Saving to Lose & Losing to Save

For years, I have struggled with my weight. It's not a big secret and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I look back and remember times in high school in which I thought I was "fat" - Ha! I'd kill to go back to the high school body days today! But, I did begin to gain more weight in college - more so than just the notable Freshman 15. So, in my last semester of nursing school, I joined a weight loss support group in my church at the time that met weekly. In the group, you could follow any plan you wanted; it was primarily for the support, lesson, and a weigh-in. At the time, I chose to follow the Weight Watchers plan with some things (Points calculator, books, recipes, etc.) that my aunt had passed down to me. I ate a lot of processed, pre-packaged things because that was easiest for me being on campus so much and working in my nursing preceptorship, but nonetheless I was very successful - in my first real attempt at dieting, I lost about 30 pounds!

I did pretty good for a couple of years but eventually began to lose control again and my weight crept up and up. I officially joined Weight Watchers a few times, but was only really successful with it once for a few months. Currently, I am close to my record high weight-wise and am just sick and tired of always feeling sick and tired. Fortunately, I work for a fantastic company that promotes health and wellness, and when they ran a deal to pay for half of my Weight Watchers membership, I decided to give it a go again. A real go. Like, for real. 

I've been so surprised with how much discipline that I've had with my budget and finances over the last 6 months, and I realized... if I applied even half of that same discipline to my diet, I really think I can do it. 

But, speaking of, what about the budget? Doesn't it really cost a lot to eat healthy? Well, even though I've been told otherwise, I do think that it does cost more to fill your body with good things than it does to fill it with junk. Hence, part of the reason that our county is in an obesity epidemic. That being said, I also think it's possible to eat well on a budget - and it's my goal to accomplish that! And I plan on sharing that on here with you...

First up: Frugal (& Healthy) Freezer Meals. I used this plan, that I found on Pinterest, as my guide. There are 7 meals that sound pretty delicious and seem simple, simple, simple - especially once they are assembled. The biggest bonus - they are all done in the crock pot. (Because, who doesn't love a crock pot?!) I got almost all of my ingredients at my local Aldi. Guys, I am in love with that store! If you have one near you, you really need to go check it out. They have almost everything you get from any other grocery store, including lots of organic and gluten-free items, but the prices are SO much better (check out why here). I love supporting a good company. So, minus the fresh cilantro, which my store did not currently have, everything on my list came from Aldi and was less than $70. I did some things that I needed that weren't required for my Frugal Freezer meals, so after subtracting all of that, I've calculated each freezer meal that has at least 3-4 servings each, is about $7.84 - or $1.96-$2.61 per serving and about 7-10 Points Plus. Not too shabby!! 

Here's to saving & losing! 

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Albert Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Better yet, George Bernard Shaw, one of the founders of the London School of Economics said, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their mind cannot change anything." 

I knew if I was going to get out of debt, something - okay, a lot of things - had to change. I was going to have to make sacrifices, I was going to have to change the way I thought about things, and I was going to have to, for once and for all, make my finances a priority in my life. No more living like there was no tomorrow or like I didn't have a clue about things. It was time to own up to my situation and make changes!

The first, and inarguably most valuable, change I made was...wait for it...the dreaded budget. I know, I know. That word that the most terrible connotation. For a few years before I started my budget, one of my best friends had challenged me to get on a budget. Well, at the time, budget sounded like a jail sentence to me. But, once I started thinking about my finances more and even talked to a debt management coach, I realized how important of a tool a budget was and how it could help me. 

Back before I started the Dave/Total Money Makeover Plan (when I only thought I was serious about debt...), I contacted the Balance Financial Fitness Program. I had to fill out paperwork prior to my phone appointment with a counselor and in that paperwork included my month expenses. I thought, "No problem - that's easy: Rent, Electricity, Water, ..., ..., ..." Well, once I actually had my call, the counselor started asking me about all kinds of things that I hadn't previously included in my budget - car repairs, taxes, vacations, etc. - things that are supposed to be a no-brainer, but for someone like me, I had totally missed the boat on! 

Even though I didn't stick with the debt management plan from Balance, I took a very valuable takeaway from my contact and interactions with them - my monthly budget doesn't just include things that happening in this month. It's about planning and setting aside so that when my $333 car insurance bill comes in the mail, I'm not putting it on my credit card (yes, that happened multiple times) or having to be a tad late til my next paycheck came. FYI, late notices are never fun. 

Now, my budget includes everything (well, I hope so at least - I haven't had any surprises yet, thankfully). I have categories for:

• Essentials - Rent, Groceries, Gas (car)
• Utilities - Electric, Water, Gas (natural),  Cable (more on this later)
• Bills - all credit card bills, Netflix, Gym membership, any other regular monthly expense
• Cody (the dog...and yes, he usually comes before me!) - Food, Meds, Toys/Treats, Daycare/Dog walker
• Me - Personal Hygiene, Clothing, Dining out, Entertainment
• And then what I call "Special Savings" - money put aside from each paycheck for those things that only come one to a few times each year - Car taxes, Car insurance, Car service, Gifts, Vacation, Medical expenses

All of my budget categories are on a spreadsheet with fabulous color-coded tables and built in formulas (Yes, I am that nerd) and I visit it every time I get paid - often times, more frequently. I will admit it - I love to budget now. Seriously, it's a rush for me. I know that sounds crazy and you probably think I'm crazy for saying that, but there's really only 1 bad "B" word for me now, and it's not budget. Looking at my budget gives me hope and inspiration, it fuels my fire to pay off debt faster, and I have not once paid anything late (or on a credit card!) since I started getting serious about my budget. 

So, I told you my budget was the biggest and best change that I've made, but there are other changes (sacrifices) that I've made in order to free up extra money in my months budget:

• No cable - I said goodbye to A&E, History Channel, HGTV, and the Food Network and now only have basic local stations, internet, and Netflix now. I desperately miss my DVR but ya know what - I haven't died from not having it yet! 
• Gym membership - I work for a hospital system that allows me to have a free membership (with classes!) to our fitness center. Why would I pay for one that I don't even go to anyway?!
• Essential oils - Okay, now you're really going to think I'm hippie-crazy, but I'm totally into essential oils. I love putting them on, diffusing them, you name it. But, those little suckers can be expensive and I was in a monthly order service where I had to order a minimum of $50 (not including shipping or taxes) in essential oils each month. Sorry, Lavender - you'll be coming out of my money only when I run out of you now. 
• Fun outings - I have had to learn to say "No." I'll never forget one of the first Dave Ramsey shows that I listened to via podcast: A man called in about Green Bay season tickets; you could tell he was so torn - his love for the Packers was strong, but he also had goals he was working on. Dave told him, "you (our society) needs to learn the word 'NO'." He also says something to the likes of "Children do what feels good; adults learn to say no, make a plan, and stick to it." There have been plenty of times where I've wanted to go out and do things that my friends have invited me to, but I am at the point right now where I just have to say "no." One day, I'll be able to say "yes" without even thinking about it, but that's not now - right now, I'm learning and practicing "no" when I know I can't afford things, when I have to make that sacrifice. 

Changes aren't always fun, but they are 100% necessary for me to successfully get out of debt. I can know all there is to know about money, but if my behavior isn't reflective of what I've learned, I'm never going to win with money. Sacrifice. Abnegation. Purpose. Determination. 

Debt Free Me! Or getting there at least.

A couple of years ago, I wanted to go to the $4 car wash. You know - one of those pay and drive thru washes where you get to use "free" vacuums when you're done. It was after work on one hot summer day and I figured it was the perfect time to go - after all, it wasn't going to be raining anytime soon. So I pulled up, selected my car wash (the cheapest, because I knew that funds were low...payday was only a few days away) and inserted my card.... Nothing. So, I tried it again.... Nada. I checked my bank account; not only did I not have $0 in my checking account, but I had a -$8 in my savings account.

I was officially the most broke I have ever been - and I had no idea. I was totally and completely clueless about my money. 

You'd think that would be where my debt free journey begins.... Sadly, it's not. 

I kept my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad habits around for faaaar longer than I'm proud to admit. Sure, I wanted to change my situation - or at least I kinda, sorta wanted to. But it wasn't until the end of last year that I decided I was totally and completely sick and tired of being in debt. And when that happened, when I finally found the absolute determination to get out of debt, my life truly changed.

On January 1, 2015, my debt free journey began. I chose to follow the Dave Ramsey plan, reading The Total Money Makeover and listening to his free podcasts on iTunes and I Heart Radio before I "officially" started the journey, I was ready to go at the turn of the new year. 

Being a lot like myself in personality and mindset, Dave instantly became my financial coach and mentor. I tease (kinda) and tell people that, "Dave is my new BFF." It's pretty much true, I just think it's a one-sided friendship. ;) 

Anywho, with the stroke of midnight in 2015, my life became the opposite of Cinderella and began to come together, instead of falling apart. I had a sense of focus, of purpose really, and I was ready to tackle this debt. When I started, I thought it was easily going to take me 2-3 years to get out of debt. Little did I know, however, that I would become Gazelle-intense, as my new BFF would say, and really start to steam roll this process: 

• January 2nd - Baby Step #1 ($1000 in the bank) - DONE! Time to begin the "Debt Snowball"... 
• January 30th - Paid of my first credit card (the lowest balance), the Ann Taylor LOFT Mastercard. That had a whopping 26.99% interest. (I would say that I'm ashamed of that kind of interest rate hanging around for so long, but if you'll recall, I was the girl who literally couldn't afford a $4 car wash... My BFF calls this "stupid tax.")
• May 14th - Paid off my next credit card, the Discover card. When I first got this card well over 2 years ago, I got it so that I could do a balance transfer and have 0% interest on it for 15 months. I mean, surely I could pay if all off in that time right?! Ummm, how about no. How about I only kept adding to it and adding to it... But not anymore. By the time I paid off my Discover card, I was getting emails from them asking me to update my annual income. No Discover, I didn't get a massive raise; I just got sick of you. 
• Present day - As of today, June 22, 2015 (173 days after starting), I have paid off $11, 683.59 of my debt (which was all credit card debt by the way). I still have a good way to go, but I am making incredible strides (if I do say so myself!) and I am still incredibly motivated and pumped! My friends are all very supportive, even if they do poke fun at me from time-to-time, call me a nerd or say I'm obsessed or a fanatic - although, I take it as a major compliment! This is the most focused I have ever been about anything before.

I share this with you because I want you to know that it is possible to get out of debt. After my I got that first credit card paid off in January, the fire in me started burning bigger and brighter and since then I've started reaching my goals months before I thought I would, and I'm now looking at being 100% out of debt next March - only 15 months after I started and one month before I turn 30.

Sure, it's not fun all the time and I've made plenty of sacrifices along the way, but I've learned so much about myself along the way. I'm not looking back - instead, I'm looking forward to what's ahead. Come with me. :)