Our Money Makeover

Like I said in my previous post I'm done with school and Ross and I were so excited about being able to spend more time together. Summer is our time to be with each other more because our schedules line up more. But, we've found we're not getting that this summer, sadly and gladly. Gladly because we are doing Dave Ramsey. Last summer I found from Melissa's blog the Grocery Game. Ross and I have loved it! We buy tons of groceries for $50 a week and eat whatever we want. The key is to use coupons and combine them with sales and get it when it's cheap and you don't need it. Best thing that ever happened to our grocery budget!!! But, back on track. They have a forum where every one talks about more ways to save. While on there I kept hearing about Dave Ramsey and his book Total Money Makeover. Everyone on there kept talking about how they were paying off all their debt and never borrowing again. They were talking about how they were living financially free and not living paycheck to paycheck. I wanted to know more, it seems like that was Ross and I's life, paycheck to paycheck. We just figured it was because we were young. But, there were people I was talking to that were our age, no debt, and living financially free. So, I told Ross about Dave Ramsey and told him I wanted to read the book. Needless to say here we are doing Dave Ramsey. Ross has devoured both his books in less than 48 hours. We are working our butts off to pay off all our debt. Which isn't that much and should be done by the time I start school, probably way earlier. The crazy thing is we finished reading Total Money Makeover and felt stupid because the advice is sooo easy!! So, Ross is working at Leith and working for Wake Forest Awards and Engraving (the business the couple I nanny for own). I'm working as a nanny for Liam still and picking up as many shifts as I can at the Twisted Fork. We're not doing anything we don't need that takes money because everything is going towards debt, yes we are crazy! But, we are doing it!!! One loan down and 2 to go. We can't wait to be debt free and be able to give like never before. We've decided that we'll be here in Youngsville until we pay off the house in seven years. At least that's that goal! Now that we've read Dave's book we've promised each other never to go into debt again because God says "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." (Prov 22:7)! It's freeing to think of not having half my income go to pay people. Here's his steps, and where we are. I'll post periodically to show where were at. But, our goal is to have step 2 done by Aug 20th, 2009!! Even though we don't see each other much, this is bringing us together more and strengthening us so much!!

Dave's Steps..
1) Save a $1000 emergency fund (or take savings down to $1000) -DONE-
2) Pay off all debt (from smallest to largest, except the house) -1 down, 2 to go-
3) Save 3-6 months of an emergency fund
4) Invest 15% of your gross income into Roth IRAs or 401ks
5) College Funding for kids
6) Pay off home early
7) Build wealth and GIVE GIVE GIVE!!

Hokie Pride In the House!

Well I haven't said anything in a while and just want to say we are alive and well!! School has finished, we were excited that we would be able to do more work on the house. Yall remember that we started on the Hokie room after Christmas (here). Now the maroon and orange room is 99% done. I'm so excited because it's looking great! The only thing we have left is to put another coat or two on the main wall and put some white molding up between the maroon and orange. Our goal is to get it and the kitchen done by Father's day when mom, dad, Renee, and Christian come to visit. However, we are running into a problem with the kitchen...do we paint it the color we have (an orange) or change the color. If there is one thing we have learned in the house it is not to pick colors and buy paint until AFTER we move in. Here's some pictures of it.

Taped out for orange

Taped out

Orange 1st coat

First Coat Orange

My part done!

Done

Trim and Orange done!

My part done! (Trim and Orange)

The Overseers! They slept and I worked.

As for the list....

1. Finish wood in closets.
2. Killz kitchen
4. Paint hall, entry, and kitchen
5. Look for tile because it's the next major project
6. Finish front bedroom

One thing off the list...many to go.

Two Wonderful Years

We're not dead, I promise. Just been really busy. We just celebrated our 2nd year of being married. Let me tell you it's been wonderful! I wouldn't trade being married to Ross for anything in the whole wide world!! We didn't get to celebrate the actual day (April 1st). Come to think of it I only saw Ross for 3-4 hours on our actual anniversary since it was a Wednesday. But, we went camping that weekend. We left for Uwharrie National Park at 9pm on Friday night. The Jeep was packed! I mean nothing else was going to fit. But, we had everything we needed, plus some!! Like last year we celebrated by going to Uwharrie and taking our Jeep around on all the 4WD trails out there. Last year we pure red clay mud. It was not fun!! Plus, we did have anyone to ride with. Well this year was totally different!!

After setting the tent up by headlight we got some sleep (This year we were warm!!). Saturday we got up cooking bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast and then hit the trials. We met a guy and his fiance out there and they came with up. We did the easier trails (Wolf Den and Falls Dam) because his Jeep was stock, but it was fun. His fiance didn't like the drops that came with some of the trails and had to get out. But, I had a blast and so did Ross. Nothing got borken, bent, or hurt on Satuday. We didn't wheel all day so we didn't wear ourselves out. But, we did a food 3-4 hours of it. Then we got to hang out at the camp site and have hamburgers for dinner. Ross managed to get some fire wood together and we built a nice camp fire!

Camp


Our Jeep on 3 wheels.

Les and his fiance's Jeep on 2 wheels.

Camp at Night.

Sunday came and we meet up with some of the members of CORE (an offroad Jeep club). Ross is part of an Offroad Jeep Club called Durtyrok. One of the members of CORE happened to invite the durtyrok members. So off we went that day. We started on a intermediate trail (Rocky Mt Loop). There was a Rubicon (Bob's Jeep) in front of us that was lower then ours, and if he did something on the trial and made it so did we. It was a blast!! Halfway through we parked for lunch and watched some of the other guys play on Kodak Rock. While there we tried to fix one guys heat soak problem (gas kept gettin too hot and boiling) and another guys break problem. This was their first run of the year, and they were trying to get everything worked out. After that we headed off again. The guy with the heat soak ended up gettin pulled out and having to go home because the Jeep wouldn't stay on. But, the rest of of headed out the hardest trail in the park, Daniel. Last year, we got on this trail somehow and never made it up the first hill. We've done NOTHING to the Jeep since then and I never thought we would do it. We weren't going to but Bob (the Rubicon) was going to. So off we headed in our Jeep. Mind you we were running the trail backwards but it's still the hardest one. It started with a huge hill climb on solid rock and we made it fine. The view from the top was amazing!!! From there we had to go down. There was 3 ways we could go, and all included lots of big rocks and walls of dirt almost touching each side about as high as the Jeep. I wish I had a picture to do it justice. It was a blast going down!! More fun the coming up, when all was doen I swore we broke something, Ross told me we haded then a tire promptly slid off a rock and the front passanger side fender when into a pine tree. It was dented real good. But, our first damage and it was nothing. Ross looked at me and told me now he had an excuse to get the highline kit and flat fenders. We continued down the trail through more gullies, over a ton more rocks, until we get to this switch back. That's where we dented the gas tank skid. But, that's what a skid is for right? The first drop we came down with a hard BANG...and hit the skid and the hitch. There was one more obstle we went through fine and we were done. We had survived and finished Daniel!!!! I was in disbelief and wanted to do it again. But that was the end of wheeling on Sunday, we headed back for some ice cream and snacks, which I'm pretty sure ended up being dinner. That night we meet a husband and wife couple at the campground and ended up chatting with them, and the camp host for a number of hours! The couple was there to wheel too, so Monday morning we went out with them.

Airing Down

The Whole CORE/Durtyrok Crew

Fording a Stream (Beginning of Rocky Mtn Loop)

Rocks we went over

Us going over above rocks.

Kodak rock

Before Brian's Jeep broke down



Brian's jeep gettin hooked up to be pulled down the trail, his daughter came to wheel with him.

The first hill climb in Daniel (The hardest trail)

Stuck in a mud hole on Daniel

So we helped pull him out by being an anchor.

We weren't enough, so we hooked up Bob's Jeep

The top of Daniel

Going down, this doesn't do it justice!

Our damage

Sunday night it rained a little so we weren't too sure about how much mud was on the trails but we went out anyways. It wasn't too bad, we did the whole Rocky Mountain Loop and then Falls Dam backwards. Rocky Mountian we had no trouble with, the rocks were slick so there was no way they were going to make it up Kodak Rock, and we aren't tall enough yet. Once we got onto Falls Dam it go muddier and there was one spot we had to be helped up a rock ledge because the rocks were so slick. Funny thing is it was the same spot we had trouble with last year when it was wet and muddy!! We didn't stay out long it was gettin muddier and neither them, nor us are fans of mud. So we headed back and packed up and headed home. After showers and new clothes we ended our weekend with our Anniversary dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I loved our weekend and wouldn't have spent it any other way. I can't wait until June to go back out to Uwharrie!!!

Wheeling in the rain

Getting help over the slippery rock ledge

Over the ledge, but tires full of mud!!

Ned's Jeep and Our Jeep

The mud hole we will NEVER go in!!!

If you want to see all the pictures we took go here.

Snow Day

If finally snowed in NC!!! It was only 3.5 to 4 inches, but Ross got off of work and so did I. So it was a nice day spent together. Something that seems rare lately. Ross went out with the Jeep looking for people to pull out of the ditch or just put back on the road. But it seemed every time someone went off the road they abandoned their car right then. So he had no luck pulling people out, but he did have fun driving around. And found lots and lots of ice. When he got back we went out to the store. I had some good deals that were ending and I needed to get. So Ross brought me to Teeter and we went on our short shop. When we got home we played the Wii and just hung out. It was nice just to be with Ross all day long. He did beat me at Wii bowling twice, I got him once, and tennis a few times. But that's ok I'll get him next time! :-D The wind was blowing so some spots in the yard had a foot and some spots had 4 inches. Here are some picture of when we were out and our house.

Our House

Our House 2

One of the main roads.

Main road

The main road was iced over.

So that was the major snow storm of 2009. Yes I know it's nothing big to you northerners but to us it's a lot. But I don't think the ice is something I would like to play with or drive on.

GingerBread House

Last year Ross and I's small group had a gingerbread house contest and we loved making one. I spent all day on the one last year and here's how it turned out.

Us and our house.

The beach and front.

The side.

The side.

The back.

Well this year they didn't have that contest but I wanted to make one anyways. So Renee, Christian, Ross, mom, and I sent out to make one. It didn't work out to well. It ended up caving in on us because we didn't make the gingerbread thin enough or bake it long enough. Next year we know to make it thinner and bake it longer. But here are some picture of us making it.

Cutting everything out

Baking everything.

Putting the house together. It was 1ft 4 inches long, 1 ft deep and 1 ft tall.

Roof construction

Putting the porch on.

Ross and Christian making windows, notice the torch Ross uses!

Window installation crew.

Freezing the windows.

Windows in and half the porch on.

All parts of the roofs are on and chimneys.

Putting the shingles on.

The chimneys and gable done.

What the house looked like right before the cave in.

Then this happened, complete cave out I should say, not even near done and well no amount of icing was gonna fix this, the gingerbread wasn't hard enough. We'll know for next year.