In our last Debt Discussion, we talked about Deciding on a Debt-Free Date. 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 simply an equation of spending less + earning more + time. You might already have some plans for how you'll cut your costs and earn extra this year. Unless you have already optimized your ... read more
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 idea of what we've done to get to this point. Most posts on this blog have something to do with our frugal lifestyle that is helping us pay off debt in a hurry. While earning more is half of the equation to paying ... read more
December 2013– Debt Repayment Progress Report
Debt Repayment In December we put $852 toward debt. Definitely not stellar, but it's just barely enough to drop us to less than Six Figures Under. Having debt of less than $100,000 is worth celebrating. Income Regular: $3,175 (after taxes) Etsy: $300-- A little better than last month, but well-below average. All of the month's orders came in the last two weeks of the month. It made for a stressful time right before leaving to go out of town. Now that we are back in town, I have a ... read more
We’re Not Six Figures Under Anymore!
Happy New Year! To celebrate the new year, I am excited to announce that... We're not six figures under anymore! You'll have to wait a few days for our official monthly debt repayment progress report for December with all the details of our earning and spending, but I thought the milestone of getting our student loan debt under $100,000 deserved its own celebratory post. For those who are new around here, this is what our debt repayment timeline looks like: May 2012-- Mr. ... read more
Deciding on a Debt-Free Date
If you are currently working on paying off debt, have you set a "debt-free date" yet? I'm not talking about going out with your spouse without using a credit card. I'm talking about a date on the calendar when you plan to be completely out of debt. If you haven't set a goal for when you plan to be done paying off your debt, I encourage you to set one now! If you are married, sit down and do this with your spouse. In order to be successful, you need to decide together and both be invested ... read more
6 Reasons to Get Kids Clothes Secondhand
More often than not, the clothes we buy for our kids are secondhand clothes. As long as they are in good condition, they fit well, and we think they are cute, we have no problem with used clothes. You can call them "pre-owned" or "pre-worn" if it makes you feel better. Here are six of the reason why we buy kids clothes secondhand. 1. It's waaaay cheaper. Between thrift stores, garage sales, consignment sales and swaps (just to mention a few), there are plenty of ways to get kids clothes ... read more
Is Santa Shooting You in the Foot?
Oh you better watch out... and I'm not talking about being naughty or nice. I'm talking about raising kids. Is Santa helping or hindering your parenting goals? Is Santa over-stepping his bounds? Is Santa shooting you in the foot? Ever since having kids I have wondered how to work the whole Santa thing. Here are a few values I want to instill in my kids that Santa just may be thwarting: Honesty Am I the only one who feels bad about fibbing to my kids about Santa (or the Tooth Fairy, for ... read more
Dealing With Discouragement: A Debt Discussion
Dealing with debt is often a long road filled with ups and downs. Reaching a milestone, sticking to your budget, resisting temptation, or earning some extra income are all reasons to smile and celebrate. We also all have times when we feel discouraged and wonder if we will ever get out of our current situation. How you deal with your discouragement will significantly help or hinder your progress. I probably don't need to outline the ways that discouragement can hinder your progress, so ... read more
Why We Decided Against a “Baby Emergency Fund” (and what we have instead)
If you've done any reading in personal finance, the idea of an emergency fund isn't new to you. Having money set aside for a rainy day is not a new concept. Ever since we were first married and started budgeting, we had had an emergency fund. When an "emergency" came up, in most cases, we were able to pull money from other sources and not use our emergency fund. We wouldn't let ourselves touch that money except in absolute emergencies. In the spring of 2013, I first read Dave Ramsey's ... read more
🍅Homemade Tomato Sauce from Tomato Puree 🍅
Now that you know how to increase your tomato harvest by ripening your green tomatoes indoors and you know the easiest way to can your tomatoes, I promised I would share what to do with your canned tomato puree. We use our home-canned tomato puree to make tomato sauce for spaghetti, for pizza, for lasagna, and more. We never buy spaghetti sauce from the store. We also use tomato puree to make tomato soup, but we'll save that for another day. There are many different variations, so I'll ... read more
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