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As many of you know, I decided to revisit our finances in January with the start of the new year.  There have been so many changes over the past two years, that a financial check up is much needed.

At first I struggled with the decisions.  It's hard to look at the budget each month and realize it's not what it used to be. I had to overcome my own fears and frustration before I could really move forward with new budgets and ideas that made sense.  The key was not to give up.  I kept putting the numbers in front of me until I got comfortable with the obvious choices.  These are the same choices I knew were needed months ago, but I had to get to that place where I could move forward.  Last week, I was finally able to let go.  Since the major debt we have is mortgages, we have listed one of our properties for sale.  The proceeds will help us pay off several other mortgages and clear out 30% of our total debt.

We've also gone through the entire house and pulled out stuff for a huge garage sale during March.  It's freeing to know that we are going to reach the goal of financial peace by taking steps to secure the future even though we've suffered like many due to the economy.

Now I'm on a roll to see how much we can accomplish in 2010.  I have one more big property to work out.  We are torn between selling it or changing direction with the tenant base.  It's a tough decision because either way has risks.  However, we are weighing the risks while increasing our knowledge so that we make the right decision.  We've even set a target decision date for June 1.

To stay motivated, we've pulled out the basics again.  We've been listening to CDs on debt freedom and investing.  I've also decided to return to the classroom, so I'm taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.  Staying on track even after doing the program for 15 years is key.  I'm looking forward to 2011 now with renewed hope.