Tag Archives: debt free

The Best Way to Pay Off Credit Cards

Credit card debt is at an all-time crisis. With compounded interested levels of up to 20 percent, it can quickly spiral out of control. Getting the credit cards paid off should be every family’s number one financial goal. It is the first step in living debt free. The are right ways and wrong ways to pay off your credit cards. Taking out a second mortgage or home equity loan is probably not the best idea, although some others may advise such actions. The same goes for borrowing from your life insurance policy or from friends and family. The key is … Continue reading →

Getting Out of Debt: Paying Off the Car

I really can’t believe that we are going to do this. Several weeks ago, we just assumed that we had to have a car payment. When our youngest child was born, a larger car was a practical necessity because three car seats wouldn’t fit across the back of our old car. So we made a purchase and wound up with car payments. We do love this car. It has given us minimal trouble and maximum flexibility for our family. We don’t love having the car payment or paying the almost $50 a month in interest on the loan. But as … Continue reading →

Debt Free, Debt Free, Debt Free At Last!

My Hubby and I were married 26 years before we became 100% debt free – but we could have done it years earlier if I’d known a few simple things. Easy rules really, ones that everyone knows, but few live by. It took me a very long while to understand the charge card concept. I wish I’d learned this simple rule early: If I have to charge it, I probably don’t need it. Charging on credit cards doesn’t help. It just gives you more debt. Yes, I can live on less. Being debt free now means we can live on … Continue reading →

Hi, I’m Michelle and I’m a Budget Fudgeter.

I’ve been on a well deserved break for a while. Unfortunately, not blogging about money has put my well honed money budgeting habits on break as well. There is something very focusing about writing and blogging about money issues that makes me want to do better. I budget more carefully, watch my pennies, do without more, when I know I’ll be writing about my experiences in this blog. However not writing for the last couple of weeks has made my budgeting lackadaisical I’ve been lazy. Sure I still have my envelopes. One for grocery money. Another for play money and … Continue reading →

The Dirty Word – Budget

Say budget in a small gathering of your friends and you’ll likely hear a bunch of groans and sighs. The word itself is likely to stop any party dead and most of us find it pretty dang boring to think of setting up a budget. Why oh why should we be expected to control and keep track of our money if our government can’t seem to do it? What if our neighbor seems to be really happy living a million dollar lifestyle on a $100,000.00 a year salary? It’ll catch up. I warn you, living beyond your means – or … Continue reading →