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If you can see this could you update your blogroll link to http://www.myjourneytoeliminatedebt.com/

Admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:10:34 +0000

I’ve moved to a new address: http://www.myjourneytoeliminatedebt.com/

look forward to seeing you over there!

Moved to a new address; www.myjourneytoeliminatedebt.com

hotpassion — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:48:19 +0000

This blog has been moved to www.myjourneytoeliminatedebt.com due to content theft Google searchers – here’s the links to these two very popular pages you might be looking for:
Debt Free Stories
Goin’ Gazelle
Please update your blogroll links and thanks for visiting!
Louise

Refinance is Approved!

hotpassion — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:39:06 +0000

We found out last night that our refinance application has been approved! The paperwork is in the post, it will take another few weeks to get everything transferred, new accounts set up and old ones closed. It’s a relief to know that if anything happens to my job in the next few months, our payments are now at least affordable.

Our current mortgage payment is $1097 per month.
Our new mortgage

An expensive week!

hotpassion — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:15:33 +0000

I spent 8 hours in the car yesterday taking DS back to college. So today I’m having a rest day before we head off tomorrow for a 6 hour drive in the other direction for DD’s photography course. It’s been an expensive week here unfortunately!

I had the car booked in for a service earlier this week and had budgeted $200 for it, the usual fee. Well I nearly passed out when I went to pick up the car

Happy New Year! Renovation realities!

hotpassion — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:27:01 +0000

It’s been flat out here the last few days. We have three rooms now in various stages of being painted and repaired. It seemed like a good idea at time….

My house, while it may be decluttered, is a real mess. Furniture has been moved and stacked from the rooms where we are working and the ironing that needs doing appears to overtaken the spare room completely. We all had to go without a

Home Project #1 – The Office

hotpassion — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:47:52 +0000

OK – It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get down to the nitty-gritty of making over this house for sale. Every week I’ll be blogging our progress and tracking our expenses.

Our first room is the office. It’s a small room off the main lounge room & kitchen that could also be used for a formal dining room. I moved my office into this room when Dad came to live with us.

As we makeover the house

2012 Goals & Plans

hotpassion — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:39:31 +0000

When I started my blog 2012 was the year that I expected to have completed paying off our mortgage. Then we jumped on a roller coaster called ‘life throws you a curve ball ‘and instead of decreasing our debt we added over $70,000 to it.

So 2012 feels very significant to me. Our goal is to reduce our mortgage, if not get rid of it completely, by selling up and downsizing next year.

Last week DH and I went out for dinner ($38) and we discussed our finances. Here’s whats on the schedule for 2012 ( all based on our assumption our refinance goes through)

Finish and sell our house? -this is priority one at the moment!

Buy a smaller home closer to the CBD

Pay double the mortgage amount each month while I’m still in this job.??

Keep ALL of our remaining money? in the mortgage offset account- so no separate emergency funds etc

Each month plan our spending together using YNAB

Sell DH’s car and buy a van so we can travel – no more putting life off!

Replace my car

Travel somewhere at least once a month – so 12 weekend trips in 2012

Reduce food costs!

Track my spending on this blog in much more detail!

Our main goal for 2012 – To reduce our debt to under $50,000.

Our s-t-r-e-t-c-h goal for 2012 – To be debt free!

I found my Christmas mojo…

hotpassion — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:40:06 +0000

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday I went to work feeling great about my Bankwest payoff and the day just got better and better. Now some of you know that part of my work involves working with Youth as Risk – in fact thats the part of my job that I absolutely love!

Well yesterday I got the best Christmas present ever! One the kids that I’ve been working closely with for the last 14 months rang me to say that he got accepted into university for 2012! I was the first person he called, moments after opening his acceptance letter. That phone call made up for every bad day I’ve had at work!

Well.. there just aren’t words to say how proud of him I am. This kid was written of by everyone, told he didn’t have what it takes to hold down a job or complete higher education. He was ready to opt out of life altogether. All he really needed was to know he mattered, to hear that his destiny in life was not fixed, that he could change his circumstances, and to have someone believe in him against all odds. Then it was up to him to do the hard work. And now his life takes a different path, one of his own choosing.

A few years ago I wrote this post on working with these wonderful young people – Keeping things in perspective -Youth at risk.? I just want to give you a quick update on what happened to those two kids (now adults). The first young man who had saved his $450 emergency fund has now completed their qualifications and has a good? job. He got married early this year and is doing really well.

The second young man is now fully qualifed in his profession, works at a job he loves, drives a paid for car,? and is on track to purchase his first home in February. He has a part time evening job which he took on to help save for his home deposit. He’s a thoughtful, kind and sincere person and has been clean and sober for several years now.

It’s not me that made the difference in these young peoples lives, all I did was see past the outside appearances, the shitty behaviour, the lashing out – and acknowledge the person they really are inside. Just a little bit of love can make the world of difference to those that believe they are unloveable.

So as I am about to leave to pick up my son for Christmas, I’m reminded that we all have our health and a clean safe roof over our heads.Yes I’ve got all I want for Christmas 2012 – and I’m glad I found my mojo!

It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little – do what you can.? ~Sydney Smith

I found this video of what the Christmas story might look like in this day of modern technology – I hope your Christmas 2012 is filled with peace and contentment ((hugs))

Just got my electricity bill….

Admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:15:00 +0000

and it’s good news!? We’ve reduced our average daily consumption from 20.88 KWh ($6.49/day) down to 12.76 KWh ($4.55 a day).? So my bill for 3 months was $386.68? ( down from $590.83 last time). So the efforts to turn things off and use the solar lights was worth it.

I would like to get it down even further. But I know there’s a limit to how frugal the rest of the family will be. We are all on holidays from next week so more electricity will be used during the day, but I’ll do my best.

I’ve also joined the sealed pot challenge over at SFT’s travel, mortgage freedom, 101 & life goals.? I really enjoy her blog because she’s a traveller, something I’ve always wanted to do. So whatever money I save in my sealed pot will be used for a trip to New Zealand!? We open our pots on 3rd December 2012 and there are 41 challengers in total and I think there is still time to join if you’re quick.

Busy week here!

Admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:53:58 +0000

A quick update before I dash out the door for work ( only 3 days to go!)

I didn’t get anything done on my list for the weekend, ended up in bed sick for a few days
Heard back from the loans officer yesterday – everything is looking good for approval! YAY!
I bought a mini Christmas tree for $2.50 in Spotlight – thats my decorations done for this year
Dad has deteriorated further and been moved to a new ward for high care, bed fast patients
Thankyou to Jane & Sara for my lovely Christmas cards – they really cheered me up ((hugs))

My boss has a habit of waiting till she is about to leave the office to send out her nasty emails (so obvious!!) Sure enough there was one waiting for me when I walked in yesterday morning,about the need for cutback etc and complaints about our section. I’m determined to ignore her negativity – at least till I get back after my holidays. Fingers crossed this loan approval comes through soon!

The next few days will be flat out here. Have to finish my Christmas shopping, do all my stats at work (ugh!) and pick up DS for Christmas.

Have a great week everyone.?? Only 4 more sleeps to go!!!