Comments for Debt Reduction 101

Comment on Thinking about consignment … by Suzanne

Suzanne — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:23:21 +0000

I have been on a roll recently getting rid of stuff – my rule is if I haven’t worn it in a year, it gets tossed. and like above, when I buy something new, something old gets tossed. It’s so much nicer to look in a closet that has plenty of room to see what you have that you love to wear rather than a closet full of stuff you hardly ever wear.

Comment on Dear Me … by sharon kubitz

sharon kubitz — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:30:31 +0000

and that Shelley is only one of the reasons we love you so very much and are so very proud of you!!!!

Comment on Thinking about consignment … by patientsaver

patientsaver — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:06:50 +0000

Make it a rule that each time you buy a new item, one item must go out.

Comment on Thinking about consignment … by Wowitsawonderfullife

Wowitsawonderfullife — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:53:07 +0000

Contratulations on your culling journey. Most consignment shops want items that are two years old or newer. Unless it’s vintage consider splitting your piles into three. One for donation, one for consignment, and one for garbage. Good luck.

Comment on Frugal thinking: Preparing for busy days and preventing bad decisions by Julie M

Julie M — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:17:21 +0000

I second the comment from Kate about having a hubby who “whips things out of nothing.” Last night, my DH said, “I wonder what I could stuff these chicken breasts with?” Stuff? I thought. Don’t you just grill those? I started listing random things that we had that *might* go in chicken breasts: spinach. brocolli. ricotta or cream cheese. dried cherries. chopped walnuts. wild rice. I would have no idea what to do with all those things at once. 30 minutes later, we sit down to grilled chicken breasts stuffed with ricotta, walnuts and dried cherries, and a side of wild rice. Note we were lacking a veggie, but the cherries sort of count, right?

So, we usually try to have staples on hand that at least one of us can create something out of, but a little planning would save us time.

Comment on What won’t you cut out of your budget? by Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 23:13:14 +0000

@Paul – Why do I get the sense that we’re going to be having a coffee date and debating in the near future?

@Tacori – Thanks for the comment. I wish I could eliminate the cell phone, but I’m in the same boat with you – it’s my lifeline to work.

Good luck eliminating your car payment from your budget. YOU CAN DO IT. I had car payments for about 10 years of my adult life and have been free of the car payment for the past two … there’s nothing like it. Keep it up!

Comment on What won’t you cut out of your budget? by Tacori

Tacori — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:07:37 +0000

As always, thanks for sharing. I’ve recently started following Dave Ramsey so this topic has been on the top of my mind. I think there are a few things that I should eliminate from my budget like the Vitamin Water I purchase every morning for $1.79 or the lunch that I could pack instead of paying $7-$10 by going out. I’m not sure what I wouldn’t remove though. I mean there are some things that obviously can’t go away anytime soon like the house payment, utility bills, etc. I guess after thinking about it, the one thing I wouldn’t eliminate would be my cell phone. LOL, I can’t live without that thing. Lame I know, but I do use it a ton for work. I would love to eliminate my car payment from my budget though.

Comment on What won’t you cut out of your budget? by Paul

Paul — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:17:26 +0000

I had to think about this one for a minute…I think reducing spending or “budget de-cluttering” is not the same and does not have the same impact as physical de-cluttering and simplifying. Certainly if one of your goals is to save money or reduce spending, spending should be looked at and none of us should be spending money or shopping simply to do it.

But…this is not an all-or-nothing scale. I greatly enjoy a Caribou latte. And I don’t think this is “clutter” or “complication”. For starters, when you finish a latte, you’re finished. There is nothing that sits in your basement for 4 years or has to be donated to Savers or sold on eBay. (you should use reusable cups, something I need to do more of!). Second, I often enjoy a latte or a coffee or food with a friend, and that is absolutely an enrichment to my life, NOT a clutter or complication.

Your manicures? I would still put those in the “uncluttered” class. Sure, you can live without them. But given the choice of spending money on a manicure vs. a new gadget or pair of shoes (assuming you have all the shoes and gadgets you already need), a manicure is helping to employ someone in this country, and does not sit in a box after you’re done with it. I’d consider something like Netflix in the same category – when you’re done watching the show or movie you want to watch, there’s nothing “left” to take up space or deal with later.

I’m not advocating frivolous spending of money, but the reality is that do spend money on some things, and I guess I don’t subscribe to this “all-or-nothing” philosophy of simplification I’ve read in some of your linked articles – to me it has to be a continuum.

Comment on Frugal thinking: Preparing for busy days and preventing bad decisions by Carol

Carol — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:45:03 +0000

I grocery shop weekly and don’t necessarily plan which meal is going to happen specifically on Monday or Tuesday, but I shop for some meals that are quick, and some that take longer. It makes it easy to pick a meal based on how much time we have/how tired we are.
Kid friendly quick meals: Ramen, scrambled eggs in tortillas, pb & j, pasta
medium prep time meals: homemade pizza, stir fry,
longer prep time: enchiladas, lasagna, baked chicken dishes, grilled stuff.
Some of the longer prep stuff can be made the night before if you know the next day is gonna be crazy, but really, who wants to make supper at 10pm?
This was a good discussion question, Shelly- I hope others post ideas.

Comment on Frugal thinking: Preparing for busy days and preventing bad decisions by Paul

Paul — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:34:01 +0000

I second the eggs comment – SO simple to make, and (contrary to the years of telling us otherwise) so good for you. And you can do a ton of easy stuff with them. I don’t really even cook and I’ve learned how to do cool stuff with eggs