We’ve all heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I am a firm believer that challenges and difficulties in life, both those that we create for ourselves and those that are thrust upon us, can be turned to our good. Â We can learn and grow from our trials. Â Just as in […]
February 2014 Debt Repayment Progress Report
Debt Repayment Both last month and this month we have had an expected low debt payment. Â Starting in March, payments will increase substantially! Â We have changed from a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants budgeting system to a living-on-last-month’s-income system. Â It’s really exciting! So essentially, in January and February we have paid and set money aside for a month and […]
Setting up Your Etsy Shop– Earning on Etsy Series, Part 3
If you’re just joining us, take a look at Part 1: Etsy basics and Part 2: Market Research. Now we are ready to set up shop! If you don’t already have an Etsy account, it’s high time you get one!  It’s free!  If you sign up through my link you can get your first 40 listings […]
Should I Dip into Retirement or Borrow Money for School?– A Reader Question
I’m doing something a little different in today’s Wednesday Debt Discussion by fielding a reader’s debt-related question. Â Since many of us are experienced in this arena (that’s nicer to say than “deep in debt”), I thought it would be helpful to let everyone give some input. Â Here’s the question: I’m in school for my undergraduate […]
Making Fruit Leather from Applesauce
My mother-in-law makes fruit leather for her grandchildren for Christmas each year and has the process down to a science. Â Here is her step-by-step method for making and packaging delicious fruit leather. You can make fruit leather out of any pureed fruit. Â We make our own homemade applesauce, so it’s a convenient (and delicious) choice […]
Market Research for your Etsy Shop– Earning on Etsy Series, Part 2
Welcome back for Part 2 of my Earning on Etsy series.  Now that you know the basics of Etsy and have thought about what you want to sell, it’s time to do a little market research. You can find out a lot about what sells (and what doesn’t) and for how much by doing a […]
Are you in Debt Denial?
Most people don’t talk about debt openly, but it’s no secret that it’s a serious and widespread problem.  You can’t tell by looking at a person whether or not he has massive credit card debit.  Even those you know well may have suffocating student loan payments. Most people keep personal finances personal. Between the private […]
Creamy Tacos Casserole– Frugal Dinner Recipe
Creamy Tacos Casserole is a family tradition at least three generations old. Â Originally called simply “Cream Tacos,” I revised the name to give a better description of this yummy comfort food that we’ve adapted over the years. Creamy Tacos Casserole is a great dish to bring over to a friend who just had a baby […]
Can I really make money on Etsy? — Learn how to make money on Etsy
Of course you can! Â Get ready to learn how in my Earning on Etsy series! When I first heard about Etsy back in 2007, the entrepreneur and the crafter in me got curious. Â I wasn’t sure if I could make money. Â I didn’t have a business plan or goals. Â I wanted to try it, […]
Should you take loans from family members to get out of debt?
As family members see you struggling with debt, they may want to help. Perhaps they have been in your shoes and know what you are going through. Maybe they are just generous and want to contribute. Is accepting loans from family members a good idea? It depends on the person. And the family. Let’s Look […]
How Health Insurance Under the ACA Affects Our Debt Repayment
Hi. This is Mr. SixFiguresUnder. Â Because today’s topic is one that I like more than Stephanie, she has graciously allowed me to handle it. Â The topic: health insurance. We get frequent comments and questions from readers on our budget items. Â Several people have asked about our health insurance and if/how it has changed under Obamacare […]
The Fine Line of Patience in Paying Off Debt
Patience is a virtue we can all improve on, but having too much patience can be bad for those of us who are in debt. Â At the same time, having too little patience will make you crazy with anxiety and stress. Â When it comes to debt, do you have too much patience or not enough? […]
January 2014– Debt Repayment Progress Report
Debt Repayment Our debt payment was pretty darn pathetic this month at $400. Â January and February will both have low debt payoffs, but then in March we should be back in the fight. Â We are changing the way we budget to deal better with credit cards and income. Â I’ll explain more about it soon. Â I’m […]
Canning Homemade Applesauce
Homemade unsweetened applesauce is great for your diet and your budget. Â As in all homemade food and home-canned produce, it is comforting it know exactly what is in your food. Â When you can preserve your own produce or produce that you buy at rock-bottom prices, you can save money in your food budget. In our […]
Celebrating Your Success: A Debt Discussion
If you’ve been reading Six Figures Under lately, you know that we recently passed an exciting milestone. Â We got our debt under six figures! Â Do you want to know what we did to celebrate? Nothing. Is that lame? Â We smiled and were happy with our progress, but we didn’t do anything. Â We didn’t spend any […]
Eating Healthy and Saving Money with Green Smoothies
I have always been a picky eater, especially when it comes to vegetables. Â Now that I am a grown-up, I can handle eating vegetables when they are cooked (and smothered in butter, cheese or brown sugar), but I have a hard time eating veggies raw. Â Unfortunately, my kids are following my bad example. Years ago, […]
3 Subtle Ways Going Without TV Will Save You Money
If you are planning to decrease your spending in the new year, whether to help pay off debt or to save for the future, cutting out cable is a great way to save money. Â The money that you save on a monthly expense like cable adds up quickly. In addition to the huge chunk of […]
Accountability: A Debt Discussion
Welcome to another Wednesday Debt Discussion!  If you’re new around here, you might want to take a peek at what we’ve been discussing lately. Now that we’ve decided to be open about debt, made sure we aren’t adding to our debt, set a debt-free date along with some smaller goals, budgeted and made sacrifices to help us achieve […]
Homemade Pumpkin Bread and Muffins
We had a great pumpkin harvest this past fall. Â Little by little we have been making our own pumpkin puree to use and freeze. Â Consequently, pumpkin is our not-so-secret ingredient in everything these days. Â We have really become pumpkin connoisseurs. We cooked up our second-to-last pumpkin last week. Â At 70+ lbs, it yielded around 4.5 […]
Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent with Zote
During law school I learned to make my own laundry detergent. Â I always made the “liquid” kind. Â I use the word “liquid” loosely because it was somewhere between a solid and a liquid. Â If you’ve used the liquid version of Fels-Naptha, Borax, and Washing Soda, you know the gelatinous chunks of which I speak. I […]
Debt Tracking Tools: How do you keep track of your debt payoff?
Now that you’ve set a Debt-Free Date and made real sacrifices, how do you keep track of your progress? Â Do you have a spreadsheet that you update monthly? Â Do you rely on your loan statements? Â Do you have an app or program that you use? Up until recently we only used an Excel spreadsheet. Â We […]
Saving on Shaving
My husband has the gift of facial hair. Â He’s the kind who has a five o’clock shadow that some men can’t even grow after a week. Â There’s no need to be jealous though, it’s more of a curse. Â While laziness might lead him to let it grow, he shaves everyday (except Saturday) to maintain his […]
What are You Willing to Give Up to Get Out of Debt?
In our last Debt Discussion, we talked about Deciding on a Debt-Free Date. Â Now that you’ve nailed down a specific date or time-frame that you’d like to have everything paid off, let’s look a little closer at the “how” of reaching your goal. Assuming you aren’t still adding to your debt, paying it off is […]
How we paid off $36,000 of Debt in 2013
At the end of 2013, we reached an exciting milestone in our debt repayment adventure. We are now less than Six Figures Under. We have less than $100k of debt! We have paid off $40,000 of debt so far and $36,000 of it was in 2013. Those who are regulars around here have a good […]
