It’s Baaaaaack!!! My favorite time of year is here where I grab a cup of coffee and discover a bunch of new blogs written by wonderful women!
Once again, there are a TON of prizes being offered. I haven’t won anything, yet, but maybe this is my year! {*fingers and toes crossed*}
On my blog I write about finances. I don’t get too fancy, because I’m not that smart. I just pass on infortmation that I have learned.
I also like to participate in monthly challenges that my good friend Christie puts on her blog Bushel and a Peck. This month I’m in the midst of a 30 Days of Spring Cleaning. Haven’t been doing as well as I’d like, but I’m trying.
I have been blogging about our family’s financial journey to being debt free since October 2009. We took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class and it rocked our world! In his class he mentions that most people who take FPU and become “gazelle intense” become debt free {not including their mortgage} in 18 to 24 months. I didn’t believe him.
But, IT’S TRUE!!!
After 18 months we managed to pay off all our consumer debt! In the process we began teaching our children that they should avoid debt like the plague! We are breaking the cycle of relying on credit cards and started living on a cash system.
Thanks so much for stopping by! You can keep up with my progress via RSS, Facebook, and Twitter.
**UPDATE**
Since this is a party I wanted to participate in a GIVEAWAY! (I also wanted to try out Rafflecopter since I’m a programmer and I like stuff like that!)
I’m giving away $10 PayPal Cash! (Who doesn’t like money?!?)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations on paying off your debt! We also did Dave Ramsey and are debt free, except for the house. It feels awesome!
Dave Ramsey rocks!! Nice to meet a fellow debt-free DR fan!
Cascia Talbert from The Healthy Moms Magazine – Just dropping by from The Ultimate Blog Party I am looking forward to networking with you and getting to know you better! I hope you have the opportunity to visit our blog! http://www.thehealthymoms.net/2012/04/ultimate-blog-party-2012.html
Thanks for stopping by! Visited your blog and followed! Love this party!
HI! I’m stopping by from the UBP! I’ve never taken Dave’s class but we do follow many of his ideas about getting rid of debt and he definitely knows what he’s talking about! I hope you get a chance to stop by my site and see how I save money for my family!
He does know his stuff! Following you back so I can find some more savings!
I just read Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations about Food and Money; I think that’s the first book I’ve ever read about finances! I just posted the review on my blog.
Visiting from UBP12…I hope you can take the time to visit Lemon Drop Pie!
Thanks for stopping by! I just commented on your post to help you reach your goal of 100 comments!
Anna- I want to know your debt free secrets. My husband and I sat down and created a budget (for the first time ever!) and we feel at least somewhat empowered by that, but haven’t made a debt dent yet…Short of taking any classes, I’m going to study your blog and see what worked for you. Thanks for sharing! And woo-hoo from UBP12!
I’ll tell you whatever you want to know! I know it feels like the debt doesn’t move, but it will! If you have any questions, just ask! Thanks for stopping by!
Stopping by for the UBP! Living debt free must be awesome, I’m looking forward to reading more of your post.
It’s pretty cool! Love your blog title! Just followed your blog!
Hi from the #UBP12 ! We too are working hard to become debt free. It is amazing the burdens that are lifted when you don’t have that debt hanging over your head. I am now following you on FB ! 🙂
Keep me posted on your debt-freedom journey! I love to hear how others get out of debt! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi! Stopping by from UBP12! And to commend you for finding a way out of the debt cycle – congrats! Hope you get a chance to visit our blog, too – and to learn that timeshare rentals at RedWeek are the best-kept secret to a budget-friendly family vacation!
Here from the UBP but I was already a follower!!
Huge Dave Ramsey fan – he changed my life in 2008 and now we’re working on babysteps 4 and 5! Woohoo!
Have a great time UBPing it up!
Wow! BS4 & 5! I cannot wait to get there! It will happen! Thanks for stopping by! I found you last year! 🙂
Congratulations on paying off all your debt!!
Stopping by from the UBP…
Thanks, Carrie! Appreciate you stopping by! 🙂
Okay, now I’m going to make some coffee too! My hubs and I paid off over 20k in cc debt and then rang it all up again to start his business. Once you’ve paid it off though, you know you can do it again! We can’t wait to be debt free!
You definitely can do it again! One of our rounds of debt was with a business that didn’t make it. Learned a LOT!! Wouldn’t trade that experience for the world!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. 🙂 Yes, it’s true… grandmother of 3. I started when I was really young. lol.
I so need help with finances, I’m glad I found you. 🙂
You’ll have to give me your anti-aging tips since you look about 10 years younger than me! LOL!
New follower here from the UBP! I can’t wait to go through your blog. 🙂 Megan
Thanks for letting me know you were here, Megan! Just about to pop over to your site!
Congrats and good job on all your hard work! We just finished baby step #3! Read about it here: http://mylittlebitoflife.com/?p=3489.
Dave Ramsey changed our lives too!
Carolynn, that is AWESOME! I’ve heard it was the hardest step to complete. Do you think so?
Thanks for stopping by!
Visiting from the UBP#12 party.. Congrats on being debt free I will be back for tips for sure 🙂
Great! Stop by any time! 🙂
Hi Anna,
Just dropping by from the #UBP12 and wanted to say that it’s quite inspirational that you’re on the road to pure debt freedom, and your dedication to help others live debt free. Keep up the awesome work. Looking forward to getting to know you this coming week. 🙂
Thanks, Nick! Love your business, by the way! Great concept!
Way to be debt free! We are on the road to getting rid of debt ourselves. What a great avenue to document the journey through this blog! Very courageous of you. Glad I found you on the UBP! Looking forward to catching up on your journey.
~ Ferly
Gifts We Use {to grow, love and serve}
Keep me posted on your debt freedom journey! I love to hear how others did it! Thanks for stopping by!
LOVE Dave. He changed our life — or our family tree :).
Just popping in to say hello from UBP. Have a blessed weekend!!
Oh, and the hardest part about getting rid of debt. Saying no to myself. I hate being told what to do! LOL.
LOL! I hate being told what to do, too! Too funny!
Hey, stopping by on the UBP tour, will have to come back and read some of your tips! Have fun and hope to see you around the party!
Thanks for letting me know you were here, Sheri! 🙂
I am so looking forward to reading your story. I have known that I needed to get my finances under control for a long time and finally decided to go to FPU and am just starting my journey to become debt-free. So glad I found you through the UBP!!
Hardest thing about getting out of debt (should have looked at your contest before I left my first comment, LOL) – remembering to pack my lunch every day!
Hmmm the hardest thing about getting debt-free for us is the fact that we started out ignorant of the Credit card pit and built up a pretty big debt mountain before we learned about the importance of avoiding it like crazy!
I am so excited to have found you on the UBP site and can’t wait to read more of your blog!
Jennah
Unfortunately credit cards have been so ingrained in society that we don’t realize the trap until we are in it! Thanks for stopping by!
My husband and I JUST started FPU! Dave Ramsey is amazing.
Stopping by from UBP… Can’t wait to read more!
That is AWESOME! You will LOVE it! Please keep me posted on your progress. I love to hear about people’s journeys. 🙂
Stopping by from the UBP12 linky. Nice to meet you!
Congrats on paying off your debt! My hubby is a huge fan of Dave Ramsey. We are hoping to be able to pay off our debt….some day. Life has kinda gotten in the way.
Hope you’ll stop by:
http://www.atticgirl.com/2012/04/welcome-to-ultimate-blog-party-2012.html
Life has a way of doing that. Listening to Dave’s podcasts helped us a lot! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi – stopping by from the UBP12. Looking forward to following and hearing your tips and tricks. We are fortunate enough to be debt free but still need to implement the finer points of Dave’s budgeting… still a work in progress for us! Stop by if you have a chance! http://apalousemom.blogspot.com/2012/04/ultimate-blog-party-2012.html
I think it’s always a work in progress. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Hello. I’m making a party stop and I like what I see. Although I’ve heard a grreat deal about the Dave Ramsey series, I haven’t been able to participate and I’d like to know more so I am going to follow your blog and learn from you. Sound okay?
Sounds great! Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂
Hi, stopping in from UBP2012! Really looking forward to reading your tips on being debt free, especially since I’m struggling to eliminate mine!
Grisel
http://www.livinglife2itsfullest.com/
Stopping in from UBP2012, looking forward to reading your tips on being debt free since I’m currently struggling with debt.
Grisel
http://www.livinglife2itsfullest.com/
I am so excited about having found your blog via the UBP! Last fall, my 2 youngest kids and I went on a road trip to Disneyland and while driving along one day listening to the radio, we tuned into a show about getting out of debt. I wanted to remember the hosts name but with all the travelling and excitement of the trip, it was gone. After reading your “about me” I have the name!!! Yay!! I’m following along now and hope to be in a position to yell WE’RE DEBT FREE real soon! Stop by for a visit at the Little Shack on the Hill if you get a chance!
Wow! That is cool that you now know Dave’s name! Listening to him helps with motivation! We download the podcasts because they don’t do his show until 2AM in GA.
Stopping by from UBP!
I’m really interested to read through more of your site. Sometimes I feel like we’re going to be in debt forever!
We have a few barriers to getting debt free. It seems like I’ll be in school forever, taking out more student loans. Plus we have to pay for airplane tickets for my husband’s kids multiple times each year which really adds up! Hopefully we’ll get there though. I graduate in a year and can get a real job!
It does feel like forever, but it can be done! Life likes to throw obstacles in your way, but once you decide to kick debt to the curb it’s awesome!
That is AWESOME. I’m currently attempting to avoid debt like the plague, but education makes that difficult.
Most of our original debt was school loans. It’s so hard to get rid of those! If you can avoid debt other ways, that may help!
Visiting from UBP12! So nice to meet you!
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I’m stopping by from the UBP. My family is also trying to put some of Dave Ramsey’s principles into practice and become debt free, so I’m interested in poking around your blog a bit for any tips and tidbits. The hardest thing so far has been to moderate the money we spend on extracurricular things for the kids. We homeschool, so I enjoy putting the kids into extra programs, sports, etc; but it all costs money! It’s so hard to balance choosing the best things!
Extracurricular always messes me up as well! I think I need to make a specific envelope for that category and put an amount in it monthly. Thanks for stopping by!
Found you Via the Ultimate Blog Party and am now subscribing. My husband and I LOVE the Dave Ramsey series! I’m excited to look around your place here! Have a wonderful weekend! – Kali
I love meeting fellow DR followers! It’s so encouraging to learn about their stories! Thanks for stopping by!
Stopping in from UBP. We are also big fans of Dave Ramsey’s FPU, but we’ve had some big life changes and fell back into some old ways. Reading your blog reminded me that we need to get back to it. Thanks, and enjoy your UBP journey this week.
It’s easy to get off track, but you can get back on anytime! Thanks for stopping by!
Can’t wait to start reading through your blog. I’m a huge DR fan and we’ve been working on debt for the last year. I just started blogging about making your home beautiful on a dime. Come by and visit when you get a chance.
Blessings,
Lisa
Definitely will visit you! Need all the ideas I can get on decorating. I’m a total lost cause with it!
the hardest part of getting rid of debt is not getting further in…..
Totally agree! Thanks for stopping by!
stopping by from the UBP! Thanks for the giveaway and way to go on making your way to being debt free!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. And yay for debt free!
No problem! You are a great writer! Thanks for returning the favor and visiting back!
Stopping by from the UBP.
Coming out free and debt-less is such a great feat. Congrats! Please do visit my blog, http://www.amauiblog.com/.
Well I would love to become debt free. The only real debt we have is our mortgage which can be a major stretch for hubby and I when he is the only one working outside the home. I would do cash only if his company didn’t pay him on a credit card. Which sucks because when we take out money we get charged for it. Wait I mean a debit card.. ugh long day I look forward to following and hoping to pick up some money saving tips.
You get charged for taking out your own money? That’s not good! Thanks for stopping by.
Love this blog idea… have already become a follower. To answer your comment question, I think the hardest thing about becoming debt free is retraining yourself to WAIT to buy anything until you can pay cash. We’re working on it… Stopped by from the UBP… but I’ll be back on my own!
Raising Lifelong Learners
Thanks, Colleen! It is hard to wait and save! That is so true!
For me, the best way to be debt-free is to simply spend and live within your means… that’s my golden rule in money matters. stopping by from UBP, am glad to meet you…
You are right! Unfortunately too many people don’t do that simple task. Thanks for stopping by!
Stopping by from the UBP.. I can not wait to read you whole blog. Me and my hubby have been trying to get out of debt for so long but as soon as we are almost there something happens and we end up right back in it, I love the isea of this blog. Thanks for sharing.
http://flyinjswho.blogspot.com/2012/04/ultimate-blog-party-2012.html
We got out of debt twice and got right back in. This time we are determined not to let it happen again. Thanks for stopping by!
We are also huge DR fans. It’s great to be able to pay with cash!
Love meeting DR fans! I totally agree!
Stopping by from the UBP. Congrats on paying off your debt!
You can find me at Tales of a Pee Dee Mama (http://sloanhomeschool.blogspot.com/)
Thanks! Glad you stopped by! I’m off to visit your site!
All consumer debt GONE? Holy cow, that’s impressive!
I came around thanks to UBP12.
Thanks! It’s very freeing! Thanks for stopping by!
Awesome blog and right up my alley. One of my passions is helping people save money by finding freebies and great money saving deals. I’m following you on T and FB and looking forward to learning some new things. Thanks and hi from the UBP12!
Thanks, Samantha! I’ll definitely be getting to your blog for some deals! Glad you stopped by!
Hi! Stopping by from the UBP 2012. It’s true about the debt free. We paid ours off (waaay before Dave Ramsey came on the scene) in about that time doing what we knew how to do. Congratulations. It is soooo freeing.
That is awesome to hear! Wish we had gotten out of debt a lot sooner. It was all a learning experience! Thanks for visiting!
I really like your site and I now have it bookmarked. What a dream to be debt free. I have a lot of reading and learning to do! Your blog is really an incredible resource AND well written. Thank you!
Thanks, Val! That is very sweet of you to say! I appreciate it! Thanks for stopping by and making my day!
Congrats you on paying off all the debt. I remember that day too. It was a relief. Then that money could go right into savings. Currently we dont have a mortgage because we are expats in Singapore…so we are LITERALLY completely debt free. But I’m sure we’ll buy a house once we find we are staying in the states.
Party hopping.
Wow! That must be an awesome feeling to know you have absolutely no debt! Thanks for stopping by!
hello! stopping by from UBP 2012. i’m so glad that we have very little debt (the only one is our mortgage) but everything else is clear. it feels so good to know that there’s nothing really hanging over our heads. congrats on being debt free! 🙂
Thanks, Kathy! Just stopped by your blog! Love your honesty in your post!!
Congrats on dedicating your blog to living debt free. It is so important to help find peace in life! We own our homestead and have been living without credit cards for 7 years now, not always easy, but it works for us. Visiting you from the UBP, hope you have the time to visit us back here in Hungary!
You are right! It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it! Thanks for stopping by and saying hello! 🙂
Hello there! I am stopping by from UBP12 and I love your debt free blog! It’s so important especially in these days! It’s so fun to have material things but sometimes we have to control ourselves! I blog over at http://www.garagesalesrus.blogspot.com/. We are a family of garage salers and we try to teach people how to garage sale and find the material things for cheaper so that they can hopefully have more money in their pockets to do things like pay off their debt! Thanks for sharing your journey! I am a new foll0wer and can’t wait to see what you have next!
I have to check your site out! I’m getting ready for a garage sale this Sat!
Hello from UK… I love your posts… Debt Free and Spring Cleaning… I will be following you….
Thanks, Carolynn! Love the UK! Can’t wait to go back and visit someday!
Congrats on being consumer debt free! If I could shake my student loan I think I’d feel a lot better about things, but I don’t think that’s something we can kick quite so fast. #UBP12
Student loans are the worst! I remember feeling so relieved once we paid that off! You’ll get there!
Hi Anna! My husband is resisting but we are doing the DR program and have one credit card left to pay off! It’s a great feeling to make final payments on things. I hope you are having fun – PArty on!
One credit card left…woo hoo!!! You are going to feel awesome once that is out of your life! Thanks for stopping by!
LOVE Dave Ramsey. Was in debt back in my early twenties after a divorce. Now married almost 14 years and have 5 kids and we did not get into any debt at all! Love your blog!
Now THAT is awesome! 14 years of marriage without getting into debt is amazing!
Way to go! That’s amazing. I’m a big DR fan. My family also follows a lot of what he has to say including no credit cards. Seriously, it makes a huge difference. #UBP12
That is awesome! It changes your family tree…that is for sure!
Thanks for hosting the contest! That’s 2 cloth diapers! 🙂
Woo Hoo! My friend hosted The Great Cloth Diaper Change today, too!
Catching up on UBP12 blogs….
Dave Ramsey inspired us to get serious about paying off our debt too!!
DR rocks!
How awesome that you got debt-free… that’s amazing!
Thanks for joining the party…. sorry we’ve been so busy over the last few weeks and just got here now.
New to blog…AND LOVE IT! I just started my own journey to becoming debt free and need all the inspiration and motivation I can get!!