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Re: Introduce Yourself
Welcome Mimi and Marcy, glad you have both joined us.
Welcome Mimi and Marcy, glad you have both joined us.
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Hi all,
I am finally getting around to introducing myself after 54 posts...a little late!
I am 38, with a great wife, and 3 children 4, 6, and 8. I am currently going back to college to get my degree in computer programming. This is due to my back surgery 2 1/2 yrs ago and my being unable to return to my previous job at FedEx Freight.
We are currently debt free besides the mortgage and a bunch of money on 0% credit cards that we have been floating around for years at 0%. We have plenty of money in CDs to cover them, but I just cannot see giving up the interest earned versus paying off the debt.
My wife has gone back to work and I stay home with the kids. Our finances have improved so much in the last 3 years that we actually only need her to work to get insurance. I do get long term disability, at least until I finish school in 9 months.
Our current plan is to deposit $2500 per month into CDs to build a nice nest egg so my wife can quit her job once I get mine and if need be we can use a portion of the CDs to help make our budget.
Budget, oops, we really do not have one and I am sure we waste $500 per month at least doing things we really do not have too. I am sorry about that, since so many here could honest use that money.
We were no better off than some of you and your current situations. When we bought our house (6 yrs ago, and it was 11 yrs old) we bought some furniture, interior decorator, yard work, baby stuff, etc put us in a position of being a little upside down on our earnings to expenditures. This led to a monthly struggle on our spending splurges. We made great money for around here and it just led to wasteful spending.
What got us on track was simple. 3 years ago we got our $9k+ income tax refund and reworked our W4 to get that extra $160/wk take home and used that to retire some of our debts. The extra $160 just freed us from the spending and bill paying arguing. Along the way we decided to toss our stupid investment in a cash value life insurance type investment for another $160/month freed up.
We had also refinanced our 28k car loan to save $210/month, but it was still $380/month and extended 2 years. So the $14k in the investment that we cashed out went to pay off the truck.
We also purchased a used Grand Prix for $6k that was 1 1/2 yrs old with 81,000 from a traveling salesman and paid that off to save $182 more/month.
We now had $1260 extra per month to spend as wild as we chose. We really didn't have a choice because that is when I had my back injury and my 40% pay cut.
Fortunately we had killed the debts and were able to survive for the first few months I was off until my insurance ended. At about that point my wife began to deliver pizza (Dave Ramseys favorite extra money plan) until she found a permanent job and most importantly health insurance.
I have to say we were lucky that our situation got to the point that we decided something had to change for the positive and change it did. What an understatement. Add that in with my finding Dave Ramsey while I drove truck and becoming a complete DR addict. We were already well on track to correct our finances and DR just reinforced we were doing the right thing.
Positives can be found in our misfortune. My ex-coworkers saw the effects of me losing my job and the big paycut and many decided that life on the financial edge can be teadious. A couple are even DR addicts now that he is on Satellite radio at night when they drive.
I am not one in believing things happen for a reason, but rather we see things in life that we can learn from or put to a beneficial use. Jeffrey's site can be making him a great living and we all see that everyday, but who here has run off with the knowledge to do a similar thing and make money also.
That is how I found this site! I was looking to make more money from online earnings and google this and that and eventually enough clicks found me here. I liked what I saw and have been on a posting rampage. My goal is to have a website with as much success as Jeffrey and others have made for themselves.
Thank you all for making this a great community of helpers!
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Welcome Greedy for chips!! We are glad you are here.Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Hi Everyone,
I'm Alex, a twenty year old college student in So Cali. I'm off to a bumpy start with my finances, I have a bad habit of being a compulsive shopper and racked up some pretty vicious credit card debt. I have to work a two jobs while trying to maintain a full time college load and social life just to keep the collectors at bay.
I'm trying something new and crazy: budgeting. I guess the best way to go about my money is to be educated on how to play with it smartly.
Here's hoping to the best.Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Welcome, Alex! You're among nice folks!Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
I am new to this site. My name is Pennie and I did not start having problems with money until recently. The price of gas, amongst other things, is really hurting my finances. I'm excited to learn more about this site and to read what others have to say.Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Welcome, pennie, glad you have joined us!Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Hi. I'm Caroline, I live in NY. Currently I am out of work (hopefully that will change soon, I feel so unproductive) and I've been as stingy as possible due to no paycheck.
I am owned by a 13 year old cat.Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Welcome Caroline! We often judge ourselves by our employment, don't we?Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone.
I am a SAHM of three with a wonderful husband. I got to this site by accident about six months ago looking for ideas on savings accounts that paid more interest than the local banks. I have really enjoyed reading all the articles and have learned alot. I wanted to really start teaching my kids about saving money and investing wisely, something I wasn't taught but had to learn the hard way. I have one child who saved all of her gift money and is going to have her own ING savings account thanks to all the great info here.
Our family's goals are to pay off two small credit card balances and to pay off our HELOC. We don't have a mortgage because we built our own house (on credit cards) and then got the HELOC to pay off the CC's after the house passed its final inspection. We haven't been saving that much, that is another area we are trying to improve on. We both drive paid for vehicles, I have never owned a new car but I do remember what car payments are like and we both never want to do that again.
I can relate to a lot of people on this site in serious debt, over the course of the years I have been there not once but twice (didn;t learn the first time). I mainly want the peace of mind knowing that if the income stopped tomorrow we could make it for six months. I have been in the place before where if you missed one paycheck, it put you behind on everything.
I am hoping to get more disciplined about saving, so I look forward to the challenges and listening and learning from others successes and failures. Glad to be here.Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
justbee, we are glad you are here. sounds like you are heading the right way, financially.Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Hello Everyone!
I have been checking-out the site for a while and finally decided to join you all. Thank you for having me over!
We're a family of 4 plus a dog and a lizard. I have been wanting to join to save a bit of money (aren't we all?), find new things and ways. I am looking forward to the comradere.
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Hey everyone! My name is Daymon, and I noticed a couple of my articles had been posted here by Jeffrey. What an honor
I had a look around, and the forum content and set up looks great. Great tips, valuable information and informative discussion. Anyway, just thought I'd jump in and help out, and I'm sure learn a thing or two myself 
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Good Evening,
I have been lurking also, reading forums and looking to pay down my debt also. Im 43 a single mother of a 18yr old Boy (still at home) working full time. When Sept hits, I'll go back to my real job as a bus Driver and make some better money. My goal?? Pay down my car payment, pay off Ccards and try to build a nest for myself.
Looking foward to talking with everyone.Comment
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Re: Introduce Yourself
Welcome Daymon and X's!Comment
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