So, I'm sitting here in the hospital with my wife waiting for our first baby to be born... just a few cm left to go, so I figure about 3-5 more hours before full dilation.. Anyways!
I was reading a lot of the accomplishments here and thought I would reflect on all the changes I've made since we found out my wife was pregnant.
1. Went from 5k to 30k in emergency fund. (will pay down some debt after babies here and health bills paid)
2. Sold many of my youthful toys.. (serious airsoft collection, bowflex weights, gaming computer, and other misc. electronics ) Pure elimination of 'stuff' - feels great
3. Maxed out my wife's IRA for 2012.
4. Put 4k into my health savings account.. (will be blowing my max cashout for my policy today)
5. Reduced living expenses to $1,200 per month (not including debt)
6. Refinanced student loans and car loans at substantially lower rate. 5% for student loans, 2.77% car loan
7. Put a plan to reduce all debt within 12 months
8. Received a ton of baby stuff for free! (1st grandchild on both sides has its perks!)
9. Reduced total cellphone bill to $45/mo (2 smart phones with straight talk - company reimburses mine)
We still have a nasty negative NW due to student loans, but after the baby's here we'll start pounding away at them rather than increasing our emergency fund.
#10. Will become a father in ~4 hours?