30 Days of Nothing Update

Had to pay for an unexpected expense that was a "now or never" expense. At my son's basketball game yesterday they took team picutres and if you wanted to order a copy of the team photo you had to pay yesterday. Now I do realise most sports have team pictures and I could have seen this coming but honestly the leagues around here are very inconsistent about photos- some do phtotos some don't . So, since this league has been practicing since early December and I hadn't heard anything about team picutres I figured there weren't picutres.

So $20 later, I brought the team and individual picture. For once I acutally had the money to pay for it. But Aunt Laura was there and she helped and gave me $15 towards it. So I spent $5 that was not planned, and goes against my 30 days of nothing.

But I guess $5 is not too bad. But some would say that it is those small $5 exspenses that begin to add up when we don't plan for them.......

Debt Buster's Club

I misquoted Angie's monthly meeting title in my past post, and wanted to correct it.
Angie over at www.thriftyfloridamama.net is holidng a monthly Debt Buster's Club.
It began on Jan.8th. Each month she is going to check in and let us know how much (if any) debt she has paid off and how she found the money to do it. To start off for January's post she has her debt totals and some ideas of how she is going to come up with the extra money to pay it off. Her goal is to pay off all of her debt by the end of 2009- What a GOAL!!

I wish I could be debt free by the end of 2009, but my goal is to be debt free by the end of 2010. I am planning to participate in Angie's Club and put up my numbers.. and what I hope to accomplish this year in terms of Debt Pay-Off.

Here are my numbers...

In 2008 we paid off 2 crdit cards with the help of a debt counseling service (DFF). We are continuing to work with them on most of our debts... but they would not take-on "small" credit cards (with balances under $700).. so we have 4 cards we are working on on our own.

As of January1, 2009
Our Total Debt we still have to work out with DFF is $26,000 (paid off $2400 in 2008-Yea!)
Current total with the 4 cards we are working with is $2400
A "family" loan of $1200 and a "friend" loan of $400.

total Debt: $30,000-- UGH!!

Our goals for 2009
*Work with DFF to pay down at least another $10,000 of that debt
*Work on our own to pay off 2 of the 4 cards we have, or pay off $1000 of the $2400
*Pay off completely the "family" and "friend" loan, so pay off $1600

So we hope to have paid off $12,600 in debts in 2009!!

That will leave us with $17,400 to pay off in 2010, in order to be debt free!

How will we do it?
* No "extras" for 2009- no vacation, no movies, no extras of any-kind
* One of us (not sure yet who) will be getting a part-time weekend job, in hopes of making an extra $300-$400/month.
* Limit the "splurges"- only ordering dinner once a month, keep tight watch on the grocery bill (try to keep it at about $85/week), and limit "impusle" buys (those little packs of gum, can of soda, dollar store trips can really add up)
* Keep B-days and Holidays to a more Moderate spending- no excess but also not to feel deprived.

Well there it is!
I am a DEBT BUSTER!!!
Join me in my journey. I'll participate each month with Angie over at www.thriftyfloridamama.net and keep you posted on my progress.

30 Days of Nothing Update

Ok we are past the half way mark and here's what I've spent so far....

1st week in Jan -- Food $0, Gas $10
This week- Food $210, Gas $43.09


Summary: I figured on $100 for gas for the month-- and so far that's about right on target
As for food- I planned on $150 on the 15th- but in reality that would have been tight- since it was for 2 weeks worth of food. I usually spend about $90/week-- so $150 was a Shoestring budget.. and well Shop Rite is having their can-can sale and had some really good deals on certian items that I stocked up on and we needed cat food and cat liter (which I only buy once a month)... so I ended up spending $90 at Shop Rite and $120 at BJ's . Otherwise we have spent nothing but our monthly bills.

On a similiar note- I am planning to join Angie at Thrifty Florida Mama in her "monthly meetings". I will put that on a seperate post.

Winter Clean Out

Well I haven't hit my stride yet on the Winter clean out, but I do feel it coming!

I put the tree and all the other Christmas Decorations away today. Now the living room looks very bare. I find this refreshing after all the Christmas Abundance and Over the top decorating.

My dining room did not stay clear of piles after Christmas as I had hoped! This is probabaly due to the fact that I did not get my school stuff organized in the laundry room-- so my piles have begun again in the dinning room. (OH my!)

I am planning on heading over to read some stuff at http://www.flylady.net/ after I post this in hope of some inspiration, on cleaning, scheduling and organizing.

I have a few projects I am thinking about, unfortunately at this point I an only "thinking". This also relates to my other post about garage sales. I am hoping as I begin my Winter clean out I will find some clutter that I do not need- but could sell in my garage sale.

If I don't hit my stride in January-- I have a week off for Winter Break- and my kids don't!! So I will have 4 days to really get some hard-core cleaning/decluttering done.

I am also looking forward to a series over at http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/ where she is going to go through her house room-by-room and chronical her "overhauling" . That should get me moving.

Now on to see what the flylady is up to.....

Garage Sales- Do I or Don't I?

This is a two-part question:
1) Should I really try Garage -saleing this spring/summer?
2) Should I have one of my own this summer?

As money has been tight for about 18 months and I money will continue to be tight for at least 2 more years. I have found myself reading frugal blogs about garage sales and the great finds they get there. I have been asking myself if I should really try to get out and "garage -sale" this year. I do foresee some needs coming up that I may be able to find a good deal on this items at a garage sale. Last year- by pure chance, we got a new-to-us dishwasher for $25 at a garage sale. it works great- actually better than our 2 year old dishwasher ever didand that one died after only 2 years of use. ($400 down the drain). But our garage sale find is running great!! I would love to find more great deals like that but I do realisee they are few and far between so I am caught with the notion- is it worth my Saturday mornings to go out and hope to find a treasure or do I just sleep in? My head says if I go I'll surely spend money on some piece of crap and if I just sleep I'll save myself lots of money and clutter.... Should I or Should I not???

The second part is about my own garage sale. Almost ever year I have one garge sale in July. Last year we had one during a heat-wave and the turnout was terrible. We had so much left over that instead of bringing the big stuff and the nicer stuff back into the garage for next year. We just left it all at the curb with signs saying "Take- Free!" Last year's sale soured us to having another one this year. What if it is another flop- no people. I was thinking of skipping one year. Since we gave everything away after last years sale- I don't have much that we could sell. But on the other hand with the economy the way it is- I have heard garge sales will draw huge crowds this year. (as in my first note- I may even venture out to some- which is not my norm). So maybe a sale would make a few bucks.. even if I dont' have a ton of stuff to sell.

On both of these things I am still thinking...
Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

30 Days of Nothing Challenge

Oh my it has been awhile since I posted. Sorry.

Anyway, I never explained the 30 Days of Nothing Challenge.

The challenge is to spend Nothing ($0) for 30 days.
This challenge is meant to cover everything. Meaning NO spending of any kind other than your monthly bills being paid. NO groceries, no gas, no eating out, no candy from the vending machine, NOTHING!

I am taking on this challenge but I must modify it slightly. Due to my commute to work I need a tank of gas each week. Since it is impossible to put a month's worth of gas in my car at one time I will be spending money each week to put gas in my car. I have allotted $100 for this between Jan 1-Jan 31st. I also need to modify my challenge because I went food shopping when I got paid on Dec 30th- but only purchased enough food for 2 weeks. I did not have enough money to make a larger purchase than that at the time. So on the 15th I am alotting $150 to go food shopping for the last 2 weeks in Jan. Other than those 2 expenses, the only money I will spend is to pay my mothly bills. NO Eating out! NO little candy for the kids! NOthing!!

I began My Challange on Jan 1st and so so far have spend $10 (on gas).

I went food shopping when I got paid on Dec 30th and bought 2 weeks of food. I also put a full tank of gas in my car on Dec 31st. Which lasted that weekend and half of my work-week, then on Tuesday I spent $10 to put gas in my car.

Care to join me in my challenge??
I will try to update my progress weekly.

Marketing & Convience are the Enemy of Frugality

I was reading a post somewhere recently but I can't remember where and it had so much that I loved in reading it that I wanted to share the "jist" of it here along with some of my thoughts.



It talked about how we, as Americans, are so materialistic, consumeristic and controlled by marketing. Marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry. Every company, indusrty or products needs marketing experts to convince us WE MUST HAVE THIS OR WE WON'T BE.. (Happy, Healthy, Safe) you pick the adjective.



What we fail to realise is you can not BUY a new you! Everyone takes the new year to start to re-build things about them that they don't like (I need a diet, I am too fat, I need a HDTV because TV signals are changing in Feb, I need this vitamin to have more energy) We are all looking for a magic pill. We have all been brainwashed into believing that there is a magic pill to fix us and make us perfect. But in reality, in order to become a better person, to improve our character or have a more spiritual life you have to live it, pray it, study it, and all that you need to do it you probably already have in your house.



There is so much marketing has done to break up the "american family" and many of the traditional values. We have been convinced we do not have any time! But I think we have always had 24 hours in a day- so the time is the same- we have just been convinced otherwise. Woman have been liberated from the kitchen- because food is now "convient"- pre-cooked, pre-made and over processed. But no one know WHAT the heck we are eating. Woman and girls do not know how to cook, even the basics anymore. And if you cook- it is considered "wasting time".



Marketing has convienced us that we do not have time to cook, to sit down as a family and eat dinner together. The marketing has told us convience is key! Here, just microwave this 'stuff', eat it without enjoying the taste, and throw all that packaging into the landfil. Yea America!



$32 billion per year is spent on marketing in the food industry- not on development, safety checks, or the food itself- but on marketing it.. they tell us WHAT to eat and HOW much to eat. Have you even looked at packaging? Many are now bigger but without telling you there are now 2 serving in there! Oh but they'll charge you more- but won't tell you save half for after lunch tomorrow-- no, no, eat it all you piggy and come back tomorrow and buy another bag.



I may seem harsh but as I read into all of this it just makes me angry that I feel like we just don't have a say anymore in what in "normal". I really want to instill in my kids that food is to be enjoyed-- my daughter loves to cook with me- and I am soo happy for that. I don't ever remember cooking with my mom. We sit down to a family dinner every night and for family lunches on the weekends too! We sit and enjoy each other's company and take time to enjoy the food. Kids today have way too many "empty calories"- my kids are no exception. I started in the last year or so to work to show them "real food" vs. "empty food". I would grow my own garden, but I really do have a black thumb- and every attempt I make to grow anything fails.



Our family goal this year is to eat healthier. And by that I do not mean Convience Food good- but really, good- natural, from scratch and if possible- go organic or at least partially organic. I am a product of this marketing- overweight, envious of what I see on TV, eating "supersized" foods, fast food and snack foods. I grew up in it and it did me no favors.



In the article I read it gave an example of how we are "robbed" by marketing. I may not have the prices exact but they are close. It said that a 1 pound bag of oats cost about $.69 for a framer to grow and harvest. This same bag of oats may sell in the store for about $.99/lb. BUT if you take these same oats and you shape them into circles and put them in a yellow box that says Cheerios- you can charge $4.00 for about 12ounces of oats (not even a full pound). Now, if the marketers can convince you that you have no time to sit down with a bowl and milk is so messy-- well , we'll put those oats with some white-stuff - we'll call "milk" and create a cereal bar you can eat in the car. Now,they can charge you $5 for 8 bars which all combined now only have about 6 ounces of actual oats in them and a bunch of over processed stuff they are calling "milk". The more they process the food the more they can charge and the more they can convince us we need this convience the more they will charge. At this point they have even convienced us that a bar takes too long to chew - but a cereal straw (which probably doesn't even have an oat in it and tastes like cardboard) is what your kid MUST HAVE.



Anyway- that post got me thinking and that thinking made me angry but also made me think I am doing the right things to make the most for my kids. We have also been convinced by marketing that we must have 2 incomes to raise a family, when really if you use your money right and you don't fall for the marketing that we must keep up with the Jones'- then you can live quite comfortably with Mom at home to raise the kids and make sure they are eating right, playing outside and not envying the neighbors for whatever they have.



Kids are our future- we have been brain-washed- break the cycle- teach our children to think for themselves and make the right choices for the earth and their own health.