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Monthly Archives: June 2009
What is your story?
One of the things that I liked – and continue to miss – about the world of journalism was the expectation that on a daily or weekly basis, I was paid to tell stories. Oh yes, these were stories that were rooted in fact and some of them weren’t very compelling (i.e. – explaining school tax levies? Thank God for flow charts and graphics.). But every once in awhile, I got to talk to someone pretty nifty and ask them … Continue reading
Confessions of a Pack Rat
It’s no secret – just ask my mom or my dad who put up living with me for 18+ years. Ask any of my college roommates, ask my beloved husband … my name is Michelle and I have a problem – I’m a pack rat. First and foremost, there’s the college papers that I hated writing and probably would never read again. So why are they in a box in my closet? Then there’s the tiny pair of patent leather … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Random!, Reader Input
Tagged eBay, frugal, garage sale, Goodwill, pack rat, Salvation Army, Savers
5 Comments
The power of positive thinking
OK – I’m going to be honest. I like to think that I’m an optimist, but the older I get, the more I think I’m becoming a pessimist. I’m not all and out grouchy yet (and I emphasize the “yet.”) But there are definitely days that my mantra of “this is going to be a good day” more turns into a begging conversation with God to “make this a good day, pleeeeze?” that’s coupled with a sickening pit in my … Continue reading
Posted in Everyday Living, Random!
5 Comments
Summer Dating on the Cheap
My husband and I were friends long before we got married, so instead of the awkward dating period, we just hung out for about 10 years before we decided that being drinking buddies had transitioned to something more meaningful. So now I’m into date night. But I have to be honest – there is nothing more frustrating to me than going to a restaurant, spending an outlandish amount of money and be served subpar food. Because that’s when my hubby … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction, Everyday Living, Money Saving Strategies, Reader Input, Relationships, Where My Money Goes
Tagged cheap, date night, husband, ideas, movies
2 Comments
When did you decide to get out of debt?
Thanks for the comments about garage-saling. The best one I got from Twitter was a cast iron skillet for $2. I can remember when I decided to enter my Debt Management Program (DMP). According to my program’s records, I would have started my program in July 2006 (I joined the day after Independence Day – yes, I see the irony) with over $10,000 in credit card debt. I had maxed out credit cards, late charges that kept multiplying and phone … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction, Relationships, Where My Money Goes, work
Tagged credit card, debt, DMP, ephiphanies, future, home repairs, paid off, plans, RDT, summer
1 Comment
What’s Your Best Garage Sale Buy?
Garage sales and finding good deals are in my blood – my grandpa was an auctioneer, my parents are rabid when it comes to garage sales and I’ve always enjoyed finding nifty things for less than I would buy them in a store. One of the unfortunate things about working on weekend mornings is that I’ve lost about two years worth of Saturday morning garage sales, but I’m still remembering the good times – the wooden quilt rack that I … Continue reading
June is here!
Well, my no-spend month is over, although I’ll be honest – I think I learned a greater appreciation of what makes me spend (or not) than actually being successful at not spending money. Another upside of my experiment is that my pantry is a wee bit more manageable now since the moratorium on grocery shopping. In other news, my snowball is continuing to roll. I paid off the one credit card last week and will have enough money to pay … Continue reading
Posted in Debt Reduction, Everyday Living, Money Saving Strategies, Where My Money Goes
Tagged Care Credit, grocery, insurance, no spend, pay, snowball
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