Ten Years Ago...

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Money, Power And Wall Street

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I don’t agree with everything, but there is quite a bit to learn from someone who has already retired before the age of 40.

What Are You Willing To Do To Be Debt Free?

While I find a lot of inspiration from people on YouTube who are working to become debt free (and a few who have achieved it), I’m noticing some are having some issues with the “Latte Factor” as David Bach described.  That “Latte Factor” are the things that drain your bank account and leave you wondering where your money went.  I understand, I enjoy a good meal at a restaurant, I used to go to movie theaters, I also enjoyed traveling to see new sites.

The problem is, that lifestyle was a lie, considering the amount of debt I was in.  Now, I enjoy a good meal, but it’s done once every one or two months.  Not every week, not every day.  Trips are restricted to where my car will drive me to, I don’t have the money or time to travel all over the place anymore.  Maybe at some point, when I’ve saved enough into a travel sinking fund, that will be different.

Now, I will preface this by saying that while I was paying off debt, I went “scorched earth” to get out of debt.  That’s because there was so much debt and I don’t generate a large income that things went ultra tight.  Seriously, ultra tight.

Let me give you examples of what I did:

New clothes?  Only work shirts and work pants.  Otherwise, no new clothes.  It’s been several years since I bought new clothes.

I stopped getting my hair cut.  For 4 years.  No colors, no perms, not even a trim.  I couldn’t afford it.

I got rid of the smart phone and went with a Tracfone flip phone.  Instead of a $70-$100 monthly bill, I now have a $20 expense every THREE months to put time and days on my Tracfone.  I still haven’t replaced it, as my medical bills have bore into my emergency fund and it’s back down to $1,000 again. I am replacing that money, plus working on a goal of someday being able to live on 7% of my wealth, as described in The Millionaire Next Door.

I reduced my food bill.  During the really tight period, I was down to trying to spend $36 per week for food.  It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty, but I was able to do it.  This also meant no going out to eat for at least two years unless Mom was the one buying.  Now, it’s not that low an amount, but I’m not going crazy with the food bill.

No vacations.  I haven’t taken a trip for personal pleasure since 2011.  Maybe in 2019 or 2020, but as I’ve mentioned with the medical bills, not right now.  I want to be on more secure footing financially before I start in with that.

Very minimal uses of the car, unless it was taking care of Mom.  I’m still minimizing the use of my car.

I got rid of the cable tv, kept the cable internet service, and invested in an Apple TV.  Why?  During my debt days, I purchased a number of movies and music, some on iTunes, some on DVD’s and CD’s that I’ve since digitized.  These I have set up with my computer with my iTunes set to share with my Apple TV, so I can watch the digitized items, including listening to my audiobooks, all from the comfort of my living room.  Given the setup I already had from working in the schools, this was the best and least expensive way to provide some entertainment for myself.  Also, I don’t do Hulu or Netflix.  I use an antenna for the local channels.

Here’s the thing I remember from Oprah’s Debt Diet:  people who are trying to keep up a lifestyle that they cannot afford are living a lie.  I realize that is harsh, but it’s honest.  If you are living beyond your means, you are living a lie.

If you are trying to pay off debt, why spend more in interest and drag out the payoff process any more than absolutely necessary to get out of debt by trying to maintain a “lifestyle”?  Reducing the spending (even if it’s not scorched earth as I did) will make the payoffs go faster, saving money spent in. Interest payments, plus it will speed up the process for when you can enjoy your life and be able to afford to do the things you have wanted to do - as a debt free person!

In short, are those baubles you seek to buy now, decreasing your debt payoff, worth the extra time and interest that bauble will cost?  Every purchase you make in non-essential items is a barrier to the debt free life you are seeking.  The debt free life that will be the BEST buffer when the next downturn in the economy occurs.

Yes, I’m now looking forward to doing more as a debt free person, but also breathing a sigh of relief to know I’ve moved past that part of my life.

Are You Recession Ready Yet?

There are a growing number of economists talking about a recession hitting around the year 2020.  Granted, I’m neither an economist or a financial planner.  I’m a widow who has survived recessions.

So, what should you do to prepare for this?

#1 - Don’t quit your day job.  As it is, recessions result from crashes in markets and job losses, try to shore your job as much as possible.

#2 - Save, save, save.  Go through your spending plan (budget) and make sure you have or know where to cut to save money.  Having money saved will make life a lot easier if you do lose your job.  Start off with the Dave Ramsey recommended $1,000, but within the next 12 months or more, you may want to save even more.

#3 - Reduce debt.  Are you in debt?  See what debts you have and look at the lowest balance debts to get rid of fast.  Live within your means and stay away from any further debt.

#4 - Side hustles.  Look for side hustles to help get you out of debt, or help you keep earning in case your main job gets lost in the downturn.

#5 - Emergency Preparedness.  For those in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we know the meaning of emergency preparedness.  Food storage, water storage, essentials to keep you going for not only 72 hours but longer than that.  Make sure what you store is also what you eat.

What else can you think of?

Who Knew? Warning: Adult Themes

Slowly Getting There

With the monsoons come bronchitis and sinusitis as well as depression.

While some things were maintained, I couldn’t take out the recycling due to dust and rain.  The bins used for the cardboard are open.  With that mess, also the mess of litter boxes not maintained given that I couldn’t handle the dust.

Today is recycling day for me, because the city picks up the recycling on Wednesday mornings, which means the bins are empty and I don’t have to figure out how to get my stuff in the bin that isn’t already full.

Oh, and the last few days have seen a load of dishes each day.

I still need to get some laundry done, but we are getting there.

Did I get all of the recycling out?  No.  But it’s a lot more manageable now than it was before I took a car load over.