great job!!!

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SILENCE IS GOLDEN BUT DUCK TAPE IS SILVER.

Wow! that is awesome! you go girl!

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My choices yesterday create my today. My choices today create my tomorrow.

Forget the Joneses Holiday Boot Camp Blog

My sentiments exactly. My husband's paycheck is less than that!
Congratulations on saving so much!

Great job! Its wonderful to see that this really does work. Thanks for sharing!

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Proud mommy to adorable Kinsley

Remember that until today I hadn't grocery shopped since the week before Christmas. As things are going to be needed - I did grocery shop today, ds needed a haircut over the weekend, etc. etc. that will be taken off the 1800 until the end of the freeze when we'll really see how much we have saved - it will be exactly a month at the end of the freeze that we have actually been doing our freeze.

I have to also add here that it also depends on what you mean about discresionary (sp) income (I know you didn't mean it in a bad way). For example, if we overspend, we Will have money to pay the Visa, BUT then come time for the, say life insurance premium we won't have enough. So we've been taking that amount and putting it on our Equity line and so it becomes a crazy rob Peter to pay Paul type of thing. We were really good about our Equity Line last year, paid it all off, then we built our deck and it was easy to slide more money on it once it's started again.

Close the equity line!! They are nothing but trouble

Can you set up a savings account for your life insurance or whatever large items you need to pay for? Transfer money each week or month into that account so you don't spend it.

We were doing our home improvements using an equity line and it reached a point we couldn't pay off. We refinanced and have vowed to only renovate when we can pay cash. For now we are living with a 70s era bathroom but it is still functional.

Actually it has worked quite well for us...We have a great interest rate and are good about paying it down. I figure we'll be paid off maybe in April, and we have a huge new deck to show for it that will only increase our home's value. In turn, we are going to keep it open for the just in case a disaster strikes and our emergency funds run out.

We just have to be more disciplined then we have been - if we keep our nickel and dime spending down then we'll be OK on the things that we really do have to buy, and not have to put those on the line. It's just like our Visa - we could stop carrying it in our wallets (we pay off the balance every month) But what we need to learn is discipline. I don't like the idea of going out without my Visa - what if something happened and I needed something Right then and didn't have the cash - flat tire, meds, whatever. This way we're learning to use it properly not just punishing ourselves. I do have to say though, that we do have a fair amount of willpower - Not that others don't!!! But it makes it easier to fight that temptation. I guess I got one it from my father - he gave up smoking, drinking beer and coffee all at the same time!!