Here are some ideas I've seen floating around the internet. I thought I would list them out here for you. If you think of any more, feel free to add to the list!
Extra Income:
Ask for a raise if it's been awhile or if your job has changed! Nic has asked for 3 raises in 5 years of working at his company, and he has received one every time he asked. It doesn't hurt to ask!
Extra Jobs:
Paper Routes
Delivering Pizzas
Delivering Phone Books
Retail Jobs
Online opportunities: Associated Content (get paid to write short articles), Cash Crate (I'm not completely sure what this is, but some online people have had great success) online tutoring, and Live Ops (work from home call center)
House cleaning
Lawn mowing
Pet sitting - My sister in law does this - visits a house once or twice a day to feed animals or take them outside. She takes her kiddos with her and sometimes goes with hubby when he gets off from work.
Contract work (like if you are an IT person, build a website for someone)
Babysitting
Decrease costs:
Cable/Internet: call your provider and see if they will lower your rate or you could drop these for just a few months.
Food: Shop at Aldi's, coupon, watch for sales, get help with Angel Food Ministries.
Cell Phones: Get a cheaper plan - get rid of land line if you never use it. Or.....gasp......drop the cell phone! Letters are cheaper and you'll end up with more time on your hands! We have a trac phone for emergencies, but in the week we have had it, we never once thought of using it. Hopefully we stay this way!
Netflix - for $10 a month Netflix is our entertainment budget. We don't have cable and this is much cheaper than cable.
I'm good with the coming up with extra jobs section, I can't really think of a whole lot of ways to decrease costs. I know there are a ton of ways to do it, I just can't think of any!
Any way, that's all for now!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Not really a post
I'm trying not to jump ahead to things that will be covered later on in the class. I don't want to overload anyone with info. So I'll just post a couple of random things. Hahaha....let me rephase that. I don't want to overload the Paul family and Nic with info - my faithful readers! :D
Did I tell you that the BBQ chicken sandwiches were delicious? They were! For $10, we ended up making two dinners out of it. We bought chicken, bbq sauce, buns, and fries. $10 at a fast food restaurant would have bought one meal for us and would not have been half as good. Eating out is such a money waster! This is not even a really good example of how to save money on food.
One excellent example of a meal with low cost is beans and rice. Red beans or black beans, either one. You'll hear Dave talk about this. While we were getting rid of our consumer debt, we ate a lot of beans and rice. You could not pay me to eat them now. Well, you would have to pay me a lot to eat them now. I know that they are good and tasty, but we were eating them 2 sometimes 3 times a week and now I can't stand to think of eating them anymore. We originally had planned to make them for lunch for you all on a Sunday......but the thought of them makes me shudder just a little bit and I don't know if I will be able to bring them. I guess we could still do it and you all could eat that while Nic and I munched on a sandwhich! :D WE shall see - I don't really want to even smell them anymore! We still have two boxes in our pantry and I know we will not eat them. I should bring them on Sunday! I actually wrote all of this to encourage you to try eating them or something equally inexpensive once a week, but I realize now that I probably did not do a very good job of encouraging you. But seriously! Try it! It will do wonders for your food budget.
We definately should bring recipes one Sunday with fast easy and cheap meal ideas. Everyone could contribute.
Well, that's all for now. Have a great night and I'll see you Sunday!
Did I tell you that the BBQ chicken sandwiches were delicious? They were! For $10, we ended up making two dinners out of it. We bought chicken, bbq sauce, buns, and fries. $10 at a fast food restaurant would have bought one meal for us and would not have been half as good. Eating out is such a money waster! This is not even a really good example of how to save money on food.
One excellent example of a meal with low cost is beans and rice. Red beans or black beans, either one. You'll hear Dave talk about this. While we were getting rid of our consumer debt, we ate a lot of beans and rice. You could not pay me to eat them now. Well, you would have to pay me a lot to eat them now. I know that they are good and tasty, but we were eating them 2 sometimes 3 times a week and now I can't stand to think of eating them anymore. We originally had planned to make them for lunch for you all on a Sunday......but the thought of them makes me shudder just a little bit and I don't know if I will be able to bring them. I guess we could still do it and you all could eat that while Nic and I munched on a sandwhich! :D WE shall see - I don't really want to even smell them anymore! We still have two boxes in our pantry and I know we will not eat them. I should bring them on Sunday! I actually wrote all of this to encourage you to try eating them or something equally inexpensive once a week, but I realize now that I probably did not do a very good job of encouraging you. But seriously! Try it! It will do wonders for your food budget.
We definately should bring recipes one Sunday with fast easy and cheap meal ideas. Everyone could contribute.
Well, that's all for now. Have a great night and I'll see you Sunday!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
One more thing
Okay, 2 posts in one day. Go me!
Something just dawned on me.
For some, doing this budget thing might be hard. The decisions you have to make will be really difficult and you may not like it.
This may be painful. Really painful. Maybe it's not - maybe it's a piece of cake. But if I remember correctly, our first attempts were not super fun.
Just keep in mind - it's not the budget that is hurting you. It's your debt. Every time you make a decision that is painful just remind yourself that the pain you feel is not because we are making you do a budget - the pain is from the bondage you are in. If you are debt (and Nic and I are, mortgage debt) the Bible says you are a servant. You have a master, and it's not a benevolent one.
The budget makes us painfully aware of our condition. Nic and I and some in our class have loosened the chains, and it feels wonderful! We can move again, we can BREATHE again. But we are not yet free. Mortgage debt is debt nonetheless and we intend to attack it with a vengence. Our heavenly Father wants us to be free - but it will take hard work and determination on our part. With many prayers, and many tears, He will get us through.
Okay, sorry, that wasn't the lighthearted post I intended it to be, so Iwill end with this. My husband is the greatest and he made us BBQ chicken sandwiches which I am now going to devour. Yummy!!!!
Okay, seriously guys, I'm not posting again........have a good night!
Something just dawned on me.
For some, doing this budget thing might be hard. The decisions you have to make will be really difficult and you may not like it.
This may be painful. Really painful. Maybe it's not - maybe it's a piece of cake. But if I remember correctly, our first attempts were not super fun.
Just keep in mind - it's not the budget that is hurting you. It's your debt. Every time you make a decision that is painful just remind yourself that the pain you feel is not because we are making you do a budget - the pain is from the bondage you are in. If you are debt (and Nic and I are, mortgage debt) the Bible says you are a servant. You have a master, and it's not a benevolent one.
The budget makes us painfully aware of our condition. Nic and I and some in our class have loosened the chains, and it feels wonderful! We can move again, we can BREATHE again. But we are not yet free. Mortgage debt is debt nonetheless and we intend to attack it with a vengence. Our heavenly Father wants us to be free - but it will take hard work and determination on our part. With many prayers, and many tears, He will get us through.
Okay, sorry, that wasn't the lighthearted post I intended it to be, so Iwill end with this. My husband is the greatest and he made us BBQ chicken sandwiches which I am now going to devour. Yummy!!!!
Okay, seriously guys, I'm not posting again........have a good night!
Yes! It's Thursday!
Only 3 more days left until another installment of Financial Peace University!
Due to the overwhelming response (hehehe, okay, one person) I am posting something else. Someone from our class sent a funny link to my husband today regarding debt, but unfortunately I can't get the link to work! Hmmmm.....
This article details the top ten money drains. It's not the big things, it's the little things. My two traps - vending machines and eating out! We only eat out on average once per week now, but if I had my way it would be every day! Thankfully, the logical part of me won't let me spend a fortune on this, but I do spend my small amount of blow money on eating out. Also, it doesn't help that my office is litterally surrounded by vending machines. Ooooohhh..the temptation! I try not to carry change or dollar bills on me - it's way too tempting to get a Coke and a Snickers!
Speaking of blow money - trust me - you need blow money! Even if it's a small amount. My blow money is usually just like $20 a month - if that. But it helps me when I want something and I can take it out of my blow money. Don't say to yourself, I don't need that category, I'm disciplined. You WILL overspend in this area if you don't have a set amount before the month begins. Blow money helps alot - it helps you to keep up the intensity over the course of your journey. Blow money is what kept us going - if we didn't have that we would have lost steam months ago! I don't think this category is on the quickie budget, but when we do our zero based budget next week it will be.
I'm too tired to post much of any substance, so instead I'll leave you with some links.
Click here to read a success story with a bitter sweet ending.
Click here to watch a video that inspires me to keep on going! Just think of what we could do if we were free to GIVE like no one else!
Alright, some dishes are calling my name. Have a great day!
Due to the overwhelming response (hehehe, okay, one person) I am posting something else. Someone from our class sent a funny link to my husband today regarding debt, but unfortunately I can't get the link to work! Hmmmm.....
This article details the top ten money drains. It's not the big things, it's the little things. My two traps - vending machines and eating out! We only eat out on average once per week now, but if I had my way it would be every day! Thankfully, the logical part of me won't let me spend a fortune on this, but I do spend my small amount of blow money on eating out. Also, it doesn't help that my office is litterally surrounded by vending machines. Ooooohhh..the temptation! I try not to carry change or dollar bills on me - it's way too tempting to get a Coke and a Snickers!
Speaking of blow money - trust me - you need blow money! Even if it's a small amount. My blow money is usually just like $20 a month - if that. But it helps me when I want something and I can take it out of my blow money. Don't say to yourself, I don't need that category, I'm disciplined. You WILL overspend in this area if you don't have a set amount before the month begins. Blow money helps alot - it helps you to keep up the intensity over the course of your journey. Blow money is what kept us going - if we didn't have that we would have lost steam months ago! I don't think this category is on the quickie budget, but when we do our zero based budget next week it will be.
I'm too tired to post much of any substance, so instead I'll leave you with some links.
Click here to read a success story with a bitter sweet ending.
Click here to watch a video that inspires me to keep on going! Just think of what we could do if we were free to GIVE like no one else!
Alright, some dishes are calling my name. Have a great day!
Monday, August 20, 2007
More budget stuff
Can't....help.....myself.......must....post. This is my first attempt at a blog, and I have to admit, it's quite addicting! Actually, the addicting part is that I love talking about this topic! If I were to write about my daily life, I would not be able to think of anything to write about. But since this blog has to do with personal finance I tend to have too many things to write about!
I hope you all are at home working diligently on your budget! Who am I kidding, most of you did not (like me) RUN home yesterday, read the 4 chapters in the book, fill out the quickie budget, and then go on with your day. I have a feeling that some of you will be filling out your quickie budget on Sunday morning before class! That's okay - most of you are not as nerdalicious as me! I really, really love this stuff!
Back to budgets......remember - it won't be perfect, and for some, it may not be pretty. But it's a start - and that's what this class is all about: Giving you the tools and the know how to get a jump start on changing your finances for good. So just give it a try! You don't have anything to lose!
One thing. Maybe some of you have variable incomes. I want to go over that because I did not do a great job explaining on Sunday. If you have a variable income, you will need to write out a list of priorities. For example, here's what one list might look like:
1. Giving ($25)
2. Food ($250)
3. Electricity, water, gas ($125)
4. Mortgage or Rent ($600)
5. ......
6. ......
7. Credit Card 1 ($25)
8. Credit Card 2 ($35)
9. Baby Emergency Fund ($100)
10. Clothing money ($40)
11. Blow money ($20)
So, with a variable income, here's how this thing works. As you get money in, ALL of it goes towards number one until you reach $25. Then all of the next amount of money you get goes towards number two - you have to eat! Eating needs to be a priority! Once you hit your food budget for the month, then you move on to number three. After that, if there is money left over, it immediatly goes towards number 4 - Rent. Then on down the list. Some months, you will get farther down the list than other months. Somewhere on the list will be a spot for whatever step you are on. If you are working on getting current and setting up your Baby Emergency Fund then maybe number 9 your money goes towards that.
Clear as mud?
For you all fixed income people, well, yours will be different as you know what you bring in each month.
We'll work on a zero based budget next week, and that's when we will really get into the budget. Right now, all you have to concern yourself with is the quickie budget. Have fun!!
I hope you all are at home working diligently on your budget! Who am I kidding, most of you did not (like me) RUN home yesterday, read the 4 chapters in the book, fill out the quickie budget, and then go on with your day. I have a feeling that some of you will be filling out your quickie budget on Sunday morning before class! That's okay - most of you are not as nerdalicious as me! I really, really love this stuff!
Back to budgets......remember - it won't be perfect, and for some, it may not be pretty. But it's a start - and that's what this class is all about: Giving you the tools and the know how to get a jump start on changing your finances for good. So just give it a try! You don't have anything to lose!
One thing. Maybe some of you have variable incomes. I want to go over that because I did not do a great job explaining on Sunday. If you have a variable income, you will need to write out a list of priorities. For example, here's what one list might look like:
1. Giving ($25)
2. Food ($250)
3. Electricity, water, gas ($125)
4. Mortgage or Rent ($600)
5. ......
6. ......
7. Credit Card 1 ($25)
8. Credit Card 2 ($35)
9. Baby Emergency Fund ($100)
10. Clothing money ($40)
11. Blow money ($20)
So, with a variable income, here's how this thing works. As you get money in, ALL of it goes towards number one until you reach $25. Then all of the next amount of money you get goes towards number two - you have to eat! Eating needs to be a priority! Once you hit your food budget for the month, then you move on to number three. After that, if there is money left over, it immediatly goes towards number 4 - Rent. Then on down the list. Some months, you will get farther down the list than other months. Somewhere on the list will be a spot for whatever step you are on. If you are working on getting current and setting up your Baby Emergency Fund then maybe number 9 your money goes towards that.
Clear as mud?
For you all fixed income people, well, yours will be different as you know what you bring in each month.
We'll work on a zero based budget next week, and that's when we will really get into the budget. Right now, all you have to concern yourself with is the quickie budget. Have fun!!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Day 1 - Super Savers
I can't wait until all of you get your Baby Emergency Funds of $1000 or $500!!! I got excited about the BEF (baby emergency fund) all over again today!
Budgets - if you have a question, feel free to post - you can post anonymously if you like. Remember, your questions and the answers to them will help anyone who reads this.
Speaking of, Joel mentioned in class today his testimony about how their A/C broke and how they are NOT going to use credit to fix it! AWESOME! Read more about this at Joel's blog here.
We forgot to get accountability partners - (buddy system) - so I will e-mail all of you this week the contact information so that we can get this set up.
Have a great day!
- The Debtoneufer -
Budgets - if you have a question, feel free to post - you can post anonymously if you like. Remember, your questions and the answers to them will help anyone who reads this.
Speaking of, Joel mentioned in class today his testimony about how their A/C broke and how they are NOT going to use credit to fix it! AWESOME! Read more about this at Joel's blog here.
We forgot to get accountability partners - (buddy system) - so I will e-mail all of you this week the contact information so that we can get this set up.
Have a great day!
- The Debtoneufer -
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Preparing for tomorrow, today
First off, I am super tired. We went down to the lake yesterday to visit my mom and dad. You may remember them - my dad was the one who brought the pontoon boat last year for our Midtown camping trip. Captain Bob is his name. Well, I am super tired. But we had lots of fun! It was a good time.
After we returned from the lake, we had to head to the store. We went to the ATM and got our cash out for the store trip, and what do you know? We only used half of it. Using cash rocks!
Tonight, I am mentally preparing myself to be ready for tomorrow. We will have to get up 10 minutes earlier to make our lunches (something we are used to doing M-F just not on Sunday) my hubby will need to put a Coke in the fridge for me to drink to stay awake, and I need to get all my stuff together to take for FPU. Side note, my hubby has to ration out soda for me. If he doesn't hide it and bring one out at a time, I will drink it all in 2 days. I know, temperance and all that jazz - I should have the self control to not drink it all - but I don't. So my hubby lovingly helps me in this area! It's kind of silly, but it's true.
Anyways, the whole point of this post was to 1. remind you that you need to bring your lunches tomorrow and 2. to point out that planning is going to be key for your success in FPU.
I know, I know, planning seems, so, well, boring, right? Well, it may be boring, but I also like to think of God as a planner. Some of the key verses God used to draw me to him involved ways he planned. When I read in Isaiah the prophecies of Jesus' death - and then found the fulfillment in the Gospels some hundred years later, I was awed because I never knew that any of that was foretold! God is quite the little planner eh? Seem as boring now? Granted, we will not be able to plan perfectly. That's not what I am saying. I'm just pointing out that to plan should not be seen as boring. It should be seen as something good - and of course the plan should be something that God can change if He so desires.
A good verse (imo) for planning?
Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways ACKNOWLEDGE him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I was going to develop this more, but I am beat. Have a great night!
- The Debtoneufer -
After we returned from the lake, we had to head to the store. We went to the ATM and got our cash out for the store trip, and what do you know? We only used half of it. Using cash rocks!
Tonight, I am mentally preparing myself to be ready for tomorrow. We will have to get up 10 minutes earlier to make our lunches (something we are used to doing M-F just not on Sunday) my hubby will need to put a Coke in the fridge for me to drink to stay awake, and I need to get all my stuff together to take for FPU. Side note, my hubby has to ration out soda for me. If he doesn't hide it and bring one out at a time, I will drink it all in 2 days. I know, temperance and all that jazz - I should have the self control to not drink it all - but I don't. So my hubby lovingly helps me in this area! It's kind of silly, but it's true.
Anyways, the whole point of this post was to 1. remind you that you need to bring your lunches tomorrow and 2. to point out that planning is going to be key for your success in FPU.
I know, I know, planning seems, so, well, boring, right? Well, it may be boring, but I also like to think of God as a planner. Some of the key verses God used to draw me to him involved ways he planned. When I read in Isaiah the prophecies of Jesus' death - and then found the fulfillment in the Gospels some hundred years later, I was awed because I never knew that any of that was foretold! God is quite the little planner eh? Seem as boring now? Granted, we will not be able to plan perfectly. That's not what I am saying. I'm just pointing out that to plan should not be seen as boring. It should be seen as something good - and of course the plan should be something that God can change if He so desires.
A good verse (imo) for planning?
Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways ACKNOWLEDGE him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I was going to develop this more, but I am beat. Have a great night!
- The Debtoneufer -
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Envelope System - It's great!
Have I told you how much I love the envelope system? We just started using it, and so far, so good. It was a little scary taking cash to the grocery store though. What if we went over? We didn't. We spent less than we normally would have because we brought cash.
This is our first venture using the envelope system, and I can already tell it will be hit! While we worked to get out of debt this past year we basically followed Dave's guidelines, but we didn't follow everything and the envelope system was one of the things we didn't do. I'm also going to confess something else. Not only did we not do the envelope system, but we also did not balance our checkbook. Crazy! I know! Gearing up for this class, I realized that to be a good example I would have to start doing this again. So last week I did it. Oh my! It was so easy and such a relief to know EXACTLY how much we had in the bank after checks and debits cleared. Why didn't we do this before?
Our cash envelopes are as follow:
Grocery
Blow Money
Gifts
Clothing
So we only have four right now, and other than a hair care envelope I don't see us using more than 4 or 5.
We'll go over all this in class, I'm sure, so if you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, don't worry.
But if you already currently use the envelope system, feel free to comment on it!
Have a great day!
-The Debtoneufer -
This is our first venture using the envelope system, and I can already tell it will be hit! While we worked to get out of debt this past year we basically followed Dave's guidelines, but we didn't follow everything and the envelope system was one of the things we didn't do. I'm also going to confess something else. Not only did we not do the envelope system, but we also did not balance our checkbook. Crazy! I know! Gearing up for this class, I realized that to be a good example I would have to start doing this again. So last week I did it. Oh my! It was so easy and such a relief to know EXACTLY how much we had in the bank after checks and debits cleared. Why didn't we do this before?
Our cash envelopes are as follow:
Grocery
Blow Money
Gifts
Clothing
So we only have four right now, and other than a hair care envelope I don't see us using more than 4 or 5.
We'll go over all this in class, I'm sure, so if you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, don't worry.
But if you already currently use the envelope system, feel free to comment on it!
Have a great day!
-The Debtoneufer -
Monday, August 6, 2007
Financial Peace!
We're debt free!!!! And we want you to be debt free too!
As of July 11th, 2007, my husband and I are officially debt free (except for the house). I am excited about that, but I am even more excited about starting Financial Peace at Midtown! I am really looking forward to this class, and I hope that this blog will be a place where we can ask questions, get answers and encourage one another.
So.....those of you who have bought their kits, have you looked through it yet? Who loves the envelope system? I do! I do! Have you read any of the book, Financial Peace Revisted? It will be homework throughout the 13 weeks so don't feel like you have to read it now, but if you want to go for it! If you have read a bit, or looked at the workbook, did anything pop out to you?
Any questions? Are you ready to get started? I am!
Things to think about:
1. Sundays from 12-2 - yes, the time slot is rough - how will you help yourself to stay awake for the class? For our family, that is prime naptime!! I believe caffeine will be involved!
2. Lunches - start planning on what you will bring for lunches. There won't be much time in between service and our class, so start to figure out what you will bring. Remember that brown bagging it will save you money! This will be great practice for when you bring your lunch to school or work every day!
3. Start to think about what motivates you to get out of debt? Less stress? More opportunities? Our motivations? Well, I believe it's biblical, practical, and will enable us to GIVE like no one else! What are your motivations?
Okay, that's all for now. I'll be back with other info as the weeks go by. Feel free to post any questions you have about the class!
-The Debtoneufer-
As of July 11th, 2007, my husband and I are officially debt free (except for the house). I am excited about that, but I am even more excited about starting Financial Peace at Midtown! I am really looking forward to this class, and I hope that this blog will be a place where we can ask questions, get answers and encourage one another.
So.....those of you who have bought their kits, have you looked through it yet? Who loves the envelope system? I do! I do! Have you read any of the book, Financial Peace Revisted? It will be homework throughout the 13 weeks so don't feel like you have to read it now, but if you want to go for it! If you have read a bit, or looked at the workbook, did anything pop out to you?
Any questions? Are you ready to get started? I am!
Things to think about:
1. Sundays from 12-2 - yes, the time slot is rough - how will you help yourself to stay awake for the class? For our family, that is prime naptime!! I believe caffeine will be involved!
2. Lunches - start planning on what you will bring for lunches. There won't be much time in between service and our class, so start to figure out what you will bring. Remember that brown bagging it will save you money! This will be great practice for when you bring your lunch to school or work every day!
3. Start to think about what motivates you to get out of debt? Less stress? More opportunities? Our motivations? Well, I believe it's biblical, practical, and will enable us to GIVE like no one else! What are your motivations?
Okay, that's all for now. I'll be back with other info as the weeks go by. Feel free to post any questions you have about the class!
-The Debtoneufer-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)