Emeals!

Well we are on our second week of Emealz.  I had decided to do a 3 month trial.  But I already LOVE IT!    I am not a too busy mom type, but I am sick and in dealing with those issues I am not always on top of everything.   I wasn't too sure if I was going to be a fan because generally I like to do everything myself, because it saves money.

But the menu's are organized really well.  So if there is something I don't like I just cross of ingredients on the shopping list that correspond with that menu number so if I don't want meal 6, I write in hamburgers or whatever I happen to want to make or is requested on the shopping list I cross out all items that have the #6 next to it and add meat and buns (or pizza night)...  right  are we clear.

There are a ton of kinds of menus, like low fat, carb free, gluten free, based on particular stores, or just general.  We are using the basic menu, and so far things have been tasty.  I have also made a few changes that were relatively painless to do, like ground turkey in place of ground beef, substituted certain veggies I already know that won't work with our family.   Its been easy to maneuver around.

The price didn't change too much for us, because we were already at 80-100 per week budget, however the variety is fantastic, it has been nice getting away from the  Monday hamburgers, taco tuesday wednesday chicken and rice a roni...  etc.  I was getting tired and so was my menu.   

And frankly its nice to have one thing I don't have to think about. There is enough on my plate, and anything I can do mindless I am all for.   So my rating is... so far so fabulous!

Financial Freedom for the New Year

Start the new year with financial freedom! These are the tools that David and I used to become debt free with a 5 year plan to pay off our 30 year mortgage! 

We may have drove a really ugly truck for a while, however that sacrifice and others have changed our mindset forever, and soon we will be mortgage free to. This is by far the best decision we have made for our family.  One that has freed us from being a slave to the lender.

Most of the information is free, he has books as well and his radio show on KMJNOW from 11a-2p or you can live stream it  at the Dave Ramsey web page.

What an amazing freeing feeling we have to be cash only, save to buy new car with cash, investing, build a retirement, debt free college for our kiddo, and build a legacy for our daughter that she may never know debt. These were concepts that were always foreign to us, however now this is our reality.  Our income didn't change but our ideals changed.  

Today begin your journey.  This can be done at ANY income level... BE FREE!

http://www.daveramsey.com/category/tools/

I love being a 'DaveRamsian'

Enjoying Christmas so much more than usual...  being debt free really does take the pressure off, and makes shopping so much easier.   Gifts are much more personalized too!  Maybe nothing has changed other than the lack of stress, and how much easier its getting to shed bad habits and remain on a budget.  Granted we still fall of the wagon so to speak.  But not in such a way that is so financially devastating, as well as, not as often as we used too.

I think that the best part of it all is a renewed Christmas spirit and understanding what Christmas is really all about, loving each other.  

Thanks Dave!  I love being a "DaveRamsian"

Insurance

This whole insurance thing scares so me... how do you know what to get. And life insurance is just really insane, because of my disabilities, and other factors, it is high. Right now it is too high while we are paying off bills so I am trying to find alternatives.

I was looking at Mortgage insurance but it is kindof a rip off, because the monthly fee never goes down but the value of the policy goes down. But maybe it would be okay for the short term. I hate to waste money, but I am afraid to go on any further and be not covered. So today I am going to call in to the Dave Ramsey radio show and get his opinion on this. I will update this this afternoon....

Christmas... Dave Ramsey style!

Its a Dave Ramsey Christmas... but this year we did decide to squeeze out a few gifts for the kids and for parents who lived in the area, no shipping this year. Our budget is a shocking $5 per person. I knew that this was crazy, cut somehow it was doable. Now I know what you are thinking... $5 why bother. The hardest part is getting past the idea that you are only spending $5 on a person, I mean mentally that is really, really hard, but doable. I think that even if they did find out that your budget is the size of a pea, that they don't really care, and if they found out you are trying to pay off your bills and be debt free they still wouldn't care. They would probably even be excited and or proud of your endeavors.

I decided that if I was going to work with this budget, I was going to have to really flex the creative muscle. First I put everyone's money in envelopes so I wouldn't go over at all. The hardest part was putting things back when I new even with taxes I wouldn't have it. Seperate envelopes would have been much easier because I was more tempted to over spend, using a seperate envelope would have helped me mentally, you know "self.... there is really on $5 in there so you have to choose between bath salts or candle to go with the bubbles and lotion"

Another key to this was to not just blanket shop. I knew that I didn't want to just pull out my printing block and make 30 prints of a christmas scene, or crochet a bunch of doilies. I wanted to let each person know that we were thinking of them individually, personalize it.

So my daughter and I headed out to shop. Now for the girls it was easy. For my mother-in-law who just moved into a new apartment I made a basket of bubbles, candles, pretty soap very easy, and at the good ole' dollar store, very cheap, but shockingly nice. I found a beautiful necklace at target on clearance, for my niece who is a teenager now and rolls her eyes alot... in fact I am sure that just now as I write this she just rolled her eyes and doesn't even know why. Michaels had 80 piece art kits on super sale $2 each and at this point the younger kids just know that their aunty loves art and that is just what they are going to get. I got a larger art kit for my nephew, it has some pastels in it. I decided that I was going to print some online lessons to include with it, and go to walmart and get a couple of packs of their cheapy copy paper, I use it for alot of practice drawing or trying out new techniques or supplies 500 sheets for $2 is great to add into their kits for practically nothing each.

I was lamenting over what to get for my father-in-law for christmas, the budget was only $8... normal budget was only $5 but I was under budget on some others (if you can believe that) and was able to increase here. Still it was hard. So it hit me on the way out the door when I was checking the time... he likes tools. A tool clock. So I went to micheals with my 50% coupon and paid only $3.50 for battery operated clock mechanics that comes with the arms and everything. Then I stopped at Harbor Freight and found the cheapest circular saw blade I could find right about $3. Then I picked up a little pack of washers, I was lucky to find a small container with mulitple sizes.. including very large, like a half dollar. I went home and started assembly. Fumbling through, ad-libing, and using washers to make hole smaller and a couple of smaller ones to fit inside the hole so it won't wiggle, (my husbands idea). And a sharpie to write in the numbers, they have number kits you can buy but I thought that a sharpie was just as good. And as it turns out there are a ton of instructions online for these... so google it!

Also another gift I made that is was perfect was for my other mother-in-law. Her kitchen decor is apples, so at Michael's my daughters mission was to find an apple stamp, and not only did she do that but she said look mom this one is only $1 so we can get this cute house too, its also $1! Love that kiddo... so we got that some ink, some felt, and went next door to Lowes and bought 4 tiles. We stamped them, glued little felt squares on the four corners, and I am going to use hairspray cause I forgot to buy spray fixative. Great gift, a project I found online also.

So this is how christmas went this year, I didn't list everything but I think you get the picture. Though I have not seen the results yet, I do believe it will go well.

Merry Christmas!

My first card

I still remember my first credit card... it was a citibank card and I was at COS and they had there little card table set up, and I was snared. It wasn't even hard for them. I was only 19-20 I had an apartment with a friend, that I couldn't afford so my husband-to-be (as it turned out) was paying for it.

So of course I could get a card, and did you know they gave me a $2000 dollar limit. I mean me, I was bringing home maybe $200 a month! I was excited and of course, I put it away for emergencies, like shoes, and pizza. But no worries cause every time I got to my max limit, you know those nice people raised my credit limit, so I wouldn't have to worry. But that doesn't really end there because after I got married, I still found myself enamored by credit cards. I felt grown up, like I was officially an adult. I would be at the mall and see those credit card tables with free items, and I would plow people over just to get in and fill it out.

Soon, the debt was very high. We were losing control, and several years later as we stood in bankruptcy court worried that someone was going to show up, that credit card card had grown to over $20,000... yes there are 5 digits there... I really did hate to see that go, but maybe it is more about failure than it is loyalty. Maybe if I can hold on a little more then I could fix this mess I made.

But that was a long time ago, and unfortunately not the last of my financial mistakes, and now we are on track for greener pastures.

Money & kids

This new vision is something I want to ensure that our kiddo not only knows but that it is a way of life. No student loans, credit cars, saving up for a car and not buying into credit card debt, and maybe just maybe even paying for a house with cash. Doesn't that sound a little ridiculous, I thought so too, however, I hear about it quite often now... now that I have opened my ears to it. We have been told for so long that we must save for a down payment, buy a car with no money down, get a credit card and make regular payments, preserve your credit score, that we know no different. But we are determined to change that for her, to ensure that her life is different, and better, save your money for a car, save your money for that new furniture, be patient and your reward is that your life will never be chained down to another person, and the economy will survive. Because the economy is not dependent upon your credit card, it is dependent upon your ability to spend responsible.

When I think about what I learned from my parents growing up, there is not much to write about. We were very poor, lived off welfare, "government cheese", and other such things. So saving wasn't at the top of the list, if there was a list. Not to say they didn't try, I was raised by my grandparents, and the were disabled and retired, and struggled. But they tried, God love em' Not a cycle I wish to repeat.

Marriage and money? oi!

So we are working on Marriage and money. This topic is quite touchy some say it is the number one reason for divorce, which is very scary considering a future with the person you love is hinged on a checkbook. I don't think so... instead I wonder if it is the lack of communication or a plan concerning finances, and a secure future. How far can we go in a boat without a navigation system, or at least a compass.

One of the topics covered in this lesson was separate checking accounts. I hear about many couples who keep separate accounts, bills, even divvy up household expenses. That concept is something I couldn't see working in our household. I feel like that would also drive separation within the marriage, once you begin to tear a sheet of paper, it is weakened, and soon will begin to further split, maybe into 2 pieces. Now that we budget for entertainment and pocket money, I feel like I get to spend a little more freely, a little more equally (I'm a shopper).

Recently, I also posted our additional paid off debt. I have learned that it is now exciting to not only pay off debt but to close those accounts, checking the mail daily waiting for the letter of closure. I am however resisting the urge to frame them, my child does have friends, and I would like for them to not think that I am completely nuts (or at least know the truth). When I think about our communication style for money, I am happy that they have generally not been screaming matches, and we have been on the same page, however it was the wrong page! We never had financial goals other than, how to spend spend spend, and also finagle being able to run out and buy something that we wanted. With our budget in place I see our path and future, and it does feel secure, even clear.

FPU Quick Update!

We have paid off another credit card! Its so exciting we are on track and going, even in the face of Murphy standing on our doorstep a time or two!

New concept.... saving for emergencies and purchases! What is up with all this crazy talk!

Saving for emergencies AND purchases! I don't know, that seems foreign somehow. Who plans for emergencies anyhow, isn't that what insurance is for.... oh wait we're not talking about ambulances? You mean put money away so the next time you look at your tires, and determine that they must have made a mistake at the tire shop 8 years ago, and accidently put on racing skids!

I think our idea, and probably most peoples idea of an emergency fund is... pray like mad until something gives, or a loan shark... eh hem I mean loan company comes along and "helps". So here we are at class, and some questions are put forth. What was the last major unexpected financial crisis you face? How would that have gone differently is there was... gasp... money in a savings account?

Well I think the last major one was when I lost my job, our shop, and the car in the same quarter. Well that was quite the zinger, not to say that there was no other crisis, but when I think major that is what appears. So had we discovered Dave Ramsey earlier, and we had a fully funded emergency fund, it wouldn't have been so devastating. You know like being punched in the stomach and just for kicks rip out the carpet from your feet so it was easier to kick you in the ribs cause your flat on your back... oh sorry rambling a little.

Maybe things would have been different altogether, you know saved up cash for the car instead of financing, or at the very least, rather than panic about those events, taken a deep breathe, and thought about the next step, rather than run around like a crazy person.

Now my favorite questions are "dream big ones" you know what would you do if you won the lottery! Well I am a little small town so I am okay with this one: What if you were debt free (except your home) and had $10,000 sitting in the bank just for emergencies? How would your life be different? How would you be different?

Dreams would come true... I would be sitting in my studio downtown, throwing and firing all day beautiful pottery and sculptures, painting on occasion. Selling my art and maybe others too, but at a bargain so that everyone can see it. Then go home wait for my family to come home, cook dinner, and enjoy seeing them, and hanging out. Thinking about this for a moment makes me smile. I get excited, cause in a short time and with these little goals my husband and I have acheived already, I think that this is reality, this can actually happen. This is motivation! This I can do. I would never get a loan again, and in fact when I think about this little dream I start rolling around numbers in my head thinking... how much do I need to put away to make this happen, what can I do to acheive this goal and how long will it work.

This new thought process is funny because when I would think of this before I would think to myself, how can I crunch the numbers for the bank, how can I convince them to loan me the money. This concept of paying cash and saving for things is not extreme thinking anymore, just different thinking. I hear the testimonies on the radio everyday. This is real cause right now it's happening to us, little by little we are progressing from the depths of financial despair to financial freedom.

This is awesome!

Big dose of Financial reality or Financial Peace University lesson 1

Today is lesson one of financial peace university. It was relatively easy to go through, the layout was very nice, easy to use. I had video issues, but learned it was because I had left a ton of stuff on my desktop running in the background.

So far we are off to a good start, the emergency fund is in place. Though we had to dip into it, it is nice knowing that it was there, no panic! We will have to budget tonite and be ready to stay on path.

I had an ah-ha moment today when I was looking at quickbooks... it seems we really eat out alot, now I consider ubakes and as well or anything like that, not fully prepared by me as dining out. it is my weakness.. my solution is to time manage better and to cook better meals, or some that kind of similiar to what we get when we go out. Maybe I will even squeeze in some healthier stuff!

So though tonite will be boring and busy, I look forward to moving through these steps to financial freedom!

Financial Peace... the experience

Dave Ramsey has been a blessed discovery in our lives, and during veterans day, they gave a way to all veterans a free 16 week course to the Financial peace online class! My husband and I are both veterans of the United States Marine Corp and I am excited to start this session.

I decided that I will be posting my experience of taking this class on this blog, now I won't be posting the class, however I will be posting the experience as I process this new direction in our lives. I am excited that we will be able to teach this to our daughter so that by the time she becomes an adult, she will have a strong foundation to begin her life.

Getting back... housing woes

fwwwwwwwwwwwhhhh.... let me dust this thing off~ sorry everyone. I have been in a whirl wind lately, in escrow... again... on yet another house. Really its not even exciting anymore. I mean I love this house but some sellers are very crazy right now, at the last minute asking for more money, and I'm thinking that wasn't in the contract, but I would rather walk away than deal with that. However it also helps that the perfect house is around the corner, and so far this looks like it but I refuse to get excited anymore until we sign paperwork and get keys.

Also, more good news is we are on track to paying off our bills completely, thanks to a radio show called Dave Ramsey, officially in the very beginning of 2010 we will be debt free except for the house (maybe even sooner). We will be putting all the money we normally pay to our debt to the principal on the house, and maybe even more. There are those who live on the bare essentials, you know rice and bean people for a few short years and manage to pay off their mortgage in a handful of years. I would like to have that motivation, and who knows maybe I will after we are debt free in a couple of months.

Thanks for your support and encouraging emails!

Cash for Clunkers... wonder or blunder

*Update* I realize I did not put in the cost of parts and repairs for the older vehicles!

hmmm. Admittedly I am tempted, after all there are cars out there you can get for $5000 brand new after the government credit! So why do I hesitate, the gas mileage would be alot better than my Nova (which by the way is never an option for trade in or sale) My van is decent mileage about 18 or so on a good day. It would be prettier than my van that is for sure, poor little work truck, filled with gear, waiting for a little more in the budget for her makeover.

So I couldn't help myself... had to figure it out. Now I am no accounting wizard here just gathered some information from what I knew personally regarding parts and from what I got when I called local shops.

So here it is check it out I think you would be shocked as I was! The money alone we could save... would fix the air conditioning in the van, brand new paint job, and reupholster the whole thing in just a couple of months of what I would save if I opted to not get a new car. The Nova by the way is perfect in all those departments

The figures for monthly expense includes what you would need to put away for replacement of wear and tear. Most people say well older cars are not dependable. On our newer car we learned that everything is much more expensive; from simple oil changes, inspections, etc. From talking with other people at the time our car payment was considerable low at the time. All in all these figures I believe will be different for each person, maybe your car payment is higher or maybe your gas mileage is better. I think it is better to hammer out the long term factors before considering Cash for Clunkers.

For me I'm thinking maybe not, because I can put the van in perfect running order with new paint and interior and not only, not have a car payment but save other expenses as well.

Good Luck in your decision

Crossroads, Confusion, and Chocolate

Well lately I have been wildly aware of my lack of focus.   I have tried many times to "sit and listen" you know be calm and listen to my heart... to God, but I just can't get my mind to stop turning.  I understand that this is what I need to do, but how!  How is it possible for me to sit for even 5 minutes, cause when I do I am flooded and find as if a thousand voices are screaming and talking at once.  

Now before you make a call to a mental facility.... understand that I like my voices.  And maybe I like this lack of peace, most of the time.  Or am I  afraid of the quiet... who knows really, I don't.  I do know that I wish I had direction or focus.  I am afraid of the future because it seems so clouded and unsure.  

I would like to be able to finish a couple of projects I started that I think are good, like my book for instance.  But it got a little personal, and I began to have fear for some of those drudged little things... However, I have this desire to do it, but fear to do it and have taken a break, lack of focus for the original reasons I started doing it.  I am guessing anyhow.  

I am in this medical limbo which is probably what kicked off this sudden life moment.  Can't really do anything till we figure out what is going on.  I haven't truly committed to anything here lately, kind of sticking my feet in but not really diving in and committing to task.  This is all new for me, I have always been a fully committed kind of gal (not white coat committed...not yet)  I feel like I am living in a waiting for the other shoe to drop kind of world.

I know that I can't live like this, not with any kind of quality, so the question is  what do I do.  I am not completely sure of the  answer because I keep answering with regards to how it affects other people.  I listen to Dave Ramsey alot, something that would have the teenage version of me mortified... but he said something recently to a man on the show that got me thinking....  it was reference to a man who was wanting advice for starting a business,  simply put "don't do it unless it is something that you can't wait to do when you wake up and the last thing you think of when you go to sleep at night"  I don't really have that... at all, unless it is something I am "chewing on" at the moment.

I think the answer lies within that, I just have to somehow find it, find me, in all this craziness!