2013: Steps to the Goal

$24,500

That's the amount we need to pay off this next year. WOW! Its more than double the amount that we managed to pay off in 2012, and about ten times the amount we paid in 2011.

That comes down to $2042 per month. So how are we going to get there?

1. Regular monthly payments account for $644-650 (depending on interest).
2. DH is bringing home a pretty steady income now. That will account for at least $1,000 per month.
3. The remaining $400 is going to have to come from extra wiggle room in our budget or extra cases from DH.

Precious posted today about her grocery budget. Ooooo, that is one area we are notoriously bad about. I hate to cook and DH loves to go out to eat, so most of the time we end up going to grab something or we order in. If I do go shopping I usually don't have much of a plan so we end up with random bits and wasted food.

Last year I bought an eMeals subscription. There was a Groupon or Living Social deal to get the whole year for $29. I tried it for a couple of months but then got lazy :( Now that I have the plans, I am going to recycle them for this year :) Each week contains a menu with 7 meals and a shopping list organized by section of the grocery store. The meals are quick and easy to cook and DH loves them (which is saying a lot since he's pretty picky). Not only do we need to save money, we need to eat healthier and start eating together at the table as a family now that DD is getting older.

The sad thing is, I think we could make up most of that $400 just by cooking healthy meals at home and avoiding takeout. It costs us around $20 for fast food and $40 for a sit-down restaurant. I can make a meal for us for about $8.