Last Thursday was the official 1 month milestone of our debt diet.  We are doing great so far.  In fact I give us an A++.

We got our tax return and were able to put the entire $6000 towards paying off one of our cards.  Which then enabled us to transfer $7500 of a high interest card to the other card we just paid off for 0% interest for six months.  Then with all of the money we saved in April we were able to pay another $1500 towards that high interest card to pay it off completely.  You have no idea how much weight this takes off my shoulders.  We are making half mile strides in being credit card debt free instead of just teeny tiny steps paying a little bit each month and feeling like it will never end.

I am really proud that we have been able to follow through with this.  Each day is a struggle and each day is a triumph.  There have been many many times where it would have been easier to go out to dinner or when we just felt like taking Eva somewhere for the day that would have ended up costing us $100 after everything.  Instead we have to get creative and learn how to keep ourselves occupied without spending money and without feeling like we are depriving our child during her most formidable years.

Not having cable was a huge adjustment.  I swear Chris went through withdrawals that first day.  I couldn’t get him to leave the TV alone, he kept adjusting the antenna trying to get more channels.  I’m sure it didn’t help that it was the same day he quit smoking.  Yep, you heard right.  My 34 year old husband who has been smoking since he was in the womb has not had a cigarette for 16 days!  I am more proud of him than if he had become an astronaut and flew to the moon.

What keeps me going is knowing that this August we will have paid off two of our biggest cards and that in November we will have a third one paid off.  That will leave us with one final card with a balance of $2000 that we will have paid off in February.  We are taking a break from our debt diet for December and part of January as a reward for all the money we have been saving by doing without.  This Christmas is gonna be like Biggest Loser contestant big!

After the new year  it is back to business.  Once we get that last card paid off in February we are on to our next goal of building our savings up to 8 months worth of pay.  This debt diet has really opened up our eyes to just how much money we are wasting on things that we don’t need and how much we really can do without.

To read about how this all started click here:

http://www.modernmommyblog.com/index.php/2009/03/25/my-debt-diet/

and here:

http://www.modernmommyblog.com/index.php/2009/03/26/entertainment-on-a-tight-budget/

*photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chmurka/3053828420/