How's It Going

So we have a lot of followers...many family and friends who keep up with our Project Money trip. Some wonder if we feel like it has made a difference or are we just focused on the end prize. The questions that people ask and reading Cassie and Willies "We want to be the biggest losers" blog have really got us thinking about how it is going for us. When the check-ins aren't required and there is no carrot dangling will we keep this up...will we REALLY maintain all the lessons we have learned and will it all have been worth it even if we don't get the "big" payoff? The answer is a resounding yes. We were already starting this process when Project Money presented itself to us. We were at our local branch on Junction Road...which we have to give a shout out to all the awesome and super nice folks that work over there. Keep up the great work!

We went to the credit union to put a chunk of our tax refund in a Money Market...you know...a rainy day account. We had already sent our credit cards through the shredder and quickly realized that without our emergency plastic we were going to have some issues if we had something big come up without money in the bank to fall back on. While in there we were talking about our new found wisdom when someone mentioned the Project Money sign-up. We took home the paperwork and looked it over. This was tough. We are very particular about having our children on display. We don't put their pictures up on forums of any kind so to have them be plastered all over Madison and the surrounding area was a big sticking point for us. Realizing that we won't be able to protect them from all bad things...because in this world there are people. We decided to go for it, if we win we have the money to put on a new roof with our new found motto of "no new debt". So the thought of that new roof propelled us forward. We got an interview! How great we were one step closer. 

In the interview they asked why we thought our situation was unique...and our answer..."we don't consider ourselves unique, so many people are in our situation". That in reality we are a good example of so many people's situations that we felt there would be a lot of people who could relate. It is so true many of our friends and family can relate and we are the face of their new relationship with money. That is a great feeling. There was one more question from the interview that sticks with us. It was...what makes us think we can make these changes...or something to that effect. Kari's response to this surprised both of us and really was heart felt and the truth. She said "I am so sick and tired of feeling broke and never getting ahead...I am mad that we are in this place with our money and frustrated that it seems to be so easy to get here". Blogging this doesn't do justice to the feelings that are quite vivid in real life. It is a real anger...you know the kind that gets the pitch of your voice higher and more intense, the kind of anger that turns parts of your body red, the kind of anger that makes you want to talk through your teeth...as if, if you actually open them you may start spewing forth profanities.   

It is this that drives us to not just "play" the competition but to commit to memory the things we are learning. The process that is going to not only get us free from the debt that burdens our marriage and lives but to get ahead to retire the way we want and to help our children attend college. It isn't always easy to make the obvious choice, we get tired and happy and stressed and emotional over things. We wonder why it has to be so hard and why this isn't natural. In the end it's like Cassie said "it doesn’t happen overnight and we’ll really have to work hard to get where we want to be." So kudo's to all our fellow Project Money-er's and especially those working at home with out the check-ins and the "prize" at the end. Keep going -- the real prize is the less stress and a plentiful future!

This week we are celebrating our friends and family that are supporting us in PM....Thank You!!!

Comments

[Anne Blackburn]

Great post! Thinking about you all! :)

[Rachel]

I def. agree with Cassie -- It is great to hear you say, "It isn't always easy to make the obvious choice, we get tired and happy and stressed and emotional over things." We all have similar situations and it is reassuring to share with others.

[Cassie]

I always enjoy reading your blogs because I find them so positive and inspiring. I don't know how you do everything you do with three kids at home--I know it's expensive enough raising just one! Thank you for being such a good example--even though Willie and I are right here with you (and the others)in Project Money, I still feel that we can really learn a lot from each other.