So in the last month or so, things have been crazy busy. Hurrah for two kids.
But, it’s been good for our pocketbook:
- We paid off my Perkins loan ($3000) and the rest of the smallest loan I had ($2200). We’ve paid off around $9500 since January 1, 2010. You can see the Debt page for the exact number (but I need to still update the “paying back our education” graph).
- I discovered that my part of THE BEAST ($39K) is made up of 7 smaller loans. One of those loans is for $500. I contacted the lender to see if I could pay that off in addition to my monthly minimum and they said I can. About half of those loans that make up THE BEAST are small (under $1500) – which means we can pay them off piecemeal if we so choose. I need to get Greg to look into his part of THE BEAST ($41K) because that is also made up of a bunch of small loans. If we can start paying off the smaller subloans of THE BEAST – that will really make things go fast. Especially for Greg’s since his last loan payment had 100% go to interest. *siiiiiiigh*
- We saw the insurance coverage for Benedict’s birth. I guess we live in a low cost of living area, because the hospital and OB charges were well under $10,000 (around $6K, if I recall correctly). After insurance, we owe about $1500 (maybe closer to $2000 once the anesthesiologist gets his bill in). Works for us!
However, we need to budget very carefully as we have another round of “storm clouds” brewing. Greg’s Grandfather has Alzheimer’s and his health is declining. We were advised by Greg’s parents to start stashing away money so when Greg’s Grandpa passes, we can attend the funeral in California. So not a fun storm cloud to save for. It sounds as if he won’t make it another year. Please pray for him, and for the family.
Finally, I have found the perfect thing to save my blow money for: a Storchenwiege wrap. Granted, they’re uber pricey and I still am having problems justifying that price for a long piece of cloth; but for now, I’m totally pining for one. My cousin in Germany is coming over this summer so I’m half-thinking about seeing if he (or his son) could find a good used one on German Ebay or something and bring it over when they come and I could reimburse them.
And you can believe I’m totally on the hunt for a gently used/factory second that isn’t too costly over here.