June was relatively quiet. Almost all expenses happened as planned. We came across a really good deal on a TV for the kid's playroom (been looking for a year now) and we jumped on it. It's no nice to know that it's paid for in full and there is no 'credit card statement' looming overhead. In June, we put $400 to debt, and once we get through July we'll be able to contribute a much more significant amount on a monthly basis.
We found out that friends of ours have stopped using their credit cards too. And when we were out to dinner with friends, they commented on how weird it was for Bobby to be carrying cash since he's always been a credit card guy.
I was able to buy a few beach necessities at Kohl's this past week. Kohl's is one of those stores that you have to use your Kohl's card to get the really good deals. I was in there about a month ago, and bought a few items with cash. When the cashier asked if I had a Kohl's card I told her "Yes, but I don't use it anymore" Then I asked if there was a way I could use my card and then run right back to customer service and pay the balance with cash right there. I was astonished to hear that I didn't even have to go back to CS - they'd let me use the card at the register and then pay in cash. How cool is that???
So on my most recent trip, I spent $71 and saved $108. How's that for bargain shopping? AND I earned $10 in Kohl's cash too!
Looking forward, I really feel like we have more money than we ever did before. But we're just spending it wiser than we ever did.
If my math is right, we should have our debt paid off by the Spring and my mini van paid off before summer. We've also built into the budget to put a deck on the back of the house in early spring.
That's all for this month. We leave for vacation on July 4th. We're so excited!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Vacation!
We're going to the beach - July 4-11! And we're paying for it in cash! (Are you really surprised?)
I came across a great little condo in a prime location. When I inquired,
the week that we wanted was no longer available. But they offered us the week of July 4th at a discount (minus $200 - which is basically just getting a night for free.)
I've already started budgeting vacation costs (going out to eat, beach tags, amusements, etc) and we can totally have a great vacation.
I keep telling everyone that I feel like a grown up - taking my kids on vacation and paying for it myself. I hope this becomes a great tradition!
This does mean that our debt payments might take a hit over the next month or two, but a week away is worth it to us- making memories for our kids and really enjoying ourselves.
Maybe next year we'll go for 2 weeks! :)
I came across a great little condo in a prime location. When I inquired,
the week that we wanted was no longer available. But they offered us the week of July 4th at a discount (minus $200 - which is basically just getting a night for free.)I've already started budgeting vacation costs (going out to eat, beach tags, amusements, etc) and we can totally have a great vacation.
I keep telling everyone that I feel like a grown up - taking my kids on vacation and paying for it myself. I hope this becomes a great tradition!
This does mean that our debt payments might take a hit over the next month or two, but a week away is worth it to us- making memories for our kids and really enjoying ourselves.
Maybe next year we'll go for 2 weeks! :)
Monday, June 1, 2009
FREE ICE CREAM!
If you have a Sonic nearby, make sure you stop by this Wednesday night from 8-midnight. They are giving away FREE Root Beer Floats!
Friendly's will be serving FREE 4oz ice cream cups on June 7th from noon-5pm.
May - month 3
May was... well, May was tough. We had a few unexpected/unplanned things come up - 2 birthday parties, Mother's Day gifts (forgot to plan for that!), End of school year teacher gifts, a death, some births, kids were sick - I was sick! So, we (carefully) spent more than we had planned (thank goodness for the cash cushion in the checking acct) But I was able to move some stuff around and eliminate some of our planned spending in order to accommodate this month's purchases. So, it's all good!
We still put $500 to debt, purchased bunk beds for the boys AND completed a landscaping project in the front of our house. ALL on CASH.
I did great on groceries this month and scored a few great purchases at the thrift shop too! I sold a few items on craigslist, to help bring in some cash.
On top of it all, I took a part time/work from home job doing branding/marketing for my sister's PR firm. The extra money will definitely help us tackle our debt faster, which is the ultimate goal.
June should be relatively calm. Robert will attend camp and we'll spend a few days at my parent's house relaxing by the pool and perhaps (and that is a strong perhaps) plan a long weekend getaway to the beach for late July. We will be going to eat with friends at Emeril's Chop House, which just opened at the nearby Sand's Casino. We don't go out to eat much and this will be a special treat. We're really excited about it.
Some days I think we'll never get rid of this debt. I fear that it will be looming over us forever. But then I remember the important thing - we are not creating more debt. We are living comfortably, and I really appreciate the things we are buying on cash - more so than I ever would with plastic!
Just an aside... I told a friend that I sometimes feel like a poor person using cash for everything. She told me RICH people use cash. POOR people need credit cards. Interesting thought.
We still put $500 to debt, purchased bunk beds for the boys AND completed a landscaping project in the front of our house. ALL on CASH.
I did great on groceries this month and scored a few great purchases at the thrift shop too! I sold a few items on craigslist, to help bring in some cash.
On top of it all, I took a part time/work from home job doing branding/marketing for my sister's PR firm. The extra money will definitely help us tackle our debt faster, which is the ultimate goal.
June should be relatively calm. Robert will attend camp and we'll spend a few days at my parent's house relaxing by the pool and perhaps (and that is a strong perhaps) plan a long weekend getaway to the beach for late July. We will be going to eat with friends at Emeril's Chop House, which just opened at the nearby Sand's Casino. We don't go out to eat much and this will be a special treat. We're really excited about it.
Some days I think we'll never get rid of this debt. I fear that it will be looming over us forever. But then I remember the important thing - we are not creating more debt. We are living comfortably, and I really appreciate the things we are buying on cash - more so than I ever would with plastic!
Just an aside... I told a friend that I sometimes feel like a poor person using cash for everything. She told me RICH people use cash. POOR people need credit cards. Interesting thought.
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