So far we've sold an electric chainsaw, and a tea-set, coming to a grand total of $65! Haha, not much, I know, but it's something. Currently up for auction are two children's chairs and a CRT computer monitor. The children's chairs are up to $13! The computer monitor has no bids. Oh well. May have to come down in price some.
We're also planning to sell a CD player, and a large fish tank. The tank might make a little bit of dough, so that could be good.
One possible thing I may talk to my mom about is selling the t.v. It's a 40" Sony Bravia LCD HDTV. So it's worth a pretty penny. We've recently cancelled our satellite service, and only use it to watch the occasional dvd, but as we all have laptops, we could just watch movies on them.
I'm thinking about joining in and selling my PS3, because if I don't have a big t.v. to play it on, or watch Blu-rays on, then there's no point in owning it! Also I have some old guitar bodies I don't use that I plan on selling too.
Living a minimalist lifestyle may seem odd. I know it does to me. My life in the past has been about the acquisition of things to "improve" my life, but I think I want to get back to reading.
Peace.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Update!
I know I said I'd do monthly updates or something, but there has been an update in the debt. My mom made a minimum payment on one of her credit cards, and that paid off like 4%! Making progress!
We've sold some stuff online too, so that will be going towards paying off that Q card.
Grocery shopping cost less too, so we're saving that money, putting it aside just incase some bills need to be paid. If not, put it towards the debt too!
YAY GETTING RID OF DEBT!
We've sold some stuff online too, so that will be going towards paying off that Q card.
Grocery shopping cost less too, so we're saving that money, putting it aside just incase some bills need to be paid. If not, put it towards the debt too!
YAY GETTING RID OF DEBT!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Coffee
My mom can be pretty frugal when it comes down to it. Having been a single mom, she's been used to it. She picked herself up and went back to school when I started elementary and became a teacher. She's been through a lot, actually, and is incredibly strong. Though, she does have a few weaknesses. One of them being coffee.
She doesn't have the most discriminating taste when it comes to coffee. She'll drink instant. She drinks it everyday, in fact. Maybe four times a day? And that's not the most expensive of habits. But she doesn't stop there. While she likes instant coffee, she LOVES lattés.
Espresso coffee, with a cookie or slice of cake, is one of her great joys in life. She's a vip member at a coffee franchise around here which costs her $65 a year. Every Thursday her and her teacher friends go for coffee at said franchise, and then every Sunday she goes with her other friend. It used to be that every couple of days her and I went for coffee, but I had to stop going because I knew it was costing to much. And her being my mom, she always wanted to pay.
I'm hooked into the coffee lifestyle now, too. I LOVE it. I haven't been for coffee in a couple of weeks, and I don't drink instant, but I miss it.
I don't know how to ask her to stop going for coffee. I don't think that I can. But this is just another obstacle in the path to being debt free.
She doesn't have the most discriminating taste when it comes to coffee. She'll drink instant. She drinks it everyday, in fact. Maybe four times a day? And that's not the most expensive of habits. But she doesn't stop there. While she likes instant coffee, she LOVES lattés.
Espresso coffee, with a cookie or slice of cake, is one of her great joys in life. She's a vip member at a coffee franchise around here which costs her $65 a year. Every Thursday her and her teacher friends go for coffee at said franchise, and then every Sunday she goes with her other friend. It used to be that every couple of days her and I went for coffee, but I had to stop going because I knew it was costing to much. And her being my mom, she always wanted to pay.
I'm hooked into the coffee lifestyle now, too. I LOVE it. I haven't been for coffee in a couple of weeks, and I don't drink instant, but I miss it.
I don't know how to ask her to stop going for coffee. I don't think that I can. But this is just another obstacle in the path to being debt free.
Savin' Money, Eatin' Less
This week will be an interesting week. As well as trying to get my mom out of debt, I'm also trying to save money for a wedding, AND try to stay healthy and lose some weight.
My fiancée and I are getting married in the fall next year. Plans have been slowed down due to the fact that we're unable to find an inexpensive photographer that fits our style or a venue that will meet our needs. We're hoping to spend $5000 or less, so it's not like we're planning to go BIG.
For the wedding I'm hoping to shed about 20 lbs. I'm paying for a gym membership (which I AM using, haha), just bought a bike to get around on to save petrol, and now I'm trying to eat less this week. Well, for a while, actually. Last night I went to bed hungry, so, hey, who knows how it's going to go. The problem is, the cheap food? It's the unhealthy stuff. Hopefully we'll get a garden going soon so we can have fresh vegetables for free!
But that bike I bought? Well, there were two of them, one for me and one for my fiancée. They were both on sale AND a good brand, so we jumped on it. However, it was more than my paycheck for the fortnight, and I don't get paid till next Wednesday. So it's going to be interesting. Ramen, ramen, ramen!
My fiancée and I are getting married in the fall next year. Plans have been slowed down due to the fact that we're unable to find an inexpensive photographer that fits our style or a venue that will meet our needs. We're hoping to spend $5000 or less, so it's not like we're planning to go BIG.
For the wedding I'm hoping to shed about 20 lbs. I'm paying for a gym membership (which I AM using, haha), just bought a bike to get around on to save petrol, and now I'm trying to eat less this week. Well, for a while, actually. Last night I went to bed hungry, so, hey, who knows how it's going to go. The problem is, the cheap food? It's the unhealthy stuff. Hopefully we'll get a garden going soon so we can have fresh vegetables for free!
But that bike I bought? Well, there were two of them, one for me and one for my fiancée. They were both on sale AND a good brand, so we jumped on it. However, it was more than my paycheck for the fortnight, and I don't get paid till next Wednesday. So it's going to be interesting. Ramen, ramen, ramen!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monthly Update
Well, this is the first update, really. But I'll try to make this a monthly thing.
So, I just did the calculations on all the debt my mom has, and how much she's paid back, and you can see that effort on the side there.
So her total debt is $76,798.64, and she's paid back $30,536.17, or 40% of her total debt.
While it's a butt load of money, and not even half-way, it's a massive start.
The things on the right are in order of priority, starting with the ones we're able to lower the minimum repayments of when we pay back a certain amount. They're also ones where interest isn't pre-calculated into repayments, so the more we pay off, the less interest gets added on. Then we have in order of the amount owed.
My fiancée told me this is debt snowballing. A cool concept, and I'm sure it'll work.
Plan of attack? Sell things we don't need and make a big payment to our number one target. Once we get things paid off, that's not extra money in her pocket, but more money to put towards paying the other things off QUICKER!.
LET'S GET DEBT FREE!
So, I just did the calculations on all the debt my mom has, and how much she's paid back, and you can see that effort on the side there.
So her total debt is $76,798.64, and she's paid back $30,536.17, or 40% of her total debt.
Total Debt
$30,536.17
$76,798.64
40%While it's a butt load of money, and not even half-way, it's a massive start.
The things on the right are in order of priority, starting with the ones we're able to lower the minimum repayments of when we pay back a certain amount. They're also ones where interest isn't pre-calculated into repayments, so the more we pay off, the less interest gets added on. Then we have in order of the amount owed.
My fiancée told me this is debt snowballing. A cool concept, and I'm sure it'll work.
Plan of attack? Sell things we don't need and make a big payment to our number one target. Once we get things paid off, that's not extra money in her pocket, but more money to put towards paying the other things off QUICKER!.
LET'S GET DEBT FREE!
How It Happened
So how did my parental unit get into so much debt? Well, it all started when I was young.
The first thing I remember my mom putting on credit is a bike. See, when I was a kid, my mom didn’t have a job. When I started going to school, my mom decide to go back to school. She became a teacher, and once she’d been at her job a couple years, companies decided she was okay to lend to.
So yes, the first thing was a bike, but it didn’t stop there. The ability to purchase things with credit meant our dreams were reachable. T.V.s, video games, necessities like washing machines and fridges, holidays, etc. were all put on credit. Whenever things were paid off, it just meant we could put more things on credit.
And so it continued until my fiancée came into my life. My priorities switched, her brains came into play, and now our goal is to get my mom’s debt paid off so she can come to our wedding.
The first thing I remember my mom putting on credit is a bike. See, when I was a kid, my mom didn’t have a job. When I started going to school, my mom decide to go back to school. She became a teacher, and once she’d been at her job a couple years, companies decided she was okay to lend to.
So yes, the first thing was a bike, but it didn’t stop there. The ability to purchase things with credit meant our dreams were reachable. T.V.s, video games, necessities like washing machines and fridges, holidays, etc. were all put on credit. Whenever things were paid off, it just meant we could put more things on credit.
And so it continued until my fiancée came into my life. My priorities switched, her brains came into play, and now our goal is to get my mom’s debt paid off so she can come to our wedding.
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