Budget check in

So one of my #75strong decided to start a monthly budget conscience check in.  And it came at the right time to pat myself on the back.  I did what I said I would do.  You could read here what I said late March but a quick recap is my goals for 2013 was to pay off three of my four credit cards and cut the third in half.  And that we would pay off almost $5K of other debt (mainly medical bills) and afford our vacation without being thrown off track.  And Boo-Yay!  Done as of Jan 4th.  I had "budgeted" to have them paid off in December but well life does happen here and there and the IVF/FET took a little more $$ than expected etc.  But still I was able to stay on plan  by just one month shy of goal.

So I've been thinking the last hour or so on what to set as goals for 2014, because if you don't lay them out how can you stay with it?  Jeff still believes even with all the progress we've made that a home loan will be out of our reach because of his judgement (When he was a practicing lawyer one of his clients took him to court over something asinine and somehow won.  And for a large sum we will be paying off for several more years).  I think the progress we made is enough.  I told him to just wait and see.  So it's hard to set goals when it depends on that whole situation.  But.... at least this month we have about $200 med bills that are more recent (m/c stuff and whatnot) to pay, and our Nashville trip to pay most of because well fun within our means is soooo needed after all this crap.  So just a short term goal for now.

Oh, and we're going to have Jeff have $30 per check taken out extra for taxes so we won't have a $765 federal tax bill facing us next year (We're not looking for a refund, just not to owe).  And obviously this year's one long term goal is paying off that last credit card of mine and continuing to use Jeff's two at a 30% of credit limit area as suggested to build up his credit history (since he has almost none).  We pay off Jeff's car this August and once that is done we're going to start saving  a few hundred a month to build up an emergency fund (yes I know this is supposed to be the first thing people do for financial responsibility - but we're doing it our way. ie bass ackwards.) Once it's over $1k everything else in savings will be for whatever!  Vacations, furniture, whatever is a want and not a need.  

OK...there's some longer term goals for the year.  Again just writing them out for a record for me to check back with and hold myself accountable.  If once we learn of the house situation more ideas come from saving (as a mortgage should be the same or less that our rent in this high COLA) then I'll write more.