Getting on the right track.

Hey Ali. A great website that I use for tips on debt consolidation or reducing your debt is bankrate.com. It has a lot of advice columns on personal finance and it tracks interest rates on credit cards, car loans, home loans and just about any other finance related topic.

well i think you are really on the right track! you got that cute darn book that you made is the first step! you may not stop right away, but you will and that will be cool. we are not debt free by any means..but we have no credit card debt. we used tax refunds to pay off and cut them up. i never thought i could live without them but i can! and now since i am not making the $100 payments..i have money to buy what i want! keep trying and CUT THEM UP!!!

The fact that we say: The Media. So many agendas-political, religious, advertising dollars. The truth is out there Americans, but you may have to put down the remote and get off the couch to find it.
Everyone should have a living will, powers of attorney, and sign your organ donor cards. Simple steps for peace of mind and not agonizing over "am I doing the right thing?"
Talk to your family. Tell them you love them. Find out if your parents have done this. Know where the documents are kept if you ever need them. I spent part of a day this past spring in a cubicle in the ER next to a man who had had a severe stroke. His daughter said he didn't want to be resuscitated or put on a ventilator, but she didn't have the papers with her and had to leave him to find them. So sad.
Cheers to you for simplifying. One thing I try to remember when I see a "great bargain" (20,50, or 75% off)is that it is not a bargain unless I truly need the item.

call me superficial, but i REALLY want to see the cover of that journal/album...i just bought/read the "circle of simplicity;return to the good life" by cecile andrews. really made me think. actually i walked away thinking, damn how did she know how to write a book about me (my everyday life is all the scenerios of non-simplicity).
anyway...can i see the whole album/
d

I've been reading your blog lately (great stuff, BTW)--I came across it on a link (I sometimes wonder if all blogs are somehow linked to one another . . . like seven degrees of blogs or something) . . . I've enjoyed reading your words . . .
Anyway, one of my goals this year was to purge and live with less. Since we're a one income family with some debt issues, we kind of don't have a choice. I've massively decluttered over the past three months, getting rid of almost all but that which I love (Rome wasn't built in a day). Two websites I found helpful: www.organizedhome.com and www.freecycle.com And amazingly, it seems that the less I have, the less I want to buy! Oh, there are days I get the wants--usually at night when I'm looking at digital Rebels online . . . but I know that splurging and using a card would really throw my family into a financial mess.
My husband had a pretty bad car accident in October, and while I don't advocate that or make little of it, it really helped us to reevaluate our priorities. Sure, there are times I'd love to surround myself with new books, clothes, scrapbooking supplies, camera equipment, fun stuff for the kids . . . but when all is said and done, we're all here and that's all that really matters. Someday, when my kids are older and I go back to work, we'll be able to have more "stuff," but for now, I'm pretty happy most of the time with what we have.
And one thing we did to help with the credit cards was get rid of them (we keep the proverbial one for emergencies--and sometimes it seems we have too many "emergencies"). We consolidated our debt, and nothing is more sobering than seeing that big payment go out the door and realizing that it's paying mostly for things that are long since gone.
I hope I'm not coming off as preachy, because I don't intend to. I'm hardly a saint, and just the other night I was yearning for a digital Rebel so badly I could taste it (well, not really, but you get the idea). Just wanted to share some thoughts--and praise for your blog.

Ali,
You definitely hit on two great subjects today! Fun to read all the responses.
Having dealt with the money problems I have, I can definitely say one of the greatest things in my life NOW is that I cannot get credit cards. Living on cash is ideal. It has taught me so many lessons. About money. And about myself.
I challenge you to get rid of your credit cards, Ali. There are too many temptations in this day and age.
Paying for everything with cash has really made me think about every purchase I make. Even a magazine is something I have to consider and reconsider. "Could I use this money for something more worthwhile"?
Also, learning "when it is gone, it's gone" has been a good lesson for me. It makes me hang on to my money more.
It's too easy to buy things with credit cards. Too easy. Maybe the stop sign should go on the credit cards directly!
And finally, just like you said:
Think before you buy!!
YOU are worth it!

ali, i agree with the "live with less". it's amazing how the media tell us we need to keep up with the jones. media is a power medium. I need to read the book shelia talked about. I too would love to see the cover.
I find the terry schrivo case such a sad story. everyone can talk till they are blue in the face but the fact of the matter is that we don't know what she wanted. everyone needs to express what their wishes to their families and hopefully this will save another family from going through the horrible process.

Fabulous words, always. And in my small mind I wonder, how in the world does she manage to get those stamps so wonderfully straight and positioned such as they are?

Ali,
As a long time proponant of simple living I have two recomendations. First, read the book "Your Money or Your Life" by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominquez. The book is a bit outdated in relation to the bond markets they suggest, but we have tracked every penny in and out for 3 months (I could not keep it up for longer) and it is really very enlightening... You would be amazed at how much is spent on "little things". (now of course I don't do the best at following the YMOYL path, but it does work...). You can also do online study groups over at http://www.simpleliving.net/
Second, look up Northwest Earth Institute in Portland. They have a lot of Simplicity/Earth Stewardship classes that are taught, either for free or for the cost of the materials. I used to lead these in McMinnville, and they are great. The link is http://www.nwei.com. I am sure they have groups forming around the Eugene area all the time.
Good luck and great goals!
Kristy

Hi Ali! Love this book you made.....
on a sidenote: how in the world do you keep up with all the comments posted on your page?? :)

My husband and I were just talking about money and saving last night. I think I do a pretty good job--take my lunch to work everyday, plan meals for dinner, shop at thrift stores, get the coffee ready the night before for the next day, that sort of thing. But you know what gets us both? The little things. They add up-fast! Oh how I so want to buy the books I see recommended here or on other blogs. How easy it would be to just click on "download now" for certain albums people are listening to now. What's 10 bucks here, 20 bucks there? What difference is a weekly coffee & muffin going to make? Or an additional item at Freddies, what's the harm? Well, the harm is at the end of the month, there's one to two hundred bucks right there. Ouch! I could have bought lunch out that entire month. Anyway, now that I've made an effort to only buy to replace what I'm out of (lotions & potions, that sort of thing) or just enjoy hearing about what others are reading and look forward to checking it out at the library, there's less coming into my house and more staying in my bank account. Best of luck, Ali!
Amy

you can do it, girl! :)

My heart breaks for all those involved with the Schiavo situation. Unfortunately, you never know how it will feel until you are There. My mother had a living will. But at the moment of decision, she had a few second where she looked at me, really looked me in the eyes,and was lucid, but unable to communicate to me. Even with written directive, I worry about the choices she made before this instant. There is no win or lose here.
I am with you on the debt thing. The attitude to acquire so permiates our lives. It's subtle and strong.

Ali~
Great stuff today! TFS with us. I am torn up about the Terri Schiavo case right now. I have strong political leanings but right now, as a mother, I am outraged! I can not begin to imagine the anguish Terri is enduring at this moment, starving to death. But, to be a parent, helplessly standing by, watching your own child die from starvation at the hands of people who either don't know her or don't want to any longer. My heart is with her and her parents right now.
Angie

Today's blog is kind of like another arrow hitting the bullseye for my life. I have really been feeling convicted lately that I need to be a better steward of the resources that God has blessed me with. It's so easy to get caught up in the "I wants"...more sb stuff, a new and better camera, clothes, magazines, books (I am a children's book fanatic/freak!), everything in Pottery Barn ;), etc. but the question that I really need to be asking myself is if I really NEED what I'm drooling over.
Rob has been accepted to graduate school at Virginia Tech, and we will be moving from Eugene to Blacksburg this summer. This is definitely motivation for us to simplify and to work toward eliminating our current debt so we can live more comfortably and with less stress. We will also be cutting up some of our credit cards just so we don't have the temptation of using money that we don't even have.
I'd be more than happy to help hold you accountable--would you be willing to return the favor? :) Happy Tuesday!
~cc

Wow! Today's entry has stirred up so much for me. I don't follow the news carefully; I seem to find myself getting too emotional about so many of the things that I see there. But, I did use your links to check out a bit more about the Schiavo case. It breaks my heart. This must be an awful experience for all of her family to have to deal with. I remember many years ago, my great aunt went through great lengths to plan out so many things should she become ill. At 86, she still lives on her own; but it is things like the Schiavo case that make me realize how much of a blessing her careful planning is for the rest of the family.
On another note, I can completely relate to your comments on debt and living with less. The desire to have more is so strong, even when it is clearly just desire - not need.

Oh the ever continuing question on how to elimate debt?
Good luck Ali. I have been trying to deal with this for years.
I find it too easy to just buy more and more and more.
I told myself this year that I wasn't going to spend as much money. Well I think that is going downhill fast as 89 yards of ribbon arrived today. OH MY!!!! Shhhhh do not tell my husband.
I am constantly saying... next month I will be good.

Ali, well said on the Terri S. Case.
I'm SO with you on the debt thing too.
Luckily my husband MAKES me live in the reality of the *want more* attitude.

I know you've gotten a kazillion and one comments on this....but we went to a primarily cash budget for a while. We tracked everything for a few months and then determined how much we needed for things we could pay cash with (groceries, gas, etc) and took out that money in cash. We had a divided expandable folder thing and on payday we put the money for each segment into it's own divider. We then took a set amount as 'fun money' for each of us...I think it was $100/2 weeks or something like that. It could be used for going out for lunch, new shoes, a movie, etc. the other payments we had to make came directly out of our bank account...rent, car payment, etc. During that time we didn't use our credit cards.
We paid a shitload of debt down in a very short period of time by doing this. spending cash, versus spending on cards is much different. Cash is so much more real, and when it's gone, it's gone. We did this for 3 months and it was a very valuable excercise. One we need to do again as I'm losing money perspective. it's too easy for me to spend on a card or via paypal!
Anyways, sorry for the novel. R

Living with less....
When I was pregnant with Cole, and we were crunching numbers to see if we could, in fact, survive without my income, it was very eye opening to realize all of the stuff we already did without. It's not coming from me. It's all Dan. Had I not married a frugal Midwesterner, I would likely be in debtor's prison right now.
There I times when I wish for more...more stuff, better clothes, curtains so my neighbors don't catch a glimpse of my naked bod while walking from the shower to the bedroom (you'll see what i mean next week!) But with all that's been going on in my personal world, with dear friends, like Tara, I have really been profoundly affected by the realization that I have everything I need. It's almost made me a bit somber, and i'm not sure why. It's just a peaceful sort of acceptance that you could take everything away, and as long as there were Dan, Aidan, Cole and the people I love, i would be okay. More than okay. Blessed, in fact.
Just don't ask me to get my hair cut at Great Clips. I need that shoulder massage that adds to the overall cost.
: )
c