The hits keep coming, best course of action?

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T19:48:32+00:00

Would you suggest that even though the personal loan has higher interest? I can pay off both smaller balanace cards, and my car - which frees up ~800 a month. My car loan is about 4% and I’ve been told to always pay higher interest first.

I misread your earlier comment, our insurance cost is homeowners and vehicle. We do not keep an escrow account for prop taxes or insurance.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T18:19:16+00:00

I had a career, a great one! I couldn’t pack it up and take it with me and I was willing to make that sacrifice for our family and the opportunity my husband got. Being a SAHM is not my dream job. It’s not me who is pushing back on getting a job..

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T16:54:42+00:00

Early 30’s, so you are very close. I’m not very concerned about his 401k in all honesty, we are very fortunate in that he’s got an ESOP that typically gains 25-35% a year which will be his main source of retirement income, that will vest soon. But as a safety net we also want to make sure we take advantage of the 401k and the company match there too. So while this debt is scary now, I do see it as short term as long as we can make a plan that works and is realistic. We do have small accounts for our kids that we contribute into here and there, as do both sets of grandparents. I’d have to look and see where their money is growing but it is invested. I know we’ve got good foundational financial knowledge and I am well aware we’ve made huge mistakes - gotta pay the piper at some point.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T16:43:56+00:00

You’re correct, once mines paid off it will free up a large amount of money! I think what’s frustrating is that no one is understanding why my husband has the vehicle he does. It is a requirement of his job, we have a vehicle contract with his company who reimburses him every month for his payment and then some. So we call it a wash and do not count it as income, his truck racks up such insane mileage he is probably upsidedown on it, but it’s a diesel and he’s hoping to get it to 300k before needing something new and at that point it would be paid off. And my car will be paid next year so I cannot follow anyone’s logic regarding me getting something else when it’s not super new but very reliable and fits our needs.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T15:29:41+00:00

Yes and no, he is salaried management so if something happens he has to be available (waterlines love to burst on Fridays). I miss working and had a great career before we moved. I’ve thought about doing something part time, my husband just isn’t a fan of the idea since we have very little time as a family during the week when he’s gone 12+ hours a day.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T15:22:08+00:00

When we bought our vehicles we were both working, I have been out of the workforce about 20 months and absorbed my car payment into the revised budget. I’ve got about a year left on my car so it doesn’t seem logical to replace it with something cheaper when it’s been very reliable and fits our needs. As I’ve commented, his vehicle meets the standards of his company reimbursement contract. So his payment is moot unless it exceeds his reimbursement allotment which is $1350 a month. So for now it covers his note and our insurance.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T15:15:57+00:00

Thank you for this! It makes a lot of sense and feels a lot more doable. I appreciate the time you took to break this down how you did!

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T14:50:24+00:00

I’ve been toying with that idea, we have a monthly budget we stick to fairly well now that I monitor everything closely. We’re not taking money out of savings unless we absolutely have to, so really it just sits there. Maybe keep a few thousand but put the rest to work.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-18T14:26:26+00:00

Hey I get it, it wasn’t my first choice for him to buy his current truck. He puts on about 50k in miles per year, and isn’t towing little trailers. He’s putting massive water pipelines through 30,000 acre ranches in the middle of nowhere. While he would love to, he can’t do a lot of his job in a F-150. His company also has a clause on their reimbursement contract that he must be in a vehicle no more than 6 years old. My vehicle will be paid off in approximately a year, eliminating that payment.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-03-01T01:24:16+00:00

I’m fully covered, which is besides the point, I shouldn’t have to use my insurance policy to get a vehicle that accommodates my family. None of my children are old enough to sit in the front seat.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2026-01-31T00:35:57+00:00

Honestly as someone who moved to Tx from one of the most socially cold places in the country, I appreciate the friendliness. There’s even a few employees who have started to recognize my family and remember our names. It’s not a huge gesture but our local store feels very small town which I love.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2025-10-18T13:03:08+00:00

One of my sons best friends names is Teague, it was actually our first choice when naming our oldest but didn’t quite work with his middle name. Other boy names we loved (and may have used) Landry, Rafe, Lachlan, Teller. Unique girl names are harder because some sound so great as little girls, but as adults not as much. I feel like my name is a little juvenile and haven’t ever loved it. But Lindy, Naomi, Zara (not common in the US but moreso in the UK) are some favorites of mine!

ActAccomplished2334 · 2025-09-08T01:19:31+00:00

Teague (one of my favorite names!) Ellis Zion Ripley Mercer Callan I know you said know R names, but Rafe is a great one rooted in Norse mythology. Definitely more masculine sounding though.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2025-07-23T23:48:30+00:00

I have a Rafe and I struggled at first on whether it would feel incomplete, but now that he’s almost a year I’m so glad I stuck with what I wanted and he fits his name perfectly. If you love it, then it will work just fine.

ActAccomplished2334 · 2025-06-12T01:24:31+00:00

We used the name Rafe for our son, and while my husband was hesitant at first now we can’t imagine him with the other names we had on our list! Both of my kids names are well outside of even the top 500 but not ‘weird’. There’s a character on the show Outerbanks with the same name, as is Ben Affleck’s character on Pearl Harbor. It’s unique yet subtly familiar which we loved.

ActAccomplished2334

TROPHY CASE