Saturday, May 31, 2008
Surveys / Extra Money
| By Lynn Forgy I have had some success with several online survey companies, and have posted them in the past but thought a "refresher" may be of some help. Your2Cents - I received a check for $25 last month for surveys, and since then have earned $20 more but have not redeemed it yet. Lightspeed Panel - I have received $15 into my Paypal account since the beginning of the year. PineCone - I signed up with them a couple of months ago, and get a small amount for answering a 5 minute survey. There are times, too, when you they will send you free products to try and ask your opinion regarding the products. (I love free things like that!) Opinion Outpost - I signed up with them last month, and have a total of $8 in my account. I haven't redeemed it yet, but will let you know if I encounter any problems. Labels: Extra money, surveys |
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Debt I've Paid
| By Lynn Forgy In calculating the amount of debt I paid off since fully committing to Dave Ramsey's plan, I came up with this total: $14,888 This amount represents just the payments applied to debt. During the past year, I've paid off this much of my debt, but also was able to purchase health insurance for myself 3 months ago for the first time in 7 years! Not to toot my own horn, but some of the other things I've paid cash for during this time include: - Paid cash for the labor of finishing out the basement bathroom - Paid state taxes - Paid copays and prescription costs for my daughter - Paid for Christmas presents for my daughter - Paid cash for the construction of stairs on the 2nd floor deck Most importantly, however, is the fact that I have not used a credit card or store credit since 1 year ago. Sometimes this seems like such a long journey to get out of debt, and it's hard for me to continually stay focused on the goal. During those times, if I can manage to think instead on how far I've come, instead of how far I have left to go, it's a little harder to lose hope and faith. |
Too Much Month at the End of the Money
| By Lynn Forgy I have cut our expenses to the bare bones, for the most part. And I've taken on 2 part time jobs to increase my income. Sometimes it still doesn't seem like enough, though. Especially at the end of the month. Living paycheck to paycheck is not a fun place to be, but it does provide opportunities to be creative. - How can you find ways to save water around your house? We live in Georgia, which is still in a drought. So finding ways to save water is not only something we do to help the budget but also to help the environment. Saving bathwater to reuse in the washer, flushing less, etc. can save money. - How can you save on electricity? Turn the lights off, use only the CFL bulbs, turn the thermostat up or down depending on the season (we set ours at 80-82 in the summer, and 62-64 in the winter), use the crockpot rather than using the oven, use an electric skillet vs. the stove top. - Make your own laundry detergent I have saved about $20 or more this year by making my own detergent. $20 may not sound like much, but every little bit helps. - Plan your meals 1 month at a time, and only buy what's on your list I tried this last month, and I will admit that it's hard. Not only do you have to sit down beforehand and come up with 30 meal ideas and their ingredients, you have to go to the grocery to stock up. But this should cut down on the amount you spend at the grocery by reducing the temptation to buy extras. My mother quoted a saying from Franklin Delano Roosevelt this morning, and I think most of us could benefit from following this advice: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" |
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Goal Update
| By Lynn Forgy I wanted to provide an update on my goal of paying off my 2 remaining debts (not including the house), or Baby Step #2. As it stands now, I have $900 left to pay on my car (Woo Hoo!) and $6000 left on my student loan (Yuck!). Obviously, this means I did not meet my goal of paying off everything by the end of this month. However, I will say that I am a lot closer than I sometimes thought I would be. I have an additional $500 that was going to go towards the car debt this month to bring my total left due down to $6400, but I need to use that to fix the erosion problem going on in my backyard. I also haven't gotten paid for my mystery shopping for the month of May, which should be around $266. So, my revised goal is to have the remaining debt, $6900, paid off by August 15th. During this time, I will have to pay about $500 for homeschool materials, a dentist visit (hopefully only $100), and 3 trips (educational of course, and short excursions, too). I know some of you may be thinking 'But why take 3 vacations, even if they are short, rather than paying that towards the debt???' The reason is simple: I am TIRED! And my family and I could use some "together time". I have been working a full time job and a part time job since August, plus an additional part time job since January. Each week, I work at least 6 days and sometimes 7. I need a break. You can rest assured that our trips will be paid for in cash, though. :) |
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Cheap, Quick & Easy Dinners
| By Lynn Forgy Starting in May, I am experimenting with a monthly meal planner. I planned out all the dinner meals for the month, went to the grocery to buy all the supplies, and so far all is going well. Below are some family favorites that are cheap, quick and easy: 1) Cheese Sandwiches with Hash Brown Potatoes Cheese slices (we use the fat free due to dietary requirements, which cost $3; the regular slices cost less) Bread ($.50 a loaf at Kroger this week!) Hash Brown potatoes ($1 per bag - you can make 2 or 3 meals out of 1 bag) *Total $4.50 2) Tacos Taco Shells ($.90) Meat (we use chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts, cooked and chopped up, bought in bulk - approximate cost $2) Taco seasoning ($.30) Cheese ($0 if using some of the remaining slices from Meal #1) *Total $3.20 3) Potato Soup Potatoes ($3 per bag - $.50 for this meal) Milk (we buy the powdered milk to use for recipes, $6 per box, approximately $.25 for this recipe) *Total $.75 4) Cheesy Tuna Noodles Noodles ($.60 per box) Cheese (use the remaining slices from Meal #1 and #2) Tuna ($.50 per can) Milk (powdered milk, $.25 for this recipe) *Total $1.35 5) Tuna Patties, Corn and Green Beans -Note: Tuna patties are made much like salmon patties, mixing tuna, onion, milk, and egg, then frying them Tuna ($1.00 - 2 cans) Onion ($.25 for the tuna patties) Milk (powdered, $.10) Flour (have on hand) Corn ($.40 per can) Green Beans ($.40 per can) *Total $2.15 These meals are very quick to put together, and more importantly for me they are cheap and filling. |
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Lessons I've Learned
| By Lynn Forgy I have been on my journey to debt freedom, fully committed, for almost 8 months. In that time, I have paid off my credit card (Home Depot - $3500), paid up front to have the basement bathroom finished and stairs added to the deck, paid $2,000 to the dentist for a root canal and crown and a couple of fillings, and almost have my car paid off. It has been far from easy - I'm tired most of the time from working 3 jobs (1 full time and 2 part time), I'm grumpy, and sometimes I can hardly stand wearing the same clothes that I have had in my closet for over a year. I have learned a lot, though, about what I can do once I fix a goal for myself. I've learned a few lessons along the way as well. Lesson #1 - Homemade Deodorant - A couple of months ago, I thought it would be a great way to save money if I made my own deodorant. Big mistake!! I developed a rash, which hurt - A LOT! Needless to say, I have discontinued this method of saving money and will spend the $1 or $2 for the factory made deodorant. Lesson #2 - Menus - Planning meals for a month at a time saves not only time, but money as well. If I spend an hour planning the meals for one month and an hour at the grocery, I'm saving about 2-3 hours per month (going to the grocery once per week) AND I don't spend as much money. Lesson #3 - Workaholic-ism - I'm not sure if that's a word, but if not it should be. I have found that the more I think about paying off my debt, the more I work. Not only that, but when I assign mystery shops to myself I sometimes take on more than I should. For example, yesterday I completed 9 shops - for a total of 8 hours. I was exhausted when I got home, plus I had a headache. Then I had to complete all the online reports for the shops, which took another couple of hours. Lesson #4 - Prayer and God - I have been working a lot lately, and not going to church as much as I should or as much as I need to, nor am I praying as much as I used to. I focus too much on the money and not enough on God. There's a verse in the Bible that I sometimes find "by accident", on a frequent basis. The verse says something like 'You spend all your time and effort on building your own house rather than My [God's] house'. I haven't been able to reach that balance yet; with me it's always all or nothing. Maybe that's the next lesson I need to learn... |
