Journey Towards Financial Freedom

Well, I got paid yesterday, so I took $80 from the atm. $60 goes towards the Conference Challenge and $20 is for snacks when I am at work. I usually take enough trail mix and fruit with me to work that it is not a big deal to have only $20 cash for that for one week.

My dh had to use the cc to upgrade antivirus software on his computer, so he gave me a $30.00 check to pay to the cc. I deposited the check yesterday and promptly paid $50.00 to the cc.

I also paid $75.00 on Hospital Bill #2, bringing the balance to $2002.60. Yahoo!

I have also been putting any change I get back into a separate little change purse which I then empty out into a little can when I get home.

1. Use 1/2 of tax refund to help pay for my conference trip to avoid using cc as much as possible.

2. Work very hard to get a roommate to share a hotel room with at the conference, cutting my hotel costs by a significant amount.

3. Answer as many surveys as possible in order to cash points in for cash or restaurant cards prior to leaving on trip.

4. Set aside $80.00 per pay period to go to the conference in order to avoid as much as possible not using the cc.

4. Get Hospital Debt #1 paid off. Estimated Payoff Debt June 30. After I get back from my conference trip on about June 7th, I will turn in all my receipts. The total cost for the trip will be close to $2000 and I should get back around $1500. I will use however much it takes to pay off Hospital Debt #1.

5. Continue to make payments on Hospital Debt #2.

6. Begin contributing to a savings account again, setting aside $5.00 a pay period.

I know that it sounds crazy, and even stupid, to go on a trip for work when I have so much cc debt. I am required to do a certain amount of that type of activity for my job.

Hello, everyone. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to find an inexpensive and easy to use method of tracking how much money I have spent. I also need to be able to keep track of how much I will need to spend from now until next payday. I have tried Excel spreadsheets, tiny little notebooks where I write down my purchases, a PDA software program, handwritten budgets, handwritten ledgers, etc. Nothing seemed to really work because it takes so much time to deal with it. I was in Big Lots on Saturday and noticed those monthly planners that are about $2.00. I began to realize if I could just keep a simple running total of how much I spent each and how much is left, that would help a lot. I can also make notes on the dates that bills are due. I won't actually start this because the calendar starts with January. Here's 3 cheers for my success!

I have a AAA membership and have had for years. It has saved my butt more than once. I just got a AAA credit card offer for a balance transfer with a 0-2.9% rate on the transfer and 7.99-19.99% on purchases. I currrently have a card with a 14.85% APR. The 0-2.9% rate would make it significantly easier for me to pay it off faster, but I worry about the temptation of having another card. I don't want to close the old card, because I want to buy a house in a couple of years and that is my only open line of credit. I have never done this before. Is it worth it or better to stick it out and pay on the card I have. So, I am taking votes here: Have you done this before? Do you think it was worth it? Would you do it again?

1. I am blessed with a husband who loves me and takes care of me.

2. I am healthier now than I have been in a long time. I am working hard to get even better.

3. I have a good job and will likely have tenure (job for life) in about 2 years.

4. I have the beginning of a good retirement account. When I have my cc and medical debt paid off, I want to increase it.

5. I have significant debt paid off.

6. I have two working vehicles.

7. I have two beautiful cats.

Well, I got paid again on Friday. My hospital debt #1 is down to $918.58 and #2 is down to $2077.60. I have not yet paid the cc, but will sometime tonight. I also got a check for grant money to attend a conference next June. That along with a little bit from this paycheck and a small survey check brings my Conference Challenge total to (drum roll here) $1890.00 with $1015.00 of that being locally available. I need to plan for a contingency of not having a hotel roommate at the conference and so I need to gather about another $650.00. Once my conference presentation has been approved, I can ask my work to buy my plane ticket. Yea! A couple of more steps closer to freedom.

Howdy, everyone. I was wondering what you all use to track your finances. I need to have something that costs very little, is portable (so that I can take it anywhere), and is easy to use. My initial thought is something like a moleskin notebook to write notes about what I spend money on or planner pages to track expenses. It just seems like my money just disappears and I hope something like this will help me to find the leaks!

Well, I got a reimbursement from my employer for a conference I went to. This brings my Conference Challenge amount to $516.00.

I have already decided that when I get my reimbursement for the conference I am going to, I will use however much it takes to wipe out the rest of hospital debt #1. Woo-hoo! The rest of the reimbursement I want to hang onto in a special account for the conference I go to in 2010.

I have made any entries in awhile. I have had so much stuff going on that it is hard to get around to it. As of now, my hospital debt #1 is down to $938.58 and #2 is down to $2152.60. Woo-hoo!

DH and I have already discussed what to do with our text refund next year. Yes, I know it is a ways off, but it never hurts to plan. Whatever we get, whether it is $1000 or $500, 1/2 will be spent on hospital debt #1 and 1/2 on something fun. We seem to concentrate so much on debt that we forget to have some fun. By spending say $250 on the debt, I would be wiping out more than 1 year's worth of payments. Woo-hoo!

Officially, I have $1521.00 for the Conference Challenge. I have $396.00 in cash. I also found out on Friday that I have been awarded a grant for $250.00 and professional development funds for $875.00. The professional development funds I don't get up front. I get reimbursed after I return from the trip I am going on. I have not received the check for the grant yet, but should soon. I am expecting some survey checks soon and I will also receive a reimbursement check for about $120.00 for another conference I went to.

I logged in to one of my survey places and found that I have enough points to cash in. I will get a paypal deposit for $5.00. When I get the money, I will set it aside for the Conference Challenge.

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but it seems like a good time to give thanks for my many blessings.

I am thankful for my dh. Without him, I would be lost in this confusing world. I owe him my life, as he helped me to navigate my way towards a healthy lifestyle. ( )

I am thankful for my job. I have interesting work and a good salary.

I am thankful that I have a good doctor. She has helped me to navigate some serious and chronic health problems this year.

I am thankful I have good health insurance. It has helped me to pay for services that I need.

I am thankful for information. By being able to find good information, I was able to get myself to a good doctor and get my medical problems handled.

I am thankful for my house. We moved to it in July. It is so much nicer than the other house we were living in and it is only about 3 blocks from my work.

I am thankful for living only 3 blocks from work. It is a short enough distance that I can walk to work every day, but long enough that I can get a little bit of exercise every day. ( )

I am thankful for having a local store that has good organic foods to buy. ( )

I am thankful for my cats. They are my stress relief. They seem to sense when something is up and their affectionate and nonchalante nature seems to make everything just go away.

I am thankful for the vehicles I have. They get me where I need to go.

I am thankful for my friends. They make life interesting.

I got paid again yesterday. Today, I put $60 towards the Conference Challenging, bringing the balance to $176.00.

Well, I got paid again today. I already wrote out my checks to pay bills last night. I have paid $20 to hospital bill #1, bringing the balance to $958.58. I will also pay $30 on the cc. I will get $60 tomorrow for the Conference Challenge. My retirement has also gone up to $13,017.35.

Last Friday, I mentioned to my dh as I was balancing my checkbook that it seemed odd that I had a $500 balance in my checkbook even though I was 8 days away from payday. Ususally, it is about $100 by that point. I have figured out it is a bad idea to mention a surplus of money near him, because he said, "Well let's go to Hastings, then, because there is a book I would like to get." Then, "a book" become a cup of Starbucks and dinner out. Zap. Cha-ching! There goes a good portion of my "surplus." I had forgotten entirely that I had made an allowance for visit to the dentist this morning (which wound up costing me $60.00 more than what I thought it would) and the visit to the chiropractor tomorrow. Oh, well, live and learn.

The last time I actually counted my Conference Challenge money it was $109.00. It mysteriously ballooned to $116.00. I don't know how, but I am not going to question it.

I got the bill for hospital debt #2 in the mail on Friday. I made the September payment of $75.00, bringing the balance to $2227.60. Yes. This is good.

Well, I cashed my $6.00 check from the Dollar General CFL Rebate today. I have put it aside for the Conference Challenge.

I got $20.00 from the atm yesterday and added it to the Conference Challenge.

I also received a $6.00 check in the mail from the Dollar General CFL Bulb Rebate. I will cash it on Monday and put it into the Conference Challenge.

My goal on my next payday (September 5th) is to put $80.00 into the Conference Challenge.

Woo-Hoo!

Last Friday while on vacation, I had to transfer $50.00 out of savings in order to pay for gas to take my dh to the vet hospital 3 hours away. Well, at least I had the $50.00. :|

Well, I got paid again on Friday. I also received a $20.00 survey check in the mail. The survey check and an extra $40.00 from my paycheck have been set aside for the Conference Challenge, bringing the total to $63.00. I set aside $30.00 into my savings.

My retirement account is bigger and is currently at $12,682.81. Wow.

My hospital bill is down to $978.58. I just keep chopping away at it and pretty soon it will disappear.

Also, I went to the grocery store today. The store was having massive sales on everything, including Butterball turkey strips. There is approximately 2 servings in a box. I usually buy two boxes and it is enough for me to make something like chicken soup. Yum. Well, today turkey strips were on sale for 5 for $10.00. Yes, I know this does not sound very frugal and that if I just buy fresh chicken or turkey, I could make my soup even more cheaply, but I absolutely hate pulling meat off the bone, so this is worth it to me. This price is very cheap considering the boxes are usually $3.99, I think, and I only buy them on sale and with a coupon. I had a coupon for $1.00 off of 2 boxes, so I bought 4 boxes, bringing the per box total to $1.50 and total amount to $6.00. With that I have enough chicken to make 2 weeks worth of lunches. Cool beans. I also realized when making my shopping list that I have turkey sausage links in my freezer that I need to eat. I set out to find something to pair them with. I love sauerkraut and almost bought some, but I settled on a cheaper and healthier alternative. Red beans and rice. That should make about 2-3 more lunches for me.

This morning I went to a co-worker's house in a nearby town. She has been doing a lot of work on renovating her house and getting rid of old stuff she no longer needs or wants. Good for me. She was getting rid of one of those particle board type cabinets with the doors on the front. She also wanted to get rid of a small bookcase. I was willing to pay $40.00 for both together, but she would not accept more than $20.00.

I work at a university and received an email yesterday that a church was doing a "giveaway sale" of all kinds of things like clothing, household items, etc. You can bet I was there almost when the doors opened. I took away a small cardboard box full of clothing. I seem to have an eternal need for those Dockers type pants, as mine seem to quickly fade from black to gray and I look unprofessional. I gave the church a little bit of money which they were confused about, but I told them I can afford to pay and did not feel right walking away with so much stuff. They were all smiles and gratitude.

Wow. I feel so lucky. I have some stuff that I need and other people are is rid of stuff they do not need. The universe works in mysterious ways.

I just got a survey check in the mail, so that means $6.00 more for the Conference Challenge.

I got another bill in the mail today for Hospital Debt #2. I went ahead and paid it, because it is due before my next payday. This brings that debt down to $2302.60. Yes! I like this.

I went to Dollar General yesterday to buy some stuff, including CFL lightbulbs. Their CFLs are way cheaper than anywhere else in town and they are the same brand! Anyway, the price of the bulbs at my store is $4.00, but you can pick up a form to get $3.00 back for each bulb you buy. There is a maximum rebate of $6.00. Cool. I get to get CFLs which generate less heat and use less electricity. Very important these days. When I get my rebate, I will put it into the Conference Challenge!

This probably sounds like a funny name for a Challenge. I have to go to a conference for my work next June. Actually, I have a choice of two different conferences, one that would cost about $1500 and the other about $1000. I would like to do a presentation at one of them. If my proposal for a presentation is accepted, I can get extra money from my employer to go, but I will not get reimbursed after I return. My boss did tell me I could put my airfire on the organization's credit card but that there is some drawback. I also emailed a colleague in Hawaii about sharing a hotel room. Great, so I'm going!

Anyway, to avoid last minute panic or putting anything on my credit card, I am setting aside any survey loot, rebates, and other "found money" aside for going to this conference.

Currently, this fund has $23.00 in it. I am expecting a paypal deposit of $20.00 from a survey site soon and also $6.00 for a CFL lightbulb rebate.

I just got paid again today. Since I have moved into my new home close to work, I have not noticed any earthshaking results, but I have obviously spent a lot less money on gas. Also, because I am not driving to work, I am not as tempted to go out for lunch. Both great things. In addition, the day before my payday this week, I still had $30.70 in my checking account in addition to the fact that the money I put in savings actually stayed in savings. Woo-hoo!

Anyway, my savings account total is $250.34 and my retirement is $12,511.81. I will make a credit card payment of $50.00 tomorrow.

Also, I just completed a bunch of surveys and cashed in survey points for $20.00. Woo-hoo! I need to set aside money to go to a conference next June, so that's what I will use that money to do.

The picture above is not actually one of my furbabies, but they have done this. (My furbabies won't hardly sit still long enough to take a picture.)

Well, I have been working really hard at reducing my overall spending. Since moving into my new house only a 7 minute walk away from walk, I did not have to buy gas for 2 weeks. I bought $15.13 in gas today because I was driving my truck and the gas gauge was at 1/4 of a tank.

As for my other spending today, I first went to the veterinarian's office to get flea medicine and ear mite medicine for the cats. That was about $30.00. (I can't seem to find the receipt right now.)

Walgreens here had a coupon in the weekly ad that proved to be lucrative. There was an ad for Hunts tomato sauce for 3 8oz. cans for $1.00. There was a maximum amount per purchase of 6 cans, so I bought 6 cans. At my regular grocery, they are usually $1.00 each. I would happily buy generic, except that my hubby complains loudly about how they don't stack well in the cupboard. (!?) I also bought a spiral notebook for my hubby, which was on sale. I wound up spending a total of $5.35 at Walgreens.

I bought some cheap staple basics at Dollar General, including tuna fish, pork and beans, relish, Manwich, V-8 juice, and Gatorade. I wound up spending $22.37 here.

At my regular grocery store, I used a coupon for $1.00 off 2 packages of Butterball chicken strips. I really love these things and they are easy to incoporate into any recipe like soups, wraps, salads, etc. They are already fully cooked, so they can just be thrown in after everything else is cooked. I brought my own shopping bags (those weird looking nylon bags that all the stores seem to be selling these days) and with the coupon, wound up spending $69.49 at the grocery store.

I can't exactly figure out what I am doing wrong. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make a list and never go into the store hungry. I always get what is on the list unless I see something on sale that is a staple food product in our home. I don't buy tv dinners, a lot of brand names, etc., but no matter what I do, I seem to spend about $100.00 a week for groceries for me, my hubby, and two cats. That counts cleaning products, toilet paper, as well as food to create my lunches for work, etc. We don't have any kids and we don't have people over for parties. We buy a bottle of booze about 1 time per month. I have watched food prices skyrocket though in the last year. For example, at my grocery store about 1 year ago, Hellman's Canola Mayo was usually about $3.19 per 32 oz jar (expensive by my standards) unless it was on sale. I usually waited for coupons and sales to get the best deal. Now, it is $5.91. I know that prices are going up, but that's ridiculous, and unfortunately, that brand is not at any of the discount stores. For myself, I don't really care, as I don't eat a whole lot of mayo, but my hubby won't eat regular mayo because it has soybean oil in it.

Anyone have any good strategies to share?

1. Short Term Savings Account
This one was particularly true when my husband and I were making payments on a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. We were over $50,000 in debt when we started and were required to make payments of $550.00 a month or risk being taken into court and sued for amount due. Having a short term savings account helped us to weather numerous emergencies, like flat tires, being sick and needing money for co-pays, etc.

2. Doing Surveys
Of course, doing surveys does not net a lot of money like an extra job, but it does give you an occasional $5.00 or $10.00 here and there. I even got $50.00 a couple of times. Another time, I got a really nice case for my laptop computer.

3. Online payment for credit card
Doing online payments for the credit card means I pay less in interest. It also allows me to make several small payments each money when I get survey money, rebate money, etc.

4. Shopping at Discount Stores
Shopping at stores like Dollar General has allowed me to keep more money in my pocket where it belongs. This is especially the case lately when the prices for groceries have been going sky high. For example, in the last year, Hellmann's Canola Oil Mayo has gone from $3.19 to $5.91 in my local grocery store. Ouch. Unfortunately, this brand in not available in Dollar General, but a lot of other things, like Heinz Ketchup, Jiffy Peanut Butter, white vinegar, raisins, pork and beans, Manwich, etc. are available there. What floors me is that the only people I buy food for are me, my husband, and our 2 cats. Yet, there are some weeks, even when shopping at Dollar General, I wind up spending $100.00 on us. Don't get me wrong. I make a list and get what is on the list. I use coupons when the item I need is cheaper with a coupon than any other brand is without a coupon. I also bring my own shopping bags, for which I get a discount. In other words, I don't buy junk food, ice cream, cookies, a lot of red meat, etc., all things which tend to be expensive.

5. Taking My Lunch to Work
Taking my lunch to work saves me at least $30.00 per week easy. I work at a college campus and if I eat in one of the campus eateries, I pay around $6.30 to eat lunch. If I make my own lunch and bring it, I can usually do so for around $1.50. Big savings and less headache for me. In addition, I can also make my own iced tea and take it in a thermos, saving me around $15.00 per week. Wow.

6. Realizing That I am Not Alone.
Regarding finances, it seems that no matter the pay scale, my friends, family, and co-workers are all feeling the pinch in their finances. Most people point the price of gas as the cause, but it is more complicated than that. The value of the dollar is going down - a lot. That impacts the price of food, airline tickets, gas, and anything else you can think of. The support I receive my friends, family, and co-workers is phenomenal because we all seem to be in the same boat. No one pressures anyone else to "go to lunch because we deserve it."

7. Keeping a penny jar.
It probably sounds silly, but I keep a penny jar. Okay, so it's actually a can that my mother used to keep buttons in. But, I keep coins in it. Whenever my purse starts to get a little heavy from the coins in it, I empty them into the can. Once in a awhile I have to raid it for something - like right before payday when my checking account is running on fumes. But for the most part, I am able to accumulate coins in it and then cash them in and deposit them to my checking. I use that to make an extra payment to the cc.

8. Having my retirement deducted from my paycheck.
I admit it. I am weak. If I had to make direct payments to my retirement every month, I probably would not do it. Having it directly taken out of my pay by my employer has disciplined me. I love it. And I love the idea of retirement.

9. The feeling I get when I successfully make a debt payment.
I love the feeling I get when I successfully make a debt payment. It's even better when I pay off a debt in full. Wow. The freedom that paid-off debt gives you is better than... well, a lot of things.



10. Living Close Enough to Work to Walk.
I have not been doing this long enough to realize all of the financial benefits. However, I have not had to buy gas in a week and a half. I am also more physically fit from all the walking. I will do a review of spending after about 2 months to see how it is all going, but I do expect to benefit from it in several ways, including have more financial freedom to pay off debt and increase savings.

Hello, everyone. I got paid again on Friday. My retirement (403b) is automatically taken from my pay and deposited for me. Good thing, too. I am not tempted into spending it. My portfolio is now a little over $12,000. Hospital debt #2 is now down to $998.58. Woo-Hoo! I also send the cc $40.00. $10.00 of that came from one of my survey places sending my survey loot. I just cashed in points totaling $6.40 from a another survey place this morning. It will probably take a couple of weeks to get the check and I will zip it off to the cc at lightning speed.

I transferred $30.00 to savings. Now that I have moved into my new home that is only a few blocks from my work, I am hoping to see some huge dividends from that. Obviously, gas savings will be one of them since I am walking to work. (I have not had to buy gas in a week and a half.) I am planning on saving back a little more than I was normally from each paycheck and dividing it between savings and the cc. I haven't figured out how much yet, though.

I learned something important recently when doing a cc payment. It is possible for me to schedule a cc payment when I do it online. That way if I have deposited a survey check or something that I know will clear in a certain period of time, I could schedule the payment for after that. Way cool! That way I would not be tempted to spend it for something else.

I got paid again on Friday. This is the first paycheck with this year's raise. Basically, I have about $35.00 more net pay because my retirement contribution is a percentage of my pay instead of being a certain amount, so it went up too. I have paid off more debt on my cc and hospital debt #2. Bill for Hospital Debt #1 should come in a couple of days and I will make a payment on it.

This picture is not of my furballs, though mine have actually done something like this when chasing after flies in the house. The cat that is jumping actually looks a little like my cat, Morgaine.

Well, we are moved in, but it will take awhile to get everything situated in the house. So far, I have had two workdays where I actually walked to work. Way cool compared to burning fossil fuels to make the trip. So far I think I have actually saved money because I didn't go anywhere near the convenience store I usually stop at. That's my main vice. Even though I only lived 3 miles from home, between the truck and car, I was somehow paying around $100 a month just in gas. I expect that to decrease by at least 1/2. One of my in-laws said "but you're farther from the grocery store." Well, yes that is true, but I go to the grocery store once a week and work between 5 and 6 times a week. Duh. Do the math.