Saturday Vivre: Pay-Off Debt

1. Know WHY You Want to Be Debt-Free:

Write it down along with all the debts and amounts you owe to keep you motivated. It’ll help to keep you from spending money carelessly.

2. Look at the Full Picture: Gather all the information you can on your debt.

Write down the loan type, the amount owed, the minimum payments, the months left on the loan, the interest rate, whether the loan is variable or fixed and any other information you may need to know. Once you’ve done that, you can choose if you want to pay off the loan with the highest interest rate or the lowest balance.

3. Stop Adding to Your Debt:

If you want to be debt-free, you have to change your mindset. Don’t think of credit as a means to an end. That means committing to no longer thinking of debt as a solution. In other words, stop borrowing.

4. Only Use Cash or Debit Card:

Being on a cash budget will force you to make different decisions and change behavior.

5. Remove Temptation From Your Inbox:

Remove yourself from all coupon- and store-related email subscriptions. I downloaded Unroll.Me.

6. Be Candid With Friends: Share your goals.

Finding free or frugal ways to have fun is crucial if you’re trying to throw any extra funds toward your debt.

7. Find Free and Cheap Entertainment:

Attended free concerts and movies in the park, attended pot luck game nights with friends, and attended outings hosted by churches or universities, etc.

8. Find Ways to Make More Money:

Too many people focus solely on cutting expenses when they’re getting out of debt. Instead, think about making more money.

9. Ask for Help: You shouldn’t hide what you’re going through.

Many creditors have a hardship plan for those who can demonstrate a need, and there are many local nonprofits out there who can help give guidance. Don’t be too proud to ask for help, but don’t contact anyone without doing your due diligence first!

10. Create a Physical Barrier to Spending: Sometimes paying off debt requires you to get visual. Tape your budget to the back of your credit card.

11. Make a Visual Reminder: Make a chart and put it somewhere obvious.

12. Calculate Your Daily Interest Rate: Using the following formula: Interest Rate x Current Principal Balance ÷ Number of Days in the Year = Daily Interest.

13. Only Buy Groceries Online:

You stay on budget when food shopping because you can see your balance owed as you virtually put items in the cart.

 

New Year’s Day Menu

~ beverages ~
Coffee – Sweet Tea
Pop – Water

~ soup ~
Chili

~ main ~
Pork loin
Smoked Sausage in Sauerkraut
Hot Dogs

~ sides ~
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Black Eyed Peas
Hominy
Cornbread
Beets
Fruit & Cheese Tray
Crackers
Cranberry Sauce
Chips
Relish Tray

~ desserts ~
Banana Pudding
Sweet Breads
Cream Cheese & Jellies
Cookies
Candy Buffet

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Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will. ~ Jonathan Edwards & me

 

Pinterest Projects

What’s your go-to board on Pinterest? In other words, which category do you enjoy pinning the most? DIY projects? Clothing? Organizing?

I’ve found that it really helps when my mind is blocked (journaling & genealogy this week has been rough) or I’m just sitting somewhere; occupy my time. I have to say that I really like the exchange of ideas without all the ads that seem to plague all the other social media sites. I will admit that I have had one or two people post/promote their own products, but for the most part, I can search for party plan ideas or street style clothing or what or whichever approaching holiday ideas, fairly quickly and without commercials. LOL

Tell me which of your boards has the most pins!

What happens in Vegas stay on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube ~ Melonie Dodaro

 

And then it’s winter…

I wanted to share a little ditty from my inbox that I felt was appropriate today.

After a cousin shared an old photo of one of her #x’s Great-Grandmother’s 101st birthday, that had passed at age 102; with me this week it made me think.

Her Grandmother was a vibrant woman, living and loving everyday of her life. She didn’t let anything stop her. I wish that I could share her photo but its not my story to share. God bless you today and keep living life to its fullest, we can’t control what is going on around us or even to us at times, but it will come our time before we know it. You don’t want to miss a minute of it!

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And then it is Winter…
You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is… the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise…How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well…seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is…my friends are retired and getting grey…they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me…but, I see the great change…Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant…but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be. Each day now, I find that just a simple thing is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s sometimes mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will… I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so…now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last…this I know, that when it’s over God will be there.

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done…things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not in your winter yet…let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!! Life goes by so fast. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life…so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember…and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL!

ENJOY TODAY!

DO SOMETHING FUN!

BE HAPPY!

BE THANKFUL!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

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Remember “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~ Author unknown.

 

Quotable Quotes

If you can recall, I used to do a monthly segment on the 15th of every month of little quotes that I read that stuck with me, I thought I’d post a new one this month. Here are a few that caught my eye…

“My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.” ~ Anais Nin

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“To love is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” ~ John Henry Newman

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid.” ~ Mark Twain

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Do not undertake anything beyond your capacity and at the same time do not harbor the wish to do less than you can. One who takes up tasks beyond his powers is proud and attached. One who does less than he can is a thief.”
~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“One option is to struggle to be heard whenever you’re in the room… Another is to be the sort of person who is missed when you’re not. The first involves making noise. The second involves making a difference.” ~ Godin

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

“Ability is a wonderful thing, but its value is greatly enhanced by dependability. Ability implies repeatability and accountability. ” ~ Robert A. Heinlein

“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. ~ Anonymous

 

The six things I want to keep doing this year are…

With Steven back at college, classes are starting today, I know that I for one am excited, I usually have mixed feelings, but getting back on schedule is a good thing.

Steven finally found a software “schedule” program (tablet app, if you will) to help him stay on track. Something I’ve been trying to stress on my blog, all along. Find something that works for you, and stick with it. Just because it works for me, doesn’t mean that it will work for you or vice-versa. This is true in most aspects of your life.

I want to make 2012 the most positive & productive year for me and my family. I bought my 2012 desk planner a few months ago, but really didn’t think much of it… I started using it a few days ago, really for the first time; I quickly realized that I didn’t like it. I thought I had bought my usual refill, I didn’t order it, but picked it up at Staples, it looked the same on the outside as the pink one I had bought last year, but it wasn’t. It’s completely wrong for my needs. I can’t decide if I should just toss it out now and get the one I need or just pass on using it all together.

To be honest, I do most of my planning on my computer, in Outlook. I’ve tried syncing it with MANY different programs and/or gadgets, all of which end up in disaster for one reason or another. Never again! I only keep the paper-copy as a back up.

For me, my resolutions stay the same:

1. Tackling the life goals, I’ve set for myself.
2. Surround myself with healthy, inspiring people.
3. Monitor and address my emotional state; be positive… be present.
4. Reward myself.
5. Focus on the now; live for today. Not waiting for the hereafter, to live my “Happily Ever After.”
6. Spend more time with my Grandchildren (just need to master that webcam).

If you’ve actually seen my personal New Year’s Resolutions list, the one on my computer, it reads about the same as it has for many years, very few things have changed. It always ends with…

• Spend as much time with Anthony as possible.

Lists are important for many different reasons, but we use our resolution list as a constant checks and balance list. Things we want to continue to do, those we hope to do, and the changes we’d like to see in the future. I’ve picked up some tricks and tips that inspire me to make the most of every day while striving to take my dreams and turn them into my reality, not a bucket list that is a completely different list, entirely.

I know I’ll never master that “Sleep late,” but I refuse to remove it. When I’m in the HOME one day and people are making the usual jokes, I’ll break out my list and say “See, I planned this all along… done!

Greatness, generally speaking, is an unusual quantity of a usual quality grafted upon a common man. ~ William Allen White