“Manage Your Money” Challenge from Enemy of Debt
My friend Brad Chaffee over at Enemy of Debt is launching a “Manage Your Money” Challenge starting Monday, March 1st. We’re well on our way to being debt free and are psyched to be participating in the challenge. Are you struggling with your budget? Do you have a budget? Sign up for the Challenge now!
This will be a 31 day challenge, that begins on March 1st and ends on March 31st. You may sign up now for your FREE Basic Membership, to familiarize yourself with the program. I have been given a complimentary 12 Month Premium Membership so that I may evaluate and learn the calendar-based budgeting system for myself. I will use this to my advantage, in order to better help you with your questions about the site and the budgeting software.
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: Cash Flow Planning (8th) $20 Value
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: Dumping Debt (15th) Awesomely inspirational!
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: Relating With Money (22nd)
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: The Great Misunderstanding (29th)
- Total Money Makeover (Dave Ramsey) book
- Financial Peace Revisited (Dave Ramsey) book
- Financial Peace Junior Kit (ages 3-12)
- No More Dreaded Mondays (Dan Miller) book
- A Gift To My Children (Jim Rogers) book
- $25 Gift Card (Staples)
- $25 Gift Card (Amazon)
- Two iPhone “Pay Off Debt” Debt Snowball Apps
- Two Android “Pay Off Debt” Debt Snowball Apps
How Desperate Are You to Get Out of Debt?
We’re pretty desperate. Or “gazelle-intense” as Dave Ramsey would say. One of the biggest areas of debt is our vehicles. We were spending $1052 every month on car payments – not including insurance or gas! We bought into the belief that we’d always have 2 car payments, that it was “normal” to ALWAYS have a car payment. Well, if this is normal, we want to be weird!
We’re selling our Durango and have borrowed my Dad’s 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis. The Mercury is the kind of car that needs a name, so we now have “Ben Matlock” in our driveway and the 2005 Dodge Durango SLT is parked on the curb with “For Sale” painted on the windows. Selling the Durango will allow us to knock out our largest credit card bill. That’s going to be a great feeling!
Are you interested in buying our Durango? It only has 50,000 miles on it and is looking for a good home! Call Drew at (615) 428-8250 for a test drive. Click here to see the Craig’s List Ad >>
A Total Money Makeover Saved My Marriage
Is “budget” a four-letter-word in your house? Money management ~ or should I say, agreeing on how the family income should be spent ~ plays a significant role in a happy and healthy marriage. Really? Yes, and here’s why…
I was laid off from my job back in January and it took me 7 full months to find another job. We realized, during that time, that we could not live off of one income. We had too much house, too much car and TOO MUCH DEBT. Our marriage was hanging on by a thread and not even marriage counseling helped.
Enter Dave Ramsey and his book, Total Money Makeover. After I got a job, we began to put the principles into action. Now, we spend every penny on paper on purpose before the month begins. We agree on our budget and do our best to stick to it (we’re not perfect, but we try!). The simple act of working together toward the common goal of getting out of debt brought us back from the brink.
There are 7 “Baby Steps” to financial freedom. Follow our family as we walk (and somtimes stumble) through our plan to be debt free. You can keep up with us on the Finances page of our website.
Fantastic related guest blog post from @EnemyofDebt on@EngagedMarriage blog: Marriage And Money: How To Improve Communication And Minimize Money Fights
Happy Birthday on a Budget
Last Saturday was my daughter’s 1st birthday party. I was feeling guilty because we through a pretty extravagant party for my older daughter on her 1st but made the decision to make this a more ecomonical event. I was afraid that by spending less it would be less special. That one day our girls would compare pictures and and the younger would feel less important and less loved than her older sister.
Boy was I wrong! We spent a fraction by taking inventory and using things we already had including, believe it or not, left-over plates and napkins from the other 1st b-day 3 1/2 years ago!. I used Evite to send electronic invitations and collect RSVP’s. Instead of a big BBQ, we had light snacks and a special home-made cake. The theme was “Having a Ball” and we purchased a huge bag of balls from a consignment sale to fill a play tent (which was a Christmas present 2 years ago) for a make-shift ball pit. This was a huge hit with the toddlers in attendance!
In the end, everyone in fact did “have a ball” and we stayed on budget. And I have nothing to feel guilty about because both of my daughters are loved, regardless of the dollar figure spent on a party. This may seem trivial, but I’m sure most moms feel the weight of trying to keep everything “even” among siblings. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, love and thoughtfulness (not money or “being even”) outweighs everything else.
I hope you enjoy this video from the party!
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