New Year. New Me.

Let’s be honest, 2020 was not good to anyone. Like at all. I have said it multiple times that we should have known it was going to be a crap year when we started with Australia burning, sign number one. After that start to the year it just went down hill from there to the point that I felt like Will Ferrell from Anchorman saying continuously “Well that escalated quickly”.

Now 2020 wasn’t all bad, it actually brought me one of my best blessing ever, my amazing son Liam. Seriously he is literally the most amazing thing that came out of 2020, I mean would you just look at those cheeks and that smile?? Yup he is a lady killer and yes I do kiss those cheeks multiple times a day. *sigh, cue melting hearts*

I started 2020 with such hope and optimism that I felt like I was standing on a precipice of change, I just didn’t realize how that change would have played out. Our world is in turmoil and everyone feels caught in the tide of a raging river of change, wanting and needing guidance on which direction to go.

As many of you probably experienced in your own lives, my husband was unemployed for a short period of time and his hours were cut. This did not help our financial situation since my checks were also cut due to maternity leave. The stimulus money helped as well as our refund check but to not have our regular checks was torture to my husband and I. We felt out of control with our finances and that we were hanging on by a thread. Once I went back to work after my maternity leave, I threw myself into my Ketogenic lifestyle because I knew that if I couldn’t control the world that I could control myself. That thought gave me power and with discipline I lost all of my baby weight of 60 lbs within 6 months. I had this goal to lose all my baby weight by one of my best friend’s wedding and I’m so happy to say I was successful and I felt beautiful.

While my keto lifestyle was a success, my financial health has suffered. Years ago my brother started a journey with Dave Ramsey and changed his legacy for him and his wife forever. His journey was an inspiration to me but I needed to get out of my own way before I could accept his advice and change my ways. The day that changed me was on Oct. 23, 2020 where our checking account went into the negative for the third time in 48 hours and we were left with $81 after pulling all of our money out of savings. Ouch. Talk about a wake up call. I spent the rest of the day having mental breakdowns and speed re-reading Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover Book.

Since that day, my husband and I have become what Dave likes to call “Gazelle intense” and oh boy are we intense. We have tightened our budget, I’m working like a crazy woman to bring in extra income, and we are selling everything but the kids. The breakthrough with us changing was both of us getting on the same page, our “why” changed, and we decided to change our family tree forever. Since that moment we have paid off over 13K and we are well on our way of paying off the rest of our debts which feels amazing. **By the way, I’m not pushing the Ramsey lifestyle onto anyone, just informing what I’m currently using to change my financial health.**

If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice..

Dave Ramsey

Our journey is not easy, in fact its so hard and overwhelming that some days I’m not sure how I’m going to get by. My husband’s hours are still cut, I’m working extra shifts weekly, I’m up 5-7 lbs from excessive holiday eating, and this is the first article I have written since October. My husband has had to step it up at home while I’m working more meaning doing the laundry, cooking dinners, bathing babies, etc. With everything going on, I am feeling burnt out and I know my husband feels the same way. Still with all of this being said, 2021 feels like the dawn of a new era. Maybe it’s hopeful wishing, dreaming, hoping… but I want 2021 to be different, for me and my family.

I saw a post on Facebook the other day and it has made me stop and think a lot. In the post, the author stated that 2021 won’t be your “best year ever” unless you change. You have to take ownership of your actions, change your habits to support your growth, make your health and happiness a priority, learn to say no, develop boundaries and surround yourself with positive people. This really strikes home for me. If you are not willing to take ownership of your actions then you will never change. Simple as that. So this year will be the year of change. I will be making myself and my finances a priority, setting boundaries, and surrounding myself with positive people. I’m making a pledge from this day forward that 2021 will be a dawn of a new era for me. When I look back at 2021 I will say that was when my life changed for the better and I will have this post to look back on and smile at how far I have come.

The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein

2021 will be my best year, I know it and I believe in myself to make it happen. My goals this year are to: Lose my holiday weight gain plus 10-15 lbs, continue to be Gazelle intense and pay off my consumer debts, write as often as I can in this blog, and to be an inspiration to all that I meet. Although 2020 has taught us many lessons and has brought change and blessings into my life, I would like to bid you Adieu and good riddance. Hello 2021, let’s make this year fabulous!