Big Changes, and Even Bigger Changes

After going back and forth about it, heming and hawing, arguing, and trying to make sense of our finances, we finally bought a new car! It's going to be a big investment for us. We went into it intending to keep it for 10 years. It's a 2012 Chevy Sonic. It has everything you could want in a car, got the highest IIHS crash test scores in every category, and has tons of safety features. It is going to cost close to $120 more a month than Andy's current car payment, but when you look at the fact that we shelled out over $1400 this year alone in repairs, and spread that out, it evens out! It's nice to finally have some peace of mind. The "Hey my car won't start" calls were getting old. And there was no way I'd trust E in that old car. We definitely made the right decision. A is happy, and here's a picture of him in the new car. He doesn't look happy but trust me, he was!

I hate orange, but in person this color really isn't bad. He got to drive it out of the dealership, and he got a Sonic hat because it was the first one our salesman sold. We love it and I for one am so glad I did it!

One thing we did decide upon purchasing the car, though, is that we need a solid budget. Right now we pay our bills and then just spend freely, and I think we need to tighten the reins. We could save a lot more money, and we will be living on a lower income once E comes since A will be in school and only working part time. I started working up the budget today and it's not so bad. I'm very fortunate to have a great job, and I just got a raise. We have to up our life insurance, and we may need to add in some more for paying off credit cards, but it works. I plan to have all my cards paid off when E comes, but we may need to dip into them while I'm on maternity, so those will have to go back into the budget, but so be it. I set aside money for food, gas, and "fun" as well as medical stuff, like prescriptions and appointments. We will be splitting care for E between A, Me, and my mom, so we don't have to pay daycare. We're very fortunate for that! But it's really time we set some solid ground rules for spending. We have everything covered, but I want to still be able to put some money away and have fun, too.

We're coming to the realization that having this baby means we are definitely going to have to make some changes. But there are new, awesome things to experience with our baby, too. And my mom showed up at the dealership yesterday, and we went out to dinner once we had the car. Andy was saying he would never get to go back home to PA because he couldn't leave his girls, and my mom said "They can come stay with us". So now A feels comfortable with being able to see his friends once in a while and knowing I'm safe, and I have no problem hanging out with my parents for the night. I want E to spend as much time with them as she can. I'm really glad she suggested that because I think it lifted a little weight off of him. He's pumped to be a daddy and have his little girl, but ALL of his friends are in PA, and he doesn't always want to drag us up there, so now we found a way to deal.

Yep, things are certainly going to be different, but I'm excited. I get to see her tomorrow finally and make sure everything still looks good. Then I have another growth scan at 26 weeks. Still praying every day she's healthy and happy.