DEBT FREEDOM...how many see it as the first step to SS?

[lupinfarm]

We don't buy any plastic these days. I saw a film in Sociology once about the plastic garbage pit in the ocean and how every piece of plastic ever made still exists.

We're heavily into composting, recycling, and try to turn out as little garbage as possible. We have roadside pickup every 2 weeks only 2 bags, so we go to the dump instead.

 

[OkieJonesClan]

Just 6 months ago my little family of 5 generated enough trash to fill both our colletion cans every week!
Now, just yesterday, my DH pointed out the kids and I that we have forgoten to set the trash cans out the past two weeks for colletion. We only have one 3/4 filled. Wow! We definately aren't doing as well as allot of you are as far as trash goes. We were amazed when we started looking at reducing our trash how much we generated! We can now save some money by calling next week and removing one of those cans and going to every other week collection.
This journey has already been so eye opening to me.
This summer trash was a big topic in Italy. Did any of you read about it? They had no trash collected (I want to say it was near Venice) for several months! I don't reacal the reason (was it a strike?) but it crippled the city. I think as a whole the "developed" nations take for granted so many things and we have become not just convience oriented, but also "disposal" oriented, if that makes sence. Like, my sons bike - it would be cheeper to buy a new bike than fix it. Crazy. Who knows, though, with the global economic downturn, maybe we will wise up.

I am rambling . .sorry.

 

[lupinfarm]

Just 6 months ago my little family of 5 generated enough trash to fill both our colletion cans every week!
Now, just yesterday, my DH pointed out the kids and I that we have forgoten to set the trash cans out the past two weeks for colletion. We only have one 3/4 filled. Wow! We definately aren't doing as well as allot of you are as far as trash goes. We were amazed when we started looking at reducing our trash how much we generated! We can now save some money by calling next week and removing one of those cans and going to every other week collection.
This journey has already been so eye opening to me.
This summer trash was a big topic in Italy. Did any of you read about it? They had no trash collected (I want to say it was near Venice) for several months! I don't reacal the reason (was it a strike?) but it crippled the city. I think as a whole the "developed" nations take for granted so many things and we have become not just convience oriented, but also "disposal" oriented, if that makes sence. Like, my sons bike - it would be cheeper to buy a new bike than fix it. Crazy. Who knows, though, with the global economic downturn, maybe we will wise up.

I am rambling . .sorry.

Ugh, We don't have a choice here, it's only every 2 weeks and only 2 bags, and they must be in clear bags because a bunch of people were just throwing out recylcables.

We're hoping to start shopping at a butchers that will give us our meat without the paper or packaging. We're also looking to shop weekly and give ourselves a weekly budget for food, or 2 weeks at the most as meats will last that long in the fridge. This lets us cut down on packaging, and keeps our food intake as nice and fresh.

 

[FarmerChick]

good job OkieJones
that means you are truly saving money also. anything we don't have in the garbage means we didn't buy as much..LOL




for me there are weeks I have so little trash, then there are weeks that I seem to have tons. I guess when I de-clutter and clean up it seems to fill up more..LOL

 

[OkieJonesClan]

LumpinFarm - What a great idea!
I think we will go down to the butcher down the road and see if we can arrange something where they will let us bring our own reusable containers. Most of our trash anymore is junk mail that can't go in the compost or packaging from food. They don't have any recycling where we are. We have to take our recycling into the city.

 

[lupinfarm]

LumpinFarm - What a great idea!
I think we will go down to the butcher down the road and see if we can arrange something where they will let us bring our own reusable containers. Most of our trash anymore is junk mail that can't go in the compost or packaging from food. They don't have any recycling where we are. We have to take our recycling into the city.

We have recycling at the dump, which the township is trying to close down (badddddd idea due to all the farms in the area, if they shut down people will start burying their garbage again).

We are fine with putting our recycling out every week, but prefer to sort it at the sorting station.

Most butchers, but more likely FARM butchers, so farmers who butcher and sell their own meats, will put it in your own tupperwares and ice boxes, usually the farm butchers are more willing to do so.

 

[Beekissed]

I'd like to make this rental acre+ pay for itself this coming year. If I could make just enough from it to pay the rent, or even half the rent, that is more money to save. Also, I would like to make enough from eggs, honey, the sale of offspring of my sheep, and hogs to offset the price of their feed and upkeep~with some left over.

That way, I could have the benefit of better food, manure for my gardens, the development of my native grass into more nutritious food for the animals~for free!

For me, on my small income, the move towards debt freedom is taken in much smaller steps than most folks. I don't have many bills, but then, I don't have much pay, either.

My debt freedom goal this year is to reach a healthy balance between my SS lifestyle(making it happen as cheaply as possible) and my regular bills: rent, uilities, etc. If I can make the SS free or cheap and also pay for a great portion of these bills, I can save enough to pay off the bigger debts.

My longterm goal is to owe nothing to anyone, except my monthly rent and utilities, auto insurance. AND to start an active saving plan!

 

[FarmerChick]

that is sure the right step Bee.....it does stink that it takes so long to pay off debt. While paying it off we still have to spend to live and it just never balances out...for me at least..HA HA

I did the snowball effect when paying off debt. I had like 6 credit credit cards with balances. I picked the lowest and paid all monies to it. Big payment. I paid only the minimums of the others. Usually I would put $100 on one, $125 on another, $200 on another and so on.....instead I put the minimum like $25 on one, $45 on another, $20 on another.......THEN took all I would have ont the other cards and made a big payment on the smallest balance card. I paid it off very fast to a balance of 0 !!!!!!

The I hit the next lowest card. And did the same thing. And that card hit a 0 balance fairly quickly.

THEN I had 2 cards with 0 balance and closed those accounts.....then I attacked the next and so on and so on.

Now I have 2 cards left.....working on the one that has $2100 on it and then I have a $6,000 one left.............SO NAILING the 2100 as fast as I can - then I am down to one

SO the moral of the story is this-----I will have the $2100 paid off in 6 months cause I vowed to use my farm income to put extra money on it and GET 'ER DONE! And make a huge dent in the $6K card. Going into next year is my time to be OUT FROM under credit cards.

So that is my financial year happening.

Next is savings. I am putting 40% of all farm profit into savings. No more just taking money and buying this and that. I MUST GET money into my savings acct. I KNOW things are going to die, like my washer is making some real bad noises, LOL, and I want money available for replacements in the household.....

SO SAVINGS ACCT truly being added to and increase that balance!



So 2009 means working hard on bills for me! I need them gone. I have been paying these farm debts for over 10 years now. I want to start keeping some of my money and making that financial part of my life easier.

 

[FarmerChick]

oh and a side note....

when I got debt paid down I had more money. Yup, it felt good to have some breathing room because when all my cards were high balances, I suffered. I paid the world and had no money for emergencies or anything. I never bought much either unless it was farm related and all.

THEN---I noticed when I got credit cards paid off-----I did the inevitable. I started spending again. YUP---I had that luxury of some money and I hadn't bought anything in so long, keeping the wallet closed, that I started to spend. When you don't buy and pinch pennies for alot of years, when you do have money you spend.....I got that itch!

BUT then my eyes opened again and realized my bad pattern and closed the wallet again...LOL

Now I realize buying stuff to buy is no life. Having financial freedom is more important because it truly takes the stress off a person. It does for me. Money stress is nasty on me and time for me to overcome it!

just rambling!

 

[Beekissed]

I like your rambling! And I like your explanation of how you paid off the credit cards...someone out there can probably use this info! My sister has tremendous credit card debt and she uses one card to pay off another and round and round we gooooooo!

I am going to start to put more money in savings this year as well.