August 2009 Debt Pie Chart

August was a strange month. We just had a lot of extra stuff pulling at our budget but we still manage to get the truck PAID OFF! Yea us!

*happy dance*

There is a little change in how I am getting my numbers for the house. I was using numbers that reflect how much the house is worth vs what we took a mortgage out for. I decided just to use the debt number (outstanding mortgage amount).

We are hoping to have the car and rv paid off in 2010, and the house in 2011. It is a plan.

Dave Ramsey rocks.

Front porches are so important. They are the "wave" to the passing neighbor. The first impression to a passer-by. Mine was blah and bland. Nothing inviting that made you want to linger and sit awhile and watch the world go by.


Lowes has paint for plastic for about $4.50 a can. The primer did cover the two chairs and I need a can of red pain per chair. Total $13.50. This red is the only shade of red available.


I sanded down the small table. One can of white outdoor wood spray paint ($3.50) made the table looke great. I put on about 2 coats with an hour wait in between coats of paint.

I had some extra red paint to accent the table. I cut an old kitchen sponge and just sponge on red squares for a quickie chess table.

It's bright and cheery. Stop by. I'll make some sweet tea and whup your butt in a game of checkers.

Dining Room

I use the term dining room because it sounds better then "the hallway to the outside". It's a very small 103" x 120". There was an air conditon built into the wall (not a window). The door open into the room and took up much of the floor space. With 3 dogs in the house, I wanted a doggie door.

We liked the glass door looking out to the back of the property. Another glass door was a must. We special order from Home Depot an extra large sliding glass door. Even though I hate dirty tracks associated with sliding doors, I felt that to free up the floor space from swing doors, this was the only option. The dh did a great job taking out the old a/c unit, enlarging the door opening and installing the new door.


The doggie door panel was easy to install with a couple of screws and the glass doors will lock onto the panel. As extra security, we got a piece of wood cut to fit into the track.


The curtains were added. At first DH thought they made the room look even smaller. I decide against a valance and placed the rod close to the ceiling. It seem to help. I love the cottage feel of the room now.

Now, I'm on the hunt for a smaller table. Maybe something square with pull out leaves. It must seat 6 when completely pulled out for family get togethers but breaks down small enough to walk around on most days.