Journey Towards Financial Freedom

I got a survey check for $8.50 in the mail the other day. I also just cashed in my Toluna survey points for $20.00. I should get that money in about a month. I will use it to make my next payment on Hospital Bill #1 along with my regular payment. That will make a little over $200.00 paid on debt for the Spare Change Challenge and bring my balance on that debt to $349.08.

Well, I get paid every two weeks instead of twice a month. So, my goal this year has been to use that "extra" payday to make significant payments on debt that I would not otherwise be able to make. So far, as part of my Spare Change Challenge, I took $4.00 from my change jar and combined it with $40.00 that I had leftover from something else we decided not to buy and my regular $20.00 to hospital debt #1. The balance is now $397.58. Woo-hoo! I have already met 2010 Financial goal to bring it to under $400 and the year is not even half over. I also made my regular payment of $75.00 to hospital debt #2, bringing the balance to $802.60.

So far, this year, I have progress of $172.00 on my Spare Change Challenge! I have a survey check of $10.00 coming in a couple of weeks. I will save it for next month's payment on hospital bill #1.

Well, today I got paid again. I have paid the electric bill, trash bill, water/sewer bill, and internet bill. I also made a payment on the credit card. I will have an extra payday this month because I get paid every 2 weeks rather than twice a month. Yippee for me! So I am allocating $100 of that second paycheck for my Conference Challenge to attend a major professional conference in 2011. I will allocate another $50 of it to paying off a hunk of hospital debt #1 in addition to my regular $20 payment. Life is good. As Walter Krontkite used to say, "And that's the news."


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I added $20.00 to my Professional Account to attend a major national conference in June 2011, bringing my balance to $21.00.

My husband is really stubborn. A few days ago, one of his teeth broke in two. We only have dental insurance on me right now, so we are in the position of trying to figure out how to fix this problem. He doesn't want to go to a local dentist and get the tooth pulled. I even told him that my dentist would probably be willing to negotiate payments with him at about $40 a month or something like that. I had to do that with them once, because my bill was more than I thought it would be. He is a disabled Army vet currently rated at 10% disabled. At his rating, the only way he can get dental care in a VA hospital is if the dental problem is the cause of some other major health problem. The closest VA hospital is a 3 hour drive away and I don't want to make that drive in the middle of the night when he finally decides to do something about it. I looked up the complications of abcessed teeth and they include pericarditis, some kind of infection of the brain, and even death. I can't believe he is willing to risk death for the possibility of having to make payments to get his tooth pulled. Anyone have any experience on how much it costs to have a tooth pulled? I think I will call my dentist tomorrow and ask about cost even though he doesn't want to do it.

Someone on an email listservs referred me to this survey site. I immediately set up an account and already have a balance of $2.00. It only takes $10.00 to cash in and they pay automatically through paypal once the balance reaches $10.00. This money will definitely go to my Spare Change Challenge. If you want to make more money doing surveys, click here.

Well, today and tomorrow I have off from work. I have spent the entire morning decluging trash out of my bedroom. I organized all my tax paperwork from 2009 and put it away in a document folder. I also put copies of checks and bills stapled together for old medical bills into the appropriate tax year folder. My next target is my receipt drawer. I need to get rid of the debit receipts that I no longer need to keep. Obviously, certain ones I will keep.

Tomorrow, I get paid and will mail payments for hospital debts #1 and #2 and pay the cell phone bill. The rent will be due later in the month.

Oh, and I learned something very valuable. Last week, I got two survey payments totalling $11.00 which I put directly into my checking because I was anticipating the arrival of a bill for hospital debt #1 and wanted to be able to pay it ASAP. Well, I had some unexpected expenses and said survey checks wound up being what tied me over until payday. What I learned was to delay those paypal transfers until I actually have the bill in hand ready to pay it. Arrgh!

Hey, I just cashed in some survey points and will get $5.00 in a few days. I will delay making a payment on hospital debt #1 until that deposit arrives.

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Update: I just realized my Spare Change Challenge total was incorrect. The total amount paid off so far is $128.00, not $28.00! I was shorting myself some credit!

Well, I got a $7.00 survey check in the mail. It will be deposited tomorrow. On Friday, I will write a check with my regular $20.00 payment plus the $7.00 Spare Change Challenge money. This will bring the balance of hospital debt #1 to $454.58. Yes! I will meet my original goal of less than $400.00 on this debt before June even!

For my second payday of the month, I pay the rent, buy groceries, and pay the internet bill. The rent makes a pretty big hole in our checking account, making it a little harder to make it until payday. Well, this time, dh and I each had a doctor's appointment on Friday ($40.00 total) and an appointment for the cats' annual checkups. The vet said both cats are too fat, which I knew and had been telling dh that. Dh insists on pouring the cat food into one of those feeders, which of course turns the food bowl into an all you can eat food bar for the cats. The vet said if we don't get her weight down, she will become diabetic and will need medicine. Our male cat is a little overweight, too. I bought some Science Diet lite food. It's expensive. I don't think dh is going to like it, but I think I will start feeding them myself so we know they are not eating too much. I don't want them getting sick. The male cat also has some kind of parasite. Between the $123.00 vet visit and $31.00 for cat food, I am feeling a little pinched. I will be taking some out of savings to be able to make it until next payday.

I just scheduled a credit card payment to go through on Saturday. Tomorrow is my next payday. I will go to the credit union and draw out my Spare Change Challenge funds of $28.00, combine it with $20.00, and send it to pay a big hunk off of Hospital Bill #1. This brings the balance to $481.58. Yea!

Well, I received a $20.00 survey check in the mail a couple of days ago. I took it to the credit union today and deposited it into my Spare Change Challenge account, bringing my balance to $28.00. I also have some actual change, but only a couple of dollars, so I will wait until next Saturday to take it in.

Howdy, neighbors. I have done some more decluttering by discarding 2 more pairs of threadbare socks. This seriously pared down the number of wearable socks in my drawer, so I opened up a new bag of socks I had already bought months ago.

That's 6 things so far this month!

My dh decided to list some more books on bookmooch because there are some books he wants to get. However, he needs more points. Anyway, two of the books we don't want anymore don't have isbns even though they were published in the last 30 years. I have decided to take them to Goodwill next weekend.

I was inspired by the 30 in 30 Days Challenge and have continued to declutter. Today, I got rid of an old cd player/radio combination unit that hasn't worked for years. I have no idea why I still had it sitting in my bedroom. Since I rarely used it, I don't see a need to replace it.

I also got rid of a pair of courduroy pants that my dh held up to fold after laundering. We could see daylight through them, so we threw them out. I will have to replace them on my next payday.

Well, I cashed in the spare change I had collecting in a jar for the past month. I had $8.00 which I deposited in an account. I will be keeping track of the Spare Change Challenge balance separately and when I get about $40.00, I will send it to my hospital bill #1.

Well, I am well on my way to meeting my 2010 goals. My hospital bill #1 is now $529.58. I paid off $120.00 of it with $100.00 from my tax refund plus my regular $20.00 payment. I will be getting some survey money and other found money soon that I will also funnel towards that bill. I get paid tomorrow and my savings will increase by $40.00 to $598.91.

Well, I guess the month is not officially over, but I am calling my part of the challenge over. I was able to get rid of 35 things. For my dresser and closet, it helped me to clear out some space so I can see better what I actually have. As far as saving money, I think that would be it there. If I can see what clothes I actually do have, I won't be so tempted to go and buy more. A feng shui expert I know does say that clutter represents stuck "chi" or energy. So getting rid of clutter can help with that, too.

- gave all clothes to charity, except for a threadbare pair of socks
- gave a lot of plastic bags to charity
- gave 2 books to charity
- recycled some old magazines and one water-damaged book
- took old receipts, old checks, old deposit slips, and junk mail to a place where they are guaranteed to be shredded
- recycled old insurance information packet
- threw away old non-working marker

How did you all do? How did it help you?

I read Ima Saver's entry about her challenge. I was inspired, but I rarely have $5.00 bills in my wallet, but I do frequently have spare change. My challenge is to save all my spare change and use it pay off Hospital Debt #1. That is my #1 priority this year. I feel fairly confident of being able to do it.

Well, I found another shirt that I have never worn. Someone bought it for me and I hate it. I also found a pair of pants that don't fit well. I took both of those to the Goodwill today. While at the Goodwill, I bought a sweater in a neutral color and a pair of khaki pants. The sweater replaces a couple of other sweaters I have that are no longer suitable for work, but I can wear around the house. The pants are a better fitting pair of pants that replace those I took to Goodwill.

That makes 35!

Well, last night and this morning I have made a lot of progress. This is what I found.

- 1 pair of threadbare socks
- 5 old magazines that I no longer need
- 10 pieces of junk mail that I had sitting around for awhile
- 1 bag of receipts I do not need to keep
- more plastic grocery sacks
- 1 box of checks with the wrong address on them
- 1 box of deposit slips from a closed account

That's 31! I don't think I will stop there, though. I have a lot more junk to get rid of one way or another.

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Update: I found one old marker and a state employee health insurance information packet from 2 years ago. I guess I don't need that anymore.

That's 33!

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I also wanted to add that I do use the nylon canvas type shopping bags, but I only have 4, so every week, I usually have 1 to 2 of the plastic variety. After they sit around for awhile, they seem to multiple like bunnies. So, after a few months, I gather them up and take them to some place like Goodwill, who seems to be thrilled to get them. I would like to get more of the nylon bags, so I am keeping my eyes open for them. I will also add that I am recycling the magazines, not throwing them away.

Well, with the exception of one of the paperback books, I took everything else to the Goodwill store today to donate it. The paperback book I am going to recycle because it apparently got wet somehow and I can't see someone wanting to pay money for it. This morning, I discovered another clothing item which was threadbare and had lots of holes in it. It hit the dust bin. I don't know what effect this challenge will have on my finances, but perhaps by getting rid of stuff I no longer need or are unuseable, I can make room for other stuff.

That's 12!

Well, I have been looking for more stuff tonight after getting home from work. I found 2 books that I have had since college and have not opened them since. So, because one is in good condition, I will take it to the Goodwill tomorrow. The other is warped by water, so I will take it for recycling.

That's 10 items so far!

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I found another shirt. That makes 11!

Well, I did not think I would be able to participate in the 30 in 30 days Challenge. Well, I did yesterday and didn't even realize it until just now. I gathered up 2 pairs of blue jeans we no longer wear and also a bag full of plastic grocery sacks and took them to the local Salvation Army. Before I get flamed for not reusing my grocery sacks, please let me assure you I have enough plastic sacks to last for quite some time. However, the Salvation Army and Goodwill can't do without donations and I know they can use bags. Also, I found another pair of blue jeans and more plastic grocery sacks to take to the Salvation Army today. I think I will count the plastic grocery sacks as a group. So far, I have gotten rid of 4 things. Wow. That's pretty cool. I also got rid of 2 pairs of socks that were threadbare. I just threw them away. So that's 6 things so far.

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As an update, I do want to say that I do use reusable nylon grocery bags for the most part.

Well, I got paid again yesterday. I have already paid the gas and electric bills and the AAA membership. My auto/renter's insurance is on automatic withdrawal and will occur later in the month. I also made a payment on the credit card. I bought replacement pages for my planner yesterday. Last year, I was carrying a big, heavy planner that was like a large notebook. I bought another smaller, lightweight one at a yard sale. I am much happier with it, as my back was starting to hurt carrying the old one around. Later today, I will be going to the credit union to deposit some money into my car account, house account, and professional account. I already updated the balances, though. I will be getting updated statements for hospital bills #1 and #2 soon. I will pay those then.

Oh, recently I saw a post on another forum about unclaimed property. Just out of curiosity, I checked to see if any money was available for me in the several states I have lived in. Supposedly, the amount I am getting is between $1-$5, so it's not huge, but it is something. Check this website for your name:

I opened an extra savings account today to pay for things like professional memberships and attendance at conferences. The annual amount I need for this ranges from $500 to $1000, depending on what conferences I plan on attending. I am going to aim for $1000.

I was curious how much my net worth had changed in 2009, so I looked it up on networthiq.com. I was very surprised to find my networth has changed to the tune of a positive $10,227!!! Wow. I knew it was better, but that is amazing.

net worth in Dec 2008 - $9,335
total hospital debt $2,900
credit card debt $1,882
no savings account
retirement account $13,054

net worth in Dec 2009 - $19,562
total hospital debt $1,772
credit card debt $1,682
emergency savings account $462
house downpayment account $135
car replacement account $150
retirement account $20,759


I updated this on 12/27/2009 because I did some calculations based on my payment schedule and discovered that my payoff dates for these debts are different than I thought.

2010 Financial Goals
1. Pay Hospital Debt #1 Down to Under $400
2. Pay Hospital Debt #2 Down to $400
3. Establish $1000 Emergency Savings Balance by June and Maintain it

In February, I plan to start paying another $20 per month more on hospital debt #1. This will accelerate the debt payoff.

Well, I got paid again. Savings is up. Retirement is up. Debt is down. The scales are starting to tip in my favor. I bought groceries today and spent more than I had planned, but I was out of practically everything. I also increased the amount automatically deposited to my savings, which is my EF. Anyway, just checking in with you guys. I'm doing good now and better than yesterday! Well, I decided to try something new. As far as the household expenses, like utilities, rent, etc., it seemed like the were out of balance. I did a little figuring and found that yes they were out of balance. The beginning of the month's paycheck seemed to go farther because I had less fewer dollars going for household expenses. So, this time, I evened it out a little by transferring $100 to savings for the purpose of going towards rent later in the month. This should help a lot. Let's see how it goes. By the way, the "Other Real Estate" Category on my networth iq profile is not really real estate. It is a separate savings account I have at another credit union. It is a join account with my husband.

Well, I have changed the account that my paypal deposits go to. They will now go directly to my savings, which is my EF. This will help me to get it built up and ward off Murphy at all costs. I just recently got a survey payment delivered to me by paypal. I had it deposited to the savings and it felt so good knowing exactly where it was going.

Do any of you use the envelope system advocated by Dave Ramsey? Well, I do, but only for my regular grocery shopping and mad money. For more than a month now, I have been going to the bank and getting out a certain amount of cash to spend on groceries. For the first payday of the month, I always allocate more. That's when I stock up on stuff and when I also am usually out of a lot of stuff. At first, I was only doing this because my debit card number had been stolen and so I was without a card for about 10 days. Now, I see that this system actually works to keep me on track with my spending. Sometimes, things happen for a reason. I can actually predict within $5.00 or $10.00 what I will spend and not feel deprived at all. Before this, I think I probably spent a lot more because the money was "invisible." By the way, my mad money is money I can spend for snacks, lunches, etc. without having to worry about it.

Hello, everyone. Well, as I wrote about a few days ago, my savings account is down again due to a visit from Murphy. Something weird about my hubby is that when were trying to figure out how to pay for the car problem, he asked me how much money I have and in what accounts. I told him, but at the time I was distracted and forgot about the emergency savings. Anyway, when I finally remembered it, he made a big deal about it on his blog about how frugal and wise his wife is in making plans about weathering emergencies like these. However, most of the time, he complains when I tell him I am putting money in savings and says "oh, we don't need that." Husbands. Arrgh!

However, I did get paid yesterday. $20.00 was automatically deposited to my savings from my pay. I also put another $20.00 to get it built back up again. I also added a little to my car account and house account. So far, I have paid the water bill. The rent and internet bill payments are due soon. I go shopping for groceries on Saturday. We are planning on getting the fuel injectors on the car cleaned next week.