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How To Know If You Are Really Sick Of Being in Debt
I hear many people complain about debt and how they ‘wish they could be debt free’ but rarely do I believe it. I don’t think most people I come in contact with really want to become debt free. Why do I say that? Because their words have no action. The speak complaints and woes but they don’t do anything about it. If you are truly trying to get out of debt you need to do more than just complain about your horrible debt life. You need to take action steps.
Action steps include planning, budgeting, sacrifice and determination. You need to take your finances seriously. You are not a child anymore. YOU are the one responsible for how YOU spend YOUR money. If you are serious about gaining financial freedom then take ACTION.
Vacation Budget Planning – Task 1
We have 17 days until vacation and I guess I should be making some plans. I probably should have started these plans weeks ago but it’s been busy lately. So the first task of my vacation budget planning will be to make a list of all the planned expenses. I love making lists so this part will be easy. Since we are on a tight budget I will have keep track of all spending. More on our vacation budget planning coming soon.
Budget Vacation Planning
In a few weeks our family will be going on vacation so I am going to need to create a vacation budget. We don’t normally go on vacation and have never gone while on a budget. I think the last time we went on vacation we ended up putting a lot of the costs on credit cards. Since that is absolutely not an option this time I will have to plan ahead and create that vacation budget.
I am excited about vacation but not as excited about budgeting. Though I know it is best for our family to budget it can still be dreaded work. I guess it wouldn’t be so dreaded if my vacation budget was plentiful 
. I plan to write more about vacation budgeting in upcoming posts.
Stupid Tax Stories
Over at Dave Ramsey’s website there is a page called “Stupid Tax“. This is where people can submit their stories of stupid financial decisions. Today I read a few good ones I thought you all should read. Reading these stories might keep you from making the same mistakes.
I Rented a Dog for a Day
I went to the pet store and fell in love with a $1800 Yorkshire terrier. I bought the dog on credit.
I felt guilty about the cost and returned the dog the next day. I was charged a handling fee of $300. So I basically rented a dog for a day for $300.
Next time I will pay cash for my pooch and find a breeder in the classifieds.
We Hired Before Researching
We were getting ready to move from a rental place to our own new house. Due to construction delays, we ended up having to hire movers rather than our usual gang of friends. We got a few quotes and decided to go with a local company which was also a few hundred dollars cheaper.
Well, the kids that showed up to move us couldn’t finish the job, and they didn’t return the next day as promised. We discovered gashes in much of the furniture, a refrigerator that was dropped, boxes of fragile items that had been dropped, and a desk that was broken apart. They had finished late and just piled stuff in the living room and garage – easily $4,000 or $5,000 worth of repairs.
Kicking Myself Now
I got my first student loan in 1990. Not content to get enough to cover tuition and books, I always went for the maximum allowed balance. So every quarter after financial aid checks were disbursed and tuition and books were paid for, it was like Christmas for me!
I bought CDs. I bought $150 sunglasses. I bought expensive clothes. I never thought about having to pay these things off. I was going to get a great job making lots of money, and I was indestructable and going to live forever, right?
I’d like to jump in a time machine and go kick my 18-year-old self in the pants. Fast forward 16 years, and I’m still paying for those $150 sunglasses.
But we went to a Live event in November and are in Financial Peace University right now. We’re working on changing our lives, and for the first time in a long time, we have hope! Looking forward to being DEBT FREEEEEEEEEEE!
We eventually found out that the company’s license had been revoked years before, they had no insurance to cover the damage, and our only recourse would be to take them to court – and get in line behind thousands of dollars of claims and fines against them.
Bottom line – don’t believe the “licensed and insured” ads. Check with the regulatory agency in your state to make sure these are current.
Read More Stupid Tax stories Here.
My husband and I have many “Stupid Tax” stories that I have shared on this blog. I don’t like to repeat stupid tax mistakes so I hope the stories will now be few and far between.
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Budgeting Works!
To gain financial freedom you must take control of your money, plan for the future and Stop Borrowing Money!
Two families striving to gain financial freedom share their experiences.
Blog Author Mona Weathers (monawea)
Co-author, Manda C. -
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Time To Budget News!
Manda C. is our new contributing author. Welcome Manda!
