Financial Hack

Carpooling Dilemma …

I use public transportation every day. Aside from being good for the environment, it’s good for my pocketbook. It’s not that I can’t afford to drive to work; I simply would rather use my money to pay debt than pay Chevron and Jiffy Lube – plus, the $175 a month parking fee is more than steep. Unfortunately, I’m having a problem and I need some advice. A co-worker in my department li

Finishing Making Home Affordable…

After six months, nearly 30 phone calls, and countless hours on the phone… We were rejected for the Making Home Affordable Program through Bank of America. Our application was ‘lost’ and we were asked to reapply. We applied with the exact same numbers we used 6 months ago but this time, we were denied. The program requires homeowners to spend 37% or more of their gross income on thei

The Legal Battle Erupts… Again

As I stated in an earlier post, I endured a 2 year legal battle before the lawsuit was dropped in January. I was excited but wouldn’t feel truly free until the statute of limitations expired mid-way through this month. On Sunday, I was served with legal papers. The plaintiff has re-opened the lawsuit, added my husband as a co-defendant (even though my husband has no legal ownership in our h

Staying Motivated…

I struggle a lot with motivation. Sometimes, I actually convince myself that $19,000 in debt isn’t that bad and start to wonder why I’m working to pay it off so quickly. Working to become debt free would be an easy journey if it were only a few months, but when it stretches to years, that’s when you discover who you really are in terms of dedication. It’s been just shy of 18 months

Bye Bye Gym Membership…

My husband and I both have a gym membership. We pay a combined $50 a month to our local gym. I’m a fan of daily fitness so I will be the first to tell you, if having a gym membership is the only way you will exercise, spend the money. The monthly gym fees will be far less expensive than poor health now and in the future. We were able to temporarily cancel our monthly gym dues when my hus

Learning from the Financial Wisdom of Family…

My sister is visiting from Kansas City with her husband and four kids for the next two weeks. I’d love the fact that she visits more if she wasn’t… so… well… Perfect. She’s debt free other than her mortgage – and even then, she’s paying it aggressively. I’d love to tell you that her husband makes loads of money and that’s how she’s able to be a stay at home mom to fou

Reining in Mr. Fix-It

In the process of spending half our grocery budget on a ‘loaf of bread’, my husband purchased a plastic dog food storage container. In all fairness, the recent storms and moisture have molded the dog food and we’ve had to throw some away. Not realizing the container was too small, my husband dumped the entire bag of dog food into it - a large portion of which landed on the floor. Frustrat

Revoking Shopping Rights…

I wasn’t joking on Tuesday when I asked my husband to do the grocery shopping for the next four weeks. I can’t resist Easter candy and we can’t afford it so I thought it would be a good idea. Thought. Hmm. Last night, I asked my husband to pick up tomato soup and bread for dinner. Total spending shouldn’t have been more than $5. He spent half our grocery budget – mostly on

Overspending Karma…

In general, I can be trusted to eat fairly healthy. My snacks for work are generally brown, wheaty, and taste like cardboard. But there is one time of year I am not confident in my food choices… The deadly season of Easter. It’s not the peeps that make my heart go pitter patter; it’s the tasty chocolate Cadbury Mini Eggs. I can’t resist them no matter how much they cost financiall

Save a Nickel – Help the Environment…

I’m a fan of recycled canvas bags for many reasons but I have a new one – 5 cents per use. Target Stores (along with Henry’s, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and Whole Foods) offer 5 cents off your bill for each bag used. The program started in November but somehow I missed the giant glowing red signs posted at eye level on each check stand until today. Obviously I’m a very observant person

Life After Credit Card Debt - A Stressful 2010 So Far

Hi Everyone. Tricia here with a long overdue update. I missed December's update completely. The last Friday of the month (that's when I update) landed on Christmas day and in the excitement I forgot about it. When it was time to write January's update, I didn't feel like writing a single word. Financially, things have been fine. We are still credit card debt free and we're still plugging awa

New Credit Card Regulations? No Reason to Rejoice.

I was excited to hear about the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. I thought it would finally give people trying to reduce debt, a real chance at making headway. Silly optimistic me. NBC reports new ways credit card companies can sneakily get around the rules and find ways to make paying off debt more difficult. It’s up to us to keep up with the game.

The Power of Less

On the first of every month, our library lists the newly acquired reading materials on their website. Thanks to my two hour long daily commute on public transit, I read two to three books a week. Our library is small. The pickings are slim. I’ve read almost every audio book they have. In desperation for new reading material, I picked up ‘The Power of Less’ by Leo Babauta. I nearly

Family vs. Finances

My husband and I have been debating a big financial decision for a few months now. Some of my family is heading to Ireland and Italy in October and this will likely be the last and only trip we make together. The cost of the trip? $3,000 each. I could say no but… I have decided to go. Our tax refund covers the entire expense so we won’t fall behind on our debt free date.

Another Trip to the Hospital…

I’m not recovering from being sick as quickly as I need to be. My doctor called me last week to check in and asked how things were going – then asked me to come in. Without getting into specifics, I’m having problems with my lungs and there is permanent damage. I would ignore the problem but since breathing is somewhat important to survival, I have to take care of it. I informed my hus

Employment Confidence…

I was preparing for a community outreach event for my work and had compiled a stack of materials to distribute. Some of the other departments have fancy rolling carts or plastic boxes but since our department only participates in these types of events four times a year, I put everything in a cardboard moving box. As I waited for the elevator while holding my cardboard box, the manager of H

Winning the Financial Fight…

Since this week appears to be photo week… I was watching my brother’s Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, Dozer, last night and was amused to see him play wrestle with my sturdy Boston Terrier, Hutch. When my brother bought the dog a few weeks ago, Dozer and Hutch were the same size. They would tussle in the backyard and Hutch, skilled in doggie play, would pin Dozer fairly quickly. Last night,

Progress…

The fence is finally done! We decided to build the fence with the lumber faced horizontally rather than vertically to reduce waste. We used every inch of lumber we bought! We're done with home improvement... for now anyway.

The Cost of Disorganization…

We have a linen closet at the end of our hallway. I tried to keep it organized but every time I reached for something, I knocked a bottle of shampoo over or hit a bottle of hairspray. After a while, I just threw things in and slammed the door before something fell out. Um, this is what it looked like. Please don’t tell my mother. I didn’t realize this disorganization was costing

25% off Cosmetics at Rite Aid…

If you’re like me, you don’t like to spend a lot of money on cosmetics. I don’t shop in department stores; I get what I need from Target or Rite Aid. Today, tomorrow, and Saturday, Ride Aid is offering all cosmetics for 25% off. This offer is also accompanied by their Risk Free Beauty Guarantee. If you don’t like it, take it back! They have a few restrictions – no coupons, no re