One of the biggest reasons for creating MommyLuvs2save was to create a community of moms and dads who want to help their family save money when buying essentials in order to free up money for debt repayment. My own family has paid off over $111,500 in consumer debt including credit cards, student loan debt and 2 vehicles. I am a teacher at heart. I want to use the skills that I have learned to help YOU ditch debt. I want to encourage each of you in your efforts so that one day you can feel the freedom of being debt free. I’m not quite there yet either (we still have a mortgage) so I need encouragement as well 
It can be very difficult to pay down debt. There are many temptations to spend money. We live in a culture that encourages debt and spending. In addition, expenses come up and there never seems to be any extra money for paying down debt. I want to urge each of you to participate in a challenge. Just leave a comment about one positive step you’ve taken for your family each day. Did you eat in instead of going out? Did you save money at the grocery store? Did you pay extra on your credit card? Leave a comment below and we will cheer one another on every day and every step of the way.
The challenge is to leave a comment about what YOU have done to work on getting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $50 Amazon gift card at the end of each month. To participate in the challenge you must comment on at least 10 posts during the month.
* I will also be sharing my progress from the day prior.
My Progress: Well yesterday was a good day. Ro went into work so that he could go with me to pick up the check from the lawyer’s office. We started out the day by taking the girls to school and going out for our $1.59 breakfast. After breakfast we headed into the city to pick up the check. I was so glad that Ro took me because there was wasn’t any parking. Ro just drove around the block until I came out. The check was a few hundred more that I thought it was going to be, which was nice. I want to make sure it clears before I electronically pay off the van just in case. Wouldn’t you know it that Ro noticed that one of his tires was bald yesterday afternoon, so there went that few hundred extra $$. He went out last night and had to get 2 new front tires. At least it didn’t have to come out of the budget !!
Lunch and dinner were made at home. I did a few drugstore deals at Rite Aid and CVS before the girls came home from school. I did the Axe deal at Rite Aid and I got the FREE Thermacare, FREE Edge shave gel, the FREE marker and the cheap Cover Girl makeup. At CVS I got the Scott deal, the 3 FREE Hallmark cards and a few other deals.
I am happy that we will be paying off the Sienna very soon. I have to do it before I piddle the money away. I’m hoping to hit the send button next week when the check clears. I am getting the itch to plan some sort of family vacation for us (my dream would be a Disney cruise). I have some money set aside for it, but I think I need to start to aggressively save for it. I would love to drop some more weight too so that it’s more fun for me
What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it You could make 2013 your year. Who will the January winner be ? We’ll see…
Yesterday I spent 7.75 on a haircut at the beauty school. The instructor tells the student where and how to cut then she comes back and checks. She will often do some trimming, then tells the student what to do next. Only draw back-you’ll be there 3 times longer than a beauty shop.
On another note: someone commented about the elderly lady not having enough money to pay her bill. Medicare went up $50. this year, from 94.80 to 144.80 and next year will go from 144.8 to 244.80. If the person also had extra insurance to pay for meds and other items Medicare doesn’t pay, they probably saw an increase(ours went from $29. a month to $69. a month. Some where I read that the average Social Security check was 1750.(I couldn’t find the article to check it again.) Subtract and the person ends up with 1536.2. Not much for a month. Elderly woman are usually getting much less. We are retired and depend on social security – might have to go back to work, but who would hire 70 year olds??
That makes me sad. I hate to see anyone struggle, but especially older people who have worked their whole lives and should be able to sit back and enjoy life. I hope you don’t have to go back to work. I hope you can enjoy being together. I know what you mean though because my dad worked for a company for over 30 years and then they forced early retirement on him. For awhile he couldn’t get a job (even at Home Depot). He is a BRILLIANT man with so much to offer. He is working now (as little or as much as he wants) as a computer programmer/computer problem fixer. He still has so much to contribute. I hope the economy gets better and things go back to normal. It’s getting tough out there and I’m sorry you are going through that.
Yesterday I made a big purchase. Bought a new Coach purse and matching wallet. The good news is that I used gift cards from Christmas and my birthday. It also happened that yesterday Coach sent me a 25% off code to use online. So with the gift cards, coupon code and free shipping, I didn’t pay a cent! I also took even more of the kid’s clothes to the consignment store and got a check for 45. So, not a bad day money-wise!
Wow!! Coach for free. That is really impressive shopping!
Girl you and me think alike! I love Coach and that’s going to be my splurge with the birthday money I get this year. I get money every year from my inlaws to spend on myself since they all know I don’t spend anything on myself usually (One mil actually took me shopping when we were visiting because moms always think of themselves last and she wanted to take care of me) and I can’t wait for this year! Good for you!
That’s funny, I thought someone else was buying Coach with birthday money ?! Enjoy ladies. I’m terrible. I have a really nice Coach bag that my parents bought me a few years ago and I never remmeber to take it. I guess 95% of the time I don’t even bring a purse. I’m afraid I’ll leave it somewhere. I hope you enjoy yours though.
Earned 54 swagbucks, ate lunch for free (sandwich coupons from Sprouts),
talked/ planned finances and upcoming projects with Hubby. We are definitely moving in July. House is going on the market early spring.Went on Dave Ramsey website for ELP realestate agents. (We will interview 3 agents) Added more to the ebay pile to sell.
I marinated chicken in teriyaki sauce and my brave husband grilled it (3 degrees outside) He had his snowboarding gloves on holding the tongs.
Funny, I was thinking of grilling chicken yesterday. I will probably do some next week. It just tastes better doesn’t it. Wow, 3 degrees. I’m cold here and it’s in the 20′s. Stay warm.
Yesterday we spent $40 at Target for some much needed groceries. Nothing else spent, which is good. We are in the last week of our budget or the month, so things are tight! Hope everyone else had a good day.
My hardcore tactics to get out of debt (grad school debts and first one house and then another we bought for a rental unit, using the first as collateral. Then the husband lost his job…) was a lot like some woman already detailed on this website. Except when I read her posting I thought, “Well, did you still get your hair cut professionally? Did you still wear makeup? I didn’t.” Our income drop was so drastic and we had so many obligations that we were forced to consider bankruptcy (and losing our house and the rental perhaps) or dropping our spending to almost nothing immediately. For the first six months we literally fasted every other day, to cut our food bill back—I kid you not (the children did not fast. They were used to us giving up meat and chocolate every Lent, so they were young enough to think it was connected to that somehow). It helped that I was 60 pounds overweight (cured that during those six months, losing about 10 pounds a month. And have nver gained it back. Also gave me a new wardrobe, from the back of my own closet where I had size 10 clothes still taking up residence. Ditto for the husabnd, who had about 50 to lose). That summer we ate only what I could produce in teh garden, or trade for meat with hunting but non-gardening friends of ours. The only exceptions were grains for making bread and things like baking powder and butter and so on.
When the crisis passed, we went back to eating like normal, but we still do things like cutting each other’s hair and eating mostly from the garden during the summer. And we have paid off our mortgage and are close to paying off the rental unit. With four units and continually occupied so far, I will be able to stop working once we pay that off. That is why I read this and a few other motivational finance blogs, so I don’t forget little tricks to save money. My husband reads more male oriented financial blogs, like Mr. Money Mustache, but he listens to what I learn from reading blogs like this and is onboard with trying anything that saves money. I could not done it without his complete and devoted cooperation. Our plan is to retire by 50.
One thing that does amaze me was that getting my weight and my money under control were very connected. I am not sure why, but both have improved dramatically.
Wow, that’s awesome and inspiring. Your story is similar to Lindsey’s story and it really motivates me to dig in deeper and knock the rest of this debt OUT. My hubby is on board, but there’s no way he’d be willing to do any fasting (especially at 6 ft 11), but I will tell you that you and your husband have struggled and suffered (literally) and you are on the verge of reaping the rewards of all of your hard work. You deserve to have the luxury of retiring early.
As much as I try to give motivation, I get lots of it from you guys too. Please continue to give us tips and inspire us too. You’ve convinced me. I’m going to hold off on the vacation until we get a bigger chunk of the mortgage paid off. I can’t promise it’ll all be gone, but we’re not going anywhere for awhile
Yesterday wasn’t too bad though I was bummed when checking out at the grocery store with produce, eggs, and English muffins at the price. Even buying stuff on sale seems to have gotten ridiculous. Eggs are the most expensive I can remember seeing them. They used to be such a cheap food and they are, but still stinks their prices are rising. I did order one of Target’s daily deals yesterday, but it’s something I’ve been waiting to be a deal again and with my red card, I got it for $.28 over the deal price including shipping and tax. I was so excited. I did get my haircut yesterday, and the girl did awesome. It cost me $30, but I haven’t had a cut or a really good cut for that matter, in over 6 mos. It was time.
Started going through spring/summer clothes for the consignment sale. I can’t wait! I’m letting a few friends come go through it first, but the rest go to the sale so that I can get the giants clothes for this summer.
It was a no spend day here. Woke with a migraine. Hubby installed microwave above stove. Printed a bunch of coupons. Going to bed early. Ate all meals at home.
Yesterday was a no spend day at home. Got some work done online and around the house. Ate leftovers that I had intentionally made extras of earlier in the week that should last me through the weekend
Yesterday felt like a day off with only working a 7 hour shift. lol Did stop after work for a few deli items and salad fixings, but with my crazy schedule, I need to take a few shortcuts with meals. Prayed for the finances of all the ladies here on ML2S.
spend some money at the grocery store but got enough for about 3 weeks. spend a little more on mailing out items i sold but i got paid for that so, i guess no money spent there. made about 3 weeks worth of baby food for about 2 bucks!!!!!!! baby wore g diapers most of the day so saved money there. didn’t use cloths dryer to dry cloths just hung those babies up.
This weekened turned out to not be as bad as I expected. We did a huge target run on wed and I was going to pay for everything with gcs but for some reason the lady wouldn’t take my mobile ones and it was really crowded. I took that out of our grocery budget for the week. I will have to talk to someone about it and figure out why they won’t ring up because I still have $27 and we spent $30 oop so it would have been only $3 if she had taken them.
Thurs we went out drinking with some friends of DH because his birthday was Friday. I haven’t really drank anything since I got pregnant almost 3 yrs ago so it hit me like a ton of bricks. We did splurge a little on food at the bar but I needed something to soak up the alcohol. We did have the $ planned for the weekend. DH ended up picking a cheaper place to eat on friday than originally intended so we came out of the whole weekend with quite a bit left over.
We did our annual clothes shopping or at least it seems like we only buy clothes that often, and did quite well after sales and rebates. Hubs needed clothes for work because he wears the same 2 pairs of pants and he gets dirty, they were getting really worn out from frequent washing, this week we should get a really nice check because he worked a ton of OT last week including a 16 hr day tues so we will be bulking up the savings and then putting the rest toward our debt. I think I can get another $1000 paid off on the CC this month.