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Our Debt Free Journey

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Click here to read my disclosure policy.
AllOur Journey
August 2020 Budget With Me

August 15, 2020 Budget With Me

August 21, 2020
Our August paycheck came on Friday, the 14th, and is...
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July 2020 Budget With Me

July 15, 2020 Budget With Me

July 24, 2020
Our July paycheck cames on Wednesday, the 15th, and is...
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March 2019 Debt Update

March 2019 Debt Update

March 29, 2019
March brought our third monthly check, and in some ways...
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February 2019 Debt Update

February 2019 Debt Update

March 1, 2019
February brought our second monthly paycheck, and with it a...
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January 2019 Debt Update

January 2019 Debt Update

February 1, 2019
This month we transitioned to a monthly income versus the...
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December 2018 Debt Update

December 2018 Debt Update

January 11, 2019
December... the time of year when it feels like everything...
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November 2018 Debt Update

November 2018 Debt Update

December 7, 2018
After feeling off kilter the last few months, November was...
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Our Bare Bones Budget

Our Bare Bones Budget

November 23, 2018
I talk a lot on here about paying off our...
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October 2018 Debt Update

October 2018 Debt Update

November 9, 2018
This month was an eye-opening month.  After trying to find...
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Summer 2018 Debt Paid

Summer 2018 Debt Update

October 5, 2018
Each month I chronicle our progress on our debt free...
Read More
April 2018 Debt Update

April 2018 Debt Update

May 2, 2018
Each month I chronicle our progress on our debt free...
Read More
Debt Payment Tracker

Debt Payment Tracker

April 11, 2018
Before we started to get serious about paying down debt,...
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March 2018 Debt Update

March 2018 Debt Update

April 6, 2018
Each month I chronicle our progress on our debt free...
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Retirement Contribution in Debt Repayment

Retirement Contribution In Debt Repayment

March 9, 2018
When you're just starting on your debt free journey, you're...
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February 2018 Debt Update

February 2018 Debt Update

March 2, 2018
Each month I chronicle our progress on our debt free...
Read More
January 2018 Debt Update

January 2018 Debt Update

February 2, 2018
Each month I chronicle our progress on our debt free...
Read More
December 2017 Debt Update 1

December 2017 Debt Update

January 12, 2018
Here it is... my last debt summary for 2017.  If...
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October November 2017 Debt Update 2

October & November 2017 Debt Update

December 6, 2017
October and November brought the end of soccer season, the...
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September 2017 Debt Update

September 2017 Debt Update

October 4, 2017
During the end of our summer, I was looking forward...
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June 2017 Debt Update

June 2017 Debt Update

July 12, 2017
Welcome back friends!  After updating you all on how the...
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March 2017 Budget Debt Update

March 2017 Budget Debt Update

April 5, 2017
Our March budget, while it didn't go as I hoped,...
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February 2017 Budget Debt Update

February 2017 Budget & Debt Update

March 6, 2017
For February's budget, our expenses started before the month did....
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January 2017 Budget Debt Update

January 2017 Budget & Debt Update

February 20, 2017
It's been a while since I've gotten on here and...
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December 2016 budget debt update

December 2016 Budget & Debt Update

January 18, 2017
December was a crazy busy month for us, and honestly,...
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November 2016 Budget Debt Update

November 2016 Budget & Debt Update

December 5, 2016
November brought some normalcy to our lives again.  While we...
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October 2016 Budget Debt Update

October 2016 Budget & Debt Update

November 4, 2016
This month is our last month for full on soccer practices...
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september 2016 budget debt update

September 2016 Budget & Debt Update

October 7, 2016
This month was the first full month with the boys...
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august 2016 debt repayment

August 2016 Debt Repayment

August 29, 2016
I realize that in the last few weeks I posted...
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summer debt update

Debt Update: Summer 2016 Update

August 19, 2016
I started the year with a goal to pay of...
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May 2016 Debt Payment

May 2016 Debt Free Progress

May 29, 2016
2015 was our second year as home owners, and our first...
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share our journey to debt freedom sq

Why I Share Our Journey to Debt Freedom

May 5, 2016
For the last few months I've shared the breakdown of...
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april 2016 debt payment

April 2016 Debt Free Progress

April 29, 2016
Last year was our second year as home owners, and...
Read More
Becoming-Debt-Free

2016 Debt Free Progress: March

April 7, 2016
Last year, I had set a goal to pay off...
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student loan mistake

The Biggest Mistake I Made With My Student Loans

March 17, 2016
For the last few months I've been sharing our monthly...
Read More
133958

Debt Free Progress: February 2016

February 28, 2016
Last year, I had set a goal to pay off...
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Debt Free Progress: January 2016

January 29, 2016
Last year, I had set a goal to pay off...
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2015 December Debt Payment

Debt Free Progress: December 2015

December 29, 2015
Earlier this year, I set a goal to pay off...
Read More

November 2015 Debt Free Progress

November 29, 2015
Earlier this year I set some goals for what I...
Read More

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makingcentsmatter

This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid model, and your house does not have unlimited space. I was standing in our kitchen when I took this picture, the kids behind me making lunch.
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Our district is carefully monitoring our local infection rates, and we are currently in a hybrid form. That means they divided the district into two groups; half are in school on Monday and Tuesday, the other half on Thursday and Friday. They are offering an all remote option, but Verizon for some reason supplies our house with speeds so slow that it would shock a tortoise. Remote was a no-go.
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This set-up has taken some trial and error to get to where we currently are. Because no matter how prepared you are and how much you've planned, once you're in the weeds, actually doing it, there is no telling how your best-laid plans will work.
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Our home is a 1800sqft one-story, open living area, 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom, ranch-style house in a very rural area. It has no home offices. No guest bedrooms. Yes, that is a desk in the corner of our dining room. 🤣
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Each kid gets their own color bin for their school work. This includes school-issued Chromebooks and other standard items they need to get work done - headphones, pencils, and so on. When we are done for the day, we clean up everything, place them neatly in these bins, and place them in cubbies (on my current left) at night while the Chromebooks charge.
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I do NOT bother to clean up at lunchtime. It would take us more time to clean up and reset everything than it takes us to eat lunch. So we only pack it all up for the day and call it done.
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During the day, I sit between my younger two and field any questions they may have, troubleshoot technical issues we all have, and be the overall bouncer when things get off-topic. My high schooler will occasionally emerge from his bedroom, which opens to the kitchen. So he is close by when he has questions.
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Please remember that with all things in life, you need to work with what's available to you. And there is no shame in that. Don't ever feel like you're not doing good enough because it's not picture perfect. Work with what you have available to you, and you'll do amazing things.
School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I’ve finally realized I haven’t shared our payoff numbers for July or August. Yeah……
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Please keep in mind, we are paid monthly on the 15th, but we don’t go by a “monthly” budget. So I have to go back and look at these numbers based off their due dates in the calendar. Because our pay falls in the middle of the month, I can’t tell you what portion of our income went to debt. It’s going to vary paycheck to paycheck anyways because our priorities vary with each check. Nothing is ever the same month to month, and pay to pay.
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That said, inJuly we paid off $2,694.43.
In August we paid off $1,673.40.
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The difference here is that our priorities shifted between the two months.
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During August, we were doing more prep for whatever school would look like this year, and we had some savings goals make their way to the top of the list as well.
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Of those goals, in August we made progress!
EF Reimbursement: $146 / $1,200
Checking Buffer Reimbursement: $227 / $500
Vet Sinking Fund: $40 / $200
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Remember this is a journey, not a race. There is no point wearing yourself ragged and still making no progress. Make progress where you can, and celebrate it. Even if it’s $5.
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It’s progress, and that’s what matters!
While I wait for the canner to finish the last rou While I wait for the canner to finish the last round... I rearranged our recipe binder. It's only taken me 8 or so years. 🤣😶😭
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I miss the days when zucchini was my problem. Now it's tomatoes. I can only find so many ways to use up spaghetti sauce! So the next 50lbs or so will be chili base and unseasoned sauce.
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On top of this school is starting with a hybrid in building & online system. And I'm seriously slacking on some things I need to do. I'm not good at juggling multiple things and the balls are falling. But I keep reminding myself... be patient. This too shall pass. This is only a phase. So I pick and choose what's the most important, focus on that and go from there.
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So if you feel overwhelmed with your current phase, remember, this too shall pass. It's okay to rearrange priorities. It's okay to take a breather.
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This too shall pass.
If you didn't start finding interesting ways to ge If you didn't start finding interesting ways to get rid of the squash, can you say you even planted any?
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Good news, I'm almost caught up! Bad news, the garden has more.
Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins can come in super small packages. I thought I'd spend $380 to clean the band instruments in this house. I ended up spending $234. So the remaining $146 can go to reimbursing what I pulled from our EF.
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No matter the win, celebrate it!
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What are some wins you have had lately?
In total we have 15lbs green beans, 10lbs cucumber In total we have 15lbs green beans, 10lbs cucumbers, 5lbs blueberries, and countless zucchini and squash with more on the way! My weekend is spoken for... and this isn't all of it. 😳
Rather than looking back through all our non-month Rather than looking back through all our non-monthly bills for the year and try to remember what I paid and when I paid it, I make a note of how much it was on our bill pay tracker. That way I can easily tally it up at the end of the year, set our sinking funds next year accordingly, and not spend more time than is necessary on this... because kids and all.⁣
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Anyone else do this? Do you have a different method of tracking these expenses?⁣
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This particular printable is in my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MakingCentsMatter⁣
It's also part of my budgeting workbook, also in my Etsy shop.⁣
Good news though... there's a very similar free version in my resource library as well. Links are in my profile.⁣
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#budget #budgeting #sinkingfund #savingmoney #savings  #cashbudget #cash #cashisking #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #financialgoals #budgetprintable #personalfinancetips  #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #bs1 #bs2 #bs3  #makingcentsmatter #financialfreedom #debtfree
Probably an unpopular opinion here... but these tw Probably an unpopular opinion here... but these two things are NOT the same to me.⁣
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𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 paycheck to paycheck means that you're using all of your money for expenses with none left over for savings. This usually happens when you're not aware of where you are spending your money, and how much you are spending. For us, this happened in the form of those tiny expenses that can add up to even larger expenses, and then an unexpected bill comes and you have nothing left to cover it.⁣
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𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 paycheck to paycheck means that you are giving every single cent you earn a job to do that aligns with your priorities - like in sinking funds, savings, expenses, debt payments, etc - until the next paycheck. You have the money on hand to cover some unexpected expenses, and you are mindful of your spending so that you're not leaking money through small purchases.⁣
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This doesn't mean that there still aren't bad months. Murphy's Law does happen. But you are aware of the spending, aware of the priorities, and where your money needs to be allocated.⁣
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So... just because you're budgeting paycheck to paycheck doesn't mean you're living paycheck to paycheck.⁣
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June's paycheck was a doozy! I haven't looked forw June's paycheck was a doozy! I haven't looked forward to a paycheck since we first made the switch to monthly pays. It was so bad we've got a new order to things.⁣
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Good news is that if our state keeps closing things down, we should hammer this out in no time!⁣
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To see the full breakdown of how bad June's paycheck was, check out the June 15th Budget Review on our YouTube channel here https://youtu.be/gXoEo33hIYQ. Link is also in the bio.⁣
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