Happy Easter

HE HAS RISEN.  HE HAS RISEN INDEED!!!!!

Spaghetti with Onions and Eggs

Here is a BUDGET meal I made not long ago.  We really liked it and I plan to make it again soon.

Spaghetti with Onions and Eggs

1/4 lb spaghetti, broken into smallish pieces
1 egg
1 med. onion
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c milk

Saute very thinly sliced onions until just before they brown, just a few crispy edges is good.  I use olive oil, but any good vegetable oil or butter will work.

Prepare broken spaghetti as box directs.

When pasta is done, drain and immediately break 1 egg into it.  Stirring quickly to coat the spaghetti.  The heat of the pasta and the pan cooks the egg.  Do not do this over heat!

Add the cheese and stir again, making sure that all is well mixed.

Add milk and give a quick stir (milk will absorb and make a nice coating).

Put pasta on plate and lightly heap sauteed onions on top. 

A few grinds of black pepper and maybe a little more cheese sprinkled on and you are ready to enjoy.

This recipe doubles and triples well.

I served this with salad and garlic bread.  Steamed or sauteed vegetables work well also.

Madison Marie

We had a new little blessing added to our family on the 8th of April.  Madison Marie Campbell made her appearance.  7 lb 10 oz, 20 inches long.  Such a sweetie.  Katie and Clayton are the proud parents.

She is another reason for our desire to be debt free and free to travel and visit.



Happy Birthday Nyesha

Yesterday was Nyesha's 6th Birthday.  Doesn't seem possible.  She is growing up!!!

Love my Grandkids!!!!!

Life is Hard Sometimes

Sometimes I just get overwhelmed with life.  We had decided to do this Debt Reduction/Debt Snowball of Dave Ramsey's.  Actually we have done really well.  BUT I hadn't realized how much we had been using our credit cards as a buffer.  Now that we aren't - well the end of the money comes way before the end of the pay period.  I am trying to stay positive.  It's a push sometimes.

 Last Sunday I knew I needed to write a tithing check.  We hadn't been to church the week before and we needed to tithe.  Well, writing that check was putting us out on a limb financially.  I don't like being out on a limb - it feels like it is so far to the ground and it scares me. :-)  BUT I did what I knew was the obedient thing to do - I wrote the check and am trusting God to get us through the week.  Hey, it increases me prayer life.

I know this will all work out.  We have renters for 2 of our 3 empty rentals.  Should get the rent for them soon.  That will definitely help.  I am seriously trying to stay laser focused on getting out of debt.  It will work!!!!

Treatment Plan for Debt

Date: 2/18/2011
Need #1: We have too much debt
Short-term Goal #1: We will become debt free
Action Steps Completed:

1. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________


Action Steps to be Completed:

1. We will have $1,000 in an emergency fund
     a. We will put $150 into the fund every payday until we have $1,000
2. We will add $150 to minimum payment on CC #1 until paid off

3. I will cook budget meals 2 nights a week

4. We will take our lunch to work every day

5. We will only go out to eat on payday and only drink water with our meal

Additional Action Steps Needed:

1. We will have a garage sale as soon as the weather is nicer

2. We will brainstorm ways to make extra money, and do them

3. I will explore ways to save money

4. _________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________

Getting Excited

The snow has come and gone.  What a blessing.  It feels like Spring but I know that colder weather is right around the corner.  I had lots of snow days the last few weeks, time to ponder our financial state of being.  Conclusion we need to put in some hard work.

My honey is reading the Total Money Makeover and is getting excited about digging ourselves out of this hole we have found ourselves in.  I am in the middle of Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey.  It is all such good information.  The key, of course, is in the action.  I have been developing treatment plans for my clients today at my J-O-B.  Maybe what hubby and I need is a good old fashion treatment plan with action steps to help us get out of this hole called "debt".  That might just work.  Think I will work on it today.  I will let you see it when I have it done.

I am really looking forward to the weather being consistantly good so I can have a garage sale.  I want to get rid of as much as I can and put the money we make towards our #1 bill.  We have way to much "stuff" and most of it we just don't need.  I am going thru everything we own as we bring it from House A to House B.  Sorting it and placing it in 1 of 4 stacks.  Keep, throw away, give away or garage sale.  The snow put us a bit behind in the process.  Couldn't get the "stuff" from point A to point B.  But we can plan on a load or 2 this weekend.

I will be putting more $ into the Emergency Fund today.  Another pay day and we should be set and ready to concentrate on Baby Step #2 - starting the snow ball a rolling.  Rolling, rolling, rolling, raw hide!!!!

Until next time, have a good one!!!

God Will Make a Way

God Will Make a Way

Sometimes in the midst of life I need to be reminded that God is in Control. This is a song I first heard at Community Bible Study a while back. It is where I live. I need to know that God will be making a way even when I don’t and can’t see it. In the midst of our journey to be debt free, sometimes I don't see how that can ever happen.  It feels like I run into obstacles and roadblocks all the time.  BUT the good news is that  GOD WILL MAKE A WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you enjoy this.

Words to the song by Don Moen:

God will make a way,

Where there seems to be no way

He works in ways we cannot see

He will make a way for me

He will be my guide

Hold me closely to His side

With love and strength for each new day

He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness, He'll lead me

And rivers in the desert will I see

Heaven and earth will fade

But His Word will still remain

He will do something new today.

God will make a way,

Where there seems to be no way

He works in ways we cannot see

He will make a way for me

He will be my guide

Hold me closely to His side

With love and strength for each new day

He will make a way, He will make a way.

God Knows the Plans

This is My life verse. 

God knows the plans He has for us.  If we follow His plan and His will, THEN we will have a wonderful future and hope.  We will be Debt Free one day soon because being in debt is totally against God's Will.  With God we can do it!!!!!!

Happy 6th Birthday Timmy

Can't believe that 6 years ago today I was at the hospital waiting for Timmy Jr to be born.  Holding him just minutes after his birth.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIMMY!!!!!

This is my WHY - I want to be there for birthdays.  I want to be able to celebrate with them.  I don't want to miss any more of my kids and grandkids lives.

A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline

A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline.

Napoleon Hill

I really like that quote.  It says it all.  I have a goal/dream to be Debt Free.  I need to work on a deadline for it.  I would love to be Debt Free by my birthday in June of 2013.  That is 2 1/2 years.  I would hope that would be long enough.  I suppose time will tell.

I am really excited about this.  I am also excited to be blogging.  I think about what I want to say all day long.  I think about what I want to do to work on reducing our debt.  I am a analyzer.  That is my natural bent.  I think about and stategize all the time.  We do most of our shopping at Wal Mart.  I am going to start taking the receipts and figuring out how much we actually spend on groceries, hygiene, healthcare or other items.  Good to have a baseline on what we really are spending our $ on.  Can't cut back unless we know the details.

On a side note that is totally unrelated to budgeting or debt.  We had the coldest night on record here last night.  It was -28 degrees.  And that was not the wind chill factor but the actual temp.  We were colder than the North Pole.  We have gotten record amounts of snowfall in the last 10 days.  All I can say is that this gal from Southern California is just plain cold and feeling that this is totally unnecessary and unnatural.  OK it is pretty to look at from the inside but miserable to go out in.  There was a reason I didn't want to live in Alaska longer than 2 years.  Loved it, it was beautiful but I just don't do snow and ice and esp don't do driving in it.  Scares me to death.  So, I stay in where it is warm and cozy but very isolating.  Back to the budgeting - I hate to think of what our heating bill will be after all this.  It will not be a happy sight.

This is a pix from the 1st snow fall.  We got 20" during the next storm.

Until next time.

B is for Budget

I worked on a budget over the weekend. Not a happy time. Since we use Quicken, I ran a report on our spending from last month. We use our debit card for most expenses besides regular bills that I pay on line. So it was easy and sad to see where our money went.

Took those numbers and put them in a budget for this month. Oops too much month for the income. Hmmmmm wonder how we survived last month. Tho, last month I wasn't as good at tithing, wasn't putting money away for the Emergency Fund plus we were paying someone to do alot of the work on the house we are going to sell. OK - came out close to $1,000 short. Definitely NOT GOOD!!!

Going to have an emergency meeting with the honey and figure out either how to get money money flowing in or how to cut the amount flowing out. BUT something is going to have to give.

Recently made a wonderful casserole from leftovers. I am going to give you some of my stretch the budget recipes a couple times each week, so here goes the 1st one:

Baked Chicken Dish

1 c diced chicken, turkey, tuna or what ever you have on hand

3/4 c mayonnaise

1 c celery

1 onion diced

1/2 c sliced almonds

3 c cooked rice

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 T lemon juice

1/2 t salt

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Corn flakes for topping

Combine ingredients and top with crushed and buttered corn flakes.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or 375 for 1/2 hour.

I had left over rice and turkey.  Had all but the almonds on hand so was easy and cheap to make.  I have made it before and love it. 



Another one of my whys;

Moving Forward - 1 Dollar at a Time

I have finished reading Dave Ramsey's book "Total Money Makeover."  So excellent.  I am excited to get started.

OK - figured out that I really need to finish the 1st Baby Step before I start Step 2.  I get a bit excited and want to do it all.  So, I will work on getting that $1,000 in the Emergency Fund.  It is up to over $700 so only around $300 more to go.  Should get that in there in the near future.

I really want to draw the line in the sand and say "NO MORE CREDIT CARDS."  That would work for me.  Ah, but it so much easier to say than to do.  But this is really what I want!!!

The hard thing is we are trying to get a house on the market to sell.  Need to finish fixing it up and putting down new carpet.   It has always been so easy to put "whatever" on a card.  Now we will have to be creative.  Maybe I will have to find a 3rd job or something.  Once the other house sells, things should ease up and we can start making more headway on the Snowball. 

IT WILL GET DONE!!!!!!

Here are a couple more things I plan to do to economize -

1. Write a weekly menu and stick to it when shopping.
2. Only go to the grocery store once a week.
3. Make at least 2 budget meals a week.
4. Take my lunch to work every day.
5. If and when we go out to eat - only drink water. (do you realize how much you can save by not drinking pop or tea at a restaurant? - It's amazing)

Now for another one of my whys:

Time to Get Started

It is time to get this Debt reduction rolling. I have read Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” a while back and plan to read it again this weekend. I was on his website yesterday www.daveramsey.com and checked out the Baby Steps he listed. Baby Step #1 is to have $1,000 in an Emergency Fund. Last paycheck I started putting $100 into our Savings acct each paycheck. I will transfer $100 today into that acct. In 2 months we will be up to the $1,000. Then I will be able to check that one off.

Altho I have not finished Baby Step #1, I had started Baby Step #2 last month. Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball. I listed all our debts (:-( way to much). I picked the smallest, which is also the one with the highest interest rate, for our #1 priority. I am going to pay the minimum due on the others. I am going to pay the minimum on #1 plus $150 until that debt is paid off. It might take what feels like forever but going to do it. Took our credit cards and hid them. No more is going onto them!!!!

2 Economizing tips I am doing –

1. I wash and reuse plastic sandwich and gallon size bags. I don’t reuse those that have had meat in them but the others, I use again. My kids have given me a hard time about doing this but I continue.

2. I buy generic or store brands whenever possible.

So I am set for the moment. I know what I am going to do and will do it.

Until next time, adios.

Another reminder of my why:

Let the Journey Begin

We are on the journey of a lifetime. Well, let's hope it is just a once in a life time journey. :-) We have found ourselves drowning in debt. We know this is NOT a good thing and totally NOT pleasing to the LORD!! Sooooo, we have decided to work our way into the Debt Free Zone, one dollar at a time. OK - this will probably take what feels like forever but it is what we want and must do.

Our goal is to be able to retire, debt free within 3 years. We want to be able to travel, take pixs and write.

My Why -

A. It would be pleasing to the Lord to be debt free.

B. We want to have the freedom to visit our kids and grandkids, any and every time we want to.

I want to be able to be there for their birthdays, school programs, baptisms, important sports events, graduations, etc. I don't want to have to worry about having to ask for the time off or not having the funds to take an extended trip.

So my goals are:

Traveling to see all the family often

Taking pixs of all the kids/grandkids often

Writing - about anything and everything. Some things will be lost if I don't get them down on paper. Other things I just have in me that need to be let out.

So, I am inviting you to join us on this journey. Help keep me committed when the going gets tough and who knows , maybe just maybe you will be able to gleam a tip or two on budgeting or ways to stretch a dollar. I am going to be working on this until we are there and putting what I find and do down on paper.

So, Let the Journey Begin - Target - The Debt Free Zone

Here are some pixs of my Whys: