I love Back to School time! It’s like New Year’s 2.0. Everyone gets a fresh start but it’s not freezing outside. Even though this year is weird with all the Covid19 precautions, our boys have adjusted well and are enjoying being back in school with their friends. Feeling kind of happy this month; I even read a couple of books: The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Both of them gave me some happy insights into my life and led me to…
Author: Erica Burton
I'm just a regular old girl with big dreams of doing awesome things with what I have.
Net Worth & Debt Update: July 31, 2020 – We’re on the Board: Debtris
For the first four weeks of July, I turned on the firehose in Facebook Marketplace, selling everything I could find to make money to throw at the mortgage. Let me tell you what sells: anything people can organize their crap into: shelving units, shoe organizers, and cabinets of all sorts! I unloaded a pile of huge space-takers in my home and breathed a sigh of relief every time one of them was hauled out the front door. Also, who knew we had that many ladders? Y’all, I made $530.00 this…
Net Worth & Debt Update: June 30, 2020 – Mind on My Mortgage
I’ve got my mind on my mortgage and my mortgage on my mind. This month we’ve made strides toward our next goal of getting the principal balance on our mortgage to $150,000.00. I downloaded a free debt tracker called “Debtris” from debtfreecharts.com so we can visualize paying off the mortgage in more manageable chunks once we get to that mark. Each little block will be $750.00 and there are only 200 blocks. Easy, right? I promise you, when we get this honker paid off, we’re having a big honking party…
Net Worth & Debt Update: May 31, 2020 – Mortgage Obsession
To say I’ve been on a mission is no understatement. I want this house paid off! The absolute beast of the mortgage debt is getting to me. We’re already following a few strategies to get it paid off faster. Biweekly, I send in half a mortgage payment, which works out to a full extra payment every year. Every week I look at my budget to see how much I can send additional on the principal, and I’m mailing in a check every other Friday of at least $150.00. Every time…
Net Worth & Debt Update: April 26, 2020 – Covid19 Edition
Welcome to Owning Burton Farm, Covid 19 Edition. Just kidding. Despite the governor’s shelter-in-place orders for April, not much has really changed for us, and I’m extremely grateful to not know anyone personally at this time who has contracted the coronavirus. I’m very thankful for a steady job and a faithful paycheck. We’re still both working all week, staying home all weekend, and I’m still doing the bulk of the grocery shopping weekly. If we need anything else, Amazon can still get it to us in two days, thanks to…
Net Worth & Debt Update: April 11, 2020 – Weirdest Easter Ever
While quarantined at home due to the governor’s stay-at-home, shelter-in-place order due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to take some time and update my numbers: in less than two years, we’ve progressed about 10% on our total debt repayment (just the mortgage is left), but I’m starting to think we can ramp our payments back up to get it paid off in 10 years or less. I know, I thought the payoff was going to be in 2026, but somehow I lost my way for a little while there.…
We’re back!
What is it about autumn that makes it so hard for me to get to scribblin’? Let’s get you caught up: JULY 2018 I came home with a bunny. It was from an unexpected litter between a full-size and a dwarf bunny pair, so I still am not sure if she’s going to get big or stay small. Never dreamed I’d have a rabbit, but she needed a home and we’ve got the space, snacks, and love, so here we are. Sweet Bunny Baboo. She loves crunchy vegetables, picking on…
Net Worth & Debt Update: June 2018 – Three paychecks!
With the right mix of breath and negligence, all those little budget campfires can blow into a forest fire. I want to say that extra paycheck was earmarked for financial growth and moving the needle more on our mortgage debt, but maybe the best I can say is we didn’t have to dip into savings to pay the bills this month. And some months, just putting out all those little fires is the best you can do. How’d we do this month? Three Paychecks! So, due to the way I’m…
Net Worth & Debt Update May 2018 – One Pump, Two Pumps
I’m here for an oil and air filter change, and could you check to see why the car’s overheating so fast? 24 hours later, we’re $1,031.30 poorer with a new water pump and timing belt. Maybe I’ll revisit those sinking funds to adjust what we’re putting into our Maintenance and Repairs budget. Ugh. It was only May 2!! Did we not just buy brand new tires two weeks ago?! No, Daddy, put the blue water back in it. ~ Augustus The pool has taken on an extra-bright green lagoon…
Net Worth & Debt Update: A Month of Freezer/Pantry Meals
Dinners from our Pantry & Freezers (And April’s $100 grocery budget) (& Our Net Worth & Debt Update): Fair Warning to Foodies: This ain’t no gourmet food blog so don’t disappoint yourself looking for dinspiration here. (see what I did there?) We’re cleaning out the freezers and pantry this month. If you’re looking for the net worth and debt update, scroll on down to the bottom. April 1 – We were all so full of Easter lunch and candy that dinner was a tub of cottage cheese. Getting creative with…