The "Get Out Of Your Car!" Fund

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Breaks from Gazelle Intensity can be good

July 21, 2015
Things are moving slowly. 

a. I still owe money to the HOA, and they won't release a lien without a large lump sum payment (I'm not comfrotable with the amount that they're asking for, but they have rejected my counteroffers). 

b. My parent's kitchen has been gutted and we will order cabinets next week. I tried to save money going from granite to laminate countertops, but the amount saved was less than $1000. I'm disappointed. (Granite is expensive, but it's a tiny kitchen, so I may switch back to granite since the cost savings are so little). 

c. I had to pay $700 for condo documents and I wasn't expecting to pay that much. 

d. I went on a trip to San Antonio this summer while I was visiting the South. I wanted to visit Denver while I was out and about, but the funds were too tight. I'm glad I canceled that leg of the trip, but I did reconnect with my Denver family on FB and over the phone. I'll hit them up in the future. 

e. My plan was to rent a portbale storage unit for the month and clean the house out while we paint and put down carpet. The storage units were too expensive. That's ok. We have moved all furniture to the middle of each room and are preparing to paint ourselves. That will save a few thousand dollars. 

Being gazelle intense about debt really helps you find creative ways to get things done. I'm not as gazelle intense as I used to be. Here's how I see things. I started gazelle intense, then I think I've been taken small breaks during the summer months, then starting up again when school starts. Even during the breaks, I don't splurge - I create monthly budgets, I use cash, I'm mindful when I spend adn I say "no" more often than in the past. However, when I create a budget, I might take some debt paydown money and use it for something that is important to me but not necessarily urgent. I think it's been good to take breaks to keep me from getting totally and completely exasperated with the gazelle intensity run. 

debt is 
HOA = $11,000
LOC = $8,500
NAV = $45,000

Total - $64,500