Clearing Debt From My Life

 

I had decided back in December, before this year even began, that 2020 was going to be the year for me to get my shit together once and for all.  The biggest part of doing that was to clear my debt that has been hanging around for the past few years and steadily growing in size.  No matter what, if I did nothing else all year, I wanted that debt gone.

 

The first thing I did was to stop our Netflix subscription.  We had the very basic plan, $8.99 a month so not expensive, but we decided it was something we could let go.  Once I did that I began to feel empowered.  Already I had done something.

 

The next thing I did was to put us on a strict grocery budget in January and to work off of what we already had on hand.  I kept it lean and we still managed to buy everything we needed as well as a few stock up items that were on sale and markdown.  I carried that mentality on into the year.

 

During this time we did not dine out, go on any big shopping sprees, buy anything we did not need and literally lived like paupers.  We wore the clothes we already had, ate simple meals and we didn't waste anything.  We used up every last drop of soap, squeezed out every last bit of toothpaste, ate our leftovers, kept the heat low, watched free TV and movie options, and used items we already had for crafts and projects. By simply cutting expenses it gave me the extra cash on hand I needed to pay bills.

 

After meeting my financial obligations, savings goals and monthly expenses, every spare dime I had went toward debt.  To give me a boost the girls and I went through the house and I sold quite a few items we no longer needed or wanted.  Most of that money went toward debt and the rest covered a couple small expenses we had last spring such as a food sealer and a dehydrator.

 

I also worked quite a bit of overtime and that extra pay went directly toward debt along with my income tax refund and my annual bonus.  In a very short time I was able to pay off my car and move onto the next larger debt which was a three year accumulation of medical bills.  That was a much bigger mountain to climb and at one point almost seemed insurmountable.  But I was determined.

 

In a very weird way the pandemic helped me out.  Home mortgage rates dropped significantly and I began to consider refinancing my house.  Although my balance was pretty low my monthly payment was not.  Interest rates were much, much higher at the time I had financed my house.  By refinancing my home I was able to use part of my equity to pay off the medical debt and my monthly house payment was still nearly cut in half.  That decision was a complete no brainer.

 

Much to my surprise and sheer joy by the end of May I was able to eliminate all but $1800 in debt.  In July I finished off that remaining $1800.  I'm done.  Moving forward I now only have a much smaller mortgage payment, insurance and the utility bills.  Now I can breathe.

 

I do not want to go back to how things were.  Debt is horrible.  It gnaws at me and keeps me up at night.  It makes me feel guilty if I buy something that isn't an absolute necessity, and quite often even if it is, I still feel bad.  Debt does not do anything to make a person feel good.  And now that it is gone my life is much, much better for it.

 

To protect what I have accomplished this year I have a much larger emergency fund now and it is fully funded.  I now have a medical savings account that I contribute to each month as well.  I continue to put money into savings every pay day.  And we have not changed our current standard of living.  We could turn Netflix back on, but we've decided we're okay without it.

 

Finally!  I feel like I've got it together!

It is crazy to me that what I struggled with for the past three years I was able to wipe out in five months.  I encourage anyone who is struggling with debt to get out from under it by any means necessary.  Start with something small like I did and see where it takes you.

 

Prepper Pantry - About What I Am Doing…

 

I began putting our prepper pantry together back in April.  We discussed as a family the reasons why we felt it would be a good idea to have one based on recent events that occurred in March and the aftermath of that still going on in April.  As with anything I undertake, especially a large project such as this one, I research, research, research as much as I can.  I take other people's experiences, opinions and suggestions into account and then I come up with my own plan that works for us.

 

I mapped it all out on paper and I came up with a lot of lists and then I strategized to figure out not only how I was going to accumulate the items on my list, but in what order, what timeline, what the process would be and of course, how I would pay for it.  Then I got to work.

 

For the most part this has been my project alone.  The girls have helped some, but the vast majority of this has been my own journey and I am thoroughly enjoying the process and the peace of mind it brings me knowing that in a time of crisis I am doing something positive and productive.

 

This has been a learning process for me.  I am completely new to prepping with only five months of experience under my belt and in that time I have managed to do quite a bit.  Far more than I ever imagined.  I'm really happy about it and very glad I made the decision to become a prepper.

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my prepping journey with all of you and I am really glad that so many have shown an interest in what I have been doing.  Because I am so new to this I certainly do not claim to be any kind of expert nor do I expect anyone to do things the way I am doing them.  As with anything you should always do your own research, weigh and measure that information and decide for yourself what you want to do and how you want to do it.  Even if it's wrong.  At the end of the day the choice is yours and yours alone.

 

Sharing parts of my life with you has helped me grow in ways I never could have foreseen.  Your kind comments and encouragement have fueled me to keep on going, learning and growing, especially in my prepping journey.  I've never understood the mentality behind people that want to post comments that are mean, hyper critical, judgmental, or just plain rude.  I don't allow those kinds of comments to post on my blog and they get deleted.  My blog is a place for enjoyment, encouragement and happiness.  If that doesn't meet your criteria I recommend you move along.  For the rest of us we're going to hang around and have a good time.

 

So whether it is prepping, cleaning the house, cooking, grocery shopping, building something or working on a vintage motorhome, we still have a lot to do around here!  Thank you to all of those who want to come along on this continuing journey of mine.

 

Laverne - Taillights & Her Rear End

 

After striping the passenger side I moved on to the back of my motorhome.  I got started by first removing the spare tire cover and the spare tire.

 

I decided to take the taillights apart and clean them out really good as they were full of dirt.  

The ground wire connectors were rusted so I gave them a good clean and lubed them with a little dab of petroleum jelly before screwing them back in place.

 

I replaced a couple of bulbs that were looking a bit tired as well as the license plate light that had completely rusted with a brand new one.  

Before

After!

I also repainted the taillight covers and the license plate holder.

 

Before I put everything all back together I got the stripes taped off and over the course of a two days got those repainted the same as the passenger side.

 

Before

After!

I even spruced up the two outlets.

 

Look how shiny she is!

The taillights went back together and the entire back end from top to bottom was cleaned and give two coats of wax.

 

I am still undecided what I want to do to the bumper and the spare tire rack as well as the spare tire cover.  The one I have is big and bulky and I'm contemplating replacing it with just a vinyl tire cover.

 

The spare tire rack isn't very pretty right now so I will likely paint it.  The bumper and receiver hitch could use some love too.  Both of those projects may end up waiting until next year however as I seem to be running low on time these days.  But, you never know.  We'll just have to wait and see.

 

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

 

Our days had cooled off quite a bit.  Sunday morning was gorgeous.  I opened the doors and windows and set the box fan at our back door to bring in the fresh cool air.  Once I was showered and dressed I headed off to do my first grocery shop of the month.  I started at Dollar Tree and picked up a few things then to Albertsons with a very short list - yogurt, TP and a bottle of Perrier.  I had plenty of other things at home already to make meals so just a few sales items.

 

My little grocery haul

After I got home I did a little yard work and then a couple friends stopped by for a visit.  I shared with them my decision to boycott the news media and they told me they were doing the same thing.  They are very happy with this decision as am I.  We all agreed we aren't missing anything of any importance.

 

I picked up a compressed wood cutout at Dollar Tree for $1 and spray painted it with black paint I had in the garage.  I've always wanted one of these for our mantle and Hobby Lobby had them this size for $10.99 on sale.  Still more than I wanted to spend, even on sale, but now I have this one for $1 and it painted up perfectly.  I think it looks great and just like the more expensive version.

 

This was a super quick & easy project

I ordered a birthday gift for a friend from eBay.  I also bought three vintage sewing patterns for projects I have planned in the not so distant future.  I'm excited to get them and even more excited to use them.

 

How do you like my wrapping?

I made a big pot of taco soup so that I could use up a partial carton of beef broth I had in the fridge.  As always it is delicious and kept us fed for two suppers and a few lunches.  I also thawed out some small sirloin steaks.  I thinly sliced up two of them to make broccoli beef with rice and the third steak ended up being my dinner one night with leftover vegetables reheated.  We enjoyed a good variety of meals last week and didn't have much in the way of food waste.

 

I listed a gob of sewing patterns on eBay to sell.

 

I used shower gel and mixed up some foaming hand soap solution to fill all three of our dispensers =  1 Tbs shower gel + 1 cup warm water. Quick, easy and extremely thrifty.

 

I washed out a few ziploc bags so we can reuse them.  We gave our kitchen scraps to the chickens.  I sold a couple dozen eggs and I will be putting the money toward the next bag of feed I buy.

 

I worked some more overtime last week.  I will use that extra money next week to place another order from Amazon for a few items I want to stock up on.

Prepper Pantry = matches, scrub sponges, toilet paper, vinegar.

 

Some of the 15 Minute Chores I accomplished to keep my home in order: 

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - vacuumed floors.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Dining Room - vacuumed & mopped  floor. 

Kitchen -  vacuumed & mopped floor, cleaned range hood & stove, wiped down appliances, cleaned upper cabinets. 

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - vacuumed & dusted.  Scrubbed sink & tub.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Other - one large load of laundry, vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & entry, mopped living room entry.  Swept front porch & tidied the garage.

 

How was your thrifty week?

 

 

Home Management - Toiletries & Cleaning Supplies

 

I know I have touched on the subject of purchasing toiletries and cleaning supplies before, but it bears repeating.  It is an essential part of managing my home.  Pandemic or not, I always want to ensure that my home is tidy and clean and that we are able to keep ourselves tidy and clean at all times.  No one will dispute that cleanliness goes a long way to curb the spread of illness and disease.  Because of that I have always chosen to keep a clean home, I've always been a big hand washer, I've always sanitized my grocery carts and used hand sanitizer when out in public, I always wash my hands prior to handling any food or drink and I do admit that I'm a bit on the compulsive side when it comes to hand washing in general.  It is fair to say I wash my hands a lot.

 

Fortunately it isn't an expensive prospect for me to keep my home and my family clean.  I am constantly on the prowl for cleaning supplies and toiletries to go on sale and when they do I stock up.  When the pandemic hit the U.S. we had more than enough to get us buy while the panic shoppers were pillaging the shelves at the stores.  I'd say that was very good home management.

 

While I do find it a little more challenging to find supplies on any given day it is still not impossible.  Usually the dollar stores and the outlet grocery store have them when the supermarkets don't.  Not entirely sure why that is, but I'm grateful for it.  I've shared many times the products I prefer to use, how I make foaming hand soap solution to refill our dispensers in our bathrooms and the kitchen and my love of bleach.  Yep, I like my bleach, especially to sanitize my sinks, clean my toilets and wash my laundry.

 

I do feel strongly that it is prudent for all of us to consider stocking up on cleaning supplies and toiletries for a few very good reasons.  Right now supply and demand is precarious and you never can be sure which item will run short.  Next, if you are sick, the last place you need to be is in a store trying to buy things you run out of.  Also, with winter approaching, having a good supply on hand means you won't need to dash out in cold or stormy weather.  Lastly, if you find your finances are tight at any time, having a stockpile of supplies already tucked away gives you peace of mind knowing that you won't need to buy anything for awhile.

 

Keeping our homes and ourselves clean and tidy is an important part of home management.  Keeping a good stock of supplies to enable us to accomplish this is smart home management.