Debt Free Living: 52 Week Challenge!

 It's that time of year again.

Our main goal is to be Debt FREE and that not only means for Christmas but for every aspect of our lives. Being Debt Free is a HUGE goal and takes some planning in our lives.

I know that this 52 week Challenge is all over the internet and hard to pin point who actually came up with it first but I thought that my readers would like to join me in planning for Christmas 2018.

This 52 week challenge is pretty simple, you save the dollar amount that corresponds with that week. So the week of Jan 1st you save $1,

the week of Jan 7th you deposit $2 and so on,

by the end of the year you will have $1378 in cash for anything you choose.

You can also do this challenge backwards where you save the $52 on Jan 1st and take away $1 every week. 

I like things more uniformed so I think for me I like the 52 Week Challenge EVEN plan. I will just deposit $27 in my envelope every week and by the time Christmas comes I will have $1404. 

This challenge and everything else is 100% up to you. You don't have to use these particular plan or if you feel you need more or less money at the end of the year change your weekly deposits. This is totally up to you and your families needs.

Click on any of the forms above to the printable version.

We are starting up our next session of Financial Freedom classes! If you are ready to grab a plan to becoming debt free, you should join us! Check out more info here. 

Debt Free Planning: 52 week challenge

It's that time of year again.
Our main goal is to be Debt FREE and that not only means for Christmas but for every aspect of our lives. Being Debt Free is a HUGE goal and takes some planning in our lives.

I know that this 52 week Challenge is all over the internet and hard to pin point who actually came up with it first but I thought that my readers would like to join me in planning for Christmas 2018.

This 52 week challenge is pretty simple, you save the dollar amount that corresponds with that week. So the week of Jan 1st you save $1,

the week of Jan 7th you deposit $2 and so on,

by the end of the year you will have $1378 in cash for anything you choose.

You can also do this challenge backwards where you save the $52 on Jan 1st and take away $1 every week. 

I like things more uniformed so I think for me I like the 52 Week Challenge EVEN plan. I will just deposit $27 in my envelope every week and by the time Christmas comes I will have $1404. 

This challenge and everything else is 100% up to you. You don't have to use these particular plan or if you feel you need more or less money at the end of the year change your weekly deposits. This is totally up to you and your families needs.

Click on any of the forms above to the printable version.

How we paid off our brand new Van in 12 months!

It feels like yesterday I was pregnant with munchkin #2 and we finally got the van I had been saving and saving for. We had $6100 to put down on that van, which took us 2 years to save, not bad right? I was so happy to get that van because the one stroller didn't fit in my Ford Escort, I knew that a double stroller was not going to work.

That monthly payment was a lot for us, (about twice as much as my last car loan) but we were going to make it work. 

About 2 weeks after we purchased the van our church had a workshop about finances and gave out a book. That book was the start of a journey to financial freedom. I was hooked. I started watching other programs and reading more and more about how normal people like us become debt free. I gained strategies from multiple resources and put them into practice.   

Every extra dime we had went to pay off the van, if I used a coupon, then the value of the coupon went to toward that van. If my husband worked extra hours, it went toward that van. I know it sounds crazy but tweaking just little things you do on a daily basis can put an extreme change in your habits. 

We were able to pay off that van ($29,000) in 12 months, on one income, with 2 babies in the house. Did you read that right? YEP 12 months $29,000 and that van is MINE!!!!  I am hooked. I can't tell you the happiness we feel every month now that we don't have a car loan.  I know that this works and we are now on a CASH ONLY budget. We are not using Credit Cards or Debit Cards.

At this point in our lives we only have the mortgage as our debt. I want to have that paid off and be truly financially free! (I mean really.... can you imagine having NO MORTGAGE?    I can't wait)

Bonus: Ibotta and Checkout 51 Deposits

While you are out shopping for t week, don't forget to check your Ibotta and Checkout 51 Deposits. 

I just scored an extra $0.50 off my total from Ibotta for purchasing Cereal and Eggs. 

If you don't know what Ibotta and Checkout 51 Deposits are, they are mobile couponing apps. After you purchase the product you scan the items UPC code and the receipt and they give you money like a coupon would do.
Ibotta you can redeem your rewards in a Paypal deposit or redeem for gift cards and
Checkout 51 will send you a check after you earn $20.

If you haven't already signed up for Ibotta click here  and for Checkout 51 click here. 

The other great thing about these apps are you can use a Manufacturer coupons, Store coupon, Ibotta Deposit and Checkout 51 deposit on the same item, if they have them available. How awesome is that!