A big THANK YOU for the all encouraging words and suggestions as I battled some weariness. I am again in good spirits and remain in attack mode against our debt. This journey is definitely not one for the weak. Giving up, however, is not an option. I will see this through to the end!
On the day I was so down in the dumps, I went shopping. Yes, you read that right. I went shopping. A few short years ago, that would have been a recipe for disaster. I am pleased to say I didn’t let my frame of mind get to me. I even braved Kohls to use the $20 of Kohls cash earned from buying Hubs a few items the previous week. I also came armed with a coupon for $10 off $50 and yet another coupon for 20% off my entire purchase. When all was said and done, I left the store with two pairs of pants, a pair of pajamas, and five tops, spending just $35 (and some change) out of pocket. Not a bad way to spruce up a wardrobe on the cheap. Gotta love Kohls clearance racks and their coupons!
After Kohls, I headed to the grocery store. No significant savings, but I stayed within my budget, so all was good. My biggest splurge was later stopping for a 99 cent frozen coke. I haven’t had one of those in years, so it made for a nice treat for the drive back home.
I worked three days in the office this week and on Wednesday, also took care of the preemie for a few extra hours. The mom has asked if I would consider working an extra day each week on a permanent basis-or at least until the baby can go to regular daycare. I’ll need to coordinate this with my office job, which hopefully shouldn’t be a problem. When one is in debt, turning down work is not an option!
I also earned some extra money with M-Turks and was able to send a snowball payment of $75 to Discover. I’m beating it down, as I like to say, A Dime at a Time! I cannot wait until I am on the other side of the equation-writing about saving money. It will happen, all in good time. Meanwhile, I will keep plugging away!
I’m glad to hear you’re back in good spirits! Keep on keepin’ on!
Thank you!
Can’t wait for you to get to the saving part of the equation. 😎
sluggy recently posted…Frugal Friday…..the May 11th Edition
You got that right!
WAY TO GO!!!! You are going to beat this, I just know it!!! I didn’t do quite as well as you staying on budget – went to Sam’s and went over our for budget by almost $200!!!!!!! We don’t need ANYTHING for the rest of the month, but now I have to figure out where to pull that money from – grrrrr. I need to stay out of Sam’s!!!!
Ouch! No doubt you’ll figure it out and make it work. I’m thankful to no longer live anywhere’s close to a Sams Club! Near impossible to get out of there without dropping a small fortune.
Not to mention my husband went with me…..need I say more????
Well, this explains it all! Lol
A Dime at a Time ix a good approach. Regarding the grocery store, I seldom save big but find lower cost meal options and alternative ingredients and brands we like. You work two jobs so being a master saver mixing coupons and deals just might not work. Only the easy shopping wins fit me.
I completely agree with you when it comes to grocery shopping. That, and only having a few stores nearby, makes it near impossible to be much of a deal shopper.
Great job! One foot in front of the other! Definitely not easy, but you are doing it.
The 76K Project recently posted…Winning, May 2018 Edition
Thank you. I plan on seeing this through to the end.
Glad you are feeling better. We are all here for you cheering you on.
Thank you! I’ve got my positive attitude back again!
Oh wow.. Yes.. Sam’s Club is indeed dangerous.
Glad to hear that you are feeling chipper. Yes, debt can be hard, but we can do this. Hugs
Rhitter recently posted…On Saving a Buck or Two – 5/12/2018
Thank you, Rhitter. It helps so much knowing we have each other for accountability. Yes, we can do this!
Lucy, I haven’t commented for awhile, but I still follow along. When I looked at your latest update, and saw where you started on 1/1/2017 at $55,750 vs the end of April 4/30/18 and $34,435, that is a HUGE amount you have paid off: $21,315 in 16 mos, an average of $1332.19 per month! (I did the math LOL!) You are really rocking it, I think.
I also wanted to update you that we got our tax return back and I put it towards the principal of our mortgage and we are 70.5% paid off now. I was SO excited when I realized we were (barely) over 70% paid.
Hang in there, you are an inspiration to me.
Thank you, Chris! Are you perhaps a numbers nerd like me? Haha! I love doing the math and figuring out different scenarios. Lol. Last year was MUCH slower (which I’m sure you noticed too). I am very thankful for the progress we have made, especially this year!
I was wondering how your house payoff was going. You are getting so close to getting it paid off! Good for you. I bet you can’t wait…and nor can I! I love seeing others win with their money!
Sometimes a little shopping can be a pick me up. But do you find that trying to stay within budget and using coupons can be fun. I love to see how little I can spend and still get something new to me. Paying off debt is so slow and it can get really depressing. But you are doing great!
Thanks, Kim. It was fun seeing just how much I could get by stacking coupons and shopping the clearance racks. Better yet, knowing I paid cash and stayed well within budget. Most of the items will be for the Fall/Winter, but when that time rolls around, it will be nice to have something new to wear.
Yes, this journey is slow and depressing, but it sure beats the alternative of being in debt forever!