Race to Freedom Challenge #3 – Maximize Savings

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Photo Credit: totalAldo Last month you were challenged to stop eating out for the entire month, OR severely cut back to a reasonable level. To recap, my family tried to cut our eating out visits to 4 times with a cap of $120 being the most we could spend for the month. As I reported in the update post a few weeks ago, we went out to eat six times, but since then did add one more time to that for a grand total of $200. To be honest IU’m not regretting that one either because it was right before […] Read more »

No Restaurants in November Challenge

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Is your budget brutally pounded by your inability to stay away from the restaurants? Of all the things my wife and I have changed about our financial habits, dining out seems to be our current addiction of addictions. We did fine while we were jazzed and intense about getting out of debt, but ever since, we have been haunted by this ghost of convenience. Read more »

The Scariest Halloween Costume EVER!

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Photo Credit: Halloween Express An Enslaved Debtor complete with bondage. (A person in a suit or dress, with mini cars, school books, shopping bags, bank statements and Starbucks coffee cups glued to it, while sporting the provocative shackle and handcuff accessories.) Seriously though… How special is your Halloween celebration? Do you go ALL OUT, or do you save your greenbacks for some Christmas shopping? According to a survey by National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans are expected to spend 5.8 BILLION dollars this Halloween. That’s not even close to what will be spent on Christmas, but this number surprises me because of […] Read more »

Are You Being Frugal Or Just Cheap?

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Are you SUPER FRUGAL when it comes to everything? Maybe I shouldn’t dirty the word frugal by using it so poorly. Are you SUPER CHEAP when it comes to how you spend every single dime? If so, this post may help you reconsider your cheaper than thou ways. My example may not work for every situation, but it works if you want your nice lawn mower and weed eater to stay in good condition. Just to clarify, frugal to me, means making the best financial decision I can with my money. To get the best bang for my buck. But […] Read more »

Children And Money: Are You Helping Your Children Learn The Basics?

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Teaching Your Kids Early On Is The Best Way To Ensure Financial Responsibility Since approximately February of 2009 we have been adding small amounts of change to Isaac’s piggy bank periodically.  He gets money for doing certain things like cleaning up after himself, helping around the house, etc.  He loves to help and we want him to learn the value of hard work.  If he works he does get paid, and if he doesn’t work then he doesn’t get paid—just like the real world. We have a pretty loose system as Isaac is only 3, but as he gets older […] Read more »