Getting out of debt means a hard look at the bills

Getting out of debt means taking a hard look at the bills. Believe it or not I was just now sure how much debt that we have. So, two days ago Hubby and I began the task of gathering up all of the bills. This wasn't as easy for us  as it sounds but we did it.

Bills from several of our medical providers are under $200.00 and have very small monthly payments on each. At the current payment rate we'll have one of them paid off in 2013. We have other bills like this and several more medical bills that are higher.

Piggy bank, coin, change
Gayle Crabtree

Getting out of debt means taking a hard look at the bills and this means all of them. Car payment, insurance, student loans, our upcoming vacation... everything... So, we laid all of those out plus our one credit card. We were in better shape here than we thought.

At the current payment plan our car will be finished in Feb. 2013 and after a couple of tickets come off our driving record the insurance will go down. We're in a big push right now to get the credit card paid off (which is what prompted the whole "get out of debt thing") and we're paying on our vacation later this fall.

Our monthly fixed expenses for utilities, water and gas look pretty good. Our home goes with Hubby's job so there's no rent (more about that later). A land line phone is required for his job and I need internet to write.

The big shocker came when Hubby did our taxes. That's when we needed oxygen and lots of it... As in, CPR, call the ambulance, this is "the big one Ethel"...

Instead of the hoped-for refund we get to pay just $1700 in April and, we have to adjust his withholding. It's an unexpected double-whammy no one wants. I see a  big "pay the IRS" yard sale in our future.

Did I mention student loans, random doctor appointments or medicines?

Yes, getting out of debt means a hard look at the bills. That may have been the easy part. Now it's time for me to get to writing.