Search Results for: blog getting out of debt living like no one else

How to Use Garage Sales to Get Out of Debt

Garage sales can help you get out of debt in at least two major ways. Learn how you can use this staple of American culture to your advantage, as you pay down your bills and obtain financial freedom. Dave Ramsey, financial guru, once said to get out of debt he held a garage sale, selling so much that his kids thought they were going to be next. While this may seem like an extreme thing to do, the fact is that it is a good strategy to use in your arsenal of tools that will get you out of debt. … Continue reading →

Christmas Debt

It’s that time of year again. Everyone is out and about trying to get their shopping done for the holidays. Some of you may have even braved the Black Friday sales last week. As a single parent money is always tight. Most of us are living paycheck to paycheck. There’s barely enough money to provide the essentials, let alone everything else. There is rarely any money left over at the end of the month as it is. The thought of having to find a way to finance Christmas on top of that can be more than a little daunting for … Continue reading →

How to Transition From Using Credit Cards to a Cash Based Lifestyle

If you would like to stop using credit cards because you have not been able to use them the way that you had intended to use them, there are some things that you can do to make a transition over to a mostly cash (and debit card) based way of life. You may want to do this sooner rather than later, especially if you have quite a bit of credit card debt. In fact, if you have enough credit card debt that you are having trouble paying, the transition to a cash and debit card based existence may be forced … Continue reading →

How to Save Money on Coffee

Even small changes can add up when you want to save money. Saving money on coffee is easy, and it can save you hundreds of dollars each year (thousands if you currently drink premium coffee). Coffee Coupons While coffee coupons aren’t always the easiest coupons to find, they do exist. You can look for them in the mail, in the Sunday newspaper and online. Visit coffee brand websites and printable coupon databases to find your fill of coffee coupons. Some resource for coffee coupons include coupons.com, freecoupons.com, Redplum.com and Smartsource.com. You can also buy coffee at Bed, Bath, & Beyond … Continue reading →

Surviving without Credit Cards

Getting rid of all of your credit cards is one of the strongest messages you get when you are trying to get out of debt. The reason is that credit cards allow us to spend more money that we should, essentially taking out a loan at a very high interest rate that compounds and compounds and can easily get out of control. In previous generations, it would take a lot for someone to consider going in to debt for even something as substantial to quality of living as a house. Once credit cards came along, people were willing to go … Continue reading →

Getting Out of Debt: Does That Extra Payment Go to the Principal or the Interest?

There is only one way to get out of debt on a loan: pay down the principal of it. Are those extra payments you are making actually going toward the principal of the loan or toward the interest or next payment. It is important to know the difference, or you may not making as big a dent in your loan as you think. What Is Principal Versus Interest? When you take out a loan the specific amount of the loan is the principal. Whether this is a $300,000 mortgage or a $2,000 student loan makes no difference. When you use … Continue reading →

Getting Out of Debt: Living Like No One Else

One of the things that we heard over and over again taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Freedom course was that we needed to “Live like no one else so we could live like no one else.” In fact, I think this was the slogan for the course. What this means is that we have to be prepared to not only live frugally, but to make sacrifices in many areas and manage our money well, things that most of us, as Americans don’t tend to do. By sacrificing now, we could then live without debt later and be in a position … Continue reading →

Just 100 Things

I occasionally blog about how you can be green merely by cutting down the size of your house and the amount of stuff you own. I am getting to the point where this sounds so attractive – just living a simpler lifestyle by cutting down the clutter. I am not the only one. Thirty-one-year-old Tammy Strobel asked herself if her stuff actually made her happy and the answer was “no.” Strobel and her hubby Logan decided to rid themselves of unnecessary stuff. Strobel made $40,000 a year, yet the couple was $30,000 in debt. They decided to get rid of … Continue reading →

Gambling and Marriage

I read something the other day which astounded me. Acceding to reports Australians spend $60 a week on lottery and lotto tickets. I wonder if it is any different in USA. Now, I don’t know about you but I can’t imagine taking that sort of amount out of our budget every week and still trying to get by. Yes, I know the logic is someone has to win it. That’s the sort of thinking that gets people sucked into buying tickets they can’t afford and putting money through slot machines in the hope of pulling of the jackpot. I’ve been … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Month in Review: July 2008

July went by so quickly for us! There were so many fun and frugal activities and events for us to explore, from a science camp to free movies and sand sculpting. I hope your July was equally fun and frugal. Summer is a busy time, I know. Did you miss any frugal articles last month? If so, here is an opportunity to catch up on what you missed. There are new ways to save money on food, clothing, kids, gas and more. Feel free to leave a comment on any frugal post. I read all of the comments myself, no … Continue reading →