frugality strikes again!

Dave Ramsey has once again foiled my plans.

We got in our heads that we wanted a house. BAD. Our apartment is fabulously large and cheap. Plus we pay one utility - electric - which averages at $40 during the winter. Friends, we have it good.

But the hard parts are the complete lack of storage. The inability to have people over. No where to grill or let Mac the dog run at least without a visit to the dog park. No bedroom door which means no separation between us and our needy animals. So in our frustration and the fact our lease ends next week, we started to look at houses. They were cute and financially possible unless you factor in utilities for a house that has gas heat. Then we found the PERFECT house and the woman was willing to negotiate.

We redid our budget for hours. And hours. We thought about giving up the iPhone, not paying so much extra on our mortgage or not putting ALL that money in savings. I started to get weepy because that's what budgeting, especially Dave Ramsey style, does to me. I hate him and his stupid money theories sometimes. Especially when I am looking at a fenced in yard and fire pit. But he is stuck in my head and no matter how much I try, it's like a nagging little voice that just won't shut up.

We knew we had to say no. In a last ditch effort to not make the hard decision, we offered her a ridiculously low rent with the assumption that in a year we could pay more. She considered it. But then another guy ponied up and is signing her lease.

Sometimes it's easier when God closes a door.

In a year, our second mortgage will be paid off. That's $28,000 paid off in two years plus a much better opportunity to sell the condo in the nearer future. In addition, this strict budget has allowed us to pay off a credit card ($2,000),  pay off a car ($8,500) and create an emergency fund.

So we'll live cheap for 365 more days. And will live so far below our means that our debt will get smaller. We'll be able to stay on track. That'll be good. I just don't always like it.

"You don't get to say "yes" until you've said "no" for  a while."

Paperclipped skirts = brilliant children

I had to paperclip my skirt this morning.

Though I know half of you will hate me for writing this, it is not easy being small. I've got some baby birthing hips but a tiny, tiny waist. Making it very difficult to find any clothing.

I could go for the juniors/girls section but they don't have hips or a butt yet. But women's sizes don't come small enough. I HATE shopping for clothes, and avoid it as much as possible.

I lost weight for the wedding and then have lost a little more weight in the adjusting to marriage, moving to Kansas City, being unemployed, becoming employed, saving money on groceries (i.e. no snacks) and the usual reaction my stomach has to digesting food. So now my small clothes don't even fit leaving me with baggy dress pants and skirts that hang on my hips and hit at an awkward mid-calf length.

The only solution this morning was look like a baggy hobo, or use a paperclip at the back of my skirt to make it a few inches smaller. Luckily I still have my super sturdy legs and curvy hips to offset my child-size waist.

The good news is a recent study indicated that women with fuller hips and small waists give birth to brighter children. "The researchers say it has to do with omega-3 fatty acids, which gather around fuller hips and thighs, and are important for the growth of the brain during pregnancy. The curvier the hips, the higher the level of omega-3s." The formula: Divide waist circumference by hip circumference. The lower the result, the better. Based on my wedding dress measurements, I'm in good company.

Sweet. Bring on the genius offspring.

A black sock in my path

I did my laundry yesterday and found this:

A black, toddler (or large-footed baby) sock. I specifically checked the washer and dryer for leftover items. Yet, there sat the offending sock in my laundry basket.

Either it's a sign of things to come or there is a bite-sized neighbor running around with chilly toes.

Total Money Makeover of Tears

Our first reading of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover ended in tears.

Because: Dave says we can't do things like go on vacation if we have debt. But I want to go on vacation in the next two years. And our debt won't be paid off by then. But what if we waste our whole lives paying off debt and look back and realize we never went anywhere or ate anything good or saw anything awesome because we were so focused on having zero debt. But what if we regret spending money on that stuff after we do it? BUT, I need a vacation before my tummy becomes not flat because there is a baby in there. And that seems like a really reasonable and totally not superficial reason to go on a vacation.What about a house, though? We want a house, but that darn Minnesota condo and the bad real estate market. And oh my, the student loans! Which comes first though, the baby or the house? Can you have a baby in a medium-sized apartment with one bedroom that doesn't have a real door? Probably. So, say we have the baby in the small apartment before we buy a house, what about my grad school? Can I go to grad school, have a baby, buy organic food AND save for a house? What about daycare? That's expensive, I hear, and what if I am not done with grad school? I'll be like one of those young mothers who brought their newborn to class, which although more interesting, did not help make a lecture on macroeconomics any more understandable. So maybe we compromise. Give up Costa Rica and settle for a cheap road trip. Then we have the baby in a medium-sized apartment with no bedroom door. And we'll only buy half of our food from Whole Foods and settle on Super Wal-Mart for the rest. And we won't get cable, and we won't eat out. But we will pay for a gym membership. Because how else am I supposed to keep my tummy flat?