Getting Gazelle using Craigslist! :)

[krbshappy71]

YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION.

I sold some empty totes for $25 and put more items up for sale.

[Sophiasmama]

Thats great,thanks for keep Us updated!!!

[mango]

Fantastic stuff suma!

[Sumacaroni]

We're getting CLOSER!! Only $1600 left until we can shout it from the rooftops

My DS19 sold his car last weekend. He also sold some rims with tires for a few hundred. He has been car-free for a week as he is really taking his time to try and find a different car that is within his means and fuel economical. I am very proud of his concerted effort. He stood his ground with his gf - she chastised him and rolled her eyes when he said he'd be without a car until he found a suitable replacement; she thinks he should have had a car lined up to purchase. I explained that we probably do things a little differently than her family but it's nothing to get in an argument over. She looked somewhat confused but it seemed to sink in when I asked how he would know what he could afford if he were to look for a replacement before he knew how much he would get for his car or the other things he's selling. So, he's still looking and I think he'll have something else within a week or two.

Back to our news, I paid our property tax ($2000+) this past week and was able to put $640 toward our debt. I was hoping this would be closer to $1000 but I'm holding a bit back in case DD19 buys something that ends up needing unexpected work.

Apparently my son has been watching our Debt Thermometer on the fridge because, as we were talking about his prospects for cars yesterday, he casually mentioned (with a big smile and a sort of incredulous chuckle), "Man, I didn't think that thing was really real but it's amazing...did you really pay all that?" and I knit my eyebrows together because I didn't know what he was talking about. He said, "You guys have really paid a ton, huh Mom? That thermometer thing on the fridge." And I realize what he's referring to and confirm that we have paid off over $18,000 in the past year and go into short detail about how I and his dad have really been tight and sold a lot of stuff in order to get to this point. I went on to explain our plans to take a vacation, save up for a replacement plow truck and the FFEF, then explained how we'd like to pay off the house in the next five years. It was a very opportune moment to explain why we ask him to live within his means so he never has to have a Debt Thermometer on his fridge!!

Anyway, I spend time every weekend checking our progress, planning for the future, and running different scenarios (income increase/decrease and how it could affect our mortgage-free projection) and it has really paid off in motivation and my Mister's attitude about our future has greatly improved. He was excited yesterday when I suggested a potential scenario that would pay our house off by October 2015. His eyes nearly came out of his face! He questioned, really?? really? He was incredulous and correctly assessed that if we are able to accomplish that then we could next throw a ton of money into retirement funds in the following years and that would mean he could possibly retire while he's still in his 60's!?!?

I simply said YES.

[krbshappy71]

YOU ARE CHANGING THE FAMILY TREE!! I think that's the phrase Dave Ramsey uses.

I am SO AMAZED AT YOUR PROGRESS,!

I sold a library desk, two dog water backpacks, and its all from inspiration of this thread. When I want to give up I read this thread and post again on Craigs List.

[Sumacaroni]

Great job, krbs!! Did I mention that my son sold those things on CL? And that he's using CL to find a different car? Yes, yes, and he's now thinking of selling his dirtbike on CL, he mentioned that yesterday during the discussion about increasing his car-buying power with more ca$h. CL is how this thread started and it continues to be a part of our family's strategy

[peanut]

This thread is so cool Sumacaroni! Kudos to you and your family for doing so well paying down debt. You've motivated me. I don't have debt, but I need to cut back on expenses so we can renovate and prepare for retirement in five years. I'm thinking of some kind of visual, like your thermometer, to help us. Hmmm...

[Sumacaroni]

I see a bright light at the end of the tunnel!! We finished preparing our taxes and we'll have $2500+ refunded plus I believe I need to amend our 2010 taxes and it appears we will be getting $2400+ from that. I was in school through 2010 and my son had just started college - I made the mistake of thinking we only get ONE education credit but it turns out we should have gotten one credit for EACH of us since he still lives at home while going to college. I didn't prepare his taxes last year, he wanted to do it himself. (Hindsight: I should have insisted in at least taking a look at them.) So, anyway, since I didn't get an education credit for me this year, we thought we would be paying in $400 but I started looking deeper and deeper and found this mistake.

Good thing it's correctable and since we're so close to debt-free this is going to make a GREAT addition to start our FFEF!! And when my son graduates in December, we should be done with the FFEF, replacement of our truck, AND I believe we will have enough to pay off most of his student loan and that makes me very very happy. Since we started the DR plan only a year ago, I wasn't sure we'd be able to get to Step 5 in time to help our first son with this at all.

Doing a cautious but optimistic HAPPY DANCE

[Sumacaroni]

Taxes are filed and the total returns will be over $5000; with this jumpstart on savings, we estimate we'll be able to help our DS19 a great deal especially considering this next part....

It looks like my position at work will be made full-time by midsummer. I have mixed feelings about this because of the ages of my kids (just wish it was one more year when DS14 gets closer to driving age) but I have this degree I finished last year and this would put it to good use. Not to mention, in this economy I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I'll take it if that is what comes!! My hours increased by 8/wk in November and this would be another $800/month and I will be able to get into a really great group insurance plan that will save us literally THOUSANDS per year. We will CERTAINLY be able to make great strides if the plan comes to light as expected.

I just keep thinking how successive doors just keep getting unlocked and opened as we go along and, for once in our lives, we are finally recognizing them instead of traveling along blindly with our minds who-knows-where?!?!

God is Good. God is very good.

[mango]

You are going so great Suma, well done!

[Sophiasmama]

Another great update, WTG!!!!

[Sumacaroni]

Thanks mango and SM, it sure helps to have people cheering us on! I heart FV

Checked the websites and it appears the first of the tax refunds will arrive by the end of this week - which means........

We will be DEBT-FREE before the end of February!!!! I can HARDLY WAIT to start building the FFEF.

[peanut]

Great job Sumacaroni!

[Sumacaroni]

We. Are. Debt-Free!!!! Paid off the final $1600 of medical bills and roofing materials. 2/24 marks a new millestone for us. It feels fabulous and we went out with the kids for dinner Friday night. For one, we celebrated one year since my cancer diagnosis and I'm still alive and kicking And we've now made 2/24 mean something so much better. It used to be D-Day for diagnosis. Now it is D-Day for DEBT-FREE!!

And in other good Craigslist news, my Mister sold the old Pepsi machine that was just taking up space in the garage. He got $150 for it without haggling.

We added $500 to the truck replacement fund and $100 to bring our EF to $1100. The next goals are:

• replace the truck by summer
• build up $4000 for my son's graduation in December, and
• have the EF fully funded by 12/12/12.

[peanut]

Wow! Way to Go Sumacaroni! You've done a great job! You go girl!