WELCOMING 2010 WITH....

.....OUT with the NEW....IN with the OLD.

That's backwards, I know. But I am loving it.

Remember this post? Our new car was in the shop for over a month with brake issues in July. The brake issues are back. Squeaking, grinding, completely bothersome, not to mention a safety hazard. And, this is the car that costs us the most each month in payments.

When I was reassessing our financial obligations a couple of months ago, (remember the housekeeper and landscaper were part of the "reducing" we did in our home....we are surviving) the next big thing I wish could go away was our car payment, but it was a lease. Almost impossible to get out of a lease early without paying all sorts of early termination fees. Enter the California Lemon Law. To make a long story short, we qualified due to the lengthy stay of our car in the shop during the repairs and Mazda is re-purchasing our vehicle today and reimbursing us a hefty portion of our monthly car payments for the last year and a half. THAT WAS A HUGE PERK. I was just wanting out of the car payment and this has completely worked out in our favor. I guess part of the blessing of trying to "live within our means."

We are shopping this weekend for a used car. One that will come with no car payment. So when I say, "Out with the new, in with the old," I really mean it. I might be lost for awhile without navigation and I definitely know that my bum will miss the warming that came with the heated seats, but I am welcoming the old with fewer financial obligations.

With the changes we made in the last few months we have reduced our monthly expenses by.......$1124. Can you believe it? We changed our phone to a complete digital package with a downgrade in our cable TV services together with no housekeeper, no landscaper and no car payment we are well on our way to even more savings. Insurance and registration should go down too.

Welcome 2010! Wish us luck finding a new old car this weekend. And, here's wishing you a very happy New Year! 2010....I think it's going to be a good one. I'll share a few of my goals with you next week.