[singinjeannie]

I don't know if we're succeeding, but we sure are trying. My DH is only somewhat on board. He won't read the Financial Peace book and he won't take a FPU, insisting that we won't do what's necessary (i.e., meet regularly on the budget) so he doesn't want to waste the money and time to go to a FPU. I think it would be tremendously valuable for us to attend one and get completely on the same page.

I don't think he gets the idea of never, ever using credit for anything ever again. That was very foreign to me until I read the book and then started listening to DR on the radio. Now I understand that it can be done. My DH doesn't exactly get this.

Now, the part I struggle with is living within our means. (Doesn't everyone?). I've been trying to develop a workable budget for months now, and haven't been successful. We always seem to end up broke or in the hole at the end of the month. It's also been impossible to find "extra" money to put toward the debt to get the debt snowball moving, which is why we've gone to re-finance the house once again. I'm not rolling any additional debt into the house, just trying to lower the monthly minimum payment so I can use some of the money that would've gone toware the house and use it to pay off the other smaller debts. Once I have those paid off, I can concentrate on getting the house taken care of.

Until MBNA changed my rate and, once again, threw my budget into a tailspin and total confusion, I had it all figured out. Now I have to start over again, trying to find other creditors to surf this debt over to so I'm not paying these rediculous rates. Once I have that debt re-surfed, I can re-do the budget once again, and re-figure the debt snowball.

This is so hard. I never thought it would take as much time as it does.
-Jean