DOWNLOAD THIS BUDGET – I created this budget to give people the tools needed to budget effectively. Budgeting is very important and I have received many emails about how it has helped people with the process. Give it a try and see what you think! FOLLOW THESE 7 EASY STEPS TO BUDGETING – Proven methods to help you beat the budgeting blues. So many people, including myself, have started a budget and before the month ends the budget is busted. It kills your motivation and desire to budget, and before you know it you are right back to your […] Read more »
Debt-ception – Why Do We Fall For The Lie?
Debt-ception Is Everywhere! The use of debt is rampant and highly irresponsible. Because we think the good outweighs the bad, we allow ourselves to justify its use. We tell ourselves that it is okay because it is helping us, ignoring all of the signs of its destruction. We have replaced good old fashioned savings for the servitude and hardship that debt brings us. In my opinion we have done this because we have forgotten that no journey worth taking is easy. We have lost hope in our lives and in ourselves, but I know how to get that back. Learning […] Read more »
Just Say NO To Debt CONsolidation!
Once a month I may get something from a company that wants to partner with Enemy of Debt in some way. The one I received today was a little different but not really. She claimed to read a blog of mine, but maybe she needed to read more of them before contacting me. Her company was nothing more than a debt CONsolidation and negotiation company. My response was respectful, but to the point. The OFFER: Hi! I was checking out an article called “I Hate Debt, What About You” on your site www.enemyofdebt.com, and was thinking that I have a […] Read more »
Debt – [det] A Financial Storm Cloud
Student Loans Often Overstay Their Welcome Just as many of you, we used student loans. We had about four total. We currently have one left and that makes us VERY happy! We used every last dollar we could squeeze out of our budget, to pay on our debt snowball in March. We were very blessed and were able to pay off $1,325 which actually paid off one completely. (See our updated DEBT FREE progress chart.) I was looking at our current updated balance when I noticed something very amusing. The scheduled pay off date was not until 10/21/18!!!! 10 YEARS […] Read more »
7 Tips To Make Your Budget Work
1. Maintain An Emergency Fund Of $1,000 This is very important! If you do not have an adequate emergency fund when life happens to you, you will feel defeated. It has a very negative impact on your desire to budget when you have to reorganize EVERYTHING to pay for emergencies. If you have an emergency fund all you have to do is cover the emergency without reorganizing the entire budget. 2. Remember That You & Your Spouse Are On The Same Team The friction caused by disagreement will often cause the budget to be a flop before it ever has […] Read more »
I Hate Debt, What About You?
When Is America Going To Start Caring? The problem is getting a debt happy culture to realize the danger. So many take so much for granted! How do you convince a society that has tricked itself into believing that debt is a good thing, into believing debt is actually the opposite of a good thing? Look around you people!! Debt is not a good thing and proof is ALL AROUND you! Debt is swallowing up America, and no one really seems to be concerned with it. Oh there are some that claim to be concerned during every election cycle, but […] Read more »
Monkey See, Monkey Don’t!
MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DON’T I have said before that Washington is in desperate need of a Total Money Makeover. If you have been keeping up with current events in Washington then you probably are aware of the current spending proposal to “stimulate” the economy. If not, then you should be, because your tax dollars are being wasted on a daily basis. (Nothing new right?) In fact, your grandchildren are going to be footing the bill. It’s no wonder that most of America has a hard time managing their money, when they watch “supposedly” intelligent minds in Washington giving them […] Read more »
Myth: I Don’t Make Enough To Do A Total Money Makeover
You Don’t Make Enough Money To Manage It? I hear this excuse all the time. Yes, I said excuse, or you could call it a justification for not wanting to face managing your money. Either way you look at it, it is still a myth. Yes, it is true that you could do more faster if you made more money, but to say you can’t, simply because you think it is impossible to do so much with so little, is selling yourself short. I would argue that it is even MORE important for you to be on a Total Money […] Read more »
A Sacrifice Is Not A Loss But A Gain
Returning Thoughts I am in my car a significant amount of time. I have tons of time to think about so many things. One of the questions I find myself asking is “What in the world do people say when they see my car?”. My first response is usually laughter because I imagine what people might say who would never be caught dead in such a car. To make it even more amusing I have a sticker on my bumper that says, “Act Your Wage”, beside another “Anti-Debt” sticker. To me this makes TOTAL sense, but the average person might […] Read more »
Dave Ramsey for President 2008
President Ramsey? No, Dave Ramsey isn’t running for President, but if he was, I would probably vote for him. He has expressed his opinion and has made it clear he does not want the job. Personally, I do not blame him, but boy would it be nice to have a Government with a ZERO-BASED BUDGET? It would be nice to have someone who knows how to cut expenses and knows the difference between a want and a need. Someone who knows all to well how it feels to hit rock bottom, and someone who knows how to bounce back by […] Read more »
Giving Advice: Is It A Good Or Bad Idea?
Not too long ago I posted a blog about debt consolidation and the dangers of it. I went on MyTMMO forums to try and get people to share their thoughts on my blog about debt consolidation. Since those forums were private I mentioned that someone close to me was considering using debt consolidation themselves. I got blasted from all angles with people telling me that I should keep my nose out of others business. I later posted a poll on those same forums asking people what they would do, to try and see if there were differing opinions. So far […] Read more »
Are You Waiting For Washington To Save The Day?
As it stands now this is not a political blog, and I want to keep it that way. However, with the upcoming election, coupled with recent events (bailout, mortgage crisis) and the state of our economy, I feel it is important to address this issue. It seems that so many people are putting all of their faith into electing a President that they feel will fly down from the sky with his Presidential cape and leotards to save the day. Why is that? Do people really believe that Washington is going to come to the rescue? Do you really […] Read more »
Murphy’s Fall
Murphy’s Fall? I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to something that you have or will possibly go through. I have coined the term “Murphy’s Fall”. Murphy’s Fall isn’t the fall of Murphy. Instead it is something you yourself go through because of Murphy. That’s right. It’s what can happen when Murphy has moved in and just doesn’t want to leave. It could be equivalent to what marathoners call “The Wall”, which is when a marathoner reaches the 20 mile mark and starts to rationalize giving up. It’s when you start to tell yourself that you have […] Read more »
When Are You Going To Have A Yard Sale?
Today was the big day! We had a huge yard sale today, and we made an extra $220. This was with NO big dollar items. We had tons of stuff to get rid of and I am not even convinced that we got rid of everything possible. I am pretty excited about our extra earnings from stuff that has been just hanging around our house. Could you benefit from an extra few hundred dollars? I am sure you could, so start looking around and plan that yard sale. Fund that Emergency Fund or earn extra money to throw at your […] Read more »