Since I've started blogging in February, my credit card debt has been reduced by $3,544 (the credit card report has been updated as well in my progress to date). Thanks everyone for helping to keep me motivated!! I am seeing a change in my debt situation and I like it :)
Things were made even better yesterday when my husband's mom called. She just got the $1,775 check in the mail for the loan they gave us when we purchased our home. I guess she really didn't need the money and she said she wrote all over the check voiding it and will be sending it back. I guess her bringing up the loan didn't mean they needed it. We were also told it was officially a gift.
If you happened to stop by late last night you would have noticed that my net worth actually increased even further to $-50,240. I went in and updated the numbers. I'm only $240 away from reaching the $-50,000 mark. Woohoo!
Overall, April was a great month and May is off to a great start as well. My tax returns have been a great "booster" to paying down some debt. Going forward, it's all going to be about cutting costs, being frugal and living simple. I have to devote a large chunk of my income to debt if I want to reach my goal. I also may be looking into ways to consolidating my debt to obtain lower interest rates.
Stay tuned :)
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Mechanic Update and a Lesson Learned
After thinking it over, our car went back to our regular mechanic to get it diagnosed and fixed. It went in at 10am and my tummy has been upset ever since. After fearing the worst for hours, I heard from his shop around 5pm and are you ready for how much it cost? You really ready?
$59.00 (includes an oil change)
The diagnosis?
I can't even believe I am going to admit this - but...the gas cap wasn't tight enough. Yup, that's what caused my check engine light to come on.
Lesson learned - make sure you tighten your gas cap!! :)
$59.00 (includes an oil change)
The diagnosis?
I can't even believe I am going to admit this - but...the gas cap wasn't tight enough. Yup, that's what caused my check engine light to come on.
Lesson learned - make sure you tighten your gas cap!! :)
Net Worth as of 4/30/06: $-52,015
NOTE: Since originally publishing this post, I had to update my net worth. Something I thought was a loan (and I paid) ended up being a gift. For the new net worth as of 4/30/06, please see my post here. Thanks :)
~~~~~~~~~~
Wow, April was a great month and my Net Worth increased to $-52,015. Most of that is due to my tax refunds and using it all towards debt. It is getting so close to being only 50 grand in the hole. I love that little graphic from networthiq.com. It is such a "mood-booster" seeing that line shoot up.
As I mentioned a few days ago, I had a sizable loan reappear that I had forgotten about. I'd be lieing if I said I wasn't a little bummed about that. I really was looking forward to paying off more of my debt with that money. But, now all personal loans from family have been paid off and all concentration will be on the credit cards.
I did have my reports ready a few days ago to update in My Progress to Date post but then that family loan reappeared. I am hoping to get new reports ready this evening. Stay tuned :)
~~~~~~~~~~
Wow, April was a great month and my Net Worth increased to $-52,015. Most of that is due to my tax refunds and using it all towards debt. It is getting so close to being only 50 grand in the hole. I love that little graphic from networthiq.com. It is such a "mood-booster" seeing that line shoot up.
As I mentioned a few days ago, I had a sizable loan reappear that I had forgotten about. I'd be lieing if I said I wasn't a little bummed about that. I really was looking forward to paying off more of my debt with that money. But, now all personal loans from family have been paid off and all concentration will be on the credit cards.
I did have my reports ready a few days ago to update in My Progress to Date post but then that family loan reappeared. I am hoping to get new reports ready this evening. Stay tuned :)
I've Joined the No Credit Needed Network
I believe a big part of keeping motivated to become debt-free is to find others in similar situations and to stick together and support each other. It turns out, there is a great website out there offering such a place and I have recently joined the No Credit Needed Network.
Come on over and check it out. Some are fighting debt, others are keeping track of their savings and a few are even tracking their progress with losing weight (as Mighty Bargain Hunter pointed out - losing debt is a lot like losing weight).
A thanks to everyone at the NCN Network for welcoming me over there :)
Come on over and check it out. Some are fighting debt, others are keeping track of their savings and a few are even tracking their progress with losing weight (as Mighty Bargain Hunter pointed out - losing debt is a lot like losing weight).
A thanks to everyone at the NCN Network for welcoming me over there :)
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Have You Checked Out the Festival of Frugality Yet?
The Festival of Frugality is up at Wandering Indian Monk. If you haven't yet - go check it out. I double dog dare you :)
Thanks to Wandering Indian Monk for hosting this week!
Thanks to Wandering Indian Monk for hosting this week!
Tags: festival+frugality, frugal
Twelve Frugal Wedding Tips from My Wedding
My outdoor wedding was pretty frugal and very simple. But - it did not lack beauty. It only cost about $2,000 with $1,000 of it spent my ring and dress (the most expensive parts of the whole day). Here's some things that I did that may help some of you out there considering a simple outdoor wedding.
1.) Have the wedding and/or reception in a park. We had our wedding and reception at a state park. We rented one of the pavillions for the entire day for a mere $30.
2.) Make your own wedding invitations. We purchased paper from a local office supply store and printed our own invitations. I addressed the envelopes with calligraphy to add a touch of elegance. The envelopes were sealed with stickers that went along with what we were giving out as favors as a touch of fun. Overall, the ability to design the invitations ourself added to the personal touch we wanted for the wedding.
3.) Hire a friend as a DJ. I think most of us have a friend that is a "wanna-be" or is a DJ. Let them do your wedding and save the cost of paying a professional.
4.) Rent chairs from a local college - not a rental or wedding rental place. As soon as you put the word "wedding" on something, the price goes up. See if your local college has fold-up chairs for rent. Our chairs cost around $30 for the day.
5.) Get creative for the cake topper. I couldn't find a cake topper that fit my nature theme of the wedding, so I made one with none other than a Chia Tree!! (turn down the volume if you check out the link) I just used the tree, gave it a coat of paint, added two little doves purchased from a craft store and glued them on top. Add some ribbon in the wedding colors, and voila - a nice looking cake topper. And no one knew it was a Chia Tree ;)
6.) Make your own wedding cake. Going with the nature theme of our wedding, my dad cut blocks of a tree in varying heights and I used those to place the cake layers on. For decorating the cake, I used a simple lacework technique that anyone can do because it is a sporadic type of decoration. It also hides any imperfections well if you have the lacework closer together or create multiple layers of lacework.
7.) Have a dry reception (or an almost dry one). Our reception was completely alcohol-free. As a result, a lot of money was saved. Sure, there may have been some guests that missed the alcohol, but we did not drink and we knew that some of our guests could not hold their alcohol well. The great thing is that it is your wedding and you can make the decisions.
8.) Make your own favors. I like to paint when I have the time, so I painted favors to give away to guests. I found little semi-clear bags with leaves on them from a dollar store to put the painted favors in.
9.) Skip a professional photographer. We had two designated amateur photographers (family members) document our wedding. They loved the idea of being the photographers and we ended up with some really great photos. With two of them working hard to capture the moment, they often caught different angles of the same thing occuring. We also included disposable cameras at the picnic tables to capture even more angles.
10.) Have cold cuts for the reception. Our wedding was during the hottest part of the summer and outdoors so we didn't want real hot food. We decided on cold cuts and just made sure they were rolled up nicely and the cheese was cut in a fancy way. Presentation is key, and that just takes some time to do (not money).
11.) Borrow what you can. I worked in a cafeteria at the time and I asked if I could borrow some pans for holding food and ice. If you know of someone with something that would work for your wedding, ask. The worst they could say is no. Just make sure you return things in great shape.
12.) Buy food in bulk. If you know of someone in the restaurant or food service business, ask if they can order certain things for you through their distributor and let you purchase the product at their cost. That way, you save some money even above what you could purchase bulk items for from places like Sam's Club.
Wow, writing all that makes me feel like planning another frugal wedding :)
1.) Have the wedding and/or reception in a park. We had our wedding and reception at a state park. We rented one of the pavillions for the entire day for a mere $30.
2.) Make your own wedding invitations. We purchased paper from a local office supply store and printed our own invitations. I addressed the envelopes with calligraphy to add a touch of elegance. The envelopes were sealed with stickers that went along with what we were giving out as favors as a touch of fun. Overall, the ability to design the invitations ourself added to the personal touch we wanted for the wedding.
3.) Hire a friend as a DJ. I think most of us have a friend that is a "wanna-be" or is a DJ. Let them do your wedding and save the cost of paying a professional.
4.) Rent chairs from a local college - not a rental or wedding rental place. As soon as you put the word "wedding" on something, the price goes up. See if your local college has fold-up chairs for rent. Our chairs cost around $30 for the day.
5.) Get creative for the cake topper. I couldn't find a cake topper that fit my nature theme of the wedding, so I made one with none other than a Chia Tree!! (turn down the volume if you check out the link) I just used the tree, gave it a coat of paint, added two little doves purchased from a craft store and glued them on top. Add some ribbon in the wedding colors, and voila - a nice looking cake topper. And no one knew it was a Chia Tree ;)
6.) Make your own wedding cake. Going with the nature theme of our wedding, my dad cut blocks of a tree in varying heights and I used those to place the cake layers on. For decorating the cake, I used a simple lacework technique that anyone can do because it is a sporadic type of decoration. It also hides any imperfections well if you have the lacework closer together or create multiple layers of lacework.
7.) Have a dry reception (or an almost dry one). Our reception was completely alcohol-free. As a result, a lot of money was saved. Sure, there may have been some guests that missed the alcohol, but we did not drink and we knew that some of our guests could not hold their alcohol well. The great thing is that it is your wedding and you can make the decisions.
8.) Make your own favors. I like to paint when I have the time, so I painted favors to give away to guests. I found little semi-clear bags with leaves on them from a dollar store to put the painted favors in.
9.) Skip a professional photographer. We had two designated amateur photographers (family members) document our wedding. They loved the idea of being the photographers and we ended up with some really great photos. With two of them working hard to capture the moment, they often caught different angles of the same thing occuring. We also included disposable cameras at the picnic tables to capture even more angles.
10.) Have cold cuts for the reception. Our wedding was during the hottest part of the summer and outdoors so we didn't want real hot food. We decided on cold cuts and just made sure they were rolled up nicely and the cheese was cut in a fancy way. Presentation is key, and that just takes some time to do (not money).
11.) Borrow what you can. I worked in a cafeteria at the time and I asked if I could borrow some pans for holding food and ice. If you know of someone with something that would work for your wedding, ask. The worst they could say is no. Just make sure you return things in great shape.
12.) Buy food in bulk. If you know of someone in the restaurant or food service business, ask if they can order certain things for you through their distributor and let you purchase the product at their cost. That way, you save some money even above what you could purchase bulk items for from places like Sam's Club.
Wow, writing all that makes me feel like planning another frugal wedding :)
Tags: frugal, wedding
Monday, May 01, 2006
Need Study Aids to Teach Little Ones About Money?
I came across a neat site that has a collection of printouts (coloring, matching, adding & subtracting, etc.) to help children learn about money. There is a section for coins as well as the one dollar bill.
Tags: learn, money
Frugal Tips, Time Management - This Housecleaning e-Book has it All
Right now in my life I have so much work and projects going on that I don't have much time to clean. Luckily, my husband has been helping, our our house could be considered a disaster area.
It's not that I like my house a mess, I just I have so many other things to do with my time and most of them produce needed income. My lack of time was the appeal when I was contacted to review the e-book, "The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning."
The author, Christina Spence, is very candid and very funny with how she presents the task of housecleaning. The tone is just great, and while the e-book discussed housecleaning, it almost made me get up from my chair, forget about the work, and clean!
Christina developed a 3-Step Solution that she describes in detail in her book and it really works. It takes the sometimes daunting task of housecleaning and breaks it down into simpler tasks. How ingenious! And with the tone of the book, "a lived in look is fine, since you do live in your home, right? I thought so," this author isn't cracking a whip telling you that your house has to be spotless. She understands that life happens and if you can't get to something today, you can get to it another day.
An extra bonus with the book that I was not expecting was the information on how to make your own cleaners. For the frugal-minded like myself, it was a treat! Now I know how to make my own disenfectant, window cleaner and more.
If you are looking for a way to simplify your housecleaning routine, make your own cleaners or just looking for a laugh I would definitely check out this eBook. It's a book that was a joy to read and I learned a lot of great things. Maybe it could help some of you out there too. Just so everyone knows, this is a straight book review and I am in no way affiliated with the author.
You can find out more about this book and being a "Happy Slob" at http://www.happyslob.com. Christina also has a "Happy Slob" blog at http://happyslob.blogspot.com
It's not that I like my house a mess, I just I have so many other things to do with my time and most of them produce needed income. My lack of time was the appeal when I was contacted to review the e-book, "The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning."
The author, Christina Spence, is very candid and very funny with how she presents the task of housecleaning. The tone is just great, and while the e-book discussed housecleaning, it almost made me get up from my chair, forget about the work, and clean!
Christina developed a 3-Step Solution that she describes in detail in her book and it really works. It takes the sometimes daunting task of housecleaning and breaks it down into simpler tasks. How ingenious! And with the tone of the book, "a lived in look is fine, since you do live in your home, right? I thought so," this author isn't cracking a whip telling you that your house has to be spotless. She understands that life happens and if you can't get to something today, you can get to it another day.
An extra bonus with the book that I was not expecting was the information on how to make your own cleaners. For the frugal-minded like myself, it was a treat! Now I know how to make my own disenfectant, window cleaner and more.
If you are looking for a way to simplify your housecleaning routine, make your own cleaners or just looking for a laugh I would definitely check out this eBook. It's a book that was a joy to read and I learned a lot of great things. Maybe it could help some of you out there too. Just so everyone knows, this is a straight book review and I am in no way affiliated with the author.
You can find out more about this book and being a "Happy Slob" at http://www.happyslob.com. Christina also has a "Happy Slob" blog at http://happyslob.blogspot.com
Tags: cleaning, housecleaning
Carnival of Personal Finance #46 is Up!
Hey! It's carnival time again, and the Carnival of Personal Finance is loaded with goodies to read. Go check it out at Consumerism Commentary.
A thank you to Flexo for hosting this week :)
A thank you to Flexo for hosting this week :)
Technorati Tags: carnival, personal+finance
Carnival of Debt Reduction #33 is Up!
If you are trying to reduce your debt be sure to check out the Carnival of Debt Reduction this week at Free Money Finance.
A thanks to FMF for hosting this week! :)
A thanks to FMF for hosting this week! :)
Tags: carnival, debt, debt+reduction
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