I owe $132,002.73 total debt, including my mortgage. I am servant to the lender. Well, Dave Ramsey, let's see how well your plan works.

I am looking forward to becoming completely debt free by 2017 (target date) or earlier.

Very exciting.

So I have read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and I really enjoyed it. Makes perfect sense. So lets see where I am in the 7 steps.

Step One. Save $1000 in an emergency fund. I do have that if you combine my ING account and my general savings account.

Step Two. Debt Elimination. This is what I have been working on since January 2007. I have been doing the debt snowball method and have paid off two debts since January 2007. Targeted to have cc2 and cc3 paid off by the end of the year and then moving on to cc4, my son's college loan and then my Jeep.

Step Three. Three to Six Months worth of expenses saved. Not even close. Will really be working on this when my debt is paid.

Step Four. Fund Retirement Account.
1. Some stock, which I already have
2. Roth IRA. Need to do.
3. Targeted Mutual fund. Need to do.
I will look into Vanguard and T. Rowe Price.

Step Five. College funds for my three kids. Already done.
Kid No. 1 - paying on his college loan and have it included in my debt snowball reduction.
Kid No. 2 - Fully funded college savings
Kid No. 3 - Fully funded college savings.

Step Six. Pay off mortgage. I am actually going to start adding $300 extra to my mortgage once my "other" debt has been eliminated.

I am going to do Step 3, step 4 and step 6 simultaneously. I figured I make enough income to add to my mortgage payment, have a certain amount invested into a mutual fund every month and a Roth IRA, while still adding to my ING account and regular savings which should be close to 3 - 6 months worth of expenses by the time my debt (not including mortgage) is eliminated.

My target date to be completely debt free (including my mortgage) will be in ten years or 2017. If I do it in less, the more power to me.

Step Seven. Build wealth and make my money work for me. Have Fun and Give some away. Yee Haa.

Someone decided that they can't work the 6-10 shift at the beach/club tonight, so I said I would do it.

Hey, that is okay, cause it finally stopped raining and I'm going to have a Memorial Day Picnic while I am working.

Menu:
Bucket of Broasted Chicken
Large zip-lock bag of Tortilla Wraps
Brats - Grilled at home so I will just need to re-warm them
Pasta Salad
Watermelon, sliced
Chips
Pickles
Brownies Sundaes
Soda and Water

My husband and kids will come up. We will play volleyball, bean bag toss, play in the water (if it is not too cold), build sandcastles on the beach and we will have a picnic for Memorial Day, all while I am getting paid for it.

Too Fun.

Just finished writing out my bills. Very exciting, cause I am getting closer to my goals.

I paid off another CC and added to my ING and savings accounts.

I have snowballed what I was paying on cc1 and have added most of that amount to cc2 and some to cc3.

My next goal is to pay off cc2 and, hopefully cc3, while bringing down cc4's balance by the end of the year.

On May 29, my summer beach job starts back up. Hopefully, that extra cash will help pay off cc1 and cc2, along with purchasing Christmas gifts.

Once cc2 and cc3 are paid off, that money will be snowballed to cc4, and then onto my Jeep loan and Mortgage payment.

I am also looking into putting a deck on my home, adding a hot tub and re-building my home's entryway/foyer this year.

I will probably incur some more debt when it comes to my home next spring. I want to have a sunroom/four seasons room added onto my home. But, that is next year's project. Don't want to get ahead of myself.

Seems Murphy just won't leave.

First, let me say that I am thankful for all that I have, a home, wonderful kids, I am able to pay my bills and I am working on getting rid of my debt.

But, enough is enough. I know you all can relate. The washing machine needed to be replaced, my son's car died and I ended up pulling $500 out of my ING account, my car needed $400 worth of work and still needs $400 more, my husband has had a run of bad luck (seems all the time) and has been no help to me. (This is a whole other story that none of you really want to hear) and then today, I washed my youngest's Ipod. Why can't they just empty their pockets. You know, the "Work With Me" that all mothers hope for.

So, I am consulting with my "Intellegent Group" of friends here at Savings Advice Blogs, to please send all the Good Vibes you can my way to shoo away Murphy to the depths of Hell.

Show me the Money and Good Days to come.

I have been getting a lot of e-mails not to get gas on the 15th, from various different sources, so that it might force the prices to come down, even for a short period of time.

Has anyone else heard this? Well, I am up for trying anything.

So, after four years of driving the same used vehicle, my son's car died last weekend. Well, he never has any money. He is a college kid, so I bought him another vehicle.

You see, my old neighbors updated their cars and had a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee just sitting in their driveway. They said it hadn't been started for almost two years and has high miles.

Well anyway, we went and looked at it. Put in a new battery and it turned right over. After pumping up the tires, adding some oil and a good cleaning, it is an awesome Jeep. It cost me $500.00, which I took out of my ING account, but my old neighbors could use the money anyway.

I think it is a win/win situation. If we get a good year out of it, we will be happy.

Paid all regular bills and added to ING and savings account.

Spent $509.38 on groceries.

Fast food/Eating Out - $112.14

Gas - 268.46, which included gas for our trip to Odyssey of the Mind State Finals, which was 4 hours away.

Trip to Odyssey of the Mind, motel $170.64 for two nights, plus $200 spending money on food and such. Trip total was around $400.

Stuff accomplished.
*Closed on property and received check.
*Paid State Taxes of $349.00.
*Paid off one debt, snowballed what I was paying on that debt to the next debt, CC1 I am going to pay off the beginning of May. Then I will snowball that money to CC3 and get paid off before the accumulated interest hits.
*Changed over insurances and lowered my costs by over $700/year.
*Put my Vacation Package back up for sale. I don't use it and would like to get out from underneath that payment - credit card no. 2.
*Got some items fixed on my Jeep to the tune of $400.
*My oldest child turned 22 and we had a little cookout birthday party for him.

That pretty much sums up our April.