In my personal opinion, every student attending college should be required to take at least 1 course per year on personal finance.  I believe this because as I sit here typing this post, I owe approximately $68k in student loans.  This amount is a combination of principal and interest.  That number is appalling and these so called institutions of knowledge set graduates like me up to fail.  I think everyone needs to know about money as a part of there education. Read more »

Do you fall into the category of feeling like you are a part of the housing crisis?  Sometimes, I do.  Now don’t get me wrong, my crisis is more of a complaint that the fear of losing my home.  My husband and I purchased a home with a reasonable mortgage with a 30 year fixed rate.  We borrowed about 40k under what the bank told us we could borrow.  So, why do I feel part of the housing crisis sometimes? Read more »

I love figuring out how to get the lowest price!!!!! Especially, if I don’t have to leave the comfort of my home to accomplish that goal.  I recently saw an ad on tv for Billshrink.  You can use it to find the best credit card deal or compare cell phone plans.  I don’t need it for those things because I do not use credit and I am locked into my cell phone plan at this time.  Read more »

Are you looking for some place to get your medications for free?  Then I may have stumbled onto a website that can help you.  The site looks pretty easy to use.  The name of the site is called Parnership for Prescription Assistance. Read more »

I think we all need to talk about something we don’t think will happen to us. IDENTITY THEFT!
I woke up at 5am to feed the little man. Two things caught my attention this morning that made me contemplate what I need to do to protect myself. (1) CNN was playing a documentary on How to Rob a Bank-Identity Theft, and (2) I had an email from a blog that I follow saying she had been hacked and had to move her site. Therefore, I have decided to compile a list of what you need to do to protect yourself. Do it now….don’t wait one more minute. Read more »

My husband and I are steadily working on our goals for 2009.  I have started training for a new part-time freelance job that I am really enjoying!  My husband already has a part-time job that is sporadic.  He wants to add to his freelance work at night and on the weekends.  I have offered to help him work on his freelance profile.  We are just doing everything we can to increase the amount of cash we see in paychecks as fast as we can. Read more »

I have always gotten a tax refund.  Always!  In fact, this year we had two deductions and we got a rather large tax refund.  It was exciting because I put it right into the ER fund.  Yeah!!!!  However, it got me to thinking about reducing the amount of taxes I have taken out of my check. Read more »

I froze my debit card and my credit card.  Why? Well it’s because even though I have good intentions, I cannot resist purchasing coffee when I go out.  It’s like a reward to myself.  And I reward myself a lot!  I mentioned to my husband that I had done this.  He just blew me off.  I guess he thought in theory that I had frozen the card.  We got to the gas pump the other night and he said, ” I need your card.”  I told him that I had frozen it…duh. He busted out laughing and said, “you mean you really froze the card in water?”  Well, I just don’t know what part of “froze” he didn’t understand.  I can’t tell you how embarrassing it was to be standing at the gas pump with my husdand laughing uncontrollably.  It just wasn’t very nice of him!  I agree that it is funny. Read more »

I saw the coolest tool on CNN today.  It’s a stress test for personal finances.  I think its out due to the fact that Obama will be giving a grade to the banks on their stress test soon.  I took the test and came out with a C+.  I need to improve in the area of savings, retirement, and life insurance.

How do you fare?

Personal Finance Stress Test

I have always known about tithing. As a little girl, I was always given a $1.00 to put in the offering plate at Church. I always knew that I was supposed to give to the Church. I have not tithed as an adult unless you count those monthly $10 checks I sent to Feed the Children in my 20’s. I started getting interested in Dave Ramsey about 9 months ago. If you have ever listened to Dave Ramsey, then you know all his worksheets instruct you to tithe. I began following his books 9 months ago with the exception of tithing. I just could not get that figure into my budget. Read more »

I normally am a pretty quiet Christian.  My husband’s family can be overwhelming at times with the abundance of Church stuff they throw at you.  I was raised in a very reserved family and I am guessing that is why I am normally reserved about Church and my beliefs.  You are going to see a few posts about Church and God in this blog right now.  I am just working out some things in my mind and they are easier to blog with.  If you are not a believer, you can just skip over these posts.  They won’t be an everyday thing…at least I don’t think they will be.  Plus, I want to share my experiences with others. Read more »

I rarely buy books anymore. My mom is a dedicated reader of historical romance. She is always great to pass on the books that cannot be returned for credit at the used book store. I also enjoy using the library. However, my favorite place in the world for cheap education has to be at Books-A-Million. Nothing makes me happier than to purchase a cheap cup of coffee and wander the aisles of books. I will be heading there today. I have hit a road block with my new website. I have gotten to the point that I need help with writing HTML code for my links. I can’t wait to grab an HTML for Dummies book, a hot cup of java, and study my little heart out.

I really wanted to see Dave Ramsey this week.  Our church is hosting the live event.  It is so frustrating to need a babysitter and NOT be able to find one.  I have asked the hubby if he can skip class, so that, I can go.  I know it is ridiculous to pay for college tution and then ask him to skip a class.  BUT, I really want to go…whine.  For those of you interested, you can get information on viewing in your area here —–> http://www.daveramsey.com/ Read more »

I don’t have a problem with resolutions.  I think they are a way of taking stockof what you need to change in your life.  For me, I desperately need to organize my home, my mind, and my spirit.  Read more »

I haven’t posted anything in a couple of days.  I have really been trying to think of some financial advice that I can pass on to the readers that find themselves on my blog.  I started my blog just as a way to keep the family accountable.  Then, it became how can I pass on our financial successes to others.  I really want to write things that work for me.  I realize that this post is just complete rambling.  I am going to try to organize my thoughts into some “profound” posts.  However, here is how my year is shaping up. Read more »

Are you having a hard time achieving your money goals? Is the economy killing your finances? Are you living paycheck-to-paycheck without anything left over for savings or retirement? Then here is a solution for you! Read more »

Did anyone else see this on Fox News last night? I just can’t believe this! The one thing I thought I could always count on was unemployment.  I have worked full-time since I was 16 years old.  I figured that if I lost my job I would be able to collect at least $200 a week in Alabama until a new job came along.  Read more »

I try to live as frugally as possible.  My family and I cut out most of our wasteful spending.  I gave up my cell phone ($40 per month savings) and we cancelled Netflix ($20 per month savings).  We refuse to give up cable and internet.  Life is simply too short!  I am spending roughly $25 per month on a new hobby and I thought I would pass along the information to all of you. Read more »

We got our vacation answer yesterday.  Something happened to show me that employment is ALWAYS an unstable thing.  I didn’t lose my job.  Another competitor company is snapping up contracts all around us.  So, even though my job is stable and secure right now, something could always happen.  Therefore, our entire refund will go to the Emergency Fund.  Bah Humbug.  We really want to blow some of it on a vacation.  Read more »

Here is the deal….we need a vacation.  We are always frugal vacationers!  I will pour over the internet for hours looking for great deals.  Therefore, I know I can find the best week of our lives for cheap cheap cheap!  And I plan to fund it with a portion of our tax return.  I mean this may be the last year we get a refund since we changed our elections. Read more »

I can log on to our corporate website the Wednesday before checks come out of Friday.  I logged on to see how the tax election changes would impact my paycheck.  The result is that I reduced the federal taxes from $205 per paycheck to $45 per paycheck.  The result was a $30 increase in my overall check AFTER I put 10% of it into the 401k plan.  That is awesome. Read more »

Ok. Day one did not go as planned.  My husband informed me that he needed work pants.  At lunch, I got my debit card out of the filing cabinet and we went to Ross.  He didn’t find any pants, but I bought $74 worth of Christmas presents.  The good new is that I finished all my shopping.  Read more »

Is this the time of year that you start thinking about the yearly raise? I know it is for me. I am always looking for ways to increase the amount of funds in my paycheck. Today, I figured out a way to increase the amount in my paycheck without requesting a big raise. It only took me 30 seconds to do it. Read more »

Overstock.com is having a giveaway for $50,000.00.  The contest ends on December 22, 2008.  Click the link to enter to win.  Apparently, money will be paid to a creditor.  If you do not have debt, don’t bother.

Click Here To Win $50,000.00

I must have done something right yesterday with my post.  27 spambots found my site.  LOL

Red Box is having a big freebie month.  My husband and I cancelled our Netflix and are now using Red Box exclusively.  The following information is courtesty of insideredbox.com Read more »