WE ARE DEBT FREE!!!!! $29,721.22 out of debt

Gosh what can I say but FREEDOM!!!!!! We have been waiting for this day for soooo long and I actually feel numb about it, more like in shock hahaha I look back now and think oh my gosh I couldnt even afford a can of soda to drink two years ago. I remember the day I went into the grocery store with $20 in my purse wondering how the heck I was going to feed my family all week long.

Two years ago finding those childrens books changed our lifes. Being a library Tech for years I found these books that I knew were classics at a flea market. I ended up selling them on EBAY for a large sum with that money I bought my husband a satalite radio for Christmas that he could listen to his long drive to work each day. One day he listened to Dave Ramsey a talk show host on getting out of debt, he asked me to listen to him too. We were hooked. We got two of his books and just looked at each other, Could we do this? Wasnt it the norm to have car payments? Credit cards? To be part of the "We want it NOW generation"

We had a great house on 75 acres but no money to improve it and we were up to our necks in a mortgage we could barily afford. Dave helped us realize we could let go of it. It was just material. I am glad we did because we found a smaller place but better I think.

We were able to let my parents live with us in the little cottage on the property. I remember when I first saw this place I fell in love. Sitting outside in the pecan orchard I know I had come home. We went from paying $1200 a month to $600 a month.

We fixed up are old cars instead of buying a new one. We listened to him especially on the days we were barily hanging on. Especially those days when my sisters went out shopping just for fun, or my family kept urging me to buy a new sofa and put it on credit because my old one sung down because springs were broke.

There were days where I cried because I didnt think my husband understood my spending needs. We must have set down dozens of times to readust our budget.

We now can look to a bright future.
We are now wiser

I love that I can take care of my dad but I don't want my kids to take care of me someday they shouldnt have too.

A new day is dawning

check out blog on how we got started if you want full version
http://frugalcountrymom.blogspot.com/2008/01/debt-free-coundown.html


Sam

Pick up Lines for Dave Ramsey Fans

I still have money in my “restaurant” envelope… can I buy you dinner?

Would you like to dance? I’d love to show you my Baby Steps.

Why am I nervous about talking to you? Because you’re better than I deserve.

Allow me to introduce myself… I am “borrower,” and you must be “lender.”

Good thing I just got term-life insurance… because I saw you and my heart stopped!

You can’t spell Financial Peace University without U and I.

I’ve already kicked Sallie Mae out. Want to take her place?

I just bought a bass boat with cash… and it’s a good thing, because you’re quite a catch!

I’m not mortgage interest baby… don’t write me off.

The good news? I’m debt free. The better news? I’m also date free.

What would you say if I asked you out? (response: No.) That’s not good enough.

Chicken Coop Door

Update: I have been getting a lot of hits for this page because people are looking for those automatic door openers. So not to disapoint them the only place I have seen them is this place
http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/ Who ever can make a timer chicken door in the United States you will make a killing selling them. So let me know if you come up with one and I will let you advertise it in my Pasture Poultry group. :) I may even buy one from you!

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This is my chicken Coops new door I am soooo happy my chickens are happy too because they started to lay like crazy they like the darkness like they are hiding some to lay the eggs. Yes I know in most chicken outfits they put light on them to lay more, but my chickens are not locked up in the coop they go out and are in sunlight most of the day.

Everything is soooo dry right now you can tell by my coop area. I need to move it soon but to what? I dont know its just dry grass. I was hoping for some rain the last two days but only got a mouthful so sad.

No co-op this week yah! for me, kids are sad though. At least tonight I have time to write this otherwise I wouldnt tryng to get the egg/milk order in and doing co-op stuff too. I would have been exhausted.

Kitchen is still a mess I have been trying to keep it clean from dishes and cleaning my eggs but we have stuff scattered everywhere since they came in to repair the damage the dishwasher did. They are suppose to come from Best buy by Wed I just want them done and over with, the only good thing about this is I got a deeper new sink for my kitchen :)

Well speaking of dishes I need to do mine, change laundry, take a shower and head for bed its been a long day.

Sam

Its Cookie Time!

I was on my way home yesterday and turned at one highway and I happened to glance over at the small town bank where they are doing major construction and there was a lone girl scout selling cookies. The cookie in the middle is my favorite I love the mint too.

I ate a lot I shouldnt have but before I could finish off more I took it over to my dads and sister to eat hahaha. I love that the cookies are fresh unlike the ones they give us at Camp during the summer blaaaaa.

Well today is Saturday and I want to go outside soooo bad but I have so much to clean in my house so I turned on the HGTV and I am trying to get motivated. Tom and I went over are finances yesterday. He got his yearly review which determines what we will get for a bonus. He got his 100% so that means at the end of Feb we should have enough to pay off our tractor for sure I am sooooooo excited.

The next step is baby step 3 where we save 3-6 months of emergency fund. Baby step 4 is putting more into our retirement fund , reviewing our home insurance, and life insurance to up it. We decided to save up for 3 months for now then we start to save up for our trip to Alaska. Little by little we will add to the emergency fund to get it up to 6 months.

I was worried about our retirement money that we already had in the bank the other day because it was doing so bad in stocks, but hubby said he had taken it out before the market went down and had put them in a mutal fund till he could get to it and rearrange it. Luckily thats when the market went down so when he did put it back but he bought the stocks cheaper. We know eventually it will go up it always did. I still remember the money we lost during 9-11 but at the end of the year we didnt make any but we came out ok.

I have gotten a ledger for my chickens I am determine to keep better track this year with selling and buying food for them. Later on that...

Have a great weekend

Sam

Beautiful sunset

Our canal during sunset wished I could have caught the orange but didnt get my camera on time.

It seems Feb is our busiest month. With trying to get ready for Homeschool co-op and my chickens starting to finally start to lay and having to clean them I hardly have time to sleep. I just wanted to say I was alive and well :)

Sam