News

I'm watching the news right now (and playing the very addicting Chain Factor). The news is all about the financial worries of citizens. Here are people's main concerns:

• Not being able to get a loan for a car
• Having to pay a high interest rate on a car
• Not getting high enough credit limites at places like Lowe's or Home Depot to cover their so called "needs"

People are upset. Scared. Very, very nervous. All because they may not get to borrow as much money as they used to. Well, boo hoo. For people like us who aren't ever going to borrow money again, that particular piece of this whole problem is not even an issue for us. And it shouldn't be for you either.

Maxed Out

If you haven't seen Maxed Out, I strongly suggest it. I watched it again last night.

Here are some interesting items I pulled from that movie:

The average family has $9,000 in credit card debt.

The most popular customers that credit card companies go after are those who have recently filed bankruptcy for two reasons:

1. They won't be filing bankruptcy anytime soon.
2. They have the "taste" for credit, meaning they are willing to make minimum monthly payments forever - which makes the credit card companies filthy rich.

Debt buying is one of the fastest growing industries on Wall Street. For those who don't know the details, this is what the $700 billion bailout is all about.

Eliot Spitzer was interviewed for the movie, which cracked me up.

One of Bush's top campaign contributor was MBNA, the country's second largest credit card issuer.

Consumers are "surfing", which means they are using debt to pay off other debts. They are caught in a vicious, never-ending cycle.

And the horrible story of the two college students who committed suicide because they had gotten themselves into too much debt and could not see a way out. Both students were initially approached during their freshman year on campus and offered a free t-shirt, frisbee, whatever, just for filling out the paperwork. Please, please make sure your kids are knowledgeable!!

Sacrifice

We are NASCAR fans.

We live in the midwest, a mere few hours from Kansas City.

Yesterday was the annual NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway.

We are season ticket holders of 4 tickets, at a price of over $1100.

We did not go.

We sold our season tickets for 2008.

This is what it means to sacrifice and live like no one else so that LATER we can really live like no one else. Next year at this time we plan to be debt free but the house, and we will go to that race as family and enjoy every single second of it.

Tips for Paying Down Debt

Soooo…the dreaded HELOC. Hate it. According to my survey, some of you also have a HELOC. I hope you hate yours as much as I hate mine.

The mature date on my loan is June 14, 2017. I can’t imagine hating something this much for that long. I’m hoping the actual ending date for this thing is closer to June 14, 2009. It’s definitely going to happen, if not before then.

Since February, we have made 47 payments toward our loan. FORTY SEVEN! Only 8 of those were our “regular” monthly payments that mostly went to interest. So even though this loan is kicking our butts, we are working like crazy to kick its butt.

Where do all of our extra payments come from? Here are some examples:

We changed our deductions on our paychecks, such as federal withholding, automatic withdrawals for extra retirement savings and lowering my 401K amount. Each time we get paid, I figure the difference of the new paycheck amount vs the old paycheck amount. The difference is immediately submitted as a principal payment toward our loan.

Can return money always goes toward the loan. Remember my $4.00 principal payment? Oh yes I do make $4.00 principal payments.

Pool Boy works his ass off. He gets probably 3-4 paychecks per week from his various jobs, plus additional income from his side business. Some of those checks are deposited into our Christmas bank account (yes we have a separate bank account for that) but all other checks go directly to the loan. NOTE – If you are going to get out of debt at a rapid pace, you are going to have to get extra jobs temporarily!

Selling stuff on Craigslist, half.com or eBay. This isn’t happening as much as it used to because we don’t have very much left to sell. But back when we first got focused on getting out of debt, this is how we got our plan jumpstarted.

Interest on our savings account. I know, I know, hardcore Dave followers. I’m breaking his “rules” and I know this totally does not make sense when you run the numbers. We have not taken our savings down to the $1000 amount. Pool Boy won’t be without large savings, and I’ve had to pick my battles. So we have a decent bank account that now makes 6% interest. Anyway, the interest we make on this account gets paid to the loan.

And of course, our monthly income. We spend as little as possible each month so we have money left over at the end of the month to send to debt. We NEVER pay just our monthly payment because that would get us nowhere.

Anyone want to share where they get extra money from?

Yesterday's Spending = zero!!

Wed Expenses

Yesterday was not a spend-free day...

$125.00, approximately. Gas bill, vitamins, prescription, a few groceries.

Here is one of those days we've been dreading

Today would have been my parents' 37th wedding anniversary.

Total spent today - $0.00!!

Two Weeks

Pool Boy and I have made a mission of spending as little as possible these last two weeks of the month. We have the opportunity to make a substantial payment toward our debt this month (yay extra paychecks!) so we're saving every single penny we can to make this amount as high as possible. To help keep me focused, I'll be posting everything I spend money on for the rest of September.

Total for today: $5.61
I had to take the boys on a road trip with me tonight. To reward them for their patience and help, we stopped for ice cream on the way home.

Causes of Personal Failure

I'm still reading Napoleon Hill's Keys to Success. I ran across this list yesterday in the book and think it's worth sharing with you. Below are some of his "Major Causes of Personal Failure." As you are reading this list, make note of which things are holding you back -- and make a plan to do something about them!

1. The habit of drifting through life without a definite major purpose
2. Meddlesome curiousity about other people's affairs
3. Inadequate education - **Personally I don't take this to mean that you need a college degree in order to be successful. I just think you need to be always learning, reading, studying up on whatever topic needs to be studied to make yourself successful.
4. Lack of self-discipline
5. Lack of ambition
6. Lack of persistence and follow-through
7. Negative mental attitude
8. Lack of emotional control
9. The desire to get something for nothing
10. Failure to reach decisions promptly and firmly when all the facts needed for the decision are available
11. Overcaution or the lack of caution - **I think being overly cautious can paralyze you. You'll never make a decision and therefore be stuck in your situation forever.
12. Indiscriminate spending of time and money
13. Intolerance
14. Failure to cooperate with others in a spirit of harmony
15. Lack of vision or imagination
16. Egotism and vanity
17. Desire for revenge
18. Unwillingness to go the extra mile

This wasn't his entire list - just the ones I wanted to point out. I hope you read that list carefully. Read it again if needed. Any changes you should be making?

Sunday Wisdom

"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender."

Proverbs 22:7

Who is at Fault?

"It's important for you to know that if you have a bad credit score, it's not your fault!"


The above advertisement has been screaming over the airwaves lately. It scares me to think of the number of people who may be listening to it thinking, "Hey, this dude is on to something. It's not my fault. I've been screwed by the credit card companies!"

But it's so wrong because if you have a bad credit score, it's totally your fault!

I think back to the day we signed our HELOC loan. (oh the horrors to think back to that dreadful day...) The lady we worked with informed us, "You have one of the best credit scores we've seen in awhile!" In my head, I was doing an Austin Powers "Yeah, Baby!"

Now I know better. I realize her statement really meant, "Wow you've borrowed a lot of money but at least you are making regular payments!" While it's better to have a good credit score than a bad one, an awesome credit score only means you're good at going into debt. Nothing to be proud of.

I guess this means I'm not "Patriotic"

Joe Biden says it's the "patriotic duty" of wealthier Americans to pay more in taxes. "We want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people."

He considers "wealthy" people to be those making $250K and above. I don't make anywhere near that amount of money. However, this still isn't sitting well with me.

Let me talk this out here to make sure I understand. Those who work hard, pay attention to their finances, become successful and build wealth should be forced by law to give their money back to the government - who will then turn it over to those who do not work hard, do not pay attention to their finances, don't put forth the extra effort to advance themselves and therefore do not build wealth.

Sounds an awful lot like this. And even this.

Busted!

I normally won't double post at both sites, but this one I really want to share this tip with other parents out there.

Check out my Busted! post over at IowaMoms.com.

I'm a Contributor

It's official. I'm a contributor to Iowamoms.com. I have the button to prove it.

Darn Blogger is all horked up so I can't show you the Iowa Moms Contributor button right here, but it is on my sidebar. Scroll down a little bit to see it. Cool, huh?

First I was totally on board with helping with this project, then life ran me right into a brick wall so I told Iowa Mom, "Girlfriend, I am so out." But then I kept getting emails like she never received my "I am so out" message. So now I'm back in. I've even posted a few articles - woo hoo! For now, you can find my under the Work and Finance Channel. Head on over. This is an amazing group of Iowa bloggers and I'm excited to be a part of it.

On a different matter, many of you have wondered how my relatives fared (or is it faired? idk) in Houston. They made it through fine and those who had gone there are now back at home. Thanks for the comments and emails asking about their status.

On yet another matter, I've spent the past few days reassuring myself that we are never given more than we can handle. This year has thrown unbelievable challenges at our family, yet we continue to love each other and help each other through the dark days. If you have extra prayers, shoot 'em our way. We'll use them wisely.

Prayer Request

I want you to read something. I've run across the story of a young couple, Stephanie and Christian, with four children. The couple was in a plane crash in August and are just beginning down a very long road to recovery.

I ask you to read it at this time because Stephanie goes in for skin graft surgery on Tuesday. They say this is a critical point in her recovery.

Please send your prayers to this family today.

Read about them here:
Main Recovery Website

Stephanie's sister's blog

Debt "Experts" Are Full Of Crap, according to moi

So apparently it's starting to be "hip" to be without debt. I'm down with that. The news is full of articles about debt. Unforunately, most of those articles are full of crap. Like this one, for instance, from the Des Moines Register's Business section.

For consumers, "it's OK to borrow for items that you know will last beyond the payment period, like a car, or a washer-dryer, or furniture," Iowa State University personal finance expert Tahira Hira said. **Please make note. She's a personal finance expert. At Iowa State. Where young adults are currently going to learn about how to be successful at life. Where my kids will probably go to college. I'm scared...

Borrow against income-producing property - "the ultimate in smart borrowing," said Gerry Neugent, president of Knapp Properties. **And, let's say, it doesn't produce any income? Then what?

"Debt is not bad," Iowa State University personal finance expert Tahira Hira said. "It's how we use it." For individuals, she said, "it's OK to borrow for items that you know will last beyond the payment period, like a car, or a washer-dryer, or furniture." **Good. Lord. This is EXACTLY the kind of attitude that gets people into trouble. Borrowing for furniture? Wait a sec...I just worked my rear end of to come from exactly that place, borrowing money for stuff for stuff I could not afford. I have no plans to go back there and now you are teaching people this way of life? So I guess go ahead kids. I mean, if you want furniture and a new washer-dryer combo. Apparently there's no need to wait until you can afford it.

Houston, We Have A Problem

My grandparents flew to Texas yesterday in hopes of watching the Cubs play this weekend. And not just Texas - HOUSTON, TEXAS. All of my Dad's siblings are there this weekend.

That's all I really have to say about that.

INTERESTing

I have something to share with you that I hope you follow up on. It won’t make you rich, but it will help.

www.checkingfinder.com

This website, endorsed by Dave Ramsey, helps you find checking accounts that offer high interest rates. That’s right! Interest on checking accounts!

These aren't invisible banks that you aren’t sure whether or not they even exist. These are real life banks. The one that I ended up going with was Lee County Bank and Trust right here in Iowa. The interest rate I’m getting on the checking account is 6.01% and THAT, my friend, is unheard of.

There are only 4 requirements that have to be met per billing cycle in order to qualify for this particular account:

1. Make 10 debit card purchases. I use my debit card for almost all purchases so not a problem.

2. Authorize either one direct deposit into your account, or one ACH auto debit from your account.

3. Agree to receive your bank statements online.

4. Access your online banking account at least once per month. Think three times daily is too much?

The biggest hurdle in getting our account set up was getting our documents notarized. Pool Boy and I are rarely in the same place during the weekday, and there aren’t many notary publics hanging around late at night when we finally are in the same location.

We have transferred all of our savings over to the new account and will also move our checking transactions over there. I'm not excited about having those two together in one account, but they are kept separate on my personal spreadsheet so I can work around it.

I’m curious to know if any of you go through with this so gimme some feedback.

FORWARD MARCH!

Where do you see yourself two years from now?

No really. Stop and think. I’ll wait.




So now let’s say I asked you this question two years ago. What would you have said about your life in 2008? Are you right where you wanted to be?

If so, Pool Boy would tell you, “That’s phenomenal!”

If not, it’s time to evaluate what you are doing – or not doing – to improve your life and to reach your goals.

I recently listened to a co-worker give a talk on leadership. She talked for about 20 minutes, but two words in her presentation struck me as soon as she said them: Forward Thinker.

People who are successful are forward thinkers. They have a plan, and they know exactly how they are going to execute that plan. Forward thinkers do not sit back and wait to see what life brings them. Oh no. These people know what they want out of life and they go get it.

I encourage you to start being a forward thinker in your personal life and your professional life. I’m going to direct you here and I really hope that every single one of you clicks this link and reads the advice this person offers.

It's Extra Paycheck Time!

If you are living on a monthly financial plan, and you get paid bi-weekly on the same schedule I do, it’s should be extra paycheck time for you!

My extra paycheck will come on Sept 19th. The next check will arrive a few days into October, but I will accommodate for that by leaving some extra money in checking to cover the Oct 1 bills that are automatically deducted from my account.

As I’ve said in the past, before I started focusing on my finances I did not keep track of “extra” paychecks. If there was money in my bank account, that’s all I needed to know. So the extra paycheck basically disappeared. Sad. Now that I’m aware, of course, it absolutely ROCKS!

This money should never be needed for normal expenses because you are already living on a monthly plan that does not include “extra” paychecks. Right? RIGHT?

It’s critical that you do something productive with this money. Productive does not include going to the mall, going on a vacation, or just letting it sit in your checking account waiting for it to get swallowed up by other miscellaneous expenses. And misc expenses will come up because you see that balance in your account and think, “Hey! Look at all that money in there!”

No, doing something productive means taking the amount of that check and sending it to a credit card. Or your car loan. Or your student loan.

Or in my case, a “stupid tax” swimming pool loan. No laughing, Iowa Mom. I know. I soooo know.

On another note, I took some cans back over my lunch hour and received a total of $4.00. Every penny went toward my debt.

Busy Season

If you happened to stop by my house on any given evening, it would be clearly obvious that our household is in the midst of Busy Season. Or maybe it wouldn't, since I would let you in the door. I would take picture examples for your entertainment, but I have no idea where my camera is. Most likely at the bottom of one of the 4 bags I have with me at all times. And mostly without charged batteries.

Every year this happens to us. School starts, sports starts, and nothing else gets done. Let's take tonight, for example, shall we?

1. Leave work right at 5:00.
2. As I'm in the car, call 3 and tell him if he expects to last through soccer practice he better find something to eat before I get home. And did Green get home from football? Ok, good.
3. Pull into the driveway at 5:30. Run inside to grab the kids and "Did you eat something, 3? and "I'm hungry too, mom!" and "You're going to have to wait, Green. I don't have time to feed you."
4. Get back in the car and drive 3 to his soccer practice in a different town.
5. Make a "Seriously, mom! I am so hungry!" stop at Subway for Green. (Yes, I know. We ate out!)
6. Drive back to our town because Green's soccer uniform pickup only lasts until 7:00. Of course.
7. Get a phone call from a friend who has kids same age as my kids. Apparently there is an "after school" issue that needed addressed. Hung up the phone and addressed it. Thanks, KT - we parents have to be on the same team!
8. Drove back to the other town to pick up 3.
9. Stopped at Subway again because 3 thought he needed an actual meal.
10. Started to head back home. "Do you guys have any homework?"
11. Do I! Do you? Do I? Do you? Do I? Do you?
12. Sat the troops down to the table. "Get your backpacks out."
13. Green. Where is your backpack?
14. Get back in the car and head to the elementary school. Look through the dark for a black backpack that was left behind after football practice.
15. Get everyone sat down to the table. Homework, homework, homework.
16. Green, have you practiced your piano this week? No? Get over there.
17. Ok, kids. We're late getting to bed. Let's go!
18. Package the Ramsey books that I promised to ship out two days ago. Sorry new friends. They are going out tomorrow for sure.
19. And now, the blog.

Notice there are not words like "dusting" or "closet organizing" or "putting laundry away" on that list. That's how we roll this time of year.

$15.60 for Pop

That's how much I was paying for a 24 pack of pop. Out of the pop machine at work.

Yes, I'm a pop drinker. I know I should quit but it's not happening anytime soon. I drink a bottle on my way to work each morning then I have a can in the afternoon. I always got my afternoon pop out of the pop machine because, "it's only 65 cents."

But "only" adds up.

I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and spotted a 24 pack for $5.00. I stopped, ran through the quick calculations in my head, then threw the case of pop into my cart and got the heck out of there before I bought anything unnecessary.

This is just one little thing, but I just saved myself $10.60. Think of all the other "little things" that could save you some money.

On another note, I have had several unwanted purchases sitting on my bedroom floor. For months. I finally brought them to work with me today and returned them over my lunch hour. I then had $66.00 in cold, hard cash! But only for a short time. I immediately deposited it, then came back to work and entered a principal payment of $66.00. Of course.

Short Family Getaway

We like to set aside money to take short weekend getaways now and then. It's fun to hang out with just the 4 of us, away from the distractions of television, laundry, work and school.

This past weekend we went to the Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, Minnesota. It was a favorite spot of my parents' and they spent many anniversaries there. It was exciting to introduce Three and Green to a family tradition of sorts.

They saw Puke and Snot for the first time, sadly without the original Snot who passed away earlier this month unexpectedly. Green got to battle Pool Boy in a sword fight. Pool Boy taught Green how to shoot a bow and arrow. And they both got to throw tomatoes at the dude in the vegetable pit. They learned a lot of new things (some not so kid-appropriate) and we had a great time getting away.

If you are going, and I'm sure you'll all rush up there now, I highly recommend staying at this place. It's not your normal hotel. It's elegant, out in the middle of its own acreage and is not full of kids. And the best part, they have their own indoor gymnasium and racketball court. Green thinks we should go back up there and stay "for a whole week!" All that, and the rates are cheaper than the regular hotels we looked at. Our room rate included 2 adults passes to the festival and two drinks at the bar in the hotel.

Doing

There are two types of people who don't succeed. There are those who never do anything except what they are told to do. And there are those who cannot do even what they are told to do. The people who get ahead do things that should be done without being told. And they don't stop there. They go the extra mile and do much more than is expected of them.

--Napoleon Hill

Parenting

I read a Dear Abby letter today that broke my heart. I can't find the online version of it, or else I would link you to it. It was a letter from an 11 year old girl. She said her Dad never played with her. He was always too busy working, hanging out with friends, or sitting in front of the television.

Being a parent is way more than bringing home a paycheck and hanging around the house. Do things with your kids. Get involved in the things they like to do, whether it's playing baseball/softball, playing catch, playing a board game, or playing with dolls. It will make a world of difference in their childhood.

In a somewhat related note, our family plays baseball all summer long, always parents vs. boys. We're now in the middle of our World Series and Pool Boy and I are down 2-1 in the series. It's important to note that this is our first win of the entire summer...

Which Type Are You?

There are three types of people:
Those who make things happen
Those who watch things happen
Those who talk about what happened

Those who make things happen get involved. They make a difference in the world around them. If a problem arises, they fix it. If an opportunity presents itself, they jump on it. They are constantly reading and learning, all in order to better their life. Hard work and discipline lead this group to amazing wealth. They never have to worry about money, they are able to enjoy their family, and they are able to really the things that life has to offer. The happiest people, the most successful people, are THESE people.

Those who watch things happen are in the middle. They see what the “doers” are doing and think it’s great, but don’t step up to the plate to do any of those things themselves. They are always following in the footsteps of someone else. If an opportunity arises, they are skeptical and shy away from it. These people go with the flow and let life happen to them. They don’t make life work for them. They are “happy enough”.

And then there are those who do the talking. “I don’t make enough money.” “I’ll never get ahead.” “All the greedy people have the money” “I’d be successful if it weren’t for (fill in the blank)” “I’d have money if only the government would (fill in the blank).” “Nobody will give me a break.” “My boss doesn’t realize how valuable I am.” “I don’t know how they got out of debt. Someone must have given them a bunch of money.” This is the most vocal group, as they are the gossipers, whiners, and complainers.

Everyone of us belongs in that first group. We’re not all there yet so make that your goal. Don’t sit back and wait to see what life presents to you. Go make the life that you want to have.

Keys to Success

Since I’m on the kick of getting you to read, let me keep right on going.

Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement
By Napoleon Hill

This book I’m reading now is so full of valuable information, I haul a notebook with me so I can take notes as I read it. To give you an glimpse into the book, here are a few of the lines I’ve underlined and notes I’ve taken while reading it:

If you are going to achieve success, you will do so only by extraordinary effort, effort that most people are not willing to make.

People simply will not tolerate a bad mental attitude.

A positive mental attitude is the most important aspect of any attractive personality. It influences your tone of voice, your posture, your facial expressions. It modifies every word you say and determines the nature of emotions you feel.

Fear of criticism can prevent you from acting on ideas that are revolutionary, ideas that would give you independence. It robs you of your individuality.

I got my book for practically nothing on half.com. I don’t have any extras of these to give away, but it’s well worth the investment to get yourself a used copy.

WINNERS!

You are all winners, but only three of you are BOOK winners!

Congrats to LeAnn, Rick and Tug! I think I know who LeAnn is and the other two I'll get in touch with to get your mailing information. My books haven't arrived yet, but hopefully they will today or tomorrow so I can get them to you right away.

Now it's your turn to do some work - READ THE BOOKS!

Green3 on the Radio

If you've read through the recent comments, you've seen that some people heard Dave Ramsey mention my name on his radio show the other day. And not even my blog name - my REAL name!

Sadly, it was not on Debt Free Friday. That's for another day.

I sent him an email telling him that I had purchased several of his TMMO books to give away on my blog and to thank him for letting us take advantage of his $10.00 sale. He read my email on the air and used it as a short promo for his Labor Day sale.

If you download his podcasts, you can find it in the first hour of his Aug. 25 show. It's about 10:40 into the show. The boys and I sat around the laptop the other night listening to it. They were so excited. "MOM! DAVE RAMSEY SAID YOUR NAME! I bet he remembers you from when you went to Kansas City to see him!"

Probably, green. Probably.

And Now a Pic of the Fam

Dave Ramsey Giveaway!

**Sticky post. Scroll down for current posts.

If you know me at all, you know I hate to spend money unnecessarily. But you also know that I like to help people.

Dave Ramsey is running his $10 Labor Day sale. I took advantage of that sale and just bought 7 copies of The Total Money Makeover. That’s $70 I’m not sending toward debt, so that’s how strongly I feel about sharing this with other people. It is life changing.

One copy will be donated to my local library and am going to keep a few just in case I find someone who needs it and who will read it. I will be giving away three copies here on this post.

Here are the things you don’t have to do in order to enter:

• You don’t have to tell me how much debt you have.
• You don’t have to give me your story.
• Heck, you don’t even need to have debt.
• You don’t need to have a blog.
  

Here are the things you do need to do:

• Post a comment here and tell me that YOU WILL READ IT. Don’t just sign up because it’s something “free”.
• You can post anonymously if you want, but I do need to be able to tell who you are if you win.
• You need to sign up by Thursday, August 28 at 8:00AM.
  

GOOD LUCK!

First Day of School Pics

Opportunities

The door of opportunity is always open. You just have to be willing to go through it.

Spare Change

This morning I collected all the change around our house, some small misc checks we had, and went to the bank and placed it as a payment toward our heloc. It came to $40.12.

Laugh if you want, but I bet it's a larger principal payment than most people made today.

It's for US

As we were celebrating our "Dave" anniversary the other day, Pool Boy asked how much we had paid off in one year. I'm kicking myself for not keeping an exact number like those people on Dave's Debt Free Friday calls do, but from my rough estimates it's around $45,000. IN JUST ONE YEAR! That is a lot of sacrificing, a LOT of selling stuff and a lot of focus.


I heard a phone call of Dave's today from a lady who paid off $50,000 in debt with a $65,000 annual income. They had a whole lot of stuff to sell. "Was it worth it?" Dave asked. "Without a doubt," she replied.


I have two new pictures hanging in my office at work. One is of a beach and one is of a mountain. That will be my life in the future and I remind myself of that every single day. We are working to make money for us - not for a car payment, not for a credit card payment, not for a bunch of things that make us appear wealthier than we really are. The money is for us.

VPs

I don't talk politics around here too much, but it's VP time! Obama has picked his VP, he says, but won't give a name yet.

Joe Biden - Has anyone ever seen this guy smile?

Bill Nelson - Well, this just cracks me up for reasons only a few of you will understand. I guess I had no idea he was interested in the job.

Evan Bayh - Maybe, although it's just another strange name we have to get used to.

Hillary - President? Yes. Vice President? No.

Tom Vilsack - Would be cool, but wouldn't fly. Nobody knows him except us Iowans.

Caroline Kennedy - I've only seen her name mentioned once but this would be a winning ticket. She's my pick, but why on earth would she want it?

Personally, I think Republicans blew it this election. McCain? Seriously? I could be persuaded to vote Republican because some of my views are *gasp* conservative but John McCain? No, just no.

Tana, then Attitude

Before I get to the attitude thing, let me fill you in on Tana. She was, in one word, amazing. I ended up buying some of her stuff and subscribing to her enewsletter. If you have the opportunity to listen to her speak, DO IT. I pray that the people in her audience last night listened to what she had to say and will make changes in their lives.

And now, attitude. I was planning this long intense post about having a positive attitude. But I'm just going to say this:

A negative attitude will destroy you, your personal relationships, your work relationships, and everything else. Take note of the thoughts going through your head and the words coming out of your mouth. Are you a negative person? Focus on yourself - if you catch yourself thinking or saying negative things, STOP. It will change your life.

Ok, and now this. Millionaire Mommy Next Door wrote exactly what I've been wanting to write. So I will just point you over there. And don't think you don't need to read it because chances are you do. She relates positive attitudes to wealth building but the points she makes apply to achieving all of your goals.

Bedazzled!

Tonight I am going to listen to Tana Goertz speak. You know Tana. Apprentice? Bedazzler? Iowa? Well now people pay her cash to speak, I guess. I’m not sure on what but since I don’t have to pay for it I’m totally going. Food in involved.

But wait. I just checked her website out. This might actually be completely awesome! I love motivational books, quotes, and the like. This could be right up my alley…

Remembering

Life is slowing down for the summer around the green3 house. That's great news, except for one thing.

I now have more time think about how much I miss my Dad.

Don't worry - I'm fine. I just miss him. He's missing out on so much. WE are missing out on so much. I know I'm supposed to say that "he's in a better place now" but how could it be better than being here with us?

So with that, I'm ready to share his obituary with you. I still read it almost daily.

Anniversary

One year ago I discovered Dave Ramsey.

Pool Boy and I were talking last night about where we were at financially one year ago. He had just bought a brand new, cherry red zero turn mower for $3000 – financed, of course. We had two car payments that equaled $785 per month. We had credit card debt of several thousand dollars. We had a home equity line of credit loan with a very large balance. We owed Best Buy for a new television and laptop. And on and on. And ON. We thought we were doing well (just like some of you may be thinking now, eh?).

Then I downloaded one of Dave’s podcasts and listened to it while on a walk one evening. What he said stopped me in my tracks – literally. Like, I was walking and then I stopped. Then I proceeded to panic. “Ohhhhhhhh Noooooo,” I thought to myself. “He’s talking about us.”

What Dave said that night informed me that we were dead broke. And we didn’t even realize it until that night. We never had a problem paying our bills, but here is where we were going wrong:

• We weren’t in charge of our money. We had no idea how much was going in and how much was going out.
• If we wanted something but couldn’t pay cash for it, we financed it. Car, truck, big screen television, laptop, mower, leather furniture…all financed. Some at zero percent interest, but still financed.
• We bought a lot of crap we didn’t need. We went out to eat a lot, bought clothes if we saw something we liked, bought jewelry, went away on unplanned (in other words, unbudgeted) weekends, and then some.
• Retirement? We foolishly thought we didn’t need to do anything except keep contributing to my 401K and PB’s pension plan. What kind of retirement would that have been?
• We were grossly under-insured. Thank god nothing happened to either one of us during that time.

We had no plan. We were completely winging it. We were broke and only going to get more broke. It took a wake up call from Dave to realize it. Thank god we listened.

Oh, and today is also our real anniversary. Happy 15th year, Pool Boy! I love you!

The Difference

Because I’m a nerd, I did a little more analyzing of my line of credit loan tonight. I mostly like looking at the running balance along the right side of the page and to see how fast that has gone down.

Our real push on this (OUR LAST) debt started in January. Since January, we have made 34 payments toward this loan for a total of $14,000 knocked off the principal. (insert happy dance here). Those payments are for a wide range of amounts, some as low as $3.00 to others well over $1,000.

If I had only been paying the amount due, which basically was the interest, I would have made only 8 payments for a total of $2240 and my principal would be exactly the same today as it was on January 1.

$14,000 = good
$0 = bad

I’m telling you this because I want to give you a real example of how getting out of debt works. Spend way less than you make and send every single extra penny you have toward your smallest debt.

Snowflakes in August

Today I sent a principle payment of $6.48 to my loan.

Since my loan is substantially more than that, you may think I'm insane. Or at the very least, wasting my time.

This is how debts are gotten rid of, friends. You gather every penny you have and put it toward your debt. Don't wait for the huge amounts because they will probably never come. These small payments are called snowflakes!

If you still think I'm crazy, let me tell you that snowflakes played a huge role in getting my car paid off. Every time I sold a book on half.com, the money I made went directly to the loan - even if it meant sending in a check for $6.48. I didn't even waste envelopes and postage because I do all of my payments online. If you are paying your bills through your online banking feature, you really need to do it.

Snowflakes work. They also make you feel like you are accomplishing something - because you are.

Perfect Quote

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

-- Dalai Lama

July = Broke

July was our worst month in the past year, budget-wise. We spent a LAWT of money – went way over budget. Summer tends to do that to us. Here’s a rundown of where all the extra money went this month:

Vet bill, Pool Boy’s sister’s wedding (PB and boys were in wedding, plus gifts), truck repairs, fall soccer registrations, Dad’s memorial golf tournament, ½ beef and ½ pork purchases, family reunion expenses, oven repairs, and a new grill (old one flew out the back of our truck).

PB had plans for our family last night – we didn’t go* because we are over budget. We have plans for tonight – may not go* because we are over budget. It’s ridiculous to spend that much money.

*Ok, ok, so we also aren’t going to these things because of MY BACK! I’m on the couch until the chiro work kicks in. But still. I’m tired of spending that much money!

Our whole family has agreed on the reward at the end of our debt reduction plan. Once we are debt free except for the house, we are going on a cruise! We anticipate that happening within the next 12 months, plus we’ll need a few additional months to save up cash for the cruise. It’s fun to have everyone on board because now each time they ask to buy something I can say, “But what about the cruise?” Gets ‘em every time.

Missing Me?

Wow has summer been brutal on us! Yes, SK and JC, BRUTAL!

Let's see, what have I been up to...

There was the family reunion with TONS of people in attendance.

Dad would be shocked at the First Annual DL Memorial Golf Tournament was put on by us, his golf-idiot family, this past Sunday. But hopefully he would not be shocked by the fact that we were somewhat successful at it. Really, we just know the right people to ask for help.

Immediately after the golf tournament, RAGBRAI went through. (Sorry, if you don't know what RAGBRAI is, I'm not explaining it to you here.) Pool Boy, with his addiction to volunteering his time, was a busy busy man.

This weekend Pool Boy's sister is getting married. Family is arriving tomorrow at our house and staying until Sunday. We are hosting a get-together at our house tomorrow night, which means we spent all last night and tonight cleaning.

I'll be back soon!

DR for Dummies

I don't know how Dave Ramsey can take these calls day after day without freaking out. Last week a lady called in with this scenario:

Annual Salary - $75,000
Mortgage - $325,000
Car Payments - $1000 (monthly)

She was scared out of her mind because she was falling behind on payments. Really? You don't need Dave Ramsey to know that these numbers don't calculate out.

Another one for you: A caller had a vehicle that got bad gas mileage. She wanted to sell it to purchase a car with better gas mileage, but the new car would cost her an additional $5,000. Total miles driven each year was about 4,000. Dave told her, "It makes absolutely no sense to go buy that car!" She sheepishly said, "Oh. It doesn't?"

I can't believe some of these people have even heard of Dave Ramsey with the stupid questions they ask.

Family Reunion Hangover

I woke up at 10:00 this morning and was suffering from a major family reunion hangover. It had nothing to do with alcohol because I didn't have a drop. But still, I felt like crap. For the past 3 days I've eaten more brownies, cake, ice cream, chips, pop, and potato salad than any body should be subject to. I haven't exercised for at least a week. I haven't had a glass of milk since last Wednesday. I was severely short on sleep (hence the 10:00 wake-up time).

All that means I had a darn great time and am so happy to be part of such a great family!

The Elephant Plug-In

Buster the dog has been very busy stinking. I mean, BAD. He likes to roll in smelly stuff and apparently he found the mother load. Sincere apologies to anyone who ventures near my house this weekend...

which is ok because I won't be here anyway. Remember? The family thing. Tomorrow there are teams, challenges, and I think athletic ability is required. That means everyone will probably be fighting to have me on their team. For those of you who don't know me IRL, you can be assured that it is TOTALLY true. I'm sporty.

I don't know what my official relationship is to the children of my cousins. Anyone? Are we second cousins or is there some removal business going on? Dang those kids are cute. Everytime a little one walked by, I caught myself saying, "He/She is soooo cute!" Then Green walked by, and I yelled, "Oh...that one is REALLY cute!" I received a roll of the eyes on that one, but it's so true.

Have you noticed that I've used CAPITAL letters a lot in this post? I'm bothered by them, yet I have to use them so you will read the sentences EXACTLY the same as they sound in my head.

Is anyone going to leave me a comment, or you are mad at me because you are jealous of the awesome design of my blog?

I have to throw in a money note here. I've got $1855.00 set aside for air conditioner/furnace purchase should the need arise. I can hear the heloc yelling from uptown, "GIVE ME THAT MONEY!" (see? more caps!), but no. I'm pretty sure the need will be arising any day now so I need to get prepared.

Enough randomness.

These Tapes Are Ready to Roll

Hey there. Slacker blogger here. Remember back when I said this blog had become less and less important on my to-do list? Apparently I really meant it.

So let's see...what's been going on...

I love the new show Wipeout. Or maybe I just love the commentary that goes along with the show.

I've lost a CD I borrowed from the library. And I'm afraid to tell them so the fines keep racking up.

Pool Boy just told me he almost took the boys to Hooters for lunch, but Three was too scared. Thank God I'm around to help raise my boys.

We came very close to losing our friend due to sudden health problems. He's deployed to Colombia. That's the COUNTRY. Like in SOUTH AMERICA. He's out of the woods, but still on a respirator and unconscious. They've taken 80% of his small intenstine. I have no idea what that means, but it can't be good.

I have an uncle, my dad's brother, who is very ill. Dad would have hated to watch this happen. Wait...maybe he is watching, but from the other side?

This weekend we have a huge family reunion. HUGE. There will be boating, games, fireworks and festivities.

I love having post titles that don't mean a damn thing.

Directions

I'm proof that you need to be in control of your money

Here is a list of reasons why it’s important to have an emergency fund set aside as well as a handle on your monthly budget.

1. Dog surgery - $1400
2. Truck repair - $800
3. Tree cracks in half and has to be taken down - $300
4. Need to buy a chainsaw so you can cut the tree up rather than pay them to do it - $150
5. New glasses, which insurance won’t cover because I bought contacts - $300

Total unexpected expenses for June = $2,950

The bright side of the story? Because of our emergency fund and our monthly budget, I was able to pay cash for all of these items without dipping into savings or using a credit card! Do you have YOUR emergency fund set aside? Do you do a monthly budget...and follow it?

This Template and Conversation at my Back Door

You are probably well aware that my template is a work-in-progress. I'm not responsible for where the links on the borders of this page may take you, so beware.

Now, to the conversation. Some college kids have college jobs that require them to go to communities to sell educational books and CD. One such student came to my back door last week. The conversation went something like this.

Him: Hi. I'm so-and-so. Do you have a few minutes?

Me: No.

Him: I only have 5 minutes and I get credit for showing this to you.

Me: Whatever. Go ahead. I'm not buying anything, though.

Him: (Explains how wonderful these books are. How could my child possibly be successful without the handiness of these books?)

Me: So...all the information is basically handed to him instead of him having to research for the answer himself?

Him: It will save your child so much time. Think of how much his grades will improve if he can spend less time searching for the answer!

Me: My son is a straight-A student. I'm not worried about his grades improving.

Him: Well, we have a CD version as well. It's only $99.00. (Explains how wonderful the CDs are.) Do you think your kids would like them?

Me: They're fine, but I'm not buying anything.

Him: Is the $99.00 price the problem?

Me: No, I can afford $99.00.

Him: We allow the payment the be broken down into three payments of $33.00, if that helps you out. Many families in this community have taken advantage of that because it allows them to spread the payments out to make it more affordable. What do you think of that?

Me: What do I think of THAT? I think if someone needs to put these on a payment plan in order to afford them, the last thing they need to be buying are your CDs.

Him: Heh. Ok, then. Thanks for your time.

Working and Taxes

Too good not to share.

Handy

What ever happened to the El Camino? I’ve been thinking about how handy those things would be. It’s not so big that you can’t manuever it around, yet it can haul a couch.

Magazines

Is there a bigger money waster out there than magazine subscriptions? Seriously, what can you find in that magazine that you can’t find online somewhere for absolutely free? Share with us how many magazine subscriptions you have and how much money you spend a year on them. And which magazines they are. If you subscribe to the Nat’l Enq, feel free to comment anonymously. I would if I were you.

Template

I know it stinks. Don't worry, it's temporary...

There is a new quiz over there but you need to scroll down to see it. Don't leave without submitting your answer.

Peter Griffin, Motley Crue, and Sue

Immediately after shutting down my laptop last night, I realized the problem with this blog. I need humor, and this blog had turned so…well…serious.

I’m still reading financial and personal development books and I’ll share those tidbits with you now and then. I’ll definitely keep you updated on our debt reduction plan and you’ll be the third people to know when we become debt free. But this blog is going back to the REAL me. As in…

We’ll be making fun of luvthebearcats’ height.

We’ll keep wandering over to momof4greatkids to see if she’s ever going to post another entry.

We’ll be pondoring deep thoughts of Peter Griffin.

We’ll be posting pictures. (Here’s a lesson, JG. Never accidentally email pictures of yourself to someone who has a blog.)

I’ll tell you about things I’m TIVO-ing, like when Motley Crue was on Larry King Live the other night. In case you are not aware, Nikki Sixx is the most beautiful person in the music industry.

And stuff like that. So hang around. We’re going to have flippin’ fun time because it’s my blog and I can do whatever I want to do! GOSH! (bonus points for you if you read that last sentence using the right tone of voice…)

It's Different Now

I having trouble with the whole blog thing. Ever since Dad died, this blog has seemed so unimportant. Over the past three months, my priorities have been thrown up into the air and came down to land in a different place. I mean, you should see the exercising I'm doing, the whole grains I'm eating, and most importantly, the family time I'm doing. Life is a bit different. This blog is pretty far down on the list of "important things".

For awhile I was reading only books about death, grief, Heaven, near-death experiences, etc. I think it was necessary for me to do that, but now I'm done focusing on Dad's actual death and am celebrating his life and the values he taught me. I know I'm doing what he would want me to do - be happy and make sure my kids are happy.

I'm currently reading Pivot, by Dr. Alan Zimmerman. It's amazing, and could be life-changing for some readers. The book is all about how to change your attitude so that you can be happy and successful. Just a simple thing like having a positive attitude can totally change your life. If you voice negativity and listen to negativity, your attitude will also be negative. What kind of life do you think you'll have if you fill it up with negative thoughts?

I plan my next book to be back to finances, so hopefully those money-related posts will come back into my head and this blog can get back to normal. For now, it is what it is.

Happy 40th Birthday, Pool Boy!

Dear Pool Boy –

I failed to mention you on my Father’s Day blog post. Thank you for knowing that I needed to dedicate that one to my own Dad this year.

Since June 20 is a big birthday for you, I’ll dedicate this post to you and let you know how much you are appreciated as a father.

I think finding qualities you want for a spouse is just as important as finding qualities you want in a father for your kids. I always knew you would be excellent for both roles.

I love the fact that I’m married to a teacher. This has allowed you to be with the kids every summer since they’ve been born. I know there were rough years in there when you were dealing with a 9-month old baby and a 3-year-old boy. Yikes! That could not have been easy and there are many men who would not have done this. Our boys are so lucky that you took on this job with very little complaining. And now, even though there are days filled with television, no bathing and McDonalds, our boys are still lucky to be with you for the summer.



I appreciate the lessons the boys are learning from you. They have witnessed what a hard worker you are and have hopefully learned what it takes to be successful. Due to your desire to help people, they are seeing how important it is to volunteer your time and how rewarding it can be. You have volunteered for almost every sport they’ve been involved with and NOT because you are a helicoptor parent – you do it because you know how important it is to all the kids involved, not just your own.

You are teaching our boys how important family time is. You never balk at spending time with the boys and will always gladly give up “adult time” to hang out with the two of them.

Our boys are learning how to have fun thanks to you. They know it’s ok to fart and burp even though it makes their Mom mad - they know Dad will still laugh with them. They know “naughty words” and giggle like crazy when they hear them, yet know very well that they are never allowed to say them. They have learned that it’s ok to eat junk food, even right before a meal. They have learned to not be uptight and that it’s ok to sometimes not follow the rules, much to my dismay…

You are loved. You are appreciated. We are very lucky to have you in our family.

Hugs –
Me, Three and Green

Time to Regroup!

Soooo, we have a problem. The green3 family is currently not "living like no one else so we can live like no one else."

We are eating out, going to Wal-Mart and Lowe's, and buying a lot of stuff we don't need. Our checkbook reflects this, as does our debt balance which has stood still for the past 6 weeks. I hate, HATE, not paying down the debt rapidly.

As I look at our calendar for the next few weeks, the things on there will all cost money. The good thing is, these things are not necessary. Some things may have to be cut because I refuse to spend every penny we make. We just don't live that way anymore (except for the past few weeks!).

Am I cheap? No. Am I determined to get to a point where money is no longer a concern? As fast as possible.

Water, Water Everywhere

Thanks for everyone's concerns about how the floods are affected the green3 troops. We're very lucky, actually. The only way we're affected is that our main road that connects us to civilization (e.g. my work and Wal-Mart) is covered by a river. That's the road below. I don't think the Pacifica could make it no matter how fast I drove.

But other cities in Iowa? WOW. So sad for them. The recent weather has caused several deaths, many homes and businesses being destroyed, and billions of dollars in damage. It's supposed to be a dry week so let's hope we can get some of this dang water out of here. Hopefully the mosquitos follow the water because they are everywhere.

What Happens in May, Stays in May

Or at least I hope so. Very little extra money, like only $150 or so, was sent toward our debt in May. When you throw a $1700 dog surgery in there it tends to put a dent in your budget. We were determined not to pull any money out of our savings account to pay for Buster's surgery so we used our "mattress money" instead. Luckily I had set some additional money aside to buy a new mattress set but hadn't purchased it yet. Mattresses can wait. Torn ACLs, from what the vet tells me, cannot.

Will June treat us any better? We went on vacation, but already had all of that money set aside so that doesn't affect this month's budget. But there's Father's Day. Then there is PB's birthday. And our town's celebration. Eh...keep those expenses low, Green3 family! Your mother/wife will go into convulsions if we skip sending big checks to debt two months in a row!

The First Father's Day

Dear Dad -

This morning when I woke up, I had nobody to call to wish a Happy Father's Day. As you know, Andy, Luke and I always had a race to see who could call you first. There was no race this morning.

I thought about you all day long, though. I guess I think about you every single day so this day was no different, except for a little bit sadder.

Life without you is hard. It never even occurred to me that I would be in this position - I thought you'd be around forever. But as hard as it is, I'm doing ok. I'm still devastated but I'm not going to let your death take this family down. As strange as it may sound, I'm thinking it will make this family stronger. We will appreciate each other more. We will tell each other "I love you" more. We will enjoy life more because we know how precious each day is.

You would be proud of Green and Three. Green is still scared of the whole situation and doesn't like to talk about you, but I know that's because he loved you so much and is still struggling. He does collect the coins and golf balls you send down to him though. He treasures those and keeps them in his bedroom. Three talks about you a lot. He received his first "B" on his report card due to missing so much school around your funeral. When he got his report card, he shook his fist up to Heaven and yelled, "Darn you Grandpa!". They both keep their own urns in their bedroom. Jade keeps his put away but Three has his right next to his bed. Those boys love you so much.

I know you are watching over us. I know you were with us on our trip to Florida. I know you are sitting with me in my (our) office at work. Stay nearby because we need you to help us continue on this long, strange journey.

I love you and miss you terribly -

Heidi

Dad on March 21, less than an hour before his death.

There's Nothing Quite Like Opening A Suitcase Full of Ocean-y Swimsuits

We landed in Des Moines, jumped in the car, and headed straight for Green's baseball game. I'm finally able to sit down and start working on pictures. Here are a few...

Are these three people related?

And of course, the Yaris. Doesn't it resemble Mr. Incredible's vehicle? Our rental car provided MANY laughs throughout the trip!

If Flickr ever cooperates with me, I'll link you to the rest of the pics.

And Now This

I know I haven't been keeping you updated like I should have been. Tonight was the night I was going to download my camera and bring you up to date. I was going to tell you how awesome it was for all of us to be together and how much fun we were having. I was going to let you know that Luke and Emily were now here and we were all able to spend a few days not thinking about grief, horror, high blood pressure and heart attacks.

But then we got the phone call. Our friend, "MikeSam", died tonight of an apparent heart attack. He's around our age. OUR age. He has two little boys who aren't even in school yet. He has the sweetest wife. Mike was one of the friendliest guys I've ever met.

I can't imagine the horror. I know how hard it was for me to lose my Dad. That doesn't even compare to what L and the boys are facing. I can't imagine. I simply cannot imagine.

Thursday Daytona

We had a full day on Thursday! The four of us went to Daytona Speedway. We went through Daytona USA and Pool Boy did a ride-along around the track at 185 mph!

Here are the boys patiently waiting for PB to get done. If it's too loud, it helps to hide behind the garbage can.

PB suited up and ready to go.

Isn't it required to play mini-golf on all vacations? Seems to be the case for us.

Tomorrow (Sat) we get up at the crack of dawn and head back to Orlando for a day at EPCOT. But the best part is that Luke and Emily will finally be joining us!

Day One...Day Tona

I don't have The Incredibles picture tonight. Sorry. Hopefully tomorrow.

For those of who you know us personally, Pool Boy has a habit of summoning the management when the need arises. Daytona is no different.

Here is a shot of the hole in our hotel room. Please note that this is was in our second hotel room, since the first one didn't have an acceptable odor. The second room smelled better but the air conditioning unit was LOUD. So they tore it out and put in a brand new one.

And then there's this. Pool Boy was in charge of lathering Three up with sunscreen for a full day at the beach. Unfortunately none of the sunscreen made it to his back...

I'll leave you with a good picture of Andy and the boys right before a wild shufflboard game.

We Made It!

We arrived in Orlando tonight, with Andy following on a different flight shortly afterwards. I already have some humorous stories to share with you. But they HAVE to come with pictures, so it won't be happening tonight.

I leave you with one hint: The Incredibles.

And......we're off!

Losing a family member can rock a family to its core. These past few months have been a struggle, to say the least. Today we are temporarily leaving it all behind and traveling to warm and sunny FLORIDA!

The whole family is going -us, my mom, my brothers, and my brother's girlfriend E. There will be a horrible void in the group, but we are determined to have fun. We will be in Daytona for three days, then Orlando for three days.

I imagine there will be many family members and friends who will be tracking our trip via this blog. I'm taking all of the necessary technology along to provide that to you, but I make no guarantees!