus some extra ones! We gutted and redid our kitchen which was $10k+, we got a much newer car as a gift from family, we had a new baby and didn't need to take out any medical loans for our crazy high out of pocket expenses $7k+ and we managed to survive on only one income. 

2022 feels comfortable and I am unsure what goals I have. Almost everything I can think of it less about money and more about living. Which is good I think. I no longer have to have laser focus to pay down debt or save for the next big purchase... we are okay and happy. 

But here are a few easy to reach things I want to accomplish this year. 

Goal 1.) $5,000 Added to Roth IRAs

I have already put in $775 and with another $3k earmarked from our tax return this will be easy but necessary since we have put retirement on the back burner that last couple years while having and paying for children. We are nearing 30 years old and need to make this a priority. Extra income will probably also be added to this. 

We also just bumped husband's 401k contribution up to the match which is 5%.

Goal 2.) New Water Line & Bury Gutters

This was sort of part of last year's goal which got pushed back because the price of materials went from $2 a foot to $10. (Yikes!) Money is there and we will wait until prices regulate before finishing the project. 

Goal 3.) Go on Vacation

This is a reoccuring goal. We always try to take a long vacation somewhere and make memories. We have one big and several shorter trips planned this year. Approximately $3,000 for the main one. 

Goal 4.) Be More Organized

Not a financial goal but a personal one. I would really like to be a better steward of my time. Which means keeping a cleaner house, cooking more healthy meals, and wasting less of my time on things like social media and stuff that doesn't matter. This will be my first full year not working (except my web design which I am doing minimally). With our finances pretty much on auto pilot and us now being a family of four it's time to get the rest of our house in order. Which will help free me up for my last goal.

 Goal 5.) Enjoy Life

I want to spend more time enjoying the important things and things I love. Spending more fun time with the kids, such as going to the park, library, swimming. More time with my goats, more time with friends, etc. 

Here's to 2022!

Cash/Liquid Savings:

$1,214 Animal Fund ($209)
$7,537 Escrow Fund ($5,814)
$6,427 Checkings ($1,700)
$20 Car Fund ($1,805)
$1,491 HSA ($416)

$16,689 Total Liquid Savings ($9,944)

Retirement:

$45,294 DH's 401K ($34,945)
$5,463 DH's IRA ($4,892)
$15,337 My IRA ($13,741)

$66,094 Total Retirement ($53,578)

Liabilities:

-$119,044 Mortgage (-$121,847)

Assets:

$185,000 House
$20,000 in Cars (not counted in figures)

2021 Total Net Worth: $148,739 ($126, 675)
2021 Net Worth without Mortgage & House: $82,783 ($63,522)

Numbers in () are 2020 figures for comparison.

Some of the 2020 numbers are best estimate because I did not post a detailed net worth update last year. But I do have all the figures in my budgeting software. In 2021 we managed to stay out of consumer debt, went on vacation, got a newer car, paid for another baby with cash, made some significant home improvements, and I quit my job to be a SAHM! Lots of changes and we still managed to raise our net worth! Here is to hoping next year is even better!

Debts

Mortgage −$119,043.50 (-$234.37)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$20,800 (-$571)
401K +$45,294 (+$2,217)
Emergency Fund +$9,287 (-$129)
Maternity Fund +$2,000 (-$100)
Animal Fund +$1,215 (+$1)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$1,491 801 (-$310)

Overall: +$1,522.37

Work's end of the year retirement deposit is the only thing that kept us in the green this month. Thankfully depsite most of these numbers being down we are actually in pretty good shape this month. There is a lot of money that I don't count or include in these numbers. We have about $3k more in our checking account at any given time that we have saved to pay for the month's bills, eating out, etc. Since I use YNAB I have enough extra money on hand to basically pay for a full month of expenses at any given time that I don't figure in the numbers above. I will make another post about year end net worth and our past and future goals. 

Debts

Mortgage −$119,277.87 (-$233.81)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,371 (-$213)
401K +$43,077 (-$969)
Emergency Fund +$9,416 (-$88)
Maternity Fund +$2,100 (-$200)
Animal Fund +$1,214 (+$0)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$1,801 (-$1,302)

Overall: -$2,538.19

November was a bad month for the markets and also because we paid all our medical bills for the baby. Hopefully this month will be better!

Debts

Mortgage −$119,511.68 (-$233.25)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,584 (+$256)
401K +$44,046 (+$706)
Emergency Fund +$9,504 (+$257)
Maternity Fund +$2,300 (+$300)
Animal Fund +$1,214 (+$2)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$3,103 (+$106)

Overall: +$1,860.25

Baby is here! She is almost a month old already and big sister loves her. Things are going pretty well. She had to have a minor surgery and I got sick but we are both on the mend. It is exhausting taking care of two under two sometimes but we are loving it.

So far I am not missing my job, but I know it's early yet. 

Debts

Mortgage −$119,744.93 (-$232.69)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,328 (-$2)
401K +$43,340 (-$146)
Emergency Fund +$9,247 (+$250)
Maternity Fund +$2,000 (+$575)
Animal Fund +$1,212 (-$250)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,997  (+$335)

Overall: +$994.69

Our smallest gain in a while but still a gain. Markets were all down, I had to buy hay, and I've been puchasing a lot a little items that I needed since this was my offical last week of work! I also have some smaller saving buckets stashed away not accounted for here like gas, eating out, etc, to last me a while without a paycheck. 

I have enough in the maternity fund to last about 6 months without pay (including the monthly child tax credits until the end of the year.) That is not including the credits for the upcoming baby, or our tax return or anything. So I am hopeful I will manage okay. Work is still begging me to come back eventually, we'll see. It is definetly going to be an adjustment to pull from savings to buy stuff instead of depositing a paycheck each week. Still figuing out the best way to budget for my expenses. Currently thinking about making a "payment" to myself at the beginning of the month and budgeting it all out. That way I am not tempted to keep pulling little amounts from my savings and go over my allotted amount of spending.

We were also gifted a TON of diapers, wipes, and gift cards for the new baby. So these will help us stretch our budget.

Glad my husband makes enough for us to manage a single income and that we are frugal enough to have savings to do this! I am looking forward to my lifestyle changing a bit and trying something new. 

Debts

Mortgage −$119,977.62 (-$232.14)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,330 (+$179)
401K +$43,486 (+$764)
Emergency Fund +$8,997 (+$206)
Maternity Fund +$1,425 (+$425)
Animal Fund +$1,462(+$201)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,662  (+$362)

Overall: +$2,369.14

Feels like time before the baby is slipping away. Still so much to do at home to prepare such as get a car seat and clean the house. We are in the home stretch which is both exciting and scary!

My old dog has both cancer and heartworms. ☹ Not completely unexpected because he has been declining for a while. He does get monthly heartworm prevention but I am not perfectly good at giving it at the same time every month. Sadly the steroids which would slow down the tumor growth would also quicken the heartworms, and heartworm treatment would be too hard on his frail body. We are going to try the slow kill method, recheck in 6 months and if the worms have decreased we will start him on steroids to hopefully slow down the cancer. Surgery or chemo was not advised by the vet because of his age and tumor growth. Of course the vet has no idea on a timeline, he could pass away tomorrow or make it another year or more. Just taking each day one at a time and making sure to make him comfortable and happy as long as possible.

Debts

Mortgage −$120,209.76 (-$235.59)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,151 (+$95)
401K +$42,722 (+$625)
Emergency Fund +$8,791 (+$7)
Maternity Fund +$1,000 (+$1,000)
Animal Fund +$1,261 (+$200)
Car Fund +$20 (-$0)
HSA +$2,300  (-$53)

Overall: +$2,109.59

Kitchen is 95% done except for installing knobs, some caulk, hanging shelves and decor, etc. The main things are all installed, paid for, and in working order. I LOVE it. So much better.

I put my notice in at my job. I will be officially quitting the last week of September. 10 years is a good run. I'm nervous and excited to be a SAHM for at least a while.

We are currently all caught back up on the money we owed ourselves. I've been trying to save like crazy to put back enough money to lessen the stress of quitting my job for several months. Looking to need about $500 a month and I would love to save 4 months’ worth by the time I quit. Halfway there already, so I'm hopeful I will be able to complete and/or over accomplish that goal. 

I finally got a large chunk of web design money I was owed. $500 more still to come.

Husband got notified of a possible class action lawsuit a few months ago regarding ADP at his last employer. Well he filled it out and thought nothing of it, and last week we received a surprise $400 check for our settlement. Sweet! His employer also just sent him another one concerning his health insurance, so we submitted it as well. I used to think they were scams, but I’ve successfully received money for several of them now. Never hurts to fill them out and see what happens.

I am seriously considering quitting my office job again. I am feeling very burnt out and busy and tired. I’m sure part of it is pregnancy, but I can’t see me getting anymore energy or time after having two kids. My work also hired someone new as a salary position, and I’ve been asking for salary pay for many years. I’ve worked 10 years now (with one year off in the middle) and the new person is making pretty much the same as me, gets to do all their work from home, and doesn’t have the responsibilities that I have… I was a bit upset and asked if I could also get salary pay. I was told if I wanted more money I needed to work more, and that I wasn’t as needed or as important as the new hire which is why they got salary and I didn’t…

Since then I feel like the office attitude has shifted. My boss seems short tempered with me, and I know I feel pretty unmotivated to put much effort in and want to only do the bare minimum. I am good friends with my boss and I feel like this is detrimental to our relationship, which in my opinion is worth more than the job. The problem is I really need the income to pay for my animal hobbies since my web design job is also struggling. So I am a bit stuck at what to do.

I have never aspired to be a stay at home mom but it seems to be heading that way at least for a while. I want to be able to take my kids to the park and to story hour at the library, etc. Right now I’m just too busy and I feel like I’m being run ragged. I think a couple years break from working would do me good while the kids are young.

 I’ve already started saving for my maternity leave, our medical bills are all saved for, and husband’s income pays our bills. My income is literally only used for my animals, my spending such as eating out, and extra savings/spendings like vacations or house projects. I will continue to get some income for web design which will help, but it will be about a $500-$600 drop a month in total income. Honestly the new child tax credits are equal to my monthly pay, and part of me hopes they will continue thru at least next year as that would replace my missing income and make the transition much easier. Or I need to make some serious animal cuts and reduce the spending.

 Current goal is to possibly quit my job when I take maternity leave in October. Stretch goal would be to quit in September and have a couple weeks without working to prepare for the baby, spend some extra time with our current child and to relax towards the end. I haven’t decided 100% what I want to do yet. Thoughts?

Debts

Mortgage −$120,445.36 (-$235.03)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$21,056 (+$316)
401K +$42,097 (+$828)
Emergency Fund +$8,784 (+$230)
Animal Fund +$1,061 (+$1)
Car Fund +$20 (-$425)
HSA +$2,300  (+$375)

Overall: +$1,560.03

We are back from vacation and came in under budget. We did have some issues with the rental car company not honoring our pre-paid price at pickup and charging us an extra $300. But I was able to contact support (it took forever) and they refunded the overage. 

The truck fund is wiped and is now the "car fund." Since we won't be needing anymore vehicles in the near future we will change this to just save for general maintance, repairs, and license renewals. Ideally we would like to keep $500 - $1k in there just in case.

It's been a crazy couple weeks with vacation and my obgyn unexpectedly dropped me from care. I am/was so devastated because I LOVED my last birth. I've been scrambling to meet and find a new doctor but I think I have one picked out which is a major relief since I am almost in my third trimester. 

We are still picking away at the kitchen. We got the dishwasher mostly installed last night, hoping to finish today. I can't wait to use it. Fingers crossed we did it right and it works correctly. lol. 

Debts

Mortgage −$120,680.38 (-$234.47)

Savings

Roth IRAs +$20,740 (+$385)
401K +$41,269 (+$976)
Emergency Fund +$8,554 (-$277)
Animal Fund +$1,060 (+$0)
Truck Fund +$445 (-$750)
HSA +$1,925  (+$375)

Overall: +$943.47

Had to steal from the car fund and the emergency fund to pay for kitchen remodel overages. I expect to pay ourselves back asap. Vacation is coming up quickly!

The reason we needed to save for our Medical OOP again this year is that I am pregnant again! Baby #2 will be arriving this fall. So far things are going well. My kitchen remodel was definitely a project based on nesting. lol. Construction work is done and now husband and I are finishing up the trim and small details. 

In sadder news my grandma passed away recently very unexpectedly. This is quite a shock since she was healthy and we had dinner plans only a couple hours later. Her and my grandpa have been extremely frugal and hard workers their whole lives. They left a sizable inheritance to their children which they are in the process of sorting out. But my family has graciously gifted me her car. It's only a couple years old and much nicer than any car I have owned or could probably ever afford to own. 

My husband is still driving his first car and it's basically one mile away from dying at any moment so we have been saving off and on for several years for a replacement. He will start driving the new car which gets about 3x better gas mileage and we will use our car savings budget for other things. 

Although we are all sad about grandma it is such a nice parting gift to leave your family an inheritance instead of debt. I hope someday I will be able to leave something for my own children.