Savers Club

**Cricketlegs** · 08-15-2015, 01:35 AM

hi cares, great news on the house and the debt reductions and savings! I am very heartfelt~ly (okay not a word but we are going to go with it!) happy for you and your family.

We too have had an excellent year and met all our goals and I'm about to start paying down my car 2 1/2 years early. I will be adding to savings monthly because we want a new house!

While we can certainly afford one we want JUST a house payment when we buy. Its a big goal but we can do it.

I will try and be more active around here.

I have started my own little business selling English paper pieces for quilting to help my child get out on her own without it affecting our household budget.

Hoping we all succeed!

**frugalwarrior2** · 08-15-2015, 02:01 PM

Hey all. Still debt free for about 3 yrs. now,have our BEF and rebuilding our Efund after Dh's job evaporating overseas. SO we are at 8 mo. BUT we need a new vehicle and furnace yesterday. Plus this is only a year contract so I am trying to save like he will be out of work again for -4 mo. If not great but the contract ends in Dec.
Put $2000. in savings. Rewrote Aug. budget and roughed in Sept.

**Cricketlegs** · 08-17-2015, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

Hey all. Still debt free for about 3 yrs. now,have our BEF and rebuilding our Efund after Dh's job evaporating overseas. SO we are at 8 mo. BUT we need a new vehicle and furnace yesterday. Plus this is only a year contract so I am trying to save like he will be out of work again for -4 mo. If not great but the contract ends in Dec.
Put $2000. in savings. Rewrote Aug. budget and roughed in Sept.

Getting debt free is great but staying debt free is big job so great work to you for doing it. I hope your dh is able to get his job situation to smooth out. Keep up the good fight.

**Cares** · 09-01-2015, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by Cricketlegs

I have started my own little business selling English paper pieces for quilting to help my child get out on her own without it affecting our household budget.

Hoping we all succeed!

That's awesome, Cricket! Do you have a page for your business yet? I'd love to see if i fyou have something. I'd like to start dabbling in quilting soon, hopefully over the winter. I'm thinking baby quilts. I have also started my own little crafting business. Carefully Crafted it's called. I make crochet items, my specialty is stuffies. So far I just have a face book page,b ut am working on an actual website/webstore. In another week my items will be sold in a local store here! I'm so excited

www.facebook.com/CarefullyCraftedByCarolyn.com

**Cares** · 09-01-2015, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

Hey all. Still debt free for about 3 yrs. now,have our BEF and rebuilding our Efund after Dh's job evaporating overseas. SO we are at 8 mo. BUT we need a new vehicle and furnace yesterday. Plus this is only a year contract so I am trying to save like he will be out of work again for -4 mo. If not great but the contract ends in Dec.
Put $2000. in savings. Rewrote Aug. budget and roughed in Sept.

Great job with the Efund!!! that is one big feat. Hope your DH's contract is renewed at the end of this year!

**Cares** · 09-01-2015, 06:30 PM

Added another savings goal. DH will need winter work wear. We actually didn't spend all of our "summer fun" savings, so I put the rest of that to start the Work Wear Fund, plus some money I had made from Carefully Crafted sales.
DH and I decided there is just too much going on financially around here, so we're going to rent a cottage for a week for our vacation next year (for our 10 year anniversary) instead of flying down south. Cuts the bill in over half.
We have a nice anniversary date planned coming up in a couple of weeks, I'm trying to figure out if we can swing it in the monthly budget instead of taking it out of Vacation Fund like we had planned. It means a spending freeze.

Thanks for checking in, keep up the good work!

**Cricketlegs** · 09-08-2015, 10:45 PM

I am on Etsy~ Bee Cottage Creations by Caryn as well as Facebook but had to go into vacation Mode. I am losing Mom to brain cancer and need to focus all my time with her. You can still see the listings I guess, you just can't purchase them at this time.

**Cares** · 09-11-2015, 02:11 PM

I`m sorry to hear this Cricket

My thoughts and prayers are going out to you and your family during this tough time.
I liked you on FB

Love your logo! Would you ship to Canada once you`re back at it? If you do, I'll send it to my mom, she quilts and may be interested in trying that sort of thing!

Added some more to the Winter Work Wear Fund. HOlding off on the others (except minimums for education and emergency savings). DH has worked crazy hours last 2 weeks, and we`re holding that extra income for the work wear fund and for our anniversary, then we don`t have to take money from vacation fund for the anniversary. I think I need to set some funds aside for home décor. Especially Christmas stuff. I LOVE decorating for the holidays but don`t have much and really want to spice up our new home. Better start setting it aside now instead of spending money all willy-nilly later like I KNOW I will because I have NO Christmas restraint!

**Cricketlegs** · 09-14-2015, 11:08 PM

Thank You Cares. My oldest daughter did my graphics and does the computer work on all my patterns. I had considered selling to Canada but the shipping charges just make me cringe, Othesr have told me to let the people who want the paper pieces and patterns worry about if they are wiling to pay the high cost for shipping and in theory I agree but when I see shipping is over $5 for an item I am selling for $2 I balk.

So, I may just go ahead and bite the bullet.

My Mom has very little time. A day or days. It is just heart wrenching so thank you for your kind thoughts and words.

**Cares** · 09-16-2015, 12:18 PM

I say the same thing, it's up to the customer if they want to pay the shipping fee

praying for you today and through this time, hoping for meaning time with you mom.

I had to take $700 out of the E fund, to help cover the cost of the car repairs. Well, boo. That sucked. But that's what it's there for, I tell myself

**peanut** · 09-16-2015, 04:15 PM

Cricket, sorry to hear about your mom.

Keeping you, your family, and mom in my prayers at this time.

I started reading this thread to see what everyone was up to financially. I was rewarded with news of people paying down debt and starting side businesses. So great to see motivated people succeed!

We have most of our goals met this year. Our EF is at 5 months. But we have investments on top of that, both registered and non-registered (RRSPs, TFSA, etc.).
Plus our kids are in their late 20s/early 30s and not wanting/expecting Christmas stuff anymore, so we'll send cards.
Our slush fund (travel fund) is at 99% for our fall vacation.
New-to-us car account is at 60%.
Taxes and insurance account is at 150%. Yes, DH likes to keep extra money there, just in case...We really have a number of EFs!
Plus my small business is going fine.

We are looking at retirement in less than a year.

**Cares** · 09-18-2015, 01:49 PM

Peanut, I feel like we all need a random dance party! and high fives! lol

You're doing amazing! Retirement is looking gooooooood.
What is your side business?

I've been humming and hawing about starting a blog. I want to be paid for it. I go back and forth between "it'll be fun" and "I don't have the time to make it profitable"

**peanut** · 09-18-2015, 03:23 PM

Hi Cares. I'll join you in a dance!

My side business is selling traditional rug hooking, supplies, and greeting cards with photos of my work on them. I also teach classes to beginners.

**frugalwarrior2** · 09-18-2015, 03:45 PM

managed to add another $2000. to the we need cars,a furnace and we are way behind on the retirement fund-fund. Dh is still working but the uncertainty is killing us. So remaining debt free and have managed to make about $250. using the CC and paying no interest!!