March was pretty good. My bonus was a little more than I expected, but the government sure took a large share from me. Our refrigerator died. We’ve got a large, standalone fridge. We custom built our kitchen around them, so we needed something that was roughly the same size. That was a big chunk of change. That was a hit to our emergency fund, but if we don’t replenish that right away, we can actually pay the house off in April. We are so close. I can’t wait. Lianne caught some of my excitement and agreed with me, so we’re going for it. In fact, we’re paying off the house tomorrow.I’m not sure how the numbers worked out. It looks like the extra tax refund money, and a slightly higher bonus, was enough to allow us to move the payoff date forward by two months. Our emergency fund is lower than we’d like, but without a mortgage we can build it back up very quickly. In fact, that is now priority number one.
This is a dream that was 20 years in the making. The mortgage was always stewing in my mind and spirit like a slight case of indigestion. As of tomorrow, that will be gone. As the kids say nowadays … I can’t even …
I’m going to cry.
Phew, so now what? Well, we restock the emergency fund first. We may take a weekend trip in May to visit my 98 year old grandmother in FL. Ava’s birthday was deferred, so we’ll do something for her and Jaron. We’ll start socking some money away into our Roth IRAs, and we’ll save for a newer vehicle, a bathroom remodel, and our next house, which we’ll pay for in cash. This also gives us a chance to increase our giving. We are setting aside money each month with no purpose other than to bless other people. If you’ve never done that you should try it. It is amazingly fun.
Maybe I’ll look to switch to a part-time job.
I also need another goal. Our family needs a goal. It’s Spring. I’m thinking health and fitness. Maybe a 9 week plan. Hardcore. Let’s get into Summer shape. Stay tuned!