Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Week 10

Written by on November 30, 2011 · 3 Comments
growing money

This week's class is called From Fruition to Tuition, it's about planning for retirement and college. Dave talked about all the different kinds of retirement plans including traditional and Roth IRAs, SEPs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457s. He says you should invest 15% of your income in "qualified plans", which are the plans mentioned. Hey lays out the order of that you should attack your retirement planning; employer plan up to the match, max out a Roth IRA, then max out your employer plan. Read more »

Investing Tip: Don’t Be Like an “Overly Emotional Teenaged Girl”

Written by on November 29, 2011 · 1 Comment
Alone

CNNMoney features an excellent column by Paul R. La Monica today contrasting the “overly emotional teenaged girl with an unrequited crush. OMG! My life is over!” stock market investors with the seemingly apathetic and “too-cool-for-school kids that don’t get bothered by anything” bond market investors. I encourage you to read the column as Paul, (who has a really great first name), hits the nail firmly on the head. You can find it here: The United States of Apathy. Investing in the stock market is a long term process. In any given year the market may rise or fall significantly and, [...] Read more »

Tags: , , ,

No Restaurants in November 2011 Update and a New Challenge

Written by on November 28, 2011 · 19 Comments
Tired of flushing money down the toilet...

Well the month has almost come and gone and I cant say I’ve really missed going out to eat all that much. For the most part it has given our family extra time in the kitchen to bond. My wife and I have tag teamed the meals as well as taken turns cooking meals individually. When it’s time to do dishes Isaac has enthusiastically helped clear the table and load the dishwasher. So we have saved money but also created a fine little helper in the process. Isaac helped in more ways than one too. We really only had a [...] Read more »

Tags: , , , ,

Are You Making Excuses for the Money You Spend?

Written by on November 26, 2011 · 11 Comments
spending too much money on shopping

Yesterday was Black Friday. Did you hit the stores at 4am? Were you one of the million of folks out on Thanksgiving to shop the stores that opened in the evening? Or maybe you are like me, you avoid stores on Black Friday (and the days surrounding it) like the plague! I wasn’t always this way, there was a time when I hit the mall bright and early on Black Friday. I was armed with nothing more than my credit cards and a large cup of coffee. The problem with my “plan” was that I didn’t have a list (and [...] Read more »

Tags: , , ,

The Worst Day of my Entire Life

Written by on November 25, 2011 · 23 Comments
frustration

As I sat on the park bench watching other families laugh and play, I couldn’t help but feel resentment. That was supposed to be me and my family, but recent events would clearly make that impossible. How could my wife do this to me? What did she do? Only the worst thing a wife could do to her passionate husband dedicated to ridding the world of debt that’s all. I checked the mail and found out that my wife racked up almost $2,000 on a credit card she had been hiding from me for over a year. Imagine the look on my face – THE Enemy of Debt – as I peeled open the envelope to reveal such news. We’ve been through so much together financially and I thought we were on the same team. It was only four years ago that we pledged to eradicate our debt together once and for all. At that time we were like everyone else -- broke, living paycheck to paycheck, and seriously on edge about our finances. Read more »

Tags: , , , , ,

To Be or Not To Be…That is the Question

Written by on November 24, 2011 · 2 Comments
lego thanksgiving

Thankful that is…today is Thanksgiving a time to spend with loved ones and reflect on what you are thankful for. It has been a tough year for my family and some days I didn’t feel so thankful, but today I have a renewed attitude of thankfulness and realize just how lucky I am to have my health, my family, and the support of communities like this one. Unexpected Gifts of Thanks Sometimes we are dealt a bad hand and just need to make the best of less than perfect situations. Divorce.  On April 5th of this year my divorce was [...] Read more »

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Thanksgiving: Frugal and Fun

Written by on November 23, 2011 · 6 Comments
thanksgiving dinner

I love Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday. One of the reasons is that I met my husband on Thanksgiving day in 2003. I had been invited to my roommate's parents house for the holiday. While I was there I met her brother... who is now my husband. But this great holiday was my favorite even before that. I like Thanksgiving because it's low-key. There isn't a huge lead up to the holiday. You don't spend WEEKS before the actual event listening to commercials and promotions so that you are sick of the holiday before it even arrives. Read more »

19 Important Questions to Ask Yourself When Shopping on Black Friday

Written by on November 22, 2011 · 3 Comments
Christmas shopping

Hello all! Are you ready for Thanksgiving? If you’ve been a reader for more than a year you probably know I hate Black Friday. There are many reasons for this and I won’t go into it again but I really have a problem with what the Christmas season has become. Really what we have let it become but I digress. Gobble up your turkey and say bye to your family because you have early sales to hit up! (Yes, this is sarcasm.) This year I wanted to provide a checklist of questions to ask yourself to make sure you are [...] Read more »

Tags: , , , , ,

The $500 Winner in the Kill Your Debt Giveaway is…

Written by on November 21, 2011 · 3 Comments
Woman jumping for joy

3 loooooooong weeks ago I posted the Kill Off Your Debt $500 giveaway. Hopefully you entered to win! If not, keep your eyes peeled open for my next giveaway in December. Then I will be co-hosting the 3rd annual Brad & J’s Christmas Stimulus 2011, where we show our appreciation for all of you. The giveaway went great and it was really fun to read all of the great things you would do once you’re debt free. Thank you all for participating!! After 533 entries — including 19 blog post entries and approximately 144 tweets — a winner has been [...] Read more »

Tags: , , , ,

Vote for my Article in the Impulse Save Turkey Talks Writing Contest!

Written by on November 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment
dreamstimefree_1707310

I entered a writing contest over at Impulse Save. The rules were simple. Write about my financial journey — the good, the bad, or the ugly — and then share why I’m thankful for where I am today. I’ve told my story so many times in so many places so I decided to try and be a little more creative telling it this time around.I would absolutely love to hear if you loved it or hated it — all opinions are welcome! I hope you like it ENJOY! Read this excerpt: As I sat on the park bench watching other [...] Read more »

Tags: , , , , , ,

Last Chance at Winning $500

Written by on November 20, 2011 · Leave a Comment
WIN

Today is your very last chance to enter this giveaway. Comments will be closed at midnight tonight! Click the banner and read the instructions to make sure your entry counts! P.S. I have really enjoyed reading the comments to see all of the different things you would do if you were debt free. The point was to get you to dream about all the things you would do but I hope it doesn’t stop there. I hope you all make those dreams a reality! Good Luck! Related Articles:Brad & J’s 2011 $300 Christmas StimulusThe $500 Winner in the Kill Your [...] Read more »

Tags: , ,

$571,817.68 Down And $0 To Go – Special Anniversary Celebration

Written by on November 18, 2011 · 9 Comments
j0678_meadow_0032

571,817.68 is a lot of dollars.   On January 18, 2009, this is how much I owed in debt. After a decade of living beyond my means. A couple of lousy real estate transactions. And a failed marriage.   I have carried this debt for nearly three years. Watching each month as the numbers crawled toward zero. And yesterday, I made my very last payment. New balance: $0.00.   If I stacked 571,817 dollar bills into a pile and weighed it – it would be 1,167 pounds.   That’s literally HALF a ton. The debt I carried weighed as much as [...] Read more »

Tags: , , ,

Santa Is a Waste Of Money

Written by on November 17, 2011 · 19 Comments
rock

In a scene common to many American households during the holiday season, my kids sat at the kitchen table thumbing through a stack of Christmas toy magazines creating their Christmas wish lists. I smiled as I watched them, remembering doing the exact same thing when I was a kid.  I actually folded mine up, put it in an envelope and gave it to my parents to mail to Santa. Feeling their excitement as I walked towards the table, I overheard, “Oooh, I’ve never seen that before, that is SO cool! That’s definitely going on my list!” Suddenly having them go [...] Read more »

Tags: , , , ,

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Week 9

Written by on November 16, 2011 · 3 Comments
dollars

This week's class was called Of Mice and Mutual Funds. It was about investing, obviously. I liked this lesson quite a bit. Lots of good information. He gave a lot of definitions again, like in the insurance class. As I said during the review of the insurance class, knowing the lingo of investing is half the battle. He talked about the following investments. Read more »

Next Page »