Hi all ...

how's the debt diet going?? already 3 months into the new year now!!

come on now - we can start this week with a new year's resolutions ... no April fool's joke now!! ;)

I'm going to sort thru all my bills over the weekend :yikes:... and see what I can pay off ... will keep you posted! wish me luck! it's going to hurt ... but, I'll be ahead!!

Von, if you are able to pay off some of those bills, I hope you will feel as excited as I am right now! :)

Because we are sticking to our "debt diet" we are actually getting ahead right now and it sure feels good! I keep checking back here for more ideas of how to save money wherever we can. Everyone's ideas and suggestions have really helped us and knowing we are not alone makes it easier to just say no, we don't need that and save our money instead of wasting it.

We finally broke down, cashed in a CD early and paid off our home equity loan. :Excited: We paid a penalty but that equaled the amount of interest we would have paid in 6 months anyway! We got our payoff statement but I still can't believe it is actually paid. But all of our savings is gone. :(

We have one bill left to pay. Our credit card will be paid in full in September. We'd pay it off with our tax refund but since it is 0% interest, we want to leave our tax return in the bank for the next time our car breaks down or something goes wrong with our house. Because you know something will happen! We are also planning on putting our rebate in the bank too.

I goggled tax rebate and went on the IRS website and using this year's tax return, I was able to calculate what our rebate should be. I'm excited about how much we might be getting! I say might because I am not counting on that money just in case.

So thank you to everyone who has contributed and Von for keeping this going! :grouphug:

I get more satisfaction out of paying off a bill than I do going shopping!! Good luck Vonn - you can dooooo it!!

I have gotten pretty stingy with my money and hate to part with it. I rarely carry cash and use my debit card nearly 100% of the time - but I was talking with a lady in the checkout lane yesterday and she said that she budgets a certain amount of money each week for groceries and withdraws that amount in cash. That is how much she can spend (she leaves all credit and debit cards at home) so she knows she better get the necessities first before she caves into the "instore specials" and impulse buys.

What a great idea! She said that once she gets home the urge to purchase things that she really didn't need has passed and she has stuck to her budget.

I think I'm going to try this. Can't hurt - might help.

Good luck with your debt diets everyone!!:)

it's exciting to read everyone's hurdles and benefits!!

we NEED to do this ... who knows what our economy is holding over us right now with gas and power costs sky-rocketing!!

I'm in a bit of a dilemma tho about this trailer ... I think/believe that I have alot of 'mold' issues ... and that's how I've gotten sick ... but, I have no place to go ... so, I'm 'thinking' really hard ... about gutting each room ... and stripping off the siding .. and remodel ... the old-fashioned way ...

I have no clue on where to start .. or what to do first ... but, I have to do something ... and make this more 'en-VON-ermentally' healthy ...

well, need to work on more returns - more $$ to pay off more bills ...

way to go everybody!!!

I'm still following the thread and see you guys are really making good progress!

We're not struggling with debt, but are trying to prepare ourselves for the possibility of DH being unemployed for a few months starting in June. Savings wise we have an emergency fund, but really hate tapping into that long term.

**** To Kelly: you mentioned using cash to pay instead of credit or debit cards... some of the personal finance gurus refer to that as the "Envelope system". It works for many who are really struggling to keep to a strict budget.

**** Everyone: I was curious if any of you have a "Personal finance" blog or website that you read regularly for ideas or encouragement. I have several that I find quite interesting... The Simple Dollar is my favorite.

TK

Kelly, I tried the cash only route and do recommend it to anyone trying to control their spending. I used to withdraw a certain amount of money each week and used colored paperclips to separate what money went for what items. The only thing we used our debit card for was unexpected necessary bills and gas (so we could still pay at the pump). We did this for a couple of years and it worked great. My problem was it got too difficult with my cog fog so I went back to using the debit card only. However, the good habits I learned using cash only have stuck with me and I can control my spending better.

hey all ...

we're a quarter done with 2008 .. how are you doing??

with the recession and high cost of everything ... what are you planning on doing to make ends meet??

isn't this like back in the days when neighbors helped neighbors for a good meal and entertainment??

I'm learning to call on friends to help now .. to build things and to grow flowers and herbs and veggies ...

I have a wee-bit of cash to start paying off some bills ... still waiting for SSDI and unemployment to get approved and started - but in the meantime, learning to survive!

also check out BearyGood's thread in the "MS sub: The Stumble Inn" called 'FRUGAL LIVING' ... good friend that BG is!!

Does getting a new job to pay DOWN the debt count :D

Here I go.....

We're doing well. Money in the bank is always a good sign!

Now that the farm markets are reopening, we are shopping there to save money on fruits and veggies. I am seeing a huge savings there!!

It pays off to shop ahead of time for sporting equipment. You also have time to watch the stuff to see if it goes on sale. We shopped early for my DD's soccer cleats and ball (she starts soccer in July). We found the cleats for half price on clearance (last year's cleats) and even the ball was on sale.

hey Kar ...

we have small businesses up here called "Play It Again Sports" ... and these are places with sporting equipment ...

I'm running down to GB tomorrow ... would you like me to stop and see if they have cleats there?? I'd need her size ...