Don't stay stuck.

I'm just going to say it right now...its taking Caleb and I longer to get out of debt than we thought it would. I'll be the first to admit, we haven't been AS frugal and disciplined as we should've been so far in 2016. We've definitely still paid off a LOT of debt, which is really encouraging and motivating, but we also still have a long way to go.

There are some days I get really down on us, saying "what's taking us so long?", and just kind of feeling sorry for our situation. Then Caleb quickly reminds me we'll be debt free well before either of us are 30, and that's pretty darn exciting.

So instead of feeling miserable that we're still stuck IN debt, I'm using it as motivation to continue, to tighten up our budget - oh and actually MAKE SURE we budget every month. We've done a little too much miscellaneous spending lately where we look back at our bank statement and say "what the heck did we buy there anyway?!".

It's always a good reminder that you don't have to "stay stuck" in the situation you're in. If there's something you don't like, you HAVE the power to change it! Whether that's a crappy job, drowning in debt or just wanting to shake up your exercise routine! You can do it!

Long story short, we're sick of being in debt, so we're saying goodbye to silly overspending at the grocery store and while we're out and about, and HELLO to more at-home date nights. I'm wanting to get creative and set a small cash budget for Caleb and I to go back and forth and plan themed date nights in every other weekend! I think it would be a fun way to get creative on how to stretch a dollar and still make each other feel special! I may or may not have a Lady and the Tramp theme coming on... get ready, Caleb! ;)

Happy Thursday, friends!!

How to save $1,000 really, really fast.

Caleb and I have been pretty aggressive as of the first of the year, and are finally down to ONE loan...albeit, a big, fat, honking' loan, but still...ONE loan!!!! I'm thinking back to just a few months ago when taxes were due and we had pretty much depleted more than our "emergency savings" fund because we were new to this irregular income thing. Luckily we've become a lot more responsible now and save for those throughout the year ;) BUT I wanted to share how important it is to have a savings as your backup.

It's so nice to have an emergency savings - because when something DOES come up (whether its a car issue, an appliance that needs repaired, etc.), you're pretty much covered. Because trust me....something WILL eventually happen, which means you won't have to turn to any credit cards with crazy high interest rates! WOO! If you've always lived paycheck to paycheck, it can seem nearly impossible to save up $1,000 fast, but trust me, you can do it! Dave Ramsey suggest $1,000 for married couples, or $500 for singles. We keep ours at a separate bank so we're not tempted to touch it, but that's not necessary. Here are just a few ways to help:

-Cancel your cable, or just downgrade your package. That'll easily save you around $100/mo.

-Quit your daily/weekly Starbucks/Dunkin trips. Trust me, you don't need it. This can save you over $100+/mo! I actually know people who go to their favorite coffee shops daily on their commute to work (aka nearly every co worker at my firm)! It blows my mind. I love a cup of sugary goodness every now and then but, daily?! Too much!

-Stop the Target trips. Trust me, ladies, before we got married, I was used to dropping $30-50/trip - EASY! Save yourselves gas and time, and don't go until your savings is up, or unless you actually need something (easier said than done, I know!!).

-Sit down and do a monthly budget. Look at where you spent your money last month, and cut out unnecessary spending!

-If you have talents, use them to your advantage. That's how my photography gig got started. Come up with a price point, and see if people are interested! You never know until you try. If you're into photography like me, a couple shoots here and there and you're set with a new portfolio to show off!! If you're a designer, start working with bloggers or businesses! Find what you're good at and share it with the world! It'll pay off!

-Pack your lunch! It really adds up, and can be so tasty (and usually healthier)!!


-Sell your crap! You've probably got clothes you can sell to a local consignment shop, junk you can get rid of in a yard sale, etc.!

-Carpool with friends when you go to dinners/work/etc. Paying for gas is never fun.

These might be obvious to some, but implementing them is so important, if you want to succeed! Pick one, or a few, and see how much extra money you're able to save!!! Caleb and I can't even wait to be out of debt, we know that saving our 3-6 months of emergency savings will be even easier when we don't have debt tying us down. I can't wait to get there!! Just a few months to go.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!!

ONE MORE LOAN!

Moving brain is a real thing, guys. Something totally slipped my mind and I don't think I ever wrote about it. WE PAID OFF OUR 3RD LOAN!!!!!! We only have one more to go (although its pretty large), and this is how we feel about it...

 We have been working really hard and it felt so great to wipe it out. I know that only having one more loan left to pay off will motivate us like never before. We're dedicated, have our eyes on the prize, and can't wait for what our future will look like, debt-free!!!!!

It feels so great to be married to a man who shares all my same views. Not only on politics, but when it comes to our money. Sure, we'll still have a little fun here and there, and when we do, we'll use cash! We have the same goals in mind, and know that above all else - we want to be able to bless others like CRAZY someday. So watch out loan #4, we're comin' for ya!

In other news, we're finally feeling like we're getting settled in our new place. We've even hung a few things on our wall, are doing laundry regularly again (thank goodness), and its really beginning to feel like home. Next item on our agenda? Find a reasonably priced dining room table!!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

2 loans down, 2 to go!

Yesterday I mentioned something very exciting happened on Saturday and that I'd fill you guys in today. A little back story first...

This is the year that Caleb and I got more serious about paying off debt. A few days into the new year we were able to pay off loan #1 (which rocked)! Then we had to pay a LOT in taxes from our first full year of (partial) self employment, and things got a little crazy. It was then time to move onto loan #2 - which was our used car we bought last Fall. We had been putting money away, and putting money away for months, and then paying bills, and paying more bills and finally, we had set aside enough on Saturday to.....
PAY OFF OUR CAR!!!!! Ceellleeebraaate goood timesss, come onnnn!

insert dance party photo!

I can't tell you how good it felt to walk out of that bank with a "paid off" receipt in my hand. It probably won't feel REAL until we see the legit title in our mailbox, but regardless...I'm a happy girl to have two loans finally paid off!

It really hit me this week how much extra income we will have once we're debt free. I know last year I spoke more about becoming debt free but its really hitting me now the kind of future we can set ourselves up for by having NO debt.

I'm also learning more and more that this is kind of a "weird" way to live...co workers look at me like I have 3 heads when I tell them I cant go out to lunch w/ them again because I only have $10 in cash to spend for the week! & you know what? I kind of love that. It's also encouraging that we have SO many people in our lives who have such amazing success stories. Remember Sallie & Perkins?! Then our friends Josh + Marie...as well as multiple couples from church. They are all living like NO ONE ELSE because they chose to live like NO ONE ELSE for a little while.

This year has been stressful, tiring, and insanely exhausting to say the least, and being in the midst of this pay-off kinda sucks sometimes, but now I'm treating it like a game. How fast can we pay off our bigger loan #3?! I want to impress myself! So now we're buckling down even more so that by next year? We'll be debt free and can have more freedom...& we can't freaking wait. Thanks for all your wisdom, Dave Ramsey!

NOW? On to loan #3!!!!

We're turning a new leaf!

Today, I'm really excited.

Last night, Caleb and I made the decision to fully commit ourselves to a better lifestyle overall, in every aspect. It was just a productive evening, and finally an evening at home just to ourselves (almost never happens with our crazy schedules!). We cleaned the whole apartment, did a TON of groceries for an insanely low price, and even made our new budget.

Obligatory photo for blog post ;)

Caleb and I have taken Dave Ramsey's financial peace course 3 times.... THREE TIMES! You'd think it would be drilled in our head by now. However, our whole first year (and 2 months) of our marriage we weren't really living by the principals we knew we should be. We paid the minimum on our debt, or maybe a few bucks over, but not trying hard to get rid of it. We used the cash (envelope) system on and off again, and just were so-so with our savings. Since starting our new budget last night, Caleb and I are back to using cash, hanging up our debit cards on the fridge so we aren't tempted and paying off our nasty debt as fast as possible!! More on that to come.

Exercise...ohhhh exercise. We've been slacking like crazy at the gym (especially me). Correction, to slack at the gym, one must actually BE at the gym...and I hadn't been in weeks. After getting over 8 hours of sleep last night (which never happens), I woke up at 5:45 this morning, and got in 2.5 quick miles. It felt amazing, and I wondered why it took me so long to get back?! We're excited to do something active almost every day. Even if its just a walk after dinner together, its something!

We also agreed we need to eat better. After spoiling our tummy's on vacation with yummy crab legs, lasagna, fruit loops and ice cream bars, we decided it's time to home cook more often. We're committed to doing the best we can to make home cooked meals in our own house. Obviously there will be the occasional treat and pizza night in, cause you need those to stay sane, in my opinion ;)

This is definitely the start of a "new us". After we finished our budget, we even high fived afterward! ;) I can't tell you guys how excited I am. Sure, we'd been doing all of these things before...but I don't think being just alright in these things is okay for us, I want to thrive. We want to thrive! I'm so excited to see where this all takes us. Stay tuned!

Crazy ways to save a buck!

By now (and if you've met the besties Sallie & Perkins) you know Caleb and I are trying to get out of debt as FAST as we can. Aside from him working overtime where he can, and me booking extra photography gigs where I can...there ARE other ways to save money.

So I decided to come up with a list of crazy things that Caleb and I do to save money! Remember...when you have that "Gazelle intensity", who cares if people think you're weird?

Weird is good.

Among many other things, Caleb!

- Sometimes (this is slightly embarrassing), I'll cut open the bottom of the toothpaste tubes to get the last out of it. Same with my foundation...this usually adds a couple weeks onto the life of my products!

-Caleb's cousin works at a local pizza shop, and he's allowing Caleb to deliver pizzas on the side for a few months...to throw extra cash towards debt at a rapid pace.

-Entering giveaways. Typically on blogs, I love those. I recently won an adorable necklace off of my girl Ashley's blog! My favorite kinds of giveaways are the gift card/cash ones...so that way my man & I get FREE date nights instead of having to cut into our own budget. I also sign up from websites like Woman Freebies, that have sweepstakes almost daily, and tons of free stuff to win!

-Downgrading our cell phone minutes/data plan, read about that here! We saved over $40/month!

-"If you're not using it, unplug it" ... get CRAZY with this. Phone done charging? Unplug it and leave it right under the outlet. Done with the toaster? Unplug that, too. You don't have to get AS crazy as I do (even Caleb thinks I take it a little too far), but hey, its kind of fun.

-My crazy husband likes to keep the temperature on 68-69 ALL summer which didn't make me very happy when Duke delivered our energy bill. So I try to keep it around 71 now! The higher the temp, the cheaper your bill.

-Manufacturers coupons, those are AHH-mazing. Typically each one saves you about $1.50+...and that stuff really adds up.

-Kroger has "Freebie Fridays" (thanks to a college friend for this tidbit! Heey Sierrah!), and if you sync your Kroger Plus Card online, they let you upload freebies on the card...you can walk in, grab your stuff, check out and walk right out with FREE stuff. Last week was $6 shampoo/conditioner! This week its toothpaste!

-Take advantage of social media, follow companies on Twitter and talk about their products or things you love. I recently talked about the long weekend trip we were taking to Arkansas, and Gillette sent me a new razor with TWO replacement bars to go with it... (a value of over $13!)

-Shop out of season. You can get things for up to 70% off sometimes! Caleb and I joke that we should start celebrating holidays the week after they really take place, so we get a better deal.

So there you have it, just a few tips I can give you to lower your monthly expenses and KILL DEBT faster!!

Remember, imagine what you can do with your money (and the kind of wealth you can build!) when you have NO DEBT PAYMENTS!!!

What would you do with all that extra cash??

The year is halfway over!

...and if you're anything like me...it seems like Christmas sneaks up on you.

EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

Now that Caleb and I are married, and we've been budgeting every paycheck (month by month)...there is something we have to add to our savings.

Our Christmas fund.

Don't get me wrong...we won't be going anywhere near as crazy as we have in the past years...we have to be a little less giving... but don't worry, we make up for that in creativity. If you ask me, getting creative with gifts is so much fun. I think it adds a little something that money just can't.

I know its hard to think about Christmas when in most states right now, it doesn't feel like summer. It feels more like our skin is on fire every day the clock hits 10AM. Which I like to call, blazing...BUT...can you imagine for a moment, not having to CHARGE your Christmas presents on a high interest rate credit card!? Or even worry about forking out all the money at once.

What if you just saved a simple $50 a month (if you work full time...that's just an easy $25/paycheck!)?! You would have an easy $300 to spoil your favorite people. If you're on a tight budget like Caleb and I...that will easily MORE than cover all of our gifts for everyone...just remember, you have to channel your inner creativity as well.

If you ask me...creative, "from the heart" gifts, are my favorite.

Like the time I made Caleb a personalized coupon book this past Valentines Day.

& like the night he asked me to be his girlfriend and we made corny tee shirts for each other...

or like the time I literally made an entire day-long Scavenger Hunt for Caleb that sent him traveling ALL around Cincinnati to meet me at the Aquarium.

...it never gets old. 

So, friends...start saving! ;) Christmas will be here quicker than you think. Remember...its NOT about the gifts...its truly about spending time together and remembering all of your blessings. I just truly love giving! It's the coolest feeling. Can't wait to pay off our debt, build wealth, and then be able to do some random acts of kindness for complete strangers and all of our best friends.

Happy Tuesday, friends.

Goodbyeee debt.

This is a story about us, our money, and a HUGE reality check.

Literally just a few days after we got back from our honeymoon, we sat down at our dinner table with an Iron Man notebook, pen in hand...and all of our student loan paperwork in front of us. We didn't want to talk about it, but it was time. Time to talk about that awful, dreaded D word. Debt.

We'd both taken Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, TWICE in the last year...and were waiting until after we got married (since we had that whole wedding-thing to pay for) to implement it in our lives for real.

We took a deep breath, and whipped out the calculator.
I just knew how much debt we had.....

or so I thought. We put it down to the PENNY, and the outstanding balance I saw in front of us made me nearly sick to my stomach. I was angry. So angry that I wanted to scream. It was in that moment we decided not to let our debt consume us forever, and that we also would NOT spend 15 years paying these off.
We set a tough goal... 2 years. In two years we want to pay off EVERYTHING we owe. It's a lot of money...but I know we can do this.

So what does this mean? BABY STEPS! Following A REAL budget. Like...a zero balanced budget, with pen and paper. If I don't tell my money where to go, it would tell ME where it was going (trust me, if I had a dollar for every Chickfila run I've ever made...I'd be rich). We took a step back and started first thing in June, looking at how much extra money we had at the end of each week that we NORMALLY would've spent...it was amazing and disgusting at the same time.

Part of Dave Ramsey is using cash, for everything. So, we did just that. It's called the "envelope system". Luckily, I've never owned a credit card in my life...so I never had the fun time of slicing them up with an oversized pair of scissors...but Caleb did. When we got engaged, he cut his up like an overgrown fern and quickly paid his off.

We give ourselves a small "play fund", and we also have a grocery fund, a gas fund, and a tithe fund.

Speaking of groceries...Caleb introduced me to Aldi  last month. HOLY COW. You're missing out if you haven't been yet. Everything is cheap...like dirt cheap. I am addicted.

Baby step 1) Save $1,000 up for your emergency fund. Your emergencies won't seem quite as bad when you're prepared for them, trust me. Oh, you mean I have the $500+ for that dreadful car repair?! Awesome!

Baby step 2) -- what we are currently working on. Paying off ALL our debt with DR's "debt snowball"...we'll be stuck on this one for a while, but we're at least working on it!

Caleb and I are getting intense about this, like gazelle intense (watch that, seriously!)! In the weirdest way, it gets me so pumped.

So what are we doing to pay off so much debt in so little time?
-We currently have the most basic internet plan possible.
-Eating pb&j's for lunch/dinner more often than we'd like.
-We plan to start car pooling to work to save gas.
-We have no cable, thanks Hulu!
-Caleb's working OT at work
-I'm picking up extra photography jobs where I can.

Somehow, its sickeningly fun getting free lunches at work, scoring a free sample, finding a new way to lower our monthly expenses, etc. Not spending money on ourselves is a huge money saver as well. We both pack lunch nearly every day...and what keeps me going? I know this isn't forever, its only temporary.

Proverbs 22:7; The rich rule over the poor, the borrow is slave to the lender.

Dave's main line; Live like no one else now, so you can LIVE (and give) like no one else later. I can't imagine when I have wealth and am able to rock someone's world with my giving. That has to be the greatest gift of all. To HELP people.

I know...I'm a total nerd and you all had no idea. But seriously--this stuff will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Take my word for it. Think about if you saved all the $$ you spent at Target, Starbucks, or your favorite clothing store...just how much $$ you'd really have, and how little debt you'd have left to pay off.

I'm so excited to post about our progress...along with these posts, I plan on doing a "Cheap Date" series. You won't want to miss it ;)

Staaay tuuuned.