Keep up the good work, I have plans to be at least partially grid free soon, all electric house in a fairly windy zone, not hard to work out that one.
Also looking to buy a used oil heater....or build one
Keep up the good work, I have plans to be at least partially grid free soon, all electric house in a fairly windy zone, not hard to work out that one.
Also looking to buy a used oil heater....or build one
Well, a few more months in and we're still trucking along. If the turbotax refund estimator is correct we should be down to owing one card $5000 in the next month or two. I've been selling just about anything that isn't bolted down in the house as of late.
Starting next paycheck, in order to curb what excess spending we still do (mostly fast food these days) we're going to start giving ourselves a cash allowance, just enough to buy gas and groceries pretty much. Maybe enough for a night out once in a while but once that cash is gone no more till next check.
We've also switched gears a bit on future housing. We hadn't previously considered double wides and the like but the prices sure are attractive. We're also thinking we can do 5 acres if that's what's available. If we bide our time it looks like we can find someplace maybe in need of minor repairs for around $50K (we'll see once we actually go to buy).
Now i turn to you guys for some creative ideas. We're making steady progress paying off the cards with normal checks and it seems i'm pulling in $100-200 a month selling things but we want to pay more. Anyone have any creative ideas for making money? We've done the online stuff: ChaCha is OK but it feels an awful lot like a real job for the $2 an hour i end up making. Amazon Mturk seems like it could be good for a couple bucks a day without being too much of a burden. Unfortunately our schedule doesn't allow for much free time. I watch our son while my wife works 7-3 then we switch off while i work 4-10 or 4-12.
thanks!
Jacques
Just a little bit of advice. While your progress is great, budget money to take the Mrs. out once in a while. I can't emphasize how important it is to make time to work on the relationship. The rest is just money.
In reply to PubBurgers:
The only problem with mobile homes is that they're like cars and trucks - they very rarely appreciate in value. The land they sit on will, but not the mobile home itself. Something to consider if you think you'll ever move.
PubBurgers wrote: Damn credit cards. I paid the first one off completely a few weeks back, to my surprise i get a bill in the mail today for $3.12 for the interest that had accrued before i paid it off.
I recently paid off a credit card and got a bill the next month for less than one dollar for the same. I wonder what is cost them to collect that money?
Yeah... that's common. I've had it happen to me twice. I agree. By the time they process the payment, it's probably a loss for the bank, but since they don't want to give away anything, they're probably doing it on principle. You would think that with an automated system, they could simply zero-out balances below $1.
minimac wrote: Just a little bit of advice. While your progress is great, budget money to take the Mrs. out once in a while. I can't emphasize how important it is to make time to work on the relationship. The rest is just money.
minimac wrote: Just a little bit of advice. While your progress is great, budget money to take the Mrs. out once in a while. I can't emphasize how important it is to make time to work on the relationship. The rest is just money.
Very good advice, you need time to reconnect as a couple, especially with a new baby in the mix.
Another card down. Just one to go! So close i can taste the freedom from credit card debt.
You can't say you are "Off the grid" until you post this from a hand-crank powered linux laptop linked anonymously to the internet via proxy server. You had to trade something you grew, made or raised for the laptop. You have to be wearing an animal skin or hemp.
Those are the criteria.
PubBurgers wrote: Another card down. Just one to go! So close i can taste the freedom from credit card debt.
Rock on dude. Always good to hear of people working to get out of debt. The wife and I paid off everything but the mortgage a couple years ago and we're hoping to be done with mortgages by my 40th birthday (about 10 years).
minimac wrote: Just a little bit of advice. While your progress is great, budget money to take the Mrs. out once in a while. I can't emphasize how important it is to make time to work on the relationship. The rest is just money.
I can't plus you enough for that comment. Some plans, and the way some people interpret them seems to say, "After you get out of debt, pay off the house, stock the kids college funds, and have a fully functioning retirement fund, THEN you can go live". Except by then, you've missed so many years of your life.
Ok, it's been about a year since we started this. We've paid of $8000 in credit card debt so far. We're hoping to finish the last $7K off by next spring. We kind of slacked of on paying over the summer due to some employment switch ups but now we're back on track. Our credit scores have also been helped immensely by this, which is pretty awesome.
Some questions for the mortgage experts. We talked to our bank today about possible options on moving. We currently owe $68K on a house worth an estimated $55K. He mentioned getting a Bridge loan if we wanted to get a new place before we had our heads above water here.
From what limited research I've done since we got home all of 20 minutes ago bridge loans must be paid off once the house sells, which would do us no good. Is this true or can you carry the balance a little longer? Would it be better to just get a loan from family then pay them back, even if it hurts our pride a bit?
We're looking to go cheap next time around, likely starting with bare land or land with a manufactured home on it until we can build our own place. The banker mentioned our bank stopped doing land loans and manufactured home loans a couple of years ago. Does anyone know of a bank who still does such loans?
thanks for any help!
Jacques
I'd PM carguy123
Ok, so it's been a while. Plans changed, some didn't work out, etc.
But I am proud to say that as of this morning we are credit card debt free. That's $15,000 over two and a half years on a household income of about $17,000 a year. I'm pumped. Now to work on that pesky mortgage and student loan....
That is all.
PubBurgers wrote: But I am proud to say that as of this morning we are credit card debt free.
Congratulations.
Good E36 M3, sir.
PubBurgers wrote: Ok, so it's been a while. Plans changed, some didn't work out, etc. But I am proud to say that as of this morning we are credit card debt free. That's $15,000 over two and a half years on a household income of about $17,000 a year. I'm pumped. Now to work on that pesky mortgage and student loan.... That is all.
My writing skills are too weak to express how proud I am of you too. More importantly, how glad I am for you.
I hope you understand the unburdening of yourself you have achieved.
Well Done!
I have one Mortgage, one small car loan for the wife and nothing else.
I technically have a loan for my Ruckus as well, but its at 2% interest and with the money I save in gas riding it, it literally pays for itself.
Valuable lessons were learned, on both the getting into debt and living more simply to save money fronts. Though we now make about $1,000 less a month and have one more child than we did three years ago, we still end up having more spare money. Not to say were not dirt poor still...
Congrats! No c-card debt is a wonderful feeling. 
PubBurgers wrote: Ok, so it's been a while. Plans changed, some didn't work out, etc. But I am proud to say that as of this morning we are credit card debt free. That's $15,000 over two and a half years on a household income of about $17,000 a year. I'm pumped. Now to work on that pesky mortgage and student loan.... That is all.
Outstanding. (raises glass in your honor)
Sounds like you are making great progress!
You mentioned mobile homes and someone else mentioned they depreciate rapidly. Yes they do, but that can work in your favor: look into a repo MH. The first buyer has already taken that beating. Lenders are usually pretty desperate to move them, the asking price can often be negotiated WAY down. You'd need to add moving and setup costs, but that's not astronomical.
My hat is off to you, sir. That's a tough row to hoe. Anyone who can make a plan like that and stick to it will go far in this world. Three cheers to you and your wife!!!
There are very few zombie threads dug up from 2 1/2 years ago that are worth reading.
This one is!
I am excited for you!
Well, four years, another child, a near divorce, a foreclosure, and a whole host of other crap later we find ourselves debt free on an acre with ludicrously cheap rent.
We've already put six chickens in the freezer and we've got nearly 100 pounds of vegetables this year. Next year things get real when I quit my job to make this a full time gig. Gotta thank my wife for being crazy awesome and continuing to put up with me. It's been a wild ride and many life lessons were learned. stay tuned...
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