Just last week, I was blessed enough to be interviewed by Debt.Org and featured on their site. The interview was amazing, entertaining and truly a wonderful thing to be a part of. If you missed it, check it out here: Airman’s Blog Mixes Fun into Lessons in Frugality.
While I enjoyed the interview, I realized that we left out some pertinent information for people that may be looking to get out of debt, and who doesn’t really give a crap about my shoe obsession. So today, I want to tell you some important facts about our finances and how we handle debt and savings.
1. We Are Debt Free
We’ve worked hard to get rid of all debt between my Husband and I. Since 2007, we’ve gotten rid of all credit cards, student loan debt, car debt and any medical debt we may have had due to sickness or the births of our children. Our goal is to have our mortgage be the only debt we ever have in life.
2. We’re In The Market For A Home
We’ve been saving aggressively and, as stated above, all debt has been paid down. Our next step is to get all financial paperwork together, and start seriously looking for our first home. Our original goal was to pay cash for our first home, which may still be attainable, depending when we find our dream home. We’re in the midst of finding out the steps we have to take towards home ownership and how we can do it as frugally as possible.
3. Our Splurges Aren’t “Real” Splurges
When it comes to doing special things for our family, and doing things that we see as splurges, the experiences really aren’t that expensive. Someone who isn’t living a frugal lifestyle probably would not see these as splurges. We like to take the whole family out to local restaurants once a month (usually with a Groupon
or special deal), or we may take a “staycation” at a local hotel every 3 months or so. Even when we take our staycations, we use my military discount, and book through Ebates to get cash back for our stay.
4. We Save Big, And We Save Little
We make a point of saving as much money as we possibly can without feeling deprived. For example, we are now part of the 52 week savings challenge, which we count as a “small” savings since it’s only small amounts saved each week. On the other hand, we have a savings account linked to our Credit Union checking account, and we place our “real” savings in that account. I also take advantage of the savings programs that the military provides, like the Thrift Savings Plan, to have money automatically taken out of my military pay checks. Smaller savings are usually used for vacations or staycations, while the larger ones are being used towards a new car and our new house.
5. It Always Helps To Have A Side Hustle
I’ve mentioned Side Hustles before, but this is worth repeating. While my husband works during the day for NJ Transit, his side hustle is music producing. He has been a music producer since he was 19, so this has always been his money-producing passion. While I let go of my original side hustle a few years ago, blogging has become my new one, providing me with opportunities to supplement some of the bills in our home, or simply place any funds I make right into our savings.
6. We Set Small Goals With Big Results
The best way for us to get out of debt, was to set goals. We made a point to set small goals since they are attainable in a shorter amount of time. Also, once you accomplish that small goal, it motivates you to move on to the next one, or even tackle two goals at a time. When we were in dire straits, and behind on every bill, our goal was to be current on at least one bill. One by one, we became current on each bill, and then we were able to decide which bills to let go of (credit cards and home phone) and which bills to re-negotiate (insurance and cell phone). We all know that our big goal is to be completely debt-free, but give yourself smaller goals within your journey to keep you on track.
It’s a great feeling to be debt free. All we have now is our truck, which is going to be a while lol.
I TOTALLY need these tips.
I definitely splurge when I have extra, and I should really be saving instead!
Great post, we too are completely debt free. Our splurges, besides vacays, are not really huge-splurges as well. Helps with the budget!!
Thanks for sharing your personal financial tips! I love #3, I am such a cheap-o that even when we “splurge” it’s always with some deal I’ve scored somewhere, lol. And you know what, the kids still have JUST as much fun! 🙂
Loved hearing about what you are doing. We are in a similar position. We have been debt free for a year now and are working on saving for a house. Unfortunately, we aren’t getting as far as we would like, slowly but surely, right?
First of all, congrats on the interview Amiyrah! Gonna head over and read it. Good advice and the kind my husband and I could always use. We’re doing better at whittling down the debt, but we need work in the saving department and the splurge department, which go hand in hand, don’t they? 😉
I love your transparency Amiyrah! Post like these give people hope and a sense of get up and go when they see real people becoming debt free. We are debt free of all but our mortgage and it’s an awesome place to be. It feels great having money saved and real financial freedom. All of the former sacrifices were hard but so worth it. I can’t wait to read the next chapter of your journey.
Great tips Amiyrah! We’re part of the 52 week challenge as well, and are also working to pay down debt. I would love to purchase our first home in the next couple of years, and we’re taking steps to do just that – fiscally responsible steps at that.
good for you! We are debt free too with the exception of our mortgage and a large medical deductible. But we are getting there. Keep up the good work! ps. I pinned this!
Congrats on becoming debt-free. My student loans are looming over me and I know I need to figure out a way to get them under control!
I am glad that you have been able to become debt free. That is a wonderful achievement for your family. It is also wonderful that you have been able to save big and small.
I love that you and your husband are on the same page! That goes a long way in a relationship and makes a huge difference! Thanks for sharing this information!
Love this. We are debt free, too. Except the house (but Dave Ramsey says that doesn’t count) and are on schedule to be done with it in like 12 years.
We are bad about splurges..we never do them, big or small because we can’t even come up with anything to buy. It’s a little sad and boring:(
I am going to work on that… small goals … I know that I’m paying down my debt but I want to get there faster … I forget to remind myself to be patient. Thanks for sharing this with us!