Way back at the beginning of the year, I made a New Years resolution, well several of them, but one to get out of debt, and stay that way. We were doing well, 2 paid off cars, 11 paid off debts since January, and two more tackled by the end of May. I had a budget planned out until the end of June 2011, and then…
My car started making a knocking noise. I at first thought it was the brakes, or perhaps the rotors, so I had my husband look at it. It took him less than 2 minutes. He came in ashen faced to let me know our van was shot. The strut tower had rusted nearly clean through on the drivers’ side, and was maybe another winter from the passenger side being completely destroyed as well. The metal had become twisted under the hood, and we determined we were a mere pothole away from totaling the vehicle altogether. This was certainly distressing news because we had made plans. Plans that certainly did not include a car payment. But that is exactly what we ended up with. It may seem extreme to trade it in, but it had so many other problems that we were already saving up to fix, and impending repair charges were double what the van was worth.
We were practical, and went for the least expensive car, with the features we need for our family, (that wasn’t going to leave us high and dry in 4 years like our other van did). And by a stroke of luck, it just happens to be my dream car. Yes having a mini van as a dream car does sound s bit crazy, but if you have to drive one it should be one you love methinks.
I may have mentioned before, but I am likely losing one of my Jobs in the fall, which hampers the get-out-of-debt –quick scheme just a bit, but doesn’t derail it. This week my husband was given an opportunity to take a job in his company that they created with him in mind. Of course he is flattered, but it does not come with a pay raise, and he will have to drive 20 miles further each day, which of course means more money for gas. And we have no idea if this is a dead end position or if he can move up. Which really chaps my hide, because we moved here almost 8 years ago with a promise from the powers that be that he would get a promotion? It never happened, so we have just tried to make the best of it, but we were hoping it was going to happen this year. We talked about moving closer to my husbands’ new job, then found out our house value fell again, which means we won’t be selling anytime soon.
So I have concluded that the Universe is conspiring against my well laid plans, and clearly does not trust my judgment. It certainly has other ideas about what we should be doing with our lives. I suppose I could look at this as a wakeup call, but for what exactly I am not sure.
If I sound frustrated, it is only because I am. What is that saying? I can’t win for losing? Yes, I will still be proud of us paying off what we have thus far. And yes, the debt will get paid off, possibly 3 more this year, just not as quickly as I would like. And for this micromanaging chick, being in a state of flux is scary as hell. I suppose I just need to learn to go with the flow. For now, I will count my abundance of blessings, and tighten my belt even more. And be grateful for my family, the job I still have and my husbands as well.
