We resolved in January to make a full accounting of our finances. We discovered we owed more than we thought, but we had also saved more than we thought, thanks to employer-sponsored automated savings and matching programs. We also had more equity in our home than we had realized. Almost immediately, and with surprisingly little effort, we began to cut back on the fluffiest expenses – we now bring our lunches almost every day at work, and have cut back on vices like Starbucks and booze. We use an online spreadsheet program to track all our finances now, and as we do it tallies up the totals for us so we know exactly where our money goes (and when). We have been aggressively paying down debt, and it has been surprisingly satisfying.

In the end, we were shocked to find that it’s actually fun to care for your finances. We take more enjoyment in the things we do spend money on, and now that the initial trepidation at shining a light on our finances is done, we feel more secure and have less fear of the unexpected – we don’t *think* all the bills are paid, we *know* they are.

By the time our baby is born, we plan to have cut our consumer debt by 1/3. Yay us!