Talk about a short month! February absolutely flew by, and we’ve definitely kept ourselves busy. Since it’s the end of the month, I wanted to do a quick financial check-in—share where we are and hopefully encourage you to check in on your own finance journey too.
Where We Started in February
- ~$9,000 in credit card debt
- $42,500 in vehicle loans
- $55,000+ in student loan debt
Unfortunately, nothing went into savings this month. Our big goal for the year is to save $50,000 so we can qualify for a loan and eventually purchase 13–20 acres for a barndominium and small garage.
Being honest—by the end of February, that goal is looking very challenging.
We were officially denied:
- Two refinance pre-approvals
- Two land loans
- One traditional mortgage
At this rate, it feels like we may be in our tiny apartment for another five years or more.
Where We Ended February
Going into March, our numbers improved slightly:
- ~$4,000 in credit card debt
- $42,000 in vehicle loans
- $55,000+ in student loans (payments restart in April)
Because February is a shorter month, we tightened spending and managed to pay about $5,000 toward credit card debt, which is a big win.
That said—our accounts currently have a combined $1.58 left.
Yes… broke broke. But all the bills are paid.
On the truck loan, we made only the minimum payment:
- ~$500 toward principal
- ~$600 toward interest
Not ideal—but progress is still progress.
Small Wins That Helped This Month
One thing that really helped was our annual rewards from Costco.
- Membership rewards: about $300
- Citibank Costco credit card cashback: about $205
I applied the cashback directly toward the balance, which gave us a little breathing room.
Our membership renewal also came up. Last year we upgraded to the Executive level for the extra 2% cashback plus a $90 gift card.
This year:
- Executive cashback totaled about $78
- I already used that toward groceries
Technically, this nearly offsets the additional upgrade cost, so we decided to renew again and reassess next year—especially since our overall spending at Costco has decreased, even though some perks still make it worthwhile.
Other Financial Tasks We Worked On
This month wasn’t just about debt—we handled several important financial responsibilities:
- Filed our taxes
- Contacted the Texas Attorney General (again) regarding a refund we’re owed—they still haven’t processed a case that was closed in July 2025
- Started reviewing my mom’s finances after discovering nearly $4,000 in suspicious payments (likely an elderly scam situation)
- Preparing to decide what to do with a CD that matured at the end of the month
Looking Ahead to March
March will be another tight month, but we’re staying focused on:
- Continuing to reduce credit card balances
- Building savings (even if slowly)
- Making smarter spending decisions
This journey isn’t perfect, but it’s real—and real progress takes time.
If you’re also working on paying off debt or rebuilding your finances, I’d love to hear how your month went.
Happy Llama Home 
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