Good grief, I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve written a post about the debt thing.  So, let’s do a little run down, shall we?  You all know how I love to type out lists…let the list begin!

1. Yes, we are still in debt.

2. Debt sucks big donkey wads.

3. Being the head track coach was really bad for our dining budget and gas budget.

4. Budgets are a necessary evil.

5. Sometimes I like to ignore the budget.

5.5 Ignoring the budget causes my husband to sigh a lot in my direction and ask questions like, “Do you know we have a budget?”

6. Having a job this year let us loosen our belts a bit.

7. Having a job made me so busy that I had no time to think about spending money on things that I really love.

8. I really love working cameras, comfortable dining room chairs and in general fixing up the farmhouse.

9. Now, that school is out for the summer, I suddenly have the urge to spend heaping mounds of cash on working cameras, comfortable dining room chairs and in general fixing up the farmhouse.

10. Good thing I have severe anxiety when it comes to purchasing cameras and furniture and lumber supplies.

11. I sort of, kind of gave up my envelope system.

12. I found that if I have cash I do this crazy thing……I spend it.

13. I use shopping cards that I purchase from my children’s school to buy our groceries. So, it’s still like I have a cash amount, without the cash in my pocket.

14. Coupons are still an awesome thing to save a ton of money, but they are a lot of work.

15. Cashiers do NOT understand coupons.

16. A lot of cashiers think I’m trying to cheat the store out of money by using coupons.

17. Sometimes I feel like an overbearing-penny pinching-uptight- money monger when I have to explain how to enter the correct amount of the buy one get one free details on the coupon to the cashier.

18. There’s a few things I’d like to do with those coupons that include: start a fire, make a good soup and fill the giant hole in the cashiers ear lobe.  But, I’ll keep using them, when I’m organized enough to use them.

19. Have I mentioned that really I think coupons SUCK giant wads of time and energy out of me?  Ugh.

20.  Debt sucks.

So, let’s hear how you all are doing?  Are you paying your bills?  Getting out of the hole?  Saving up cash for the next great thing or disaster?  Frustrated with coupons?  Let’s hear it.

Remember when I told you I got a job at my children’s school as their Development Director? Yes?  And I told you about Sprint, the other lady that shares the job with me.  Well, right now we’re in the home stretch of our largest fund raiser of the year.  It’s a silent and live auction with a dinner.  So far I think we’re doing well selling tickets and getting corporate support and the auction items are starting to be donated.

Last year I asked all of you what you thought were great auction ideas.  So, once again I’m counting on all of you to share your fabulous ideas with me.

As for my personal donations I will be giving a pork package and designing a Christmas tree with homemade ornaments from the students in the school’s colors (blue and gold)  I think it will be really neat when I get it done.  I might do the wine tastings that I did last year, but I haven’t decided if I have time for it yet or not.

Okay, spill your brilliance on me.  What do want when you go to a fund raising auction?  What would you buy?  What would you donate?  What is the big seller at your school/charity?

ATTENTION FUND RAISERS  read the great ideas in the comments!!!

Keep ‘em coming!  I’ll be emailing a few of you to follow up on specifics of your ideas.  Thanks for the great inspiration!!!

Hello my friends. How’s the debt reduction going out there?  We are fast approaching our two year mark when we first decided to buckle down and beat this debt thing once and for all.  Traction is the word that Damn Ramsey likes to use when referring to digging in and getting serious about debt.  Sometimes, we get stuck spinning our wheels.  We got no traction, man. I have a lot of excuses for the spinning.  In all honesty it boils down to needing  focus, diligence, persistence, good planning and organization.  There are many days when I have none of those.

I’m spread a bit thin this year.  I took on a job that requires a lot of my energy.  It takes me away from the house more and more, which takes away from the kitchen control that I once had.  We are eating out more often, grabbing snacks, eating in the van…Lord, please do not judge me on the smell coming from my van…it’s a bit crazy this life on the run.

I can sympathize with all of you that work full time and try to plan meals at home, it’s very hard and I’m not even close to working full time.  Go back and read that last sentence a few times in your best whiny voice and you’ll have a good picture of what it’s like to live with me right now.

I think the biggest part of my problem is the lack of a schedule.  I have a schedule, but it’s different everyday and sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing until the minute I’m doing it, add to that the five other people I live with and you have a lady spinning, running and feeding her children brownies for breakfast.

I’m longing for the days that I can rightfully run into a store,  buy whatever I need to make my life easier and get on with my crazy dance.  When we are done with this debt thing I’m going to hire a housekeeper, a farm hand, a grocery shopper and I’m going to have my van detailed at least once a week.

Until then, I’ll be trying once again to do better, stay focused and get us out of the HOLE!

A week or so ago I was driving some volunteers to a job very early on a Saturday morning.  On the way home, I decided to follow a few garage sale signs.  It is rare that I intentionally go to garage sales, I would like to make it intentional, but I don’t.  I found the best sale, ever!  I spent $9.00 and came away with a bag of  fabric, new pillow cases, several aprons,  a lamp for one of my boys, a pretty green jar for Ellen’s room, a lot of t-shirts, two pairs of Adidas shorts, dishes, an American flag (I’ve been collecting big flags to decorate our porch with for the 4th of July parties we have) and some other things that I’m forgetting.  It was so much fun to get some things we needed and wanted and not spend a fortune.

Finding a sale like that actually helps me recharge my debt diet.  It makes me realize if I work hard enough I can beat this stupid debt.

Are you ready for some pictures of my fun finds?

Cast Iron Dipper $0.50

Two of the four plates and eight bowls $3.00

Chandelier for Ellen’s room $2.00 (I found this at a different sale).

Jean Martha, tell me where I’m going to find all those replacement parts!  And then come and fix this thing for me, please!

Now, tell me how you’ve saved money lately.  I need inspiration.