My Journey Through Debt Part 9B: Food From the Grocery

As we slowly learned to conserve our monetary resources, I became much better at practicing my frugality at the grocery. I would love to share my tips of how to save money at the grocery with you.

First of all, I rarely, if ever, enter the store without a list. My list may contain 2 items, or it may contain 40. Whatever the case may be, write a list. I add to mine all week long. This list will help guide you through the store quickly and efficiently.

Never just stroll through the store. Know which areas of the store you need to visit, visit them, collect what you need, and leave. The longer you stay in the grocery, the more you will spend.

Try to have your menus planned in advanced. It is never a good idea to walk into a grocery without a menu of some sort planned in your head.

Use the local grocery circulars to look for sales. I briefly scan the sale ads every week. Even in my tiny rural community, I will find sales. These sales encourage me to maybe have fried chicken instead of roast beef for Sunday dinner. Shop the sales and you will save money.

Do not be afraid to stock up. If you know that your family really loves pork chops and they are having an awesome sale on them at the local grocery, grab a few extra packs to put in the freezer.

Check out the mark down areas of your local grocery.  We have multiple areas: produce, frozen foods, canned goods, refrigerated foods, and meats. I have found our mark downs to have great deals on foods that may be close to the sell-by date, have been part of a case that was dropped, etc. Many a time I have found large hams in the mark down that I took home and popped in the freezer. Those hams that I bought for $5, later became three nice meals for my family.

Shop the outskirts of the grocery. Try to stay away from the aisles. The aisles are mostly filled with processed foods, making them more expensive and less healthy choices.

The outer edges usually have the produce, meat, deli, and dairy sections. These sections house the fresh foods that are usually the healthier options. If you watch the sales, you will be able to get great deals in these sections of the store.

Leave the junk food and treats on your list for last. If you have extra money left in your budgeted allotment for groceries after getting the healthy food that is needed for your meals, go ahead and get a few of those items.

I rarely use coupons. I know some people are very good at getting great deals using coupons. However, I have found that in my life, a coupon usually pressures me into buying something I don’t need. Very few coupons actually save me much money. While I am happy for those that are excellent at using them, I have chosen not to invest time in them.

This is an “In a nutshell” description of how I shop at a grocery. Be looking for posts on

buying meat in bulk and visiting scratch and dent stores in order to stretch the food budget even more!

As Samuel Taylor Coleridge said,  “The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions—the little soon-forgotten charities of a kiss, a smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment in the disguise of a playful raillery, and the countless other infinitesimal of pleasurable thought and genial feeling.”

~Annie

Annie’s Easy Peasy Seedling Starters

Although there is no sign of warm temperatures in sight in my quaint little Northwest Indiana town, Spring in only two days away. This fact turns my attention to starting my spring and summer gardens.

While it is still definitely too early to be planting my real garden, it is not too early to be preparing the seedlings that will eventually find their way into the homestead garden plot.

JP and I choose to be a single income family most of the year so that I can be a stay-at-home-mom to Little Bug. Because of this, we live on a strict budget. We have no extra money for fancy seedling starters.

We have found this method to work wonderfully with all type of seedlings. From flowers to veggies, this inexpensive seedling starter recycles, as well as saves you money.

Annie’s Easy Peasy Seedling Starters

• Gather gallon sized milk jugs with lid in place. It is best to have at least one per variety of seedling you want to start indoors.
• Clean and dry out milk jugs.
• Cut jug almost completely in half, just under the handle, leaving 3 inches uncut.
• Fill with soil until one inch below cut on milk jug.. Not dirt. Dirt and soil seem to be used interchangeably, but they are totally different. Soil is used to grow plants. Dirt is usually unable to grow much of anything, including weeds. I like to use an organic, moisture holding variety of soil from the local farm store, but any soil will do.
• Using a permanent marker, write variety of seed on the milk jug so you won’t forget.
• Plant seeds. It is ok to crowd them in. They will not be in there long enough to get overcrowded.
• Water.
• Flip top of jug over onto rest of jug.
•  Place in sunny spot. It could be a windowsill, your living room floor; anywhere the sun will hit it.
• During the part of the day when the sun will hit it, flip top off of jug so that the seeds (and eventually seedlings) can get as much sun as possible. If it is warm enough, you can even take your seedling starter milk jugs outside for the day, however, be sure to bring them in at night if the temperatures get too chilly.
• When there is no sunlight, flip top onto jug, covering the seedlings. This will create a mini greenhouse for your precious seedlings.
• Once your garden plot has been tilled, the seedlings are at least several inches tall, and it is warm enough outside to plant, gently transfer seedlings. If you have more than you need, leave some in the jug to make sure that the planted ones take. If they don’t, transplant more seedlings into your garden. If you do not need the left over seedlings, give them to a friend or sell them at a farmers’ market.
• This method works great for container gardeners as well.

So there you have it, a cheap and relatively easy way to get your seeds planted and growing into seedlings.

Enjoy the remaining days of winter, lovelies. Very soon we will be wondering where all the cool breezes are as we toil in the hot sun.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”  ~ Harriet Tubman

~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 9A: Food From the Garden

Throughout my childhood, my family did not have two thin dimes to rub together.  We went for long stretches without electricity. The telephone was a luxury we could not afford. New anything was completely out of the question. However, we ate like kings and queens.

My sweet mama made sure we never went hungry. Ever. By the time she would pay the bills that she could from her meager paycheck, she would have $6.00 left to stretch through two weeks of food. Obviously a family of four was not going to make it on $3.00 a week for all the food that we consumed. Enter, the garden.

My sweet mama’s garden was more than just a tiny plot of land dedicated to a salsa garden or salad garden. My mama’s garden was meant to feed our family of four year round. You name it; we grew it.

Whatever we grew, we canned. Freezing our food was a bad option back then since our electricity was shut off so often. Instead, mama canned everything she could think of. Hundreds of canning jars lined our pantry. I honestly felt sorry for my friends that were not able to “shop” out of their pantry full of home canned goods.

That desire to have a garden and preserve food has been passed down to me. Not only is it cheaper to grow and preserve your own food, it is much healthier. When you grow your own food, there are no preservatives in them to make them shelf stable for years upon years. Those chemicals do not enter your body, leaving you a healthier individual.

The garden we had growing up was huge. It was my job to hoe it, water it, and harvest it. I hated that garden at the time, but I loved the food that we ate from it  all year long.

JP and I now have a much smaller garden, but we still grow a lot of our own food. As a part time agronomist, I work daily, 8-18 hours a day all summer long, yet still come home and tend the garden. No one can tell me that they do not have time for a garden. We all make choices in our lives. My choice is to have a garden so that we are able to save money and live a healthier lifestyle.

I preserve a lot of what is grown in our garden. Besides canning, I also freeze and dehydrate food in order to make it last longer. More on the “how-to” in later posts.

The money that I saved by growing my own food was put towards the principle of my debt. As I have said in earlier posts, every little bit helps.

For those of you that live in apartments or rentals and have no land that you are able to till into a garden, may I suggest you consider doing container gardening. While you will not be able to have a large harvest, you still would be able to have fresh, organic vegetables at a fraction of the store price.

As I battled the debt pit that I was seemingly drowning in, every little bit of momentum up and out of it was a Godsend.

Is it easy to keep up with a garden and preserves the fruits of your labor after a full day’s work? No. Is it worth it? Only you can be the judge of that. It truly depends on how much you want out of debt, or how healthy you want the food your family consumes, to be.

To me, it was definitely worth the time and effort to keep a garden. Remember, you are not in this alone. If you have a family, get them involved. Or ask your friends to help you. The garden can be a place of laughter, joy and fun. A place of family. A place of healing.

As Alfred Austin said, “Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are.”

Have a wonderful day, lovelies!

~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 8B: Contentedness With Who I Am

Once I realized that I was spending money I didn’t have, on people I didn’t like, for things I didn’t need or want to do, I knew I had turned a corner.

It had taken me almost 30 years to realize that I did not need to please everyone in the world. That I did not have to have everyone like me. That there was absolutely no way that I could gain the approval of every person I knew.

I finally realized that the only approval I needed was God’s. It was a very humbling and hurtful time in my life. I was hurt that so many people had used me, and that I had allowed it to happen. I was also humbled by God’s grace for me.

I slowly formed a new outlook on life. My true friends stuck with me, even though all of the meals out, concerts, and extra activities were replaced by nights at home playing games, watching movies, and eating home cooked meals.

I found that these true friends wanted to be around me for me, not for what I could give them. This discovery helped me tremendously in the coming months and years.

Knowing that my friend set (and believe me, it was a much smaller set than I had had during my freefall spending days,) wanted me for me was mind blowing. These people were in my life and wanted absolutely nothing in return. I believe that it was God’s way of showing me His love as I slowly climbed out of the debt pit.

It was at this time that I started making better choices for what little money I had. Since I now knew that my remaining friends did not expect huge, luxurious gifts, I was able to give them smaller, yet meaningful gifts on their special days with the confidence that they would be appreciated.

I was also able to invite friends and family over for a meal that I made myself, at a fraction of the cost that it would been to go out to eat. I rediscovered old games from the basement that I hadn’t used for years. I also found that I truly enjoyed watching movies from the vast movie collection that I had built up over years and years of garage sales.

The bonds between our family and our friends strengthened as we spent more time face to face. My relationship with God strengthened as I spent more time with Him in prayer and in His Word.

As I said in yesterday’s post, contentedness, to me, is coming to a state of peaceful satisfaction. After fighting against my own self for so long, I finally gave my battle to God. He took it from me, and in return, a sense of peace washed over me.

Eventually, along with that peace came the satisfaction that I had so desperately sought for oh so long. The satisfaction came when I started walking fully in God’s Will.

Was my journey over? No. Not by a long shot. However, I now had my support system in place to help me on my journey. Make no mistake about it; the journey that you are on is not one to walk alone.

A support system of friends and family are extremely helpful during the times that you may wish to give up your climb out of your debt pit. They are there to encourage you, to cheer you on, to march forward with you, shoulder to shoulder.

I have come full circle in the realization and contentedness with who I am. Today, I will leave you with a story that I hold very dear to my heart and read over and over during this time of my life. Credit to Abundant Life Church for excerpts.

I love MAX LUCADO’s story in which he describes a fictional village inhabited by wooden people called Wemmicks. If you’ve read it then you know that Wemmicks are the creation of a wood carver named Eli who lives in a house above their village. All day long the Wemmicks engage in one activity. They give each other STICKERS. If a Wemmick is pretty or talented he or she receives yellow STAR stickers. But if a Wemmick is not pretty or talented, then all day long there are given gray dot stickers.

The hero of the story is a Wemmick named Punchinello. He had no star stickers and was covered with so many gray dot stickers that he rarely went outside and when he did he hung around with other Wemmicks who were covered with dots. He felt better in comparison to them.

One day he met a Wemmick named Lucia who had no stickers at all on her wooden body and when Punchinello asked her how this was possible, she directed him to visit his creator, the woodcarver, Eli. Let me read to you what happens when Punchinello takes Lucia’s advice and goes to Eli’s workshop:

Eli scooped him up into his arms and said, "Looks like you’ve been given some bad marks."

"I didn’t mean to, Eli.  I tried really hard" said Punchinello.

"Oh, you don’t have to defend yourself to me, child. I don’t care what the other Wemmicks think."

"You don’t?"

"No, and you shouldn’t either. Who are they to give stars or dots? They’re Wemmicks just like you. What they think doesn’t matter, Punchinello.

All that matters is what I think.  And I think you are pretty special."

Punchinello laughed, "Me, special?  Why, I can’t walk fast.  I can’t jump.  My paint is peeling.  Why do I matter to you?"

Eli looked at Punchinello, put his hands on those small wooden shoulders, and spoke very slowly. "Because you’re mine. That’s why you matter to me."

Punchinello had never had anyone look at him like this-much less his maker. He didn’t know what to say. "Every day I’ve been hoping you’d come," Eli explained.

"I came because I met someone who had no marks," said Punchinello.

"I know.  She told me about you."

"Why don’t the stickers stay on her?"

The maker spoke softly.  "Because she has decided that what I think is more important than what they think. 

You see, the stickers only stick if you let them. The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers."

Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and sat him on the ground and as he did, he said, "You are special because I made you. And I don’t make mistakes."

As Punchinello walked home he thought, "I think he really means it." And when he did, a dot fell to the ground.

You are special. ALL OF YOU! All of us are PRECIOUS in God’s sight. And there is a great freeing power in that knowledge. When we know how priceless we are to God, stickers don’t stick and the cell doors in our lives swing open.
~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 8A: Contentedness With Who I Am

Probably the biggest step for me to take in my debt journey, after Realization, was learning contentedness.

 The definition of “content” is, “In a state of peaceful happiness. (Adj.)” and  “A state of satisfaction. (Noun)” I derived from this that in order to be content, I had to come to a state of peaceful satisfaction.

My frame of mind was far from peaceful or satisfied. I was in constant worry. Worry about the accumulating bills. Worry about the mail (and consequently the credit card bills) arriving at the house before I got home. Worry about JP finding me out.  I was also completely dissatisfied. Dissatisfied with how I looked. Dissatisfied with my clothing. Dissatisfied with my possessions. Dissatisfied with my life.

I tried to satiate myself by buying more stuff. I would get a little bit of happiness from the purchase, but then reality would set in, coming along hand-in-hand with worry about the money I had just spent. This would lead to dissatisfaction. Which would lead to me purchasing more stuff.

The cycle was never-ending, repeating itself over and over, until I was found out. Once I no longer was able to remain in the crazy cycle, I found a relief. Do not get me wrong. I was not happy, nor was I joyous. However, there was an inkling of peace.

The peace came from knowing that I had a plan. I would, eventually, be able to crawl out from under the mountains of debt.

As time marched on, the peace inside of me grew. It grew into satisfaction. I came to understand that material possessions or people couldn’t give me happiness or joy. In order to find absolute contentment, I had to look inward.

For most of my life I had been a people pleaser. Sadly, a great majority of my debt came from trying to please others…through gifts…through purchases…through me spending money on people that I wanted so desperately to impress. Once I figured out that those people were just using me, I was able to curtail most of my spending.

I was spending money I didn’t have, on people I didn’t like, in order to impress them with things I didn’t need. All along, God was whispering to me that I didn’t need to spend that money. That those that wanted to be my friend would love me and want to be around me, even if I had no money, that my true self worth was not to be found in stuff.  And you know what? He was right y’all.

Once I found my true self worth in Christ, I became much more confident in telling people “no.”  I no longer felt the need for their acceptance. I no longer cared what they said or thought about me. I was completely satisfied in being me.

As is usually the case, once the money well dried up, the users moved along, leaving me with mountains of debt. I hold no animosity towards them. All I feel is sympathy and pity, for they, themselves, are not content with their own lives.

As I regained the peaceful satisfaction of life, I was able to focus on those things that truly meant something to me. More on that in a later post.

As you walk this journey through debt with me, do not feel disheartened. I am sharing my journey with you in hopes that it will help others come to their own realizations. That the debt cycle will be fought and conquered. Many of you write to me, sharing your own debt stories. As I have said, we are all in this together. One day we will all be able to stand up and be free of the weight, the shame, and the worry that debt brings upon us. You can do it. I know you can.

As Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 7: Reacquainting Myself with the Library

After stopping my spending cold, I went into a major pouting stage. I missed going to the movies. I missed buying the latest CD. I missed renting movies. I missed going to the bookstore and walking out with the new best seller. I missed the Internet. I. Missed. My. Life.

I wallowed in my self-pity for quite awhile. I am sure that it was very attractive to all that lived and worked around me. For some reason, knowing that every paycheck was spent before I received it bothered me. A lot.

 In reality, it had always been spent before I received it, at least since my debt had started piling up. However, now I knew that there was no “vacation from reality” coming my way. No “payday splurges.” No “I worked hard all week so I deserve a night out.” Nothing.

Once I realized this, I felt that my going to work was rather pointless. Although I had indeed signed my name to all of those little charge slips that had created the debt pit I was living in, I somehow still was trying to defend my actions. Since I knew that my paycheck was going to essentials and debt repayment, I knew that “fun” activities were long gone.

Or so I thought. Enter, the local library. I had had library cards for all of the local libraries because I had been a teacher before Little Bug came along. Once in awhile I would check out a few books to use with whatever unit I was presenting to my students. That was the extent of my library usage. Things were about to change.

My first encounter with the library as a vacation destination was a bit surreal. Sure, I knew they had books. All libraries have books. I wanted to read the latest book in a series by my favorite author. Of course since there was no money allotted in my new budget for such frivolities, I headed to the library.

Yes, the local library had the book for which I was searching. However, I found so much more. I found shelves and shelves of newly released books, as well as reference materials and older books.

I found a vast collection of movies, documentaries, TV series, and more in their DVD section. I found CD’s, current newspapers, and my favorite magazines (remember, the ones I had to cancel my subscription to because of all my debt?). I even found artwork available for check out. Yes. Art work.

Y’all, it was like an entire world opened up to me. The longer I stayed, the more I discovered. Programs for children. Classes on crocheting, card making, gardening, etc. Lectures. Book groups. Tax help. Internet and computer usage. Wi-Fi. All for free.

FREE. As in there was zero charge to do any of it. I was as happy as a pig in mud. I checked out an armful of books, three movies, 2 CD’s and a painting. I signed up for a lecture. I surfed the Internet. Then I went home. The desire to go out and obtain “things” had been satiated, and I had not even spent a penny.

After that day, I became a regular at my local library. I enter every contest, go to many lectures, peruse their new release section. When I enter the library, I am greeted by name. I am made to feel welcome, and I love it.

Over the years, my local library has become more than just a place of entertainment. As I worked through obtaining my Master’s of Education, the library staff was with me every step of the way. While I live in a small town in rural Indiana, that would never be known from viewing our library’s capabilities.

Whenever I needed a book, article, of movie, they found a way to get it for me. Through inter-library loan, they were able to get me the two most rare books I have ever read. One came from the rare books vault at Indiana University. The other came from The Library of Congress. The Library of Congress, y’all. Yep, our little local library went all the way to the Library of Congress to find the book I needed for my research.

The inter-library loan feature is available to anyone. If there is something you would like to read, listen to, or view and you cannot find it at your library, just ask if it is available on inter-library loan. Yes, you may have to wait a while to get it, but you do not have to pay a thing.

Another great feature of the library is that usually there are funds set aside for purchasing items to add to the library’s inventory. If there is a book that I would love to read but do not find it in our system, I will sometimes ask if the library is willing to purchase it. If the funds are available, the library readily agrees, and I am put first on waiting list to read it.

As you climb out of your debt pit, one step at a time, do not do as I did. Do not wallow in self-pity for months on end, looking back with longing to the days of concerts and shopping. Embrace the now. Enjoy the free things in life for a while. Check out your local library and all of the services it has to offer. I believe that if given the chance, you will learn to cherish it as I have.

As William Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”

Never doubt yourself. Remember, you are not alone on this journey. I have heard from several readers regarding their journey through debt. You can do this. We are in this together. All of us.

~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 6: The Necessity of a Humidifier

To read my debt story, click here. To begin your own journey towards financial freedom, click here.

Throughout the winter months, JP and I run three warm-steam humidifiers non-stop in our home. By doing this, we have found a much lower occurrence of illnesses, headaches, bloody noses, and sore throats.  We have also found that it saves us money on the heating of our home.

Humidifiers replace the moisture in the air that is taken out during the heating process of your home. Air that is heated by a woodstove or furnace is dry. Any moisture that was once in the air is wisked away. This also holds true for our bodies.

Moisture is quickly wisked away from our bodies as we breathe in the dry air. This dries out the mucus membranes in our noses and nasal cavities. Once dry, our mucus membranes have a very difficult time catching the germs and foreign objects that are in the air that we breathe.

The drier the air, the drier the membranes. The drier the membranes, the greater chance we have at catching the latest virus running amuck in our little corner of the world. Dry membranes also lead to sore throats and headaches. By returning moisture to the air, many sore throats, headaches, and illnesses can be averted.

Not only is this a wonderful thing for your health, it is also a wonderful thing for your pocket book. Doctor visits, medications, and days off of school or work add up to major money spent, or lost, to illness each year.

Humidifiers also help save money on heating costs. Moist air seems warmer to our skin. Therefore, you are able to turn down the thermostat a few degrees more than normal, and still be comfortable. Running a humidifier in much cheaper than running the furnace.

By making the initial investment of a humidifier, you can possibly save yourself several times the starting costs within one year. That money can be used to pay down the principle of your debt. This will take you one step closer to getting out of your debt pit.

If you simply cannot afford the initial investment of a humidifier, there are other options available to you. If you have a woodstove, set a pot of water on top of it. Make sure to fill it everyday. You will be amazed at how quickly the water will be gone.

When you take a shower or bath, do not turn on the fan. Open the bathroom door and let the moisture stay in the house.

If you have a dishwasher (I do not, by choice,) do not run the dry cycle. Open the door and let the steam escape into the house, while the dishes air dry. Not only will you put moisture into the house, you will also save money by not drying the dishes in the dishwasher.

While these are not the optimum ways to get moisture back into your home, they are better than doing nothing.

JP and I started out with just one humidifier, but over the years we have added two more to our 800 square foot home. We use one in each bedroom and one in the living room. We prefer the warm-steam type, but cool-mist humidifiers work just as well.

Humidifiers can be found at garage sales, resale shops, or in someone’s basement, usually for just a few dollars. I have also found them on sale quite often in stores. Many stores will sell you the display model at the end of season for a fraction of the original price. All you have to do is ask.

While it may seem odd that a post on humidifiers is part of the debt series, stay with me. We are trying to get you out of the debt pit. When you are driven enough, you will find all sorts of creative ways to save money that are not part of the mainstream financial wisdom.

I leave you with this, “Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keep going. You can do it. I know you can.

~Annie

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My Journey Through Debt: Part 5: Cutting the Budget: Unplug

Once I had cut out spending money on entertainment, I took a look through other bills that were for essentials, hoping to find places that I could stretch my dollars. I found the first in my electric bill.

Seemingly little items, left plugged in, use electricity. Those little charges add up to quite a hefty sum of money over a month’s time. They add up to an even more significant charge over a year’s time.

Not one of the items on the list are hard to do, per se, however, they do require a bit of extra time. Whenever you get frustrated or tired of spending time doing items on the list, just remember that you are doing this to pay down your debt and get out of your debt pit.

• Unplug the following between uses:
• Electronics. Examples include TV, DVD player, Stereo, VCR (yes we still have, and use a VCR,) game systems, charger cords, etc. To make this easy for us, JP and I use outlet strips. Not only does it make it easy and convenient, we have also found that it somewhat protects our electronics in case of a power surge.  Yes, I understand that the clock might blink at you when you go to plug it back in. However, it’s ok. Either set it every time or ignore. Your choice.
• Appliances: Examples include coffee pot, toaster, coffee bean grinder, toaster oven, mixer, food processor, and, if you are hardcore, your microwave.

• Use a clothesline. Yes, it is easier and less time consuming to throw the clothes into the dryer. However, it is much more cost effective to use a clothesline. You might be thinking, “I don’t have a clothes line, Annie, so shove it!” (I do recognize that I did not have the most positive attitude during this time of my life, so I am willing to extend grace to you if you are mentally calling me names as we journey down the debt road together.)You do not need to own a clothesline. While a clothesline is helpful, you may also use laundry racks, the shower curtain bar, etc. The initial investment of my clothesline was $80. I am positive that I have saved several times over that amount by using my line from March through November.
• Turn lights off when you leave a room. I do realize this sounds elementary, but most people just do not take the time to shut off lights. Now, if you are going right back into the room, just leave it on. Otherwise, if you are finished in that room, flip the switch.

You will be amazed at how much money you can save just by being diligent in these areas. At the end of the month, take your savings on the electric bill, and apply it towards paying down the principle of your debt.

 I know there is probably some other very tempting use for that money, but remember, the entire point of all of this sacrificing is to get yourself out of your debt pit. I promise it is worth the sacrifice. As the debt slowly goes away, the huge weight upon your life will lessen. The worry will slowly melt away. The creditors will stop calling. You can do it.

As Robert Cushing said, “The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can.”

~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 4: Cutting the Budget: Entertainment

For all of you that are new to this series, you may want to head back to the beginning of my debt journey by clicking here . We will wait.

After stopping the outflow of money through bad spending, I knew I still needed more accessible money if I ever wanted to be free of the albatross of debt around my neck. I had to cut the budget.

I am dividing up this segment of my journey for two reasons. First off, it will be easier for me to write because there is so much ground to cover. The second reason is that it will be easier for y’all to digest if it is given in little doses.

I say it will be easier to digest because this stuff is painful y’all. There is no fun, whatsoever, in not only denying yourself new possessions and activities, but getting rid of those you have already.

In the world of paying down debt, the first line item to be cut is entertainment. While it is the first to be cut, it is also one of the hardest for us to do. We rationalize with ourselves that we need those moments of fun. To perk us up after a long day. To reward ourselves for dealing with a horrid boss all week. To have something to do over a weekend.

But listen. We do not need those things. We want those things. And right now, you cannot afford to obtain those things.

The following list is painful, but bear with me. Remember, I have been were you are. In order to speed up the process of getting out of debt you are going to have to truly and honestly consider taking the following steps.

• Cancel your cable/satellite TV. Now I know your immediate thought is that there is a huge charge for canceling before the contract is over. HOWEVER, is that charge more than the monthly bill times the amount of months left in the contract? No? then cancel it and put that money towards your debt. Yes, you may be out of the loop as to what the latest reality show stars are doing, or you might miss a sports game or two, but as of now, you have more important, life changing things to do with your funds.
• Stop Netflix or video/game rental. Your local library had a vast collection of movies for your viewing pleasure, and they are free.
• Stop going to the movies. Once again, the local library has new releases almost as soon as the video stores. Get put on the waiting list to borrow the newest flick.
• Cancel, or scale back your cell phone. I know that you are already thinking, “but I need my cell phone.” However, actually, no, you don’t. No one needs Internet on his or her phone. No one needs texting (unless you are hearing impaired.) Most people do not need a cell phone, period. For those that must have one, a pay as you go, track phone is the best option. It will allow you to have the security of a cell phone while paying down debt, yet a much smaller bill at the end of each month.
• Stop going out to eat. While food will have its own post at a later date, this is a very simple, and quick method of saving money. Make your food at home. More on this at a later time.
• Stop going to places that you know will be a money pit. Examples: amusement parks, concerts, fairs, rodeos, car shows, bike shows, malls, and the list goes on. If you know you will spend money if you attend, don’t go.

I know this is a painful list. I know you probably want to kick me right now. I know that you have a laundry list of reasons that you simply cannot abide by this list. I know, because I have said them all before. I railed against this list. I yelled. I pouted. I sulked. However, once I finally bit the bullet and started to actually do the items on this list, I saw a huge increase in the amount of money available to me for paying down the principle of my debt.

As the principle of the loans went down, my attitude got better. Remember, this is not a forever situation. You do have an end goal. There will be a time that you may reinstate the entire list. However, as of now, your main concern is climbing out of your debt pit.

You can do it. I know you can, because I did. Set your goals and set out to attain them. As Bryan Tracy said, “Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”

~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 3: Paying Down the Principle

This is part three of a series about my journey through debt and how I climbed out of the debt trap. If you are new to this blog, you will find my debt story here, and also be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 before reading today’s post.

Once I stopped my out-of-control spending habits and started writing down every penny I spent, I started to see a little money left over at the end of each paycheck. This money went towards paying down the principle of my loans.

Minimum payments on credit cards pay mainly the accrued interest and a few cents (if any) of the principle of the loan. That must-have deal on your favorite brand, quickly becomes quite pricey once the balance is on the credit card, and you are stuck paying for it (with interest) for the next decade.

By paying down the principle of the loan, you are lessening the amount of the original loan. Do not be discouraged if you only have 87 cents to pay towards the principle. I have been there. 87 cents is exactly what I had left in my pocket book at the end of the pay period. That is exactly what I added onto my minimum balance due and sent in to the credit card company.

Never let yourself be tricked into believing that whatever money amount you have available is too little. No matter WHAT it is, it will help pay down your debt. As you pay down the principle, you will slowly see a shift in how much of the money you pay the credit card company goes to interest, and how much goes to the principle balance.

I have been asked which card I paid down first. After paying all the minimum payments to each card, I put the extra money for the principle towards the card with the highest interest rate. In this way, I was getting the worst load off of myself the fastest way possible.

This is NOT an overnight quick fix. It took quite a while for me to get myself into the amount of debt I had on credit cards, and it took me quite awhile to get out. The difference was, I actually came to the point of looking forward to receiving the credit card statements in the mail and sending my payment in.

I knew that everytime I sent in a payment, I was inching closer to getting out of my debt pit. Sometimes it was 87 cents. Sometimes, it was $100. whatever it was, it was a step closer to my goal of paying off my credit card balances.

In order to make extra money so that my principle was paid down faster, I took on extra jobs. I cleaned homes, tutored, and did any other odd jobs that were available. I also sold items that I did not need and put the cash earned towards principle. Every Christmas and birthday gift that was given to me as cash went towards my debt. No it was not what I WANTED to do with it, but it was what I NEEDED to do.

I came very close to rationalizing that it was my BIRTHDAY present. I DESERVED to splurge on something with that money. But you know what? No, I didn’t. I had put myself into slavery of the credit card debt, and I was slowly, little by little, getting my freedom back. Out of all of the things I was doing, turning over my birthday and Christmas present money to those credit card companies was the hardest.

Ok, so I have shared with you how I got into debt, my realization that I was debt, my immediate actions, how I started to keep track of my money, how we changed our food habits, and why it is important to always pay towards the principle. In a future post I shall delve into how I started the very necessary, yet very painful process of making cuts in our budget so that more money was freed up to pay down the principle of the loans.

Thank you for staying with me on this topic. While debt, and money in general, seem to be a taboo subject in our society, it is one that needs to be discussed and shared. Remember, this is MY story. I have been there. Do NOT give up. No matter how deep your debt pit is, there is ALWAYS a way out.

As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”

~Annie

My Journey Through Debt: Part 2: Writing It Down and Changing Our Food Habits

Although I was now willing to recognize my problem with credit and do something about it, life still went on around me. There were still bills. Still vehicles that needed to be fueled. Still a mortgage to pay. Still money that needed to be spent.

Notice I said needed. As in it is an absolute necessity to spend a set amount of money on a particular bill. For times like that, I carried with me a pen and tablet of paper. I wrote down every single purchase. Every bill paid. Every quarter loaned. I wrote it down to the penny.

I found that by writing it down, I was able to take a semblance of control over my money. No longer was it ruling me, I was ruling it. No longer would I live in fear of the total balance due vs. the total balance available. No longer would I remain purposefully ignorant of my money.

I kept a running total in my notebook of how much CASH I had on hand. I paid everything in cash that I possibly could. If I had to mail the bill, I used check or money order to get it there. Charging it to the card was NOT an option.

I also started to get creative at home. I found that the less I left the house, the less money I spent in gasoline or trips to the store. I found that if I thought I needed something, I could write it down on a list and wait until Friday, my errand day, to purchase it. Usually by then, I found I no longer “needed” it. I also found that although I may have run out of certain types of food, I could make other dishes that worked just fine. By NOT buying more food, I was able to put more money towards paying off the principle of my credit card debts.

If I DID buy food at the grocery, I spent more time figuring out the cheapest way to go. This was not a time in my life for steaks, pork chops, soda, chips, or the like.  During my climb out of the debt pit was not the time to be picky about brands, either. I learned to buy in bulk more, breaking it down myself when I returned home.

By shopping the outer edges of the grocery, I was able to select the healthiest options for my family, while saving money by NOT buying the convenience, pre-packaged foods that seem to gravitate towards the middle of the store. This time in my life was NOT about convenience. It was about paying down debt. Yes it was hard. Yes it was time consuming. Yes it was worth it.

Although it was a struggle at first, I soon found that our family did just fine with only adding half the meat (usually the most expensive part of a food budget) called for in a recipe. I also found that some of my creative ways to stretch the food budget and the meals became family favorites (potatoes in tacos, rice in stews).

You may say, “Sure Annie, easy for you to say, there were just two of you.” That simply wasn’t true. While we did not have Little Bug yet, we did have several mentor children that lived with us or were in and out of our house on an almost daily basis. While we loved them and were blessed to have had them here, extra people do cost money to have in your home, plain and simple.

The way we dealt with that was simple. We were honest with them. No I didn’t tell them every little thing, however, if they asked why things had changed, I did inform them that we were in the process of saving money to pay down debt.

If you have family members that may rebel at the idea of changing spending habits and food habits, you may want to talk to them about why you are doing so and how they can help you.

I realize that this path is not easy. I do understand. I walked it and experienced it. It is HARD to tell yourself “no.” It is time consuming to write every penny down. It is frustrating to have a teenager or spouse questioning you as to why there is no soda in the house. I get it. However, stick with it. It will be worth it. I promise.

“Who recalls when folks got along without something if it cost too much?”  ~Kin Hubbard.

~Annie

My Journey through Debt: Part 1: The Realization and Immediate Action

I have shared with you my debt story in a previous post. If you missed it, you can go here to catch up. Go ahead. I will wait.

Ok, now that we are all on the same page, I would like to begin to share with you my journey through debt. It will take several posts, but I hope that my story, and my slow climb out of debt, will help others.

The day that I confessed to JP that I had thousands of dollars charged to hidden credit cards, I was filled with dread as well as relief. I had spent so many years hiding this secret, that I was relived that he now knew.

Once the secret was out, the realization of my debt became very real to both of us. I realized that I had not only lied to JP, but had sinned against God as well. I sought forgiveness from both, and it was immediately granted.

While forgiven, I still had the debt looming over me. While JP was forgiving, he did tell me that it was my responsibility to pay it off. I did as any good wife would do. I freaked. As in full blown panic attack.

With percentage rates as high as 22%, I saw no way to EVER pay off my debt. I was hardly able to pay the minimum balance, let alone pay off the principal. I knew I had to act, and act immediately.

My very first course of action was to call the credit card companies and ask for a lower rate on the loans. Yes, I called them loans, for that is what they are. Those companies that give you a little, seemingly harmless, plastic card, are LOANING you money at an EXTREMELY high interest rate.

Most of the companies said they would lower the rate a few points since I was a valued customer. (Of COURSE I was valued! Those guys were making a LOAD of money off of me!)

I then asked if they would forgive any portion of my interest debt. This is a bold move, but they cannot say no unless you ask. Two companies forgave half of my interest debt. That saved me $2000 off the bat.

After getting off the phone with the credit card companies, I found a new credit card. While this seems to be the reverse of what I should have done, stay with me. I found a card with 0% interest on transfer of balances from other cards to their card for a year. A YEAR y’all. So I did it. I transferred as much of my balances to that card as possible. I had a year to pay it off, which gave me a time limit. I also saved thousands of dollars in interest.

As I transferred the cards to the 0% interest card, I closed the accounts. As in, I called them and CLOSED the accounts. They tried to talk me into all sorts of options, but I held firm and closed them. I also cut up every card I still had.

For years I justified why I kept them. “For emergencies. For gasoline. For groceries.” Y’all, if you need to put your gasoline and groceries on a credit card, there is a problem. I know, because I was there. More on that in a later post.

The last thing I immediately did was to STOP SPENDING. Yes, it hurt. Yes, it was hard. Yes, I wanted the new gizmo,the newest fashion, the latest CD, a cup of coffee, a stick of gum. I will not lie to you, I cried. A LOT. I wanted things and I wanted them NOW. I rationalized in my head that I DESERVED things. I worked hard. I owed it to myself. It was my money and I should be able to spend it how I wanted to.  I mean, seriously, that is what the world of marketing tells us, so it must be true, right? RIGHT?!? Wrong.

It wasn’t MY money. It was OUR money, JP’s and mine, and ultimately GOD’S. And I was a dismal failure at being a good steward of it. Every time I failed or pouted, I would seek forgiveness and try again. Everyday that I didn’t spend money was a victory for me. As each day passed, it got easier and easier as I overcame my credit addiction.

My story has many parts. I am not here to judge anyone. I am here to share with you my journey through debt, and how I overcame it to come out victorious.

I invite you to journey with me.

As Thomas Fuller said, “Debt is the worst poverty.”

~Annie

Debt

Debt. In today’s society, debt seems to be a very normal occurrence. It has actually become harder to find someone WITHOUT debt than WITH debt. The problem with debt is that it hangs over your head, dragging you down. It causes sleep deprivation, worry, marital issues, and even illness due to stress.

My debt started when I was 17 years old. I was a naive college freshman, signing my life away (with a parental cosign) in exchange for a college education. While in college I could never quite make ends meet. And those nifty credit card applications came with a cool T-shirt or free candy bar. Everyone needs a snack, right? And I could cancel that card as soon as it arrived, right? Only I didn’t.

I used those cards. A lot. By the time I left college, I had tens of thousands of dollars worth of school loans PLUS thousands of dollars worth of credit card bills. The siren call of credit swept me up in its embrace and didn’t let me go for several years.

Fresh out of school, JP and I worked hard to pay down our school debt. However, JP did not know about my credit card bills. He had no clue that I had thousands of dollars worth of debt and continued to add to it almost daily.

Over the years, we finally paid off the school loans, well within the allotted time. JP thought all we had left was the mortgage. Then he found out about the credit cards. All four of them. Needless to say, that was a very rough time for us.

It was then that I got serious about getting out of debt. About becoming completely, totally, debt-free. And we did it. September 1, 2010 was the day that we became debt free. It was not easy. It did not happen over night. But then again, neither did the debt.

We now live debt free. Since we live mostly on a single income, we never have the best or newest of anything, but we are just fine with that. While our things might be purchased from garage sales and thrift stores, we live with the peace that we do not have a large debt looming over our heads.

I tell you all of this to help you understand that I have been there. I have been addicted to credit cards. To wanting something so much that I rationalized the expense. To not quite grasping the long lasting effects of compounding interest. Is it humiliating to admit that I had out of control spending? Yes. But I am willing to do so if it will help others. I have been to the place where you think it is hopeless to even try to climb out of the debt pit.

It isn’t hopeless. I did it. You can do it too. We can do it together.  I would be more than happy to share what I have learned on my journey to debt free living. I invite you to join me. if you have specific questions that you would like to cover, please let me know.

As Publilius Syrus said, “Debt is the slavery of the free.”

~Annie