Hey, hey, friends!
We made it through April! And by “made it,” I mean I survived another month of solo mom life, a never-ending financial redemption arc, and cancer treatments that make me feel like I’ve been body-slammed by a narcoleptic elephant.
So welcome back to my little corner of the internet where we keep it real: the good, the bad, the overdraft notices, the chemo fog, and the moments of pure joy (like finally getting the sticky fruit snack residue out of my car’s cup holders). This month was a lot, but I’ve got updates, victories, setbacks, and enough humor to get us through it.
Let’s dig into this wild ride called April.
💰 Financial Goals: Debt Demolition & Dollar Victories
🎯 Goal #1: Pay Off $27,000 in Debt
If you’ve been following along, you know that this goal has been my personal Everest. When I started this journey, it felt insurmountable—like trying to scale a mountain with a backpack full of bad decisions and overdraft fees.
Last month, I was this close to the top, with just $700.68 left to go to meet my goal for the year.
And this month? DING DING DING!
I paid $737.32 toward my debt, which means I HAVE OFFICIALLY HIT MY 2025 DEBT PAYOFF GOAL!!!
Cue the confetti! Cue the airhorns! Cue me ugly crying in my bathroom!
But don’t get too comfy—I’m not stopping. Oh no. It’s only April. I’m strapping on my metaphorical boots and seeing how much more debt I can crush before 2026 comes knocking.
Now, let’s talk about the debt relief program I’m enrolled in, a.k.a. the financial life raft I clung to after realizing I was one bill away from starring in a real-life episode of Broke & Panicked.
Here’s how that’s going:
- Debt 1 – Settled and fully paid off ✅
- Debt 2 – Settled and currently making payments ✅
- Debts 3 & 4 – Still out there… looming… like your ex who still watches your Instagram stories 👀
The program works like this: I make biweekly contributions into a special account, and the company uses those funds to negotiate with creditors. This month, I contributed $637.20, bringing me one step closer to settling the final two accounts.
Is this program ideal? No. Do I love paying fees to clean up my old messes? Also no. But you know what I love even less? Bankruptcy. So here we are.
🎯 Goal #2: Save $7,200 in an Emergency Fund
I’m a firm believer that peace of mind lives inside an emergency fund. Because when you’re a single parent fighting cancer, life doesn’t just throw curveballs—it throws flaming chainsaws.
Last month, I had $1,180.85 sitting pretty in my emergency fund.
Then the HOA threatened to show up with pitchforks over my unruly trees, so I had to withdraw $650 to trim them before they tried to exile me from the neighborhood.
But I bounced back!
Not only did I replace that $650, but I added another $852.25, plus a glamorous $2.39 in interest (thank you, high-yield savings account). So now my emergency fund is at a glorious, resilient $2,035.49.
Is it $7,200? Not yet. But do I feel slightly more financially secure than a raccoon in a thunderstorm? Yes. Yes, I do.
🎯 Goal #3: Build Sinking Funds
Last month, all eight of my sinking funds were officially fully funded. These little savings buckets keep me from panicking every time something minor happens, from birthdays to oil changes to school supplies.
This month, I dipped into the car maintenance fund for a much-needed detailing job. (Let’s just say having young kids means your car becomes a museum of stale snacks and forgotten milk cartons.)
The good news? It now smells like lemon and self-respect again. I’ll be putting that $200 back in next month, but honestly, that clean-car feeling? Worth every penny.
🧍♀️ Personal Goals: Progress in Pajamas
🎯 Goal #1: Lose 50 Pounds
This one is tricky. Between hormone shifts, medications, fatigue, and, you know, fighting for my literal life, weight loss has slowed to a glacial pace. Last month I was 13 pounds down for the year and feeling cautiously optimistic.
This month?
One. Stinking. Pound.
That’s it. 14 total. 36 to go.
I know, it’s like watching a sloth run a marathon—slow, unglamorous, and kind of sad. But with chemo draining my energy like a toddler drains a juice box, I’m counting that one pound as a win.
Am I disappointed it wasn’t more? Sure. Am I proud I didn’t eat my feelings in the form of three pizzas and a Costco cake? Also yes. Progress is progress—even if it’s slower than my kids getting out the door in the morning.
🎯 Goal #2: Run a Half-Marathon
Let’s just say this one’s on the struggle bus right now.
Chemo has turned my muscles into wet noodles and my energy into a very limited resource. Running? Ha. I consider it a victory if I manage a slow walk around the block without collapsing into a lawn chair halfway.
BUT—I’m still moving when I can. Some days it’s a shuffle to the mailbox. Some days I manage a slow walk around the neighborhood while muttering “I used to be fun.”
Maybe I won’t run a half-marathon this year. But maybe I’ll walk one. Or crawl. Or Uber halfway there and lie about it. The point is, I’m not giving up.
🎯 Goal #3: Read 50 Books
Now THIS is the goal where I’m thriving. Books are my escape, my therapy, and my reward for surviving particularly hard days.
I’m currently participating in my public library’s 2025 Reading Challenge, where each book I read must fit a quirky category. This challenge is giving my TBR list structure and variety—and I love checking each box.
This month I read five books. Four were for the library challenge, and one was for my monthly ladies’ book club. Here’s the breakdown:
📖 Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Genre: Romantasy | Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Synopsis: A moody romantic fantasy where two deeply traumatized people collide in a magical whirlwind of secrets, attraction, and psychological damage.
Thoughts: Honestly, I kept waiting for the male lead to stop being emotionally constipated, but alas. The romance was… spicy, but the toxic vibes between the love interests made me cringe more than swoon.
📖 Darling Girl by Liz Michalski
Challenge Category: A book inspired by a play or musical
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Synopsis: What if Peter Pan wasn’t a charming forever-boy, but a total creep who steals children for dark reasons? This twist on Peter Pan follows a mother trying to protect her daughter from the legacy of Neverland.
Thoughts: Loved the dark twist on a childhood favorite, but the main character made so many bad decisions I considered launching the book into the backyard on several occasions.
📖 Blast from the Past by Jeb Wright
Challenge Category: A book set in the 1980s
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Synopsis: A nostalgic trip through high school antics, first loves, and small-town mischief during the glory days of cassette tapes and shoulder pads.
Thoughts: Fun at times, but felt kind of like reading someone’s glorified yearbook entries disguised as fiction. Not bad, just not gripping.
📖 The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Challenge Category: A social justice book
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Synopsis: Told through deeply personal letters, this powerful novel follows Celie, a Black woman in the early 1900s American South, as she endures abuse, finds her voice, and learns the meaning of true sisterhood.
Thoughts: I expected this to be one of those books that doesn’t really live up to its hype, but it honestly knocked the wind out of me. Raw, devastating, and totally deserving of its status as a classic.
📖 The Door to December by Dean Koontz
Challenge Category: A book with a month in the title
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Synopsis: A mother’s daughter–missing for six years–is returned from secret experiments, leading to a trail of murders and a showdown with the paranormal.
Thoughts: Creepy, intriguing, well-written, and well-paced—but not a book I’ll be haunted by (which is ironic given the content).
So no, I’m not running marathons—but I am running through books like it’s my cardio. At 22 down, I’m on track to hit 50 by year’s end, assuming I don’t get sidetracked by doom-scrolling Tik Tok videos or fall asleep mid-chapter (thanks, chemo). Either way, I’m reading my way through the chaos—and honestly, books don’t talk back, leave dishes in the sink, or ask if they can have a snack every five minutes.
🌻 Conclusion: Still Standing (Sometimes Sitting, but Still Here)
April was messy and beautiful and hard. I hit my debt goal early, kept chugging toward financial stability, kept my kids alive, and even managed to read five books while battling the kind of fatigue that makes folding laundry feel like climbing Everest in flip-flops.
There are days when I feel like a warrior. There are days when I feel like a pile of crumbs held together with duct tape and prayer. But I keep going. That’s what this journey is all about—progress, not perfection.
If this month taught me anything, it’s that success doesn’t always look like a finish line—it looks like showing up, inching forward, and refusing to give up even when your legs (and your spirit) feel like jelly.
So here’s to May: to progress, peace, continued healing, more wins (financial or otherwise), and maybe a few quiet moments with a good book and zero crumbs in the back seat.
Thanks for following along, cheering me on, and sharing this journey with me.
With grit, grace, and a Google search history full of “is this normal?”
–Your debt-slaying, chemo-enduring, library-loving single mama 💛