Not reinventing the wheel

I have not been too open about the specifics, but I have not hidden the fact that Jacob and I are not where we would have hoped to be financially.  We were sitting prettier than most 28 year olds.  I was working in a full time job, with my Masters, Jacob was going to be deployed, and had just finished his bachelors.  We had both been employed for the past 5 years.  We had budgeted and put away.  We didn't have any debt except the house.  Then......

the accident.  For someone who plans, Jacob breaking his leg sent my perfect little plan whirling into a spiral I never saw coming.  We had become somewhat familiar, and used to our lifestyle.  When faced with life head on, I try to stay strong.  I try not to let it beat me too far into the ground during the process.  But since July I have slowly watched what we worked so hard for dwindle. 

I saw it coming to an extent.  While stuck in North Carolina the Army had us pay for everything up front.  The hotel, our gas, our food, of course with promises of paying us back (hahha...I am snickering to myself about our innocence back then).  But it was essentially a two week vacation.  Well more of a not at home, stay away from home "vacation".  When we got home our washer had died.  Unfortunately for our sweet friends who had moved into our house to take care of it while we were gone, the washer died while they were here.  So we got home, and had to get that fixed....which meant it couldn't be fixed....which meant we had to buy a new washer. 

Then the water damage.  We fought with insurance to no avail, and the damage was getting worse every time is rained.  So the contractors came for a month and a half and replaced half of our upstairs flooring, cut a hole in the side of my house, took off and put back on our back porch, and created a new wall in the basement.  And that brings us just to Sept. 

The initial hits were the hardest.  The biggest chunks of our savings just shelled out.  Jacob couldn't work, and the Army battle began.  So since July of 2011 we have been living on a teacher's salary.  If you don't know what teachers make, look it up.  I haven't received a raise, or an up in the cost of living for four years.  We took immediate action.  We redid our entire budget, and yet anyway we cut it, we wouldn't be able to keep putting money away in saving on just my salary. --> We use Mint.com.  I do not get any kind of commission, but love how this free website brings all our finances together, and keeps Jacob and I on the same page.  <--

I will not say we reinvented the wheel.  We didn't.  I am just going to put out there what we did to survive, barely survive, but we have survived.  Since September we have:

* cut coupons.  Purchasing a Sunday paper, on a yearly subscription saved us more than if we just bought it during the week.  I am not a crazy couponer.  I cut the coupons of things we will use, and we plan our meals according to what coupons we have.  I am a stickler for fresh fruits and veggies, which never have coupons, so we can't only buy items on sale, but every $0.50 pays off in the end. 

* shopped at one grocery store.  Closest to our house is a Kroger.  We have a Kroger card, and only buy our food from there.  FOOD items only.  Because of this they send us special coupons for what we buy the most, and they have electronic coupons for their store.  Most stores do this, so I am not pro-Kroger, they are just the closest to our house.  Kroger also has a fuel center, and using their store card gives us $0.10 off each gallon of gas.  Again, only buying our food there, helps our store credit, which saved us on gas.  We buy cleaning, and cosmetic items from Walmart, all with a coupon, or on sale.  We can not be picky about name brands.  Whatever is the best bang for our buck is what goes in our closet. 

* went to an antenna tv.  First, when we kidded ourselves that the Army would pay, we just cut our cable back to the basic cable.  Then after we came to our senses about the Army, Jacob climbed to the attic and put up an antenna.  Our "cable" is free, and we save almost $80 a month.  We subscribe to Hulu, and take advantage of NetFlix free trials.  When we canceled our cable, AT&T did want to keep us as customers, so they gave us a higher speed internet for the same price of the basic internet. 

* gone to cash.  Jacob and I get an "allowance" for a lack of a better word.  This amount has had to shift throughout our journey also. Anything that is not groceries, fuel, pet related, the doctors, or a bill is paid in cash.  For example each of us gets $40 a week.  On Friday we pick up the $40 from the bank.  That $40 is mine to do whatever I want, no questions asked.  I can spend it all Friday night, or save it up week after week.  The catch....if I really want to go out to eat, I have to foot the bill for both of us.  If I want to do a movie, I have to pay for both of us.  This has really cut down on our anytime spending, and we eat at home a lot more.  We also both pack our lunches. 

* cut off central heat/air conditioning.  This winter was pretty easy, as there was only a couple of really cold nights.  This summer however is getting hard already.  When you wake up in the morning, and it is 70 degrees...it sucks.  But it is a sacrifice we must make at this point. 

* sacrificed a lot.  When you work hard, you should be able to play hard.  Or at least play a little bit without being so worried about paying the bills.  But right now we are going through a time in our lives when we must work hard, and keep working harder.  I had to give up all races.... which as I have written has been slightly devastating.  Jacob has given up his fish tanks, computer building fun, computer games, and other electronic enjoyment.  No movies in the theaters, we staying home most nights (watching our free cable), and most home improvement dreams are put on hold for right now. 

Now all that being said, we are surviving.  Not only us, but our 5 animals, who never go a month with out their vet checks, medicine, or food.  We consider taking care of them a must, and it is put in the budget.  We did not have to dip into our small retirement 403b, and we did not miss any major bills.  Jacob and I live in a unique purple house.  We were able to keep both of our cars, mostly because mine has been paid off for the past 4 years.  We are finally starting to see the upside to this long struggle.  We didn't do anything new, we prioritized, bit the bullet, and buckled down.   We were both committed, which is huge thing. 

So now as we start to see the light at the end of this tight tunnel, we are faced with one of the most expensive things you could ever take on.  Baby Pat will be here in Aug, and we will have lived through this journey, which will, hopefully, help us to be able to place our priorities in the right order, straight away.