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Sorry for the evening and spaced postings this week. It’s been one of those unexpectedly busy weeks. My second job has picked up and I’ve been working nights. When it comes to making extra money – I never say no when my second job calls.
Tonight was supposed to be my first night off but a close friend called in a panic and needed a volunteer at her fundraiser.
I just got home, I still need to grab a shower, and I have to iron my clothes for work tomorrow. I’m working on a time sensitive project at work which means I have to be there at or before 6am so for right now…
This is the best post I’ve got in me.
I hope you have a wonderful Friday!
My husband will, for the most part, eat anything I put in front of him. This ‘gift’ is generally bestowed only on newly married men who are still starry eyed over their freshly minted wives, but my man never seemed to grow out of it… thank God.
I told you I picked a good one.
But believe it or not, this can be a problem. My husband attends night school and at times, we barely cross paths before he has to leave for class. In the past, he would buy food at school. But on our debt reduction plan, this isn’t an option anymore. Instead, he plays what I like to call…’Refrigerator Russian Roulette.’
He opens the door, grabs a Tupperware, and eats whatever is inside regardless of age or smell.
I am not a fan of this game.
I am in favor of stretching food dollars but I have limits. Sometimes I will walk in the front door and catch him eating a dinner I made more than a week earlier. When I tell him he shouldn’t eat old food, he replies, ‘It smelled only slightly bad… and it’s free.’
At times (not often – I swear he has an iron stomach), I’ll find him reclined on the couch. ‘Something didn’t sit right’ he groans. And I lovingly reply ‘Perhaps the 5 week old pot roast?’
I love the man but sometimes I can’t help but wonder if his dedication to become debt free borders on the fanatical.
If you struggle with the same man I do, or perhaps you see that person in the mirror, read this article from the Mayo Clinic. You’ve got 4 days to eat those leftovers. Any time past that isn’t healthy – even if it is ‘free’.
I was asked to participate in an Outrigger canoe race over weekend. Bad news? I’ve never been in an Outrigger before. Good news? I got a free lunch.
I’m a little on the terrified side of water so when I held up my oar waiting for the signal to start, it shook from my trembling arms. Shaking oars aren’t exactly a great intimidation tactic.
Remarkably, we won the first race by nearly a full boat length… then sadly lost the next two.
Here we are winning…
Sunday, I participated in a 5K running event put on by a close friend. Since I walk or run 3-5 miles a few times each week, I thought a 5K run after the Outrigger race would be easy. It never crossed my mind to ask if the event was going to take place on the beach in the sand.
And at the finish line...
I’m not sure if my body will ever forgive me.
By Sunday evening, I was exhausted but happy to have finished both races. It was a stretch but as I relaxed on the couch, I smiled because I finished something I didn’t think I could do and I wondered…
Is this a preview of what it will feel like to be debt free?
I was reading an article in last Sunday’s newspaper about new ways to sell things called, ‘Count the ways to sell your stuff’ by Dan Sewell. He suggested two new and different ways to sell household items or clothes: Facebook & Plato’s Closet.
I’ve heard advertisements for the Plato’s Closet chain but hadn’t researched how it worked. I have always donated my used clothing to the local thrift store and hadn’t looked into other possibilities. Plato’s Closet will pay you for your clothing (if it’s 12 – 18 months old and made by one of their acceptable designer brands including Charlotte Russe and Forever 21). My first thought was, ‘12 to 18 months? If it’s that ‘young’ I’m probably still wearing it.’ But hey, we all know that somewhere, hidden from our husbands, is a shirt or two or three in the back of our closet with the tags still on that didn’t look as good at home as it did in the store.
Sewell also sites Facebook as a great way to sell things. He referenced a woman who sold nearly all of her possessions in 24 hours. While I think her experience is rare, I think it’s a great idea to use Facebook in combination with other methods like garage sales or swap meets.
My grandparents are moving into my parent’s home next month. My mother was asking me for ways to sell the duplicates from their newly combined households. When I shared this article with her, she volunteered to be the guinea pig to see if these new methods will actually work. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Have you ever used Facebook or Plato’s Closet as a way to sell things? Where have you successfully sold the most items?
I was reading the March 15th issue of Time magazine and stumbled across Zachary Karabell’s article, ‘In Defense of Debt.’ The tag line under the title read, ‘Paying off what we owe seems prudent. But it could also wreck America’s economic future.’
What??
I read the article and tried to give Mr. Karabell’s thoughts an open mind – then quickly dismissed his ideology as completely irrational.
My favorite quotes were:
“Even with the U.S. economy weak, the dollar remains one of the few truly safe havens, and that means interest rates could stay low for a very long time, which in turn means that our debts – however big – can be managed.”
And
“Obsessing about the debt is a distraction we can’t afford.”
And my personal favorite…
“The problem isn’t how much debt we’re carrying today; it’s whether the economy of tomorrow will be able to justify it.”
When I searched to link the article to this post, I found a follow up article by Mr. Karabell defending his position once more after a less than positive response from Time readers. He said, ‘People don’t see straight when discussing this issue.’
Based on the overwhelmingly disapproving response, it’s Mr. Karabell who may not ‘see straight when discussing this issue.’
I’d recommend reading the Time article… just for the reader comments at the end.
I’ve been training for a race for a few months now. Unfortunately, every time I make good progress on reducing my mile time, I get sick. First it was the never ending cough, followed by pneumonia, followed by lung problems, and then last week… strep throat. Before I started running, I hadn’t had so much as a case of the sniffles in over a year. Blame it on the excessive rain, blame it on a bad flu season, or blame it on my body’s boycott of my impending 30th birthday – this has been a rough year physically.
Running has been a reliable distraction from my finances but now, it seems like one more thing to add to my list of failures.
Yesterday was the first day I started to feel better after coming down with strep… until the itching began. Turns out, I ate something I was allergic to and broke out in a rash across my arms, chest, back, stomach, and face. Every time I had a moment to myself, I ran to my desk to itch my arms and neck like crazy until someone caught me. I would be annoyed but my body is such a huge comedy of errors, I can’t help but laugh.
I came home and all I wanted to do was take a bath, pop a couple Benadryl, and go to bed, but yesterday marked the second solid week I hadn’t laced my running shoes.
So I ran.
As I ran, the itching stopped, and for the first time in a long time… I felt good.
Sometimes, when you need it most, things go right.
I used to work for a 501(c)(3) charitable organization for several years that assisted abused women and children. It was a difficult job made more difficult by the constant instability of donations. Now that the economy has suffered, these organizations are suffering from lack of funding more than usual.
It’s easy to say no. It seems like every time I buy dog food or a bag of groceries, someone is asking for money. I’d love to help, but I simply can’t afford to donate a dollar every time I buy a head of lettuce.
Never have I stumbled over a request for donations like this…
I came home from work last week to find a 3 foot by 4 foot wood purple cow in my yard. A letter was taped to its chest notifying me about the organization’s (a local Christian high school group) desire to provide livestock to famished countries. They provided some options for the cow removal:
Pay $10 to have the cow removed.
Pay an additional $5 to have the cow delivered to a friend or neighbor.
Pay $15 for a ‘No Grazing Permit’ to ensure the cow never darkened your door again.
Or
Call the organization, tell them you aren’t interested in the game, and they will pick up the cow free of charge.
There were six hideous purple cows in total haunting our city – and everyone knew about them. The funniest part of all? No one saw the cows being moved. They would simply disappear from your yard and reappear in someone else’s. High school kids are amazing at being sneaky.
They took a serious situation, somehow lightened it, and made participating irresistible.
About This Site
My Debt
- Original Debt: $38,495.86
- Added Debt: $1,781.50
- Total Debt: $40,277.36
- Paid: $36,084.36
- Remaining: $4,193.00
- Broken Down
- Auto Loan 1: $0.00
- Credit Card: $0.00
- Student Loan: $4,193.00
- Auto Loan 2: $0.00
- Vet Loan: $0.00
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