Anyone else ready to GET OUT OF DEBT? #2 - Page 7

[Peppermint]

:

I signed up to bring one of the mamas in my Mom's Club some cinnamon buns this morning (she just had a baby). I make some very yummy cinnamon buns (not at all MDC kind :LOL- no wheat flour at all ), anywho- I forgot to make the dough last night, and then slept in until 7:20 this morning. It takes about 3 hours (with breadmaker and rise time) to make them, which would hardly have provided this mama breakfast---so I ran to the grocery store and spent $6 buying pillsbury Grands to bake. I could've made them for like $2 at the most . I am a naughty mama in debt today- time to go list some dipes on the TP to make up for it!

Amy- what car insurance co. did you go with? I have Geico and I ASSume I won't get any lower (progressive was higher)- are there other "low cost" companies I should check out?

Phone co.s- uggg.... my SIL sells phone service and she guilted us in to buying her service- first she claimed we'd save money- ummm... $20 higher bills- not a savings to me---ohh-- all I have to do is make all my friends and family switch to this phone service too? And then for them to save any money- they have to force their friends and family to sign up for it too I am sorry but, I don't do that to my friends and family- guilt them so I can save money . Her (my SIL) main reason that we needed to buy her service was to "help her become a SAHM". So, now I pay $20 extra per month, so that (in theory) she can SAH with her next child. Sorry- rant over!

So, what am I going to do that is productive today toward this goal- that's right -list dipes.

I am also going to apply for another 0% interest card to transfer to, one of mine is running out.

I SOOOOOO don't want my kids to end up in a situation like this- I have to teach them to handle money- thanks for the ideas so far on that .

[newmainer]

hey all.. I haven't been on for awhile because we are having work done on our house so i have been over at my moms. oh, and the past 2 days i've been sucked into the DaVinci Code.

But, i need some encouragement. Yesterday was bad. I was feeling so crappy about our situation. still am, tho not as heavy. unfortunately, on sunday (dd's 1st b-day no less) i sliced my finger (as in, a piece off!! ) and so typing is quite difficult so i need to be brief.

basically, i feel so stupid that dh and i spent as much as we did remodeling our house. it happened so fast and we were so deep into it already. all the planning and tracking we ddi for months still ended up 15,000 short. now it is all on cc (plus our previous non house balance) and i am freaked. i just feel dumb. its keeping me from enjoying my house to the fullest extent (ok, ,this is a small 2 bed ranch, not a McMansion. but previous owners smoked for 30 years so we had to gut it). i almost wish we had just held out for a different house. We might have even paid off our other card entirely.

my only positive thing right now is that dh is with me 100% on really changing our lifestyle and committing to dealing with this. we continue to meet every week to evaluate and further set a plan in motion. it feels so far away- the end.

sigh.

thanks to all of you for keeping this thread alive. i need it. me too, off to post dipes.

-kelly

[Peppermint]

It does stink that the road will be so long for some of us here, but we should be proud of ourselves for committing to it . Don't lose hope!

[georgia]

This thread is becoming my touchstone because I often start to feel very overwhelmed with the enormity of my situation. To me, the saddest part is we were already living pretty simply----a huge step backwards for us has been buying this HOUSE. UGH! Never buy an old house thinking you won't throw all your money (and then some) into it. Did anyone ever see that old movie with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long from Cheers? It was called The Money Pit. That's what I call this house. My dh has agreed that as soon as our financial situation will allow, we're going to cut our losses and sell. While that's awesome on one hand, I grieve over the thousands upon thousands we've thrown into it getting it at least half way habitable. We'll probably even lose more money selling it. .

Anyway, I try and count my blessings that we HAVE a house, our health, love, etc. Money certainly doesn't buy happiness, but being in debt doesn't quite lend itself to joy many days. It's a long haul----thanks to everyone for continuing to contribute to my lifeline.

[kerc]

i was just balancing my checkbook and noted the 30 dollar withdrawal we have each month and realized I've not mentioned it here.

We are doing the xmas club at my credit union. We usually don't spend a ton on gifts for christmas, but between thanksgiving and christmas typically spend AT LEAST 250 bucks on travel to see family. So we begin each fiscal year in the hole. So back in March?/April? when we were at the credit union to finance our new used car, I set up an account. They take 30 bucks a month, which hurts a bit, and stuff it in a savings account. We either can get a check Nov 1 or they will directly deposit it into our regular savings account. We take dec. off and then pay again in january.

If only all the other bills would be that easy. Then I wouldn't need this thread!

[ekblad9]

Great idea, Krisitin, I always "mean" to do that but never do. You've inspired me!

I went to Trader Joe's tonight with my co op books in hand. I wrote down the prices of the stuff I normally order through the co op. The organic milk at TJ's is a huge savings! So are a few other things. The rest of it is about the same price but I wouldn't have to buy a whole case. I'm excited about saving money on food AND being able to eat the brands we like!

to everyone!

[kerc]

Great idea, Krisitin, I always "mean" to do that but never do. You've inspired me!

i'm glad to inspire someone I guess my point in posting is that even if you can find just 10 bucks and start now, you'd still have 50 "extra" bucks by christmas.

[witch's mom]

Back from our trip, now in a re-stocked house. I hit Costco, Trader Joe's and the grocery store yesterday (all right in town, so not too much driving) and actually came in close to budget if you ignore the fact that I had to buy a 48-pound bag of dog food. (I had budgeted $100 to restock the house after we ate it down to the barest minimum before our trip and I spent $131 yesterday.) Considering I was spending over $250 a week on groceries before, I'm going to consider this a success despite the $25 bag of dog food. (I know we could get it cheaper, but this is the only dog food that keeps our dog, uh, gas-free enough to be able to come in the house.)

BUT . . . today's my day to go to the Co-op for the bulk of the produce and poultry. I usually spend about $100 in that place, and today my goal is to get out of there for $40. No diverting from the list.

And I'll stay out of the grocery store until next Wednesday and Thursday. If at the end of the month we can put a few hundred bucks in the savings account (and LEAVE it there), I'll be thrilled.

So I have two goals for today: Keep the Co-op bill under $40 and talk to our payroll person at work about diverting some of my paycheck straight into my savings account starting in July.

Thanks to everyone who has posted. This thread is very inspiring and is really helping to keep me on track towards spending less, saving more, and paying the house off faster.

[ChasingPeace]

: I really enjoy this thread! It's been very motivational!

Jess--I just wanted to note that when we lived in Northern Virginia, Geico was cheapest for car insurance, but when we moved to Michigan, Geico was astronomical so we switched to Progressive. Point being, depending on where you live, Geico is not always the cheapest, so it's good to shop around. When we bought our house we switched to Liberty Mutual--it was cheapest by far because it was the company with which we had our home owner's insurance. You might check with whatever company you have other insurance policies with--be it home owners, renters, health, life, whatever. Most have discounts for carrying more than one policy with them.

[ekblad9]

Good luck! Grocery shopping is the hardest for me! My 12 1/2 year old has suddenly started eating like a horse! It's hard to keep stocked on food these days!

[witch's mom]

Well, not so good at the grocery store. $63 at the Co-op instead of $40, but $7 of that was magazines that I'll expense for work. And I forgot about Father's Day, so tomorrow the girls and I are going shopping for a new watch for DH. They're each kicking in $5 (they've been saving), but that'll still leave me about $30 to cover.

But I took the step today to have $100 out of each of my paychecks automatically funneled into savings (total of $200 a month), starting June 30. And DH is going to up his deposit to the girls' savings account by $10 a week (total $40 a month). The big challenge remains to be seen: Can we get by on $240 less a month in spendable money? On paper, yes, we can. But somehow, what works on paper hasn't been working IRL. Sigh.

[Peppermint]

I think the good part for all of us to remember when we have little setbacks, is- just keep going on this jouney anyway- don't throw in the towel and spiral further into debt, we've all gotta keep plugging along! (and keep looking for new ways to cut back)

[dotcommama]

I am jumping in really late on this thread, but dh and I are trying hard to get our finances under control. I've only gone through the first page so far, but there are a lot of good ideas and I look forward to getting through the rest of this thread.

Ok, so here is what we have done so far to reduce our debt. Cancelled cable tv, reduced cell phone to minimum so we still have it for emergencies, only rent movies free from the library no more blockbuster, only get books from library.

I think our biggest stumbling blocks are just impulse buys - stuff for the kids and house that are not 100% necessary.

I want to ask more about keeping your grocery bills down. We have a goal of $150 a week for our family of 5, but we almost always go over and if I try to buy organic - forget it we're well over $150. What am I doing wrong. Almost everything we buy is what's on sale for the week. We use generic everything. Is it because we eat meat that our bill is so high? What kind of meals are you eating for dinner? We usually eat meat, side dish (pasta, rice or potato) and some times salad. The rest of the day our meals are very simple. Cereal or toast for breakfast, coffee for dh, lunch is usually left overs or pb&j or grilled cheese. Snacks are simple. Yogurt, fruit, cheese, crackers, or something like veggie booty. Dh and I occasionally splurge and have ben & jerry's, but we never buy more than a pint a week. What am I doing wrong? How do I get my bill down?

Originally Posted by newmainer

I am going to contact the state Craftsman Association about getting into the upcoming craft fairs to sell my baby legwarmers. Must follow through!!

My dh makes jewelry and I've been pestering him to get into a local craft fair, but we have no idea how to do it. Can you tell me where you find information on your state craftsman association? Does every state have one?

Thank you ladies for any help you can give me!

[Indigo73]

Originally Posted by jess7396

I think the good part for all of us to remember when we have little setbacks, is- just keep going on this jouney anyway- don't throw in the towel and spiral further into debt, we've all gotta keep plugging along! (and keep looking for new ways to cut back)

My mom was talking about something else, but she gave me an analogy about watching stocks. You can go insane watching them every day as they go up and down as things effect them. What matters is that they are steadily going upward over time.

I think these set backs are like that. We need to see the slow and steady progress not the little setbacks.

[witch's mom]

Thanks for the boost about the little setbacks. I remain committed! And this morning I woke up early and have been online getting car insurance quotes. We've got State Farm and it's costing us over $2,000 a year to insure two 5-year-old cars that are driven by two boring married people with good driving records! I found quotes on comparisonmarket.com for identical insurance for $700 a year less--I'm hoping it's not too good to be true.

Next I'm going to tackle the homeowners insurance, and the cable/Internet connection. It's costing $95 a month for basic cable TV and high speed internet.

Dotcommama, the grocery thing is really tough. We, also, eat mostly organic. Although now I'm going to go back to those threads that say what's really necessary to buy organic, because it cost me $12 for a big bunch of grapes at the Co-op last night. And $3 for 8 crimini mushrooms. And $4 for bulk spinach that will cook down to about one cup! I won't dither on chicken or milk, but I need more info about some of the produce.

Making a crockpotful of organic pinto beans today. ($2 for two pounds bulk, compared to $3.50 for the same amount in the can at Trader Joe's. It seems minimal, but I guess stuff like this will add up at the end of the month.)

Let's keep this thread alive! Is it getting so long that we need a Ready to Get Out of Debt #3?

[Peppermint]

Originally Posted by witch's mom

Let's keep this thread alive! Is it getting so long that we need a Ready to Get Out of Debt #3?

Go ahead and make one , just put a link at the end of this one, and a link to this one at the start of the new one !

[witch's mom]

I started a new thread because this one was getting long. Same name, but #3!

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?p=1615105

[angel04345]

I want to give some info to you mommas about low cost internet, phones and cable tv! I can cut your bill in half!!!!!! Our cable is network tv. It is channels 2-23 (in maine) see if your state has a similiar offer. It costs us 16.92 with tax and everything every month. We are considering bunny ears though (good ones! LOL) The phone is basic telephone with caller id we pay around 20.00 a month for this. It is called lifeline. If your child or anyone in your home happens to have maine care or your states medical ins you are eligable it will cut your plan ten dollars a month. (no one in ours does anymore) Then theres the internet. We use netzero high speed. I don't think it is any better or worse then our old carrier. It is a fraction of the cost! It is dial up service. They offer unlimited regular for 9.95 a month and high speed for 14.95 a month. I think they have another package as well not sure! If you do sign up please use our email as your referal [e-mail]. We don't check this email though, sadly I don't even know the password to it!!! If you need a link let me know!!!! I will send it to you. Hope this helps some mommas out! All together I think one of you said you paid some where around 95???? this plan would be around 55$ a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dinade]

subscribing...

I have been reading the other thread for over an hour with my lil one needin my attn.So I'm going to go give him some and get back with you ladies later. Happy debt reduction.