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. […]
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, […]
🍅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, […]
Myths of the Minimum Payment– A Debt Discussion
Are you only making the minimum monthly payments toward your debt? Let’s look at a couple of the Myths of the Minimum Payment that might motivate you to do at least a little bit more! We’ll discuss in the comments below. Myth #1– You will never pay off your debt if you pay just […]
November 2013- Debt Repayment Progress Report
Our November numbers are not terribly impressive considering our goal. On the other hand, looking at the image above makes me excited that by this time next month we’ll no longer be six figures under, and we will have reached $40,000 in debt paydown. Debt Repayment In November we put $1200 toward debt. It’s a […]
Get Over $200 Without Leaving Home (Best Black Friday Deal for sure!)
UPDATE: The Black Friday promotion has ended, but you can STILL follow the link to get a $50 bonus on a checking account, $25 bonus on a savings account, and $25 bonus on kids accounts. I have had a Capital One 360 account for nearly a decade, since back when they were ING Direct. I […]
How’s Your Plumbing? A Discussion on Debt
Welcome to the weekly Wednesday Debt Discussion. In case you missed it, last week we talked about the pros and cons of disclosing debt. It was great to hear everyone’s take on making debt personal or public. Imagine you are sitting at the table having a nice conversation over dinner. All of the sudden you […]
5 Tips to Get the Best Bang for your Gift Card Bucks
Between Swagbucks, MyPoints and our credit card rewards programs, we have lots of opportunities to earn gift cards. While some people consider gift cards “free money,” around here we use gift cards just like we would hard-earned cash. We stretch them as far as they can go. Here are some tips to help you do the […]
Daring to Disclose Debt
Have you ever felt alone in your debt and wondered if you were the only one struggling mentally, emotionally, and financially under the weight of debt? Debt is discouraging, but keeping it discreet seems to be hurting everyone. Are you ready to disclose your debt? We are pretty open about the fact that we have […]
Stocking Up on Food: Why We Do It and How We Save Money
As I read frugal and financial blogs and discuss money-saving tactics with people, I have noticed two distinct frugal grocery styles. People tend to be either stocker-uppers or week-to-weekers. Both have well thought-out reasons for their thinking. I am definitely in the stocker-upper camp. Let me tell you why! Stocking Up is Responsible I have […]
