A snowballining we will GO!

My new hubbie and I setup a debt repayment plan well before we were even engaged let alone married.  We sat down and had a long heart to heart about our financial ups and downs, lessons learned and hoop dreams.  We walked away with a pretty clear picture of where each of us stood individually and where a merging of households would lead us collectively.  Shortly afterwards, we started our "debt-snowball" and plowed head first into reaching our ultimate goal:

Pay Everything Off.

Having a laser focus on paying off debt can distract you from establishing a sound savings strategy.  In theory, it's really easy to apply every extra penny straight to your debt.  Doing so gets you that much closer to dropping a creditor from your master list.  But that can also leave you in quite a pickle.  Because what happens when the unexpected bill pops up?  How are you supposed to pay for that new expense when you just sent your latest windfall to Visa & MC?  You are exposed.  Adding the new bill to the coals and charging it only kicks it down the road; it's gathering dust (interest  & possibly penalties) along the way.  Let me tell you, nothing can ruin a "Yay! We paid off So-n-so" party quicker than a surprise guest via the mailbox.

Yes, I know Dave Ramsey says "save up $1000 before you start attacking your debt."  But doesn't it seem like there's a $1000 emergency (and I mean a true emergency not a "forgotten" bill) springing up each time you're about to pass GO? 

AHA moment: maybe Dave's $1000 target needs boosting in this new millenia?  Maybe he's right but just lowballing us or perhaps we just need to take some creative license and set our own target....(it never ceases to amaze me when I answer my own question while sharing my thoughts with someone.  Duh!)

So how do you handle shifting focus?  What if one or heck, even both spouses, are less disciplined one month?  There's a fine line between chastising and correcting.  You don't want to come down too hard but you also can't standy by and the let the whole ship go down.  And who likes being the bad guy all of the time?  Worse than that, it's rather uncomfortable when your shipmate points out your own guilt.  Oh, what a tangled web we weave when at first we attempt to build net worth! LOL!

Wish us luck.  We're only 'o-ffficially' 6 months in and the both of us are notoriously impatient when it comes to making progess.  We want to make headway yesterday!  And one mis-step can readily have us calling "Slacker" if we let it. 

Appreciate any wise words you can share.

Lady Hawk

Saving for a rainy day

Hindsight is usually not your friend.  Hindsight is more like a spoiled brat sticking his tongue out at you.  The Obvious is not much better.  The Obvious tends to hide behind Hindsight only peeking his head out right after your watch ticks to "Too Late".

Your only real defense against Hindsight is to arm yourself with as much info as humanly possible.  What did G.I. Joe tell us at the end of every episode?  "Knowing is half the battle."  Yeah, I'm seriously dating myself but he knew that the only thing worse than Hindsight was her snooty cousin, "You Didn't Know That?"

Over the past few weeks, I have spent more than enough time with these partners in crime.  They have really worked my last good nerve. 

But that's A-OK.  I.AM.NOT going down easily.

Did you know that there's a super simple blood test that measures your fertility?  Yep, you can measure your chances of having a baby with little more than a finger prick.

Did you know that as of 5 years ago, fertility experts have perfected the art of freezing eggs?  Yep, before that, the process was largely unsuccessful.  The eggs did not thaw well and so were unusable.  But all of that has changed now.

Did you know that armed with those two bits of information, you have the potential to A) track your fertility by having your gynecologist administer the Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) test annually and B) set aside some of your eggs while they are younger and fresher? 

I seriously believe the AMH test should be offered along with our annual Pap Smears to any woman of childbearing years.  The final decision to take the test should be the patient's but our gynos should make it common practice to make us aware of this test.  If you agree, please sign my petition.

Yeah, it's a long shot but I have to do something.  I have to tell somebody.  I wish someone had told me.

Friends: save for a rainy day!

Lady Hawk

Time keeps on ticking...

Ahhh, the ever-present biological clock!  Mother Nature keeps time like no other.  You can lollygag about life if you want to, but you may end up on the short end of the stick!

That's where I am, friends.  On the short-end of the stick.  All reports point to our having a very narrow window to get knocked up.  Even then, we're gonna need "assistance".  My long battle with the broids has left my uterus a bit, shall we say, bumpy?  Actually, the fert specialist said it was "distorted".  He confirmed that the mass on my left fallop tube was not a fibroid...it was 4 fibroids.  Awesome.

While last year's UFE took care of my symptoms, the broids have not completely disappeared.  So to decrease my chances of a miscarriage, he has steered us towards a top-notch uterine surgeon in hopes of smoothing out the landing strip.

Yay!  Another surgery :) 

I shouldn't say that.  There's no pity party over here.  Seriously.  I've had so many that it really isn't a big deal anymore.  Sad, but true.  Plus, it'll totally be worth it ifWHEN our prayers are answered.

From what I've learned so far, this is all a numbers game.  How old are ya?  How many eggs do you have?  How many good eggs do you have?  How many other chicks like you wound up preggers?  So after the surgery, we'll be sipping on an "ovulation stimulating" cocktail.  And the odds say that if this is gonna work for us, the magic will happen in one or two cycles.

I should have dubbed this the "Amazing Race"!

Lady Hawk