A Long Time Comin'

Thank you for all of your concern while I have been absent from the blog. Everything is alright, and I have a renewed, and more intense and burning desire to be rid of my debt. Lately, I have been selling things on ebay and craigslist and turning around and using that money to pay off debt.

It helps.

I haven't always been honest about my spending problem (like an alcoholic who hides his/her behavior from others). I saw something on the Dave Ramsey show one night that talked about financial infidelity. I was guilty of it. Now, I let my wife know about every transaction that I do and give her full access to my accounts (which are password protected). I want her to know that I am serious about this.

She was a great help to me when I gave her the printout for my bank accounts (we keep separate accounts). She combed through those and came up with ways that I am wasting money. It would be $1.25 here, $2.45 there, but it was adding up. Here are a few things that I have done that you may find helpful:

1. Make a budget - I am a firm believer of telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. I have had to make a few minor adjustments as I go, but they are always with my wife's watchful eye. Any money that I get from selling things (like DVDs, tools, TV) have gone toward the debt.

2. DON'T EAT OUT SO MUCH!!!- I now have a $25 budget allotment for eating out, and when it is gone, it is gone. I used mine this month for an all-you-can-eat sushi dinner (well worth it). I take my lunch to work every day (which is seven days a week) and spend as much in a week as some of my co-workers spend on one meal.

3. Cook more at home - This works hand in hand with number 2, but I will fix some cheap ramen noodle dishes, beans, etc. and will take the leftovers to work. I also cook my breakfast each morning, be it oatmeal, biscuits (from scratch), or a breakfast burrito.

I will pick back up with the blog and the 100 ways to save money series, I just needed a break to get my stuff more together.