fbpx

Our Debt Free Family

Commit. Plan. Take action.

My 30th Birthday: Reflections

| Leave a Comment

30th Birthday Reflections

My 30th birthday is this Sunday. Many people see this birthday as a big milestone. A lot of people don’t look forward to 30 because it seems like you are supposed to be meeting so many goals and reaching them seems daunting. Others, like myself, try to take the day in stride. After all, turning 30 is better than the alternative.

That being said, I am always reflective around my birthday. I’ve been thinking about everything I’ve accomplished over the last year and the last three decades. I’m proud to say I’ve come a long way.

Remembering What’s Important

One of the things I have grown to focus on in the last year is remembering what’s really important in life. A lot of the time, my anxiety tries to take over and I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that it isn’t the end of the world.

More importantly, I need to remember why I work so hard, and why I do anything. I want to be able to provide a spectacular life for myself, my baby, and my family as a whole. So, when things start to get heavy, I’ve started to unplug and focus on the most important people and things in my life.

Financial Accomplishments And Beyond

Over the last year, our family has had a lot of changes financially. My husband got a full-time corporate job with benefits and it has changed our lives for the better. We were married to the idea that we both want to work for ourselves (and still do). However, holding down this job has made it possible for us to have the quality of life we want and deserve.

Slowly but surely, we are stacking up money for savings, paying off debts, and preparing to move into a new home later in the year (hopefully). Considering six years ago we were homeless and living in a motel, that is amazing! It still blows my mind sometimes when I sit back and think about it.

On top of that, I have accomplished a lot personally as well. I have stepped outside my comfort zone to make new friends, friends who have become important parts of my life. Throughout the year, I have also worked on communicating better and listening. These two things have served me well in various areas of my life.

Hey, 30 Isn’t That Bad

While I know I haven’t accomplished everything I’ve ever set out to do in my 30 years, it doesn’t matter. The things that didn’t work out weren’t meant to be. More than that, the sequence of events led me here – where I have a beautiful family, a fulfilling career, and everything we could need.

So, I won’t be having any breakdowns around turning 30. It’s not all that bad. In fact, from where I’m sitting, it looks fantastic.

Read More

Checking In With Yourself After The First Week Of The Year

| Leave a Comment

checking in after the first week of the new year - Pinterest graphic

Can you believe that we’ve already seen the first week of 2023 come and go? For many people, this is a hectic week. You’re getting back into your work routine after taking a break for the holidays. Most of the time, it is the same week your kids are headed back to school. The traffic is crazy. Life is crazy. Yet, we put these additional goals and resolutions on our plates. That’s why checking in with yourself is the best thing you can do to stay on track with your annual resolutions.

Why Checking In Is Important

There are a plethora of reasons why checking in with yourself is important, especially when it comes to goal-setting. Believe it or not, if you don’t check in on yourself, and your mental and physical health, you won’t reach your goals. More important than that, you can pinpoint why you set those goals and how the process makes you feel.

For instance, one of my goals is to lose weight this year, like many other people. In the past, I usually fasted, cut out large food groups entirely, and went about things in an unhealthy way. Of course, I started to try and do that again this year. After checking in with myself, I knew it would not be healthy to start the year out with an extended fast. Instead, I’ve focused my time and energy on making and eating healthy meals at home this week while cutting caffeine and sugar.

Checking in allows you to step back and assess everything from how you feel to how achieving your goals will make you feel. Most of all, it ensures that you are okay every step of the way.

How To Check In With Yourself

If you’re not sure how to check in with yourself, don’t worry! There are plenty of things you can do to check in and see how you’re feeling. Here are a few things I do to unplug and check on myself.

  1. Journal. Writing things down is a great way to get them out of your head. For me, it is a good idea to write down the things that are on my mind or the things that are worrying me/weighing me down. It allows me to get those thoughts out of my head and onto paper.
  2. Practice self-care. My favorite form of self-care is a nice hot bath with a good book. This allows time to unplug and check in with my body. Plus, reading is a soothing activity for me.
  3. Assess whether or not I’m overwhelmed. I’m ambitious and I like to set a lot of goals for myself. However, this can be more detrimental than it is good. Sometimes I need to take a step back and assess whether I’m overwhelmed or not and decide right then and there what can be taken off my plate.
  4. Take it one day at a time. This is the best advice anyone can give you! Some days are going to be great, you’ll make fantastic progress and work on all the good habits you’re trying to build. Other days, it’ll be great to just get out of bed and feed yourself. That’s okay too.
  5. Do something that brings me joy. Whether it is hanging out with a friend, curling up with a good book, or just a mug of hot tea, find something that brings you joy and do that thing. It is a great way to check in and give yourself a good mental health boost.

How often are you checking in with yourself and making sure you’re okay?

Read More

Here Are My New Year’s Resolutions For 2023

| Leave a Comment

Our Christmas celebration was a hit. Although I have been reflective in my blog posts (and in life) over the last several weeks, I’m thrilled to be entering a time of year when everyone is excited about the future. Of course, like every year, I’ve set some intentions and new year’s resolutions for myself, my marriage, and my family. Here they are.

Word for 2023

After a few hectic years, I am putting it out in the universe that the word for 2023 is going to be calm. I’ve picked this word for a number of reasons. The world around us has seemed to be so loud in the last few years. It has become hard to unplug and it feels like there is always something that needs to be done.

For me, a lot of what goes on in the world and in my life causes me anxiety as well. So, choosing the word calm has a bit of a personal meaning as well. Here’s a breakdown of the specific goals I’m setting for 2023.

Personal Goals for the Year

Personally, I like to set a few goals for myself outside of what my family and I would like to accomplish this year. These are the five things I’ll be focusing on this year.

  • Take control of my health with diet and exercise. I have had a lot of health problems in 2023 and taking better care of myself is the first step to mending from that.
  • Stop avoiding things that make you uncomfortable! Oftentimes, you will find comfort by doing the uncomfortable things. This goes for financial change, lifestyle shifts, everything.
  • Write more. It is something I enjoy and something that brings me peace. I want to do more of it in 2023.
  • Yoga! I want to get back into weekly classes and daily practice. It has been nearly six months since I’ve been able to do that with consistency.
  • Read! Continue reading at least one book per week.

New Year’s Resolutions for Our Family

When it comes to the family as a whole, there are a few things we’d like to do this year too.

  • Travel more. After taking our little one to Tennessee for a Christmas get-together, we really would like to travel more. We both miss road trips. So, we are going to try and fit a few trips into the budget this year.
  • Pay down debt. Of course, we are always trying to pay down our debts. With a new car and some things shifting in our finances, this will continue in 2023.
  • Save to move. Our rent went up to $1,760 on December 1 and it’s so expensive. Both of us would like to own a home, but with the current state of the market, it is difficult. Either way, we are going to be saving to rent or own elsewhere by next Thanksgiving (hopefully).

New Year’s Resolutions for My Marriage

Marriage is work, whether you like to admit it or not. While I have a really happy marriage, there have been fewer moments with just the two of us since our child was born in 2021. Next year, I’d like to do a few things for us, including:

  • Date night every other month with a sitter
  • One weekend trip with just the two of us
  • At-home date night once a week
  • Find a new game or hobby that interests both of us

I’m looking forward to 2023 being a much calmer year for us – and hopefully for you too.

Readers, what are your new year’s resolutions for 2023? Let me know in the comments!

Read More

Why A Full Heart Will Keep You From Going Into Debt

| Leave a Comment

Why a Full heart will keep you from going into debt Pinterest graphic

Recently on the blog, I’ve been reflecting on different things around the holidays. Many of us go into debt trying to create the perfect Christmas. You have to spend $100s on family photos and matching outfits. Let’s not forget small gifts for every single person you meet during the holiday season. It’s stressful and, honestly, it’s not something I’m subscribing to anymore. It doesn’t serve me.

Instead, I’m going to focus on all of the things I have. I will focus on things that give me a full heart. Here’s how you can do the same.

What Does it Mean to Have a Full Heart?

For most people, having a full heart means that you feel satisfied and complete in your life. Depending on who you are, that can mean different things. Some people long for a big family. Other folks might want to travel or experience new things with the people closest to them.

Having a full heart isn’t about material things though, which many people focus way too much on at this time of year. It causes financial problems and so much unneeded stress.

You are not obligated to keep up any tradition that is going to leave you broke, tired, or stressed out.

Having a Full Heart Will Keep You From Racking Up Debt

As you can imagine, when you feel happy and fulfilled by the people and things around you you are less likely to spend money on material things. Consumer credit card debt is at an all-time high and it will undoubtedly be even higher following the holiday season. This only brings additional stress. Avoid it by focusing on the things you really care about.

How You Can Have a Full Heart

When it comes to feeling like you have a full heart, it is really all about what means the most to you. Make room in your budget and in your schedule for the things you really care about.

That does not mean trying to fit every little thing into your schedule. However, it does mean setting aside time to cuddle up with your kids and watch Christmas movies or drive around to see Christmas lights.

It also doesn’t mean buying a slew of Christmas gifts for everyone you know. Instead, think about purchasing or making meaningful gifts for your close circle of friends and family. It will be less stressful on you and mean more all around. Again, you are looking for something that truly serves you, makes you happy, and makes your heart full.

Readers, do you think having a full heart makes a difference in how much debt you accrue? What does having a full heart mean to you personally? Let me know in the comments!

Read More

Tips To Stay Calm During The Busy Season

| Leave a Comment

Tips to stay calm during the busy season

This is a busy season for most of us. There is pressure to keep up holiday traditions, put well-thought-out gifts under the tree, and roll out a feast for your family. I’m here to tell you it’s okay if it doesn’t all get done.

That’s right. It is okay if everything on your holiday to-do list doesn’t get done.

Saying this to myself has helped me manage my stress around the holidays a lot. After all, I put all of these expectations on myself. No one else is asking me to cook Beef Wellington on Christmas Eve – that was my dumb idea. That being said, we could all use a little help getting through our busy seasons.

Here are some tips and mantras I’ve been living by to get me through – and I hope they help you too.

Traditions Don’t Make You Go Broke

Recently, I’ve seen a post going around on social media stating something along these lines:

You don’t have to keep up any traditions that make you go into debt, spend all of your money, stress you out, or cause you to be unhappy.

That was a break-through moment for me, honestly. I never thought about simply not taking part in the traditions if they caused me anxiety or stress. We did these things every year, we have to do them, right?

Wrong! You can pick and choose what you want to do. If you struggle with depression and anxiety during this time of year, that may be doing the absolute bare minimum and that’s okay. No tradition is worth your peace.

It’s Okay To Say No During Your Busy Season

On top of that, it is okay to say no to things. Oftentimes, during the busy season, we overload our calendars with fun, exciting things to do without taking our own mental health into consideration.

It’s good to remember that many of these events and activities won’t be as much fun if you are stressed. If you are worried about making it to every single thing you’ve been invited to, you won’t have a moment to breathe. And, if you’re like me, you’ll get burnt out and sick fast.

So, learn to say no to some things. It will be better for you in the long-run.

Not Everyone Deserves Your Presents or Presence

This point goes hand-in-hand with not breaking the bank, or your back, for traditions. Just because someone is family or has been around for previous holiday celebrations doesn’t mean they deserve to be.

Our generation is breaking a lot of curses and one of them is not feeling pressured to be around people you don’t want to be. We surround ourselves with family and friends who bring love and light into our lives. Not everyone is deserving of your presence or presents. Remember that.

Readers, what are some mantras or things you do to help you get through the busy season?

Read More

Money and Holidays: Remembering the Reason for the Season

| Leave a Comment

Money and holidays - remembering the reason for the season

Money and holidays. These two things are enough to stress most people out. However, instead of biting your nails and worrying about having all the biggest, best gifts under the tree, take some time to reflect on the real reason for the season. Your mind (and your wallet) will thank you.

Here are some ways I’m being more present and spending less this holiday season.

DIY Holiday Gifts

Every year, I make some kind of Christmas gift. One year, everyone got a homemade crocheted scarf, the next everyone got handmade socks, or their favorite Christmas cookies in a tin.

This year, I’ll be making several gifts for my little one’s grandparents. Overall, nine gifts across all the grandparents will only cost me about $100. That’s just over $10 per person – not bad! More than the financial aspect though is that I will spend time with my little one, friends, and family while creating these crafts.

Video Calls

During the pandemic, most people were interacting with their loved ones via video call. This is still a possibility and necessary for those of us who don’t live close to all of our family members. Set up a few dates throughout the holiday season to sit down and video chat with folks who live farther away. Spending time catching up can be an amazing gift for both parties and help you reconnect – that’s one of the biggest joys of the holidays for me.

Throw a Party

It is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Don’t forget that the season is meant to be spent with the ones you love. Throw a potluck get-together to keep cost low and enjoy yourself. You’ll get to see everyone near-and-dear to your heart without the pressure of swapping gifts.

Gift Swaps

Speaking of swapping gifts, we have plans to go to a gift swap this year with other families who have babies. While I have not been a fan of swaps in recent years, I love the idea of it. You get to enjoy the feeling of giving a gift without the pressure of buying a gift for everyone. There is no guilt over how much you spent, nor is there guilt over buying every single person a present.

Money and Holidays: Reflection

These are just three things I’m doing to step out of the mall and into the season this year. There are plenty of things you can do to improve your outlook around money and holidays too. For example, you might schedule a time for your family to be at the local soup kitchen, volunteer your time, or adopt a family in need.

The point is that you don’t have to go bankrupt to have a beautiful holiday. In fact, some of the most memorable moments will be those that you didn’t spend a dime on.

Try to step outside your own expectations and remember the real reason for the season. Happy holidays!

Read More

Financial Lessons That I Hope to Teach My Daughter

| Leave a Comment

financial lessons

This year is my first year celebrating Mother’s Day as a mom. My eight-month-old baby girl amazes me every single day. As she gets older, I keep thinking about the things I’d really like to teach her, especially where money is concerned.

Financial Lessons My Mom Taught Me

When I think about the things I’d like to teach my daughter I always think about all the things my mom taught me that I carry through my life. One of the biggest lessons I learned from her regarding finances is that there is always more money to be made. Mom hustled a lot while I was growing up. She’s always worked a full-time job and played in multiple orchestras as a violinist. It meant she was gone a bit from October through May, but she made things happen.

I also learned that managing your finances is difficult. As a kid, I was aware of our money struggles. I watched my mom sell a number of her prized possessions so that we could pay our mortgage. We had cars repossessed (my parents would park it in the road and go get another before it hit their credit). Eventually, we lost our home too. At the end of it all though, we were alright. We made things work, we survived.

In our home now, until recently, we were still living paycheck to paycheck. Still, a very small upheaval could cause a big problem in our lives financially. While my mom taught me that money isn’t the end-all-be-all, I entered adulthood still lacking some basic personal finance skills.

What I’d Like to Teach My Daughter

Similar to how my mom taught me that there’s always more money, I’d like to instill in my daughter that money truly isn’t everything. While it is a necessity in the world, it shouldn’t be what you center your life around. Make money, manage it wisely, and life your live to the fullest.

At the same time, I’d like to teach her some of the things I’d wish I’d known. For example, I would like to help her understand budgeting. I’d also like to help her understand loans, interest rates, education and debt. I took on a lot of debt as a young adult that I would’ve probably avoided if I had some additional guidance. As I’ve mentioned here on the blog before, I’d like to be able to set up a savings account for her education and set her up for success.

That said, my mom did such a good job. I was aware of our finances and knew that money was an aspect of life, something most kids aren’t able to wrap their brains around.

Closing Thoughts

Moms are special people. If you are a mom celebrating Mother’s Day this weekend, remember that you are making a huge impact on the world. Everything you’re doing is making a lasting impact on your kids. Most of all, you’re doing a good job.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Read More

My Favorite Personal Finance TikToks To Follow

| Leave a Comment

TikTok

If you’re like me, you’ve been slow to come around to the TikTok craze. Slowly but surely, however, my husband and friends have lured me over to the dark side. Now, every once in a while, I catch myself having spent the last half hour mindlessly scrolling on TikTok. While there are a lot of dance videos and silly content out there, TikTok actually has a few opportunities for people to learn.

For my husband, those learning opportunities present themselves in the form of conspiracy theorists and the investigative types on the platform. For me, I am amazed at the amount of financial advice and information being shared for free. That said, here are some of my favorite finance TikToks that you should consider following.

No Budget Babe

The most inspiring thing about Nicole Victoria, the No Budget Babe, is that she is around my age. She’s has been prepping for the arrival of her newborn secretly (she actually revealed that she was pregnant to her followers more recently). Nicole’s TikTok page is fairly simple. She hops on and gives you a quick reality check about your money. News flash: you are in complete control of your financial future. Best of all, Nicole is a proven success story. She’s already got a net worth of $1 million and completely paid off all of her debt, totaling around $40K.

 

@nobudgetbabe Reply to @_ro16_ ♬ original sound – Nicole Victoria | Money Coach

SaveLiveThrive

SaveLiveThrive is run by a woman named Charlotte. She is a financial coach. Her main focus is on helping women better understand their finances. In her bio, she states her videos are for education only, not advice. That being said, her story and mission are pretty inspirational. Charlotte got out of a toxic relationship in her early 20s, similar to myself, even though leaving hurt her financially. Her experience prompted her to help educate other women about how they can become financially independent. A lot of her posts are informative, but she also shares relatable content like this.

 

@savelivethrive My mom is actually one of my biggest financial role models, but this is definitely a toxic habit that stuck with me for awhile 😅#moneyhabits #moneyscripts ♬ original sound – Cub

InspiredBudget

Allison Baggerly, known by her handle @inspiredbudget online, is another great person to follow on TikTok and anywhere else you exist on social media. She shares some great tips about getting your budget on track and also shares her own budgeting story. As we all know, creating and sticking to a budget is one of the most difficult parts of managing your finances. Allison makes it easier to understand with her content and doesn’t belittle anyone for not already having their s*** together. Best of all, everything is simple and straightforward. Check her out below!

 

@inspiredbudget Just try one! #budgeting #budgetlife #budgetlifehack #budgetingtips #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #budgetbinder #budgettok #personalfinance ♬ original sound – Allison Baggerly

Who are your favorite TikTokers in the finance world? Link them below!

Read More

Your Family Home Needs a Deep Spring Cleaning – Here’s Why

| Leave a Comment

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.

3 Advantages of Being Debt-Free

| Leave a Comment

advantages of being debt-free

If you have ever lived paycheck to paycheck you know it is no cakewalk. Oftentimes, people are living this way because they don’t have all of their debts paid off or their cost of living is simply too high. Relieving that stress is only one of the many advantages of being debt-free. Here are some more to inspire your journey.

3 Advantages of Being Debt-Free

Anyone who has decided to embark on their own debt freedom journey probably knows most of the benefits of living a debt-free life. However, here are three perks you may have not considered yet…

  1. You get an instant pay raise. When all of your debts are paid, you’ll have more free income to spend, save, invest, and live your life with. Think about it. Every monthly payment you are making now towards an account will now be yours to spend as you wish. For us, that would mean more than $1,000 in extra cash month to month.
  2. You’re able to have more fun. Instead of borrowing money to go on vacation or biting your nails over the cost, you can stash away money more easily for fun things. You may feel like you are pinching pennies to make these things happen but you are able to freely take vacations and go out to have fun without worrying about where the money is being borrowed from.
  3. The potential to gain wealth is greater. Being debt-free will open more doors for you than you could imagine. You can create a plan to generate wealth for yourself and your family. You might even be able to become a millionaire because you’ll have the freed-up money to start saving and investing. If you are able to build up your net worth this way you are more likely to be able to leave behind a legacy for your family.

Debt Freedom Does Have Some Disadvantages

Believe it or not, not everything that comes with debt freedom is beneficial. There are a couple of disadvantages to being debt-free too.

  • It can have a negative impact on your credit score. You would think paying off all of your debts would have a positive impact on your credit score but it can sometimes have the opposite effect. If you work to pay everything off and avoid debt altogether, your score may go down because you have no way of proving you will pay for things on time. This can make it hard to get a mortgage or loan of any type.
  • You may feel out of touch with the rest of the world. Debt freedom also puts many people out of touch with the things going on in the financial world. For instance, if you are focused on paying things off and stashing money away you may miss a big investment opportunity. It can also make you feel withdrawn from family and friends. While everyone is out on Friday night, you may make the conscious decision to stay in and save money.

That being said, the advantages of being debt-free outweigh the cons every time when it comes to improving your finances. So, don’t let these two things stop you from pursuing your debt-free lifestyle.

Read More