We’re already halfway through the year! Can you believe it?

How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions?

If it’s time to reassess and re-start, then I’ve got five tips to help you stay motivated when getting out of debt.

It’s easy to lose motivation when you’ve got a long road ahead. It can feel like you’ll neeeevveeerrr be debt-free, right?

By following these strategies, you’ll not only keep going on your debt-free journey, but you’ll have fun on your journey, and before you know it, you’ll achieve total debt freedom!

So that’s my first tip —
Make it fun!

As the saying goes, success is a journey, not a destination. You can think of your debt freedom goal in the same way.

Who wants to be on a boring journey without adventure or excitement?

Not me!

If you currently think of slashing your spending, working overtime, and selling things left and right as something you have to do, try a different approach.

In his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen R. Covey stated, “Happiness can be defined, in part at least, as the fruit of the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually.”

Think about that for a second — Happiness can be defined as the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually.

It’s not the sacrifice that brings joy, but the DESIRE and ABILITY to make those sacrifices because of what they will mean for your family later.

Focus on the outcome of your sacrifice over the long-term.
Focus on the outcome of your sacrifice over the long-term.
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Each time we’ve made an extra payment toward our debt, we get great pleasure from knowing that our debt total is now that much less.

And even when we only make the minimum payment, we still take pride in the fact that we’re one payment closer to being debt-free and happily watch our total debt balance go down.

Here are some other ways you can make it fun:

Make it a game to see how much you can cut your grocery bill compared to last month.

Maybe you decide that if you don’t spend any money on coffee this month, you’ll give yourself a home manicure and pedicure.

Get the kids involved too.

If they help you clip coupons and plan your weekly grocery trip, then plan a fun family movie night next weekend (renting a DVD from Redbox, or better yet, watching one of the DVDs you own and haven’t watched in a while). Make homemade pizzas and brownies with ingredients you already have.

You don’t have to wait until your debt is gone to have fun. You can enjoy the ride now.
Set mini-goals

When we started our debt-free journey, we gave ourselves eight years to pay off $320,000 of debt.

Paying off that much debt and making sacrifices for that long can be overwhelming to anyone. We tried to avoid the feeling of overwhelm by focusing on one debt at a time.

Maybe you’ve crunched the numbers and you estimate that it will take you three years to pay off your student loans.

Instead of focusing on the huge amount of student loan debt you have or the three long years it will take to achieve your goal, focus on your smallest student loan first and make that your mini-goal. (This is called the debt snowball method.) Shoot to pay off that loan as quick as you can and then celebrate when you do before moving on to the next biggest loan.

Or you could make paying off a certain amount of debt within the next three or six months your mini-goal.

Shooting for that smaller, more realistic goal will help you keep going.

You could also break it down even further. Calculate how much you need to pay off on average each month to reach your shorter-term goal. Focus on how you can slash your spending and bring in extra income so that you can pay that amount toward your debt this month.

And come up with an inexpensive way to celebrate when you meet each mini-goal. Give yourself something to look forward to in addition to paying off that huge chunk of debt.
Track your progress

This one might seem obvious, but I’m surprised at how often I work with people who have been struggling to gain traction on their goal to become debt-free, and they don’t even know how much debt they HAVE paid off.

Oftentimes when we calculate how much debt they’ve paid off since starting their journey, they’re pleasantly surprised at the progress they HAVE made, and then they don’t feel so discouraged.

So get clear on your starting point, and then track your progress going forward.

For me, this is the part I look forward to the most. The first day of the month I update our debt snowball and calculate not only how much debt we have left to pay off, but I focus my excitement on the total amount of debt we have ALREADY paid off.

Continue the theme of making it fun, and create a graph or chart to fill in with your kids.

I give my clients who work with me a Debt Freedom Roadmap Tracker that they can personalize with their own mini-goals and fill in as they make progress toward their goals.
Get imaginative

Imagine what life will be like when you’re debt-free and all the hard work has paid off. What will you do to celebrate once you’ve met your goal? How will life be different?

Alternatively, what will life be like if you lose focus and give up?

If you stop now, what will life look like in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? Will you still be struggling? Will you still be telling your kids and yourself that you “can’t afford it?”

What about when it’s time to send your kids to college or time for you to retire? Will you be able to achieve those goals if you go back to your old ways?

Every time I get discouraged, I think of the path that I’m on and compare it to the alternative way of life. Then I refocus, recommit, and do something to take action that will bring me closer to my goal.
Surround yourself with inspiration

This can be in the form of success stories of others who have gotten out of debt, like the ones I share on my blog and YouTube channel.

Here are some of my favorites:

How a Family of 7 Paid Off $137,000 of Debt in 4 Years
How One Couple Found Financial Freedom by Paying Off $500,000 of Debt
Dontae and Laura’s Debt Free Story
Miriam’s Journey Out of Debt and In to the Life of Her Dreams

But it can also be in the form of quotes of wisdom.

Here’s one of my favorites that has kept me going whenever I’m lacking motivation on one of my goals:

Earl Nightingale said, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. Earl Nightingale
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Isn’t that so true?

The time is going to pass by anyway so why not spend the time working toward a dream that will dramatically improve your life, like breaking free from debt?

When my husband and I started our journey, we gave ourselves eight years to reach our goal of total debt freedom. That was nearly three years ago, and looking back, the time has flown by.

The truth is that you can achieve almost anything you want in life. Most goals will take time, perseverance, and relentless focus to achieve. But the journey doesn’t have to be dreary and painful.

Make it fun, set mini-goals, track your progress, get imaginative, and surround yourself with stories and wisdom that will inspire you to keep going.

Before you know it, you’ll be crossing your first mini-goal off your list, and before long, you’ll be making your final payment on your last debt.

If you need help getting started on your debt-free journey, check out my Work With Me page to find out how I can help! Or you can schedule a time to chat with me by clicking here.
Now I’d love to hear about you!

How do you stay motivated when working toward your goals? Which strategies can you use to help stay focused on your goal of debt freedom? Please share in the comments below.
Have you joined our free community yet?

Join me in our private Facebook group called Your Debt Freedom Family, where I share more tips like this. We’ve got an energetic community of people who are kicking debt to the curb so they can break free and live life on their terms.
Click here to join the fun!

I’d love to see you there!

Keep moving forward toward your goals. You really can live the life you dream about!

As you all know, I have been practicing yoga for a little over a year now. (I recently wrote an article about my desire to do headstands.)

Every week, I try to go to at least one class and I have a one-on-one session on Thursdays with my yoga instructor and good friend. Usually, we are working on perfecting a yoga pose I’ve been working on or helping me with a problem area (this dang elbow). Every now and then, our Thursday sessions wind up being a couple hours of chatting with hot coffee in our hands while maybe hitting a pose or two.

This week’s session was one of the latter. We sat on our mats chatting about life, changes happening, and how we feel we could improve our own days.

Something I Do Every Day

One thing I try to do every day is wake up a bit before everyone else in the house. I need some alone time to have my cup of coffee, sort through what needs to be done that day, and have some stillness, quiet.

During the day, my house is hustling and bustling like everyone else’s. My husband is normally playing video games next to me or editing a video. The little one is out in the living room watching Toy Story for the thousandth time. The neighbor is mowing the grass. Our dog is at the backdoor, wanting in or out. My phone is ringing with a work call. The noise is constant and I need an hour in the morning to myself to enjoy the silence, along with a much-needed cup of coffee.

While I sip my hot, steamy caffeine in the mornings, I also go through my to-do list. I write down a few things that have to get done that day and a few things that would be nice to get done “if energy permits.”

This is what we started talking about on Thursday that really gave us both an “aha” moment.

The Never-Ending To-Do List

I’m a list person. I make a to-do list for everything. Aspirational to-do lists. Adulting to-do lists. Lists for my bills. Lists for planning events. At any given moment, you might find about 10 lists in my house. I go through them each day and pick things that are important (to me). While we were chatting about these to-do lists, my friend said not getting things checked off her list makes her a bit anxious.

Well, I said, write it in pencil.

We both just sat dumbfounded for a minute. It was a spoken permission that neither of us knew we needed. You can write your to-do list in pencil.

Pencil isn’t permanent and, guess what? Even if everything doesn’t get checked off your to-do list today, you can erase it and try again tomorrow. This mindset goes for everything. Set your goals, but allow yourself some flexibility. Give yourself permission to write it down in pencil and change your mind. You’ve got all the power in the world.

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• Our Third Wedding Anniversary: Reflections
• Postpartum Anxiety: The Thing No One Warns You About

We’re expanding the family!

No, we’re not having another baby.

We’re growing our online family.

We’re spreading the love over on Facebook.

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Deep spring cleaning is an integral part of your routine property maintenance tasks. It highlights the thorough cleaning of your home. Ideally, frequent spring cleaning will help ensure your property remains appealing, structurally sound, and hygienic. Its objective is to degrease, vacuum, polish, mop, and wipe different surfaces. Using professional services will ensure that you get premium-quality results. The following are the top reasons to consider deep spring cleaning for your family home.

Avoid Allergens

Statistics show that approximately 10% of U.S. households paid for comprehensive house cleaning services last year. You could attribute this to how conscious families are about their health. Hiring professionals for deep spring cleaning translates to less exposure to allergens within your home.

Professionals will help remove various allergens within your space. They will use different methods to achieve this goal, from steaming and vacuuming to dusting and moping. Whichever way they use, they will remove dust, mold spores, pollen, dust mites, and dander in the household. The goal is to cushion you against costly medical care in the long run.

Keep the Plumbing System In Check

Your plumbing system can significantly affect the health and comfort of your household. Keeping it in check will help you avoid stench and health issues. The plumbing system will likely accumulate debris, grease, and dirt over time, making it dysfunctional in the long run. Various signs show a dysfunctional system, including stench and water flooding in the house.

Notably, experts from the plumbing industry posit that you should clean grease traps once the volume of the grease hits the 25% mark. Usually, the other 75% is occupied by water. Unfortunately, you might not comfortably address this issue. Relying on a professional assures you of better results. These professionals have the required skills, expertise, equipment, and experience to handle the task smoothly.

Improve Indoor Air Quality

Suppose you want to improve the air quality within your home. In that case, investing in deep spring cleaning would be a perfect solution. Professional spring cleaning will significantly improve your indoor air quality, ensuring that you are relaxed and healthier in the long run. Cleaning achieves excellent air quality in various ways.

First, spring cleaning helps eliminate dust particles within your room. It will also help remove the stench and allergens within the environment. Removing these elements will help reduce eye irritation, sneezing, coughing, and hay fever. You will also avoid asthma attacks.

In addition, spring cleaning will remove the bacteria, pathogens, and viruses within the environment. This move assures you of healthier breathing air. Spring cleaning will also help ward off pests. Rodents and bugs might sneak into your space, mainly if it is dirty. These pests will find a home in your kitchen if it has crumbs. Fortunately, excellent spring cleaning will help get rid of them.

Extended Home Lifespan

Cleaning your home is associated with enhanced property lifespan. Since your home is an expensive asset, you will want to take the best care of it. Frequent maintenance practices will ensure that you get the most out of it. This maintenance will help keep the structural integrity of your property in check.

Deep spring cleaning takes care of various surfaces, from fittings and fixtures to wood flooring and carpets. Adequate care of these elements will ensure that your home lasts long. That is because it will help avoid molds, mildew, and dust on the surface. Dirt attracts pests, molds, and bacteria that will eat away from your surfaces, resulting in a limited lifespan.

At the same time, you can rely on deep spring cleaning to improve your curb appeal. An attractive curb can help enhance the value of your family property in the long run.

Professional deep spring cleaning is essential in your home. Yet, you must invest in a reliable professional to handle the process, assuring you of incredible results in the long run. This way, you can be sure of the benefits above.

Today, we’re joined by my friend, Laura Harris. She and her husband paid off $22,000 of debt in 22 months and shared their story with us last year. She knows a thing or two about getting out of debt, and I’m so honored to have her share her wisdom with us again!

Think back to the lessons your parents taught (or didn’t teach) you about money.

I bet some of those lessons shaped the financial habits you use to this day.

Can the same be said for debt?

[Read more…]

I’ve been battling some anxiety more recently and it made me realize I needed to minimize some of the things in my life. A lot of the time, I started to feel crowded in my space and cleaning it out can relieve anxious feelings. It can also help improve focus and, for me, it makes it easier to take care of myself and my family. So, I decided to come up with a declutter challenge for the months of April and May to minimize the stress (and clutter) in my home.

Confession: I Throw Everything Away

Before diving into the declutter challenge I’d love for you to join me in, I have a confession to make. I’m guilty of throwing too much stuff away. Sometimes, if it is causing me any stress or anxiety being where it is, it gets thrown away. I’m also not going to spend a ton of time cleaning anything. Take deeply soiled baby onesies. If it is bad enough, they get thrown away folks.

I’ve thrown a lot of other stuff away over the years for convenience sake or to reduce anxiety. Sometimes it is just easier to toss it rather than stress over fixing it, cleaning it, or just keeping it in my space. If there is a space that is too cluttered, my anxiety will tell me to turn around and do something else. After six months of baby clothes have piled up and Amazon boxes crowd the garage. So, it is time to mindfully declutter every room in the house over the next several weekends.

Embarking on a Healthy Declutter Challenge

Obviously, tossing everything out isn’t a healthy coping mechanism. In the past, I’ve accidentally thrown away important paperwork and items I needed later, causing myself more stress and trouble in the long-run. Not to mention, it can be wasteful if it can truly still be used. So, I decided to embark on a more mindful declutter challenge. We will be starting with my kitchen and the living space this weekend. The pantry, cabinets, drawers, everything is going to get looked at and cleaned out.

Instead of throwing everything out, I’ll donate what I can and ask friends if they have a use for any items. For example, when I go to clean out my pantry this weekend, I’ll take inventory of the canned goods and things that are unopened (and not expired). If there are items that have been in there for a while unused, I’ll either plan a meal with it soon or donate it to a local food bank. Where clothing is concerned, we will save some old t-shirts for rags. Everything else that we haven’t worn in the last year or isn’t special (like my wedding dress) is getting donated.

Here is a look at my declutter challenge schedule! Join me in freeing up your space this spring!

 

Read More

• Give Yourself Permission to Write it in Pencil
• What To Do With Your Finances After First Quarter
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Mike (my husband) and I had the honor of being interviewed on the His and Her Money Podcast recently! In the interview, we shared the steps we took to pay off more than $85,000 of debt in 20 months.
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In America, about 90 percent of people usually get married before they clock 50. With several options, getting married can be confusing especially if you have a lean purse. Backyard weddings are becoming increasingly popular, and in this article, we will explore how you can save money on your dream backyard wedding.

Wedding Venue

Begin your backyard wedding venue by selecting a place that has an atmosphere you love or has meaning to you. This space could be your fiance’s cottage by the sea, your grandmother’s garden, or even your backyard. Take a stroll around the space and determine if it fits the bill. You need to be certain the wedding venue has enough weather cover as you need to factor in inclement weather. In addition to this, you need to find out if there is an ideal space for dancing, parking space, and washroom facilities. Once this has been confirmed, you can work on the smaller details, such as organizing a DJ for the music and purchasing suitable plastic traffic barriers to ensure the parking is clearly marked and your guests are kept safe.

Food and Drinks

The food choice for your wedding ceremony can be confusing, especially with the multiple choices available. You could tinker with several food ideas, especially considering a backyard family wedding. You could try rustic comfort food, BBQ and sliders, warm food, picnic spreads, and cheese boards. The best part of the menus mentioned above is that they are affordable and easy to prepare yourself.

Attire

Getting married outdoors means you should look as beautiful and blended with nature as possible. Summer weddings require wearing something casual and cool, and you may want to wear some extra clothing when it is winter. Although weather should play a huge role in what you wear, it shouldn’t discourage you from wearing the wedding attire of your dreams. Over 40% of buyers didn’t believe they would regret what they bought, but they did so. In comparison, about 30% of people had opinions before buying but regretted their buying decision.

Decoration of Your Venue

After choosing the space you want to use for your backyard wedding, the next thing would be to figure out the decoration details. Consider centerpieces for tables, strands of old-fashioned outdoor lights, and chair decorations. The cool thing about these items is that they are affordable to buy and easy to make. Consider asking your family and friends if you can borrow items from them and, as such, save money while you give them a chance to contribute to your big day.

For the ceremony proper, you should give your guests seating options. You could borrow or rent chairs and have them lined up in rows so that they will have something comfortable to sit on in your ceremony. If the party lasts longer than dusk, you should consider lighting options to help your guests better enjoy the night. A unique landscaping option for decorating your venue is natural flagstone which could be broken up into layers and used for decoration.

The Perfect Landscaping

Depending on what time of the year you are getting married, you should be able to plan the perfect backyard wedding in little time for less. For instance, you could consider using basic seeding and trimming to make your yard look perfect in springtime. But if you have enough time at your disposal, you could try out a few tips. First, have a designated space for an alter and select a dance space. Additionally, you could get your lawn greened up a bit and plant flowers around it.

The wedding of your dreams shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg if you know what you are doing. Backyard weddings are the perfect choice for anyone planning a family wedding on a budget, especially if it is properly done.