I want out of debt

[disneybound31]

My advice to shave $ off your grocery bill--eat more whole foods= apples, bananas, cucumbers, carrots, baked sweet potatoes, etc...eat less meat and buy lean protein when on sale= chicken breasts...we eat meat maybe twice a week. Cut out juices and sodas which are not super healthy and keep a pitcher of regular rap water in fridge to drink. Leave desserts like ice creams and such for a once a weekend treat and buy from grocery instead of Sonic or Dairy Queen.

Try CVS-ing for your toilet paper and papertowels...you can get these needed supplies cheaper if you use coupons and Iheartcvs.com

ALWAYS use coupons and ask family for theirs if they do not use them. You can even ask the library for their Sunday paper coupons on Mondays...I do! They have never said no. For that matter use the library for books and DVDs if they are free. Free is better even than a $1 Redbox movie.

Back to food- a really cheap, fast and healthy meal we do once a week is whole grain pasta with any type sauce-red or make your own alfredo (healthy with red. fat cream cheese, bit of butter, garlic seasoning and sprinkle parm cheese), cut up veggies w/ ranch and I make my own garlic toast with regular bread...that feeds 4 or 5 for under $5.

Sandwiches and fruit with chips can be fun on a busy weeknight when you put a blanket on the floor and have a 'picnic' while catching up with the kids about their day.

We save all eating out at restaurants for very special occasions= birthdays, Christmas after we get a gift card from someone.

 

[disneybound31]

I agree with others to keep your house heat down as far as you can stand it, unless someone is sick. An extra blanket or a sweater never hurt anyone. And you could even do a funny exercise dvd (free from library or as a neighbor if they have any to borrow) as a family in the evening...that's fun, funny, healthy and makes everyone warmer!

 

[fredflintstone]

I just want to say GOOD LUCK! Keep moving forward and stay focused!!! If you want this bad enough, you can get it! I too think it is great that you are working hard to get out of debt and not necessarily take the "easy" road. Too many people bail these days and file bankruptcy instead of paying their debts, and what do ya know...a few years later they are back at it. I am not sure how they manage to do it, but they do! Anyway, keep going, you will get there! If you have a plan and stick to it, it will happen! And once you start seeing it disappear, you get so excited and the momentum keeps going! We are trying to pay stuff off, build our savings and still travel while we are in Europe. It is a little hard and I am not sure the best route to take, but I have a plan and it seems to be working! Not sure if it is the best plan, but it's working for now!

There is great advice here, but I do have a question. My grocery bill seems to just be completely out of control. I don't know how to cut it down. I know I need to come up with meals better than what I do. So any of you budget friendly meal planners have advice? What kinds of filling meals do you make? What kinds of snacks do you have around the house? I pack my kids lunch every day for school and they get bored with it, so what else can I do for their lunches?

 

[roadtripper]

I feel for you, and I've been there. Just cleaned out a file cabinet and found all my old notes and records for the credit card roulette that I used to play every month--moving debt to interest free cards, etc. to deny that we had it. My husband trusted me to do the bills and was surprised when I fessed up to the total. Like you, we have a child with health issues, which contributes to expenses, and kept me waitressing at night for years instead of working at my regular job which affected our income. Our debt was more from the "we deserve it" mentality (ie DVC add on) than from medical bills, although DS' supplemental health insurance is a hefty amount every month.

After a few years, we are out of debt except for the house and one car. We did not stop saving for retirement, and have an emergency fund and a college fund for DD. I didn't follow any one plan (although I like Suze Orman and David Bach), but recommend viewing every expense with a critical eye--cable, cell phone bills, Netflix, etc. I still shop at thrift stores for clothes, and have tried to teach my kids to value experiences instead of stuff. Definitely build an emergency fund so that relatively small issues like replacing brakes don't mess up your progress. Good luck to you and your family!

 

[nunzia]

I think you are doing great! It sounds like you just want to speed things up a bit, so maybe look into ways you can bring in some money in ways that would work in your family, (ebay, Etsy, surveys, small evening or weekend job etc), and then apply that to your debt or emergency savings. Keep up the great work!

 

[sweetdana]

I think you are starting off right. Wanting to change.

I love the cut a few $$ off the grocery bill, eating more vegis, salads, home made soups, and less meats. Coupons, and only buying what you need for that week. I also think cutting out cable, home phone, cell phones, and using internet phone (like ohma or Magic Jack) and selling anything from your basement/garage you can on craiglist/ebay. I would also consider depending on your sons medical cond to work at least part time. I think it is incredibly difficult to save retirement funds on 1 income. Also part time even 3 days a week, 4 hour shifts a week after DH is home could cut off 1 yr easy off your debt.

In the last yr I cut out our home phone bill with Ohma, and turned cable off using Huluplus and netflics online. I also cut out mail away netflics and instead purchase 1 movie about every 5-6 weeks instead. My DD7 gets to keep it, and it usually is only 5-9$ so it is still less than the monthly fee.

 

[RadioMom]

I guess I just needed a place to vent and get some support. After a 6 year custody battle with my ex and a child who was in and out of the hospitals for years we are looking at almost 50k in debt. We are a one income family ( I can not work due to the health of my youngest). We are doing ok, we are pay check to pay check but we are no longer having to live on credit cards just to have a meal. We can now pay a little extra on a card and still have a little bit of cash left at the end of the month ( maybe like 20 bucks, but it's better than nothing). I have read Ramsey and a few others. Because my hubby got an "extra" check this month I have paid off two small cards and will snowball that with a different one. We currently have 8 cards and 2 loans ( not including the house). If I stick to my plan we should be out of debt in 4 years and then we can pay the house off in 10. It just feels like such a long row to hoe and sometimes I don;t see the light at the end of this tunnel.
Has anyone else here had success with getting out of major debt without bankruptcy or consolidation?

Every day is a step closer to your goal and you're DOING it! With what sounds like a reasonable and affordable plan. Good for you! I wish you all the success (not luck, because you won't need it!) to be debt free! You're an inspiration!

 

[bsusanmb]

Apprisen is a wonderful company that has been around like 50 plus years. We use them and have been extremely happy, our credit hasn't taken a single hit from the experience. I went into the process refusing to believe they were legit and convinced we would regret it. I had heard so many horror stories of those types of services. I now highly recommend them. Still don't trust the other companies

First of all, congratulations for making the decision to be debt free. DH and I have been with Apprisen (Consumer Credit Counseling Services) for 5 years now. We started with $47,000 in cc and unsecured debt and are now down to $7,000. They are WONDERFUL. They will negotiate interest rates down and make the payments for you. There was no way we could afford the 25% interest rates on cc's. We were negotiated down to 6-9%. It was the best decision we ever made. Our credit rating is great now, and we have peace of mind. The monthly charge is $25 for the service, but since they are not for profit, if you cannot afford to pay the fee, it is lower.

 

[burnurcomputer]

Great Job setting your goals and having the beans to reach them. 4 years may seem long now, but in 5 years you will feel like a Queen