What are your goals for grocery spending in 2012? Will you be keeping your budget the same as in 2011 or have circumstances caused you to change your grocery budget? I went over budget SEVERAL times in 2011 so my goal in starting this challenge is to spend no more than $300 per month...

Hi all. I'm a 26 yr old newbie here, hoping to be debt free by the time my 30th bay rolls around. I have been saying I was going to focus on paying off my debts/budgeting for YEARS now (prior goal was by age 25, which came and went). I am almost done with reading the Dave Ramsey book and love...

I know this question has been posted before, and I've seen a variety of opinions... but we have what is I think a somewhat unique situation. We're in BS2. Company matches 6%, at 100%. Hard to pass up. They also contribute 2% to 401k no matter what I do. I am currently contributing 6% + the...

I've decided that I need to learn how to spend ( not be so tight handed) and to not be nervous/anxious about spending for the betterment of me and my family. I'm sure anxiety feeling when entering a store even if I can make them go away quickly is not right. So how do you balance spending and...

Welcome to the 2011 Debt Reduction Challenge! This is the official discussion thread for the 2011 Debt Reduction Challenge. Any comments or questions about the 2011 Debt Reduction Challenge should be posted in this thread. Discussion posts made to the 2011 Debt Reduction Challenge - Totals...

To avoid confusion, please only post your debt reduction payment amounts in this thread. All discussion related to the challenge should be posted in the "2011 Debt Reduction Challenge - Discussion" thread. Please ensure that your total is broken down into interest and principal. The preferred...

For those of us who want to continue (or resume after a hiatus) our budget challenge of 2010. I left it at $355/month last year, so in January, I am going to try to knock it down by $5/month. That would result in a grocery savings of almost $500 by the end of the year.

Hey gang! Don't forget to post your updates to the Emergency Fund and Debt Reduction challenges. We need everyone we can get participating if we're going to hit our goals this year!

Guess some of you are wondering why I am around more all of a sudden? In three weeks I will be closing the doors on my shop. My partner and Legal owner of the business passed away; financially I can't do it on my own so we have to close. We have tried for months to find someone else to help me...

It seems that every month my electricity bill gets more and more expensive. Well, this month, it was the cheapest it has been in a long time! I used far less electricity than I have in a long time! I was trying to trace back the cause because I haven't noticed anything different. We haven't...

The other thread on Elizabeth Warren got me thinking. Has anyone done a modified debt reduction plan? I know Dave Ramsey is against vacations until after BS2 and not to fund your 401K if you are out of debt in less than 2 years. Suzie Orman says no vacations until you have no debt and 8...

to back each other up I am so glad I got dh on board with getting our financial life in order. our furnace is 15 years old. last monday I got a flyer from our furnace company they had a 1/2 price sale and 0% financing two of my favorite words.... so since it is 15 years old I called to have...

Sidebar: I did a challenge on here a few years ago and it really helped me get my spending under control so I'm back with a new one!! Background: DH and I were talking a few days ago about money and our spending habits. He's worried because he's only working like 6 hours a day (if he's...

This is the official totals thread for the 2010 Debt Reduction Challenge. Only posts containing total amounts paid for debt reduction should be made to this thread. Posts that discuss the challenge, or are otherwise off topic, will be removed from this thread. The Discussion Thread is located...

Welcome to the 2010 Frugal Village Debt Reduction Challenge!! This is the official discussion thread for the 2010 Debt Reduction Challenge. Any comments or questions about the 2010 Debt Reduction Challenge should be posted in this thread. Posts made to the 2010 Debt Reduction Challenge -...

I have been spending a lot on groceries every month. Partly, it is because I include all items that I purchase, including cleaning supplies and such, in my grocery budget; partly, it is because I buy a lot of organic produce; partly, it is because I am not as careful as I could be about buying...

As 2009 is coming to a close and we're closing in on our $1,000,000 mark for debt reduction (KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK PEOPLE!), it's time to start planning for the 2010 debt reduction challenge. It has become readily apparent that there need to be some definitions of terms for 2010, so there is...

Re: the "Debt Reduction Total" thread Over in the Debt Reduction Total thread, those of us who have posted during this calendar year have reached a landmark total of $500,000 debt paid since January 1. It is an incredible accomplishment, and we're all hoping we can make it to $750,000 by the...

I'm trying to figure out where I should factor this part into debt repayment. Right now we have an FHA loan and our house is appraised this year at $99,000. We currently owe around $85500... so we are paying PMI. It is about $25/month. The mortgage is at 5% interest. Here is where we are...

AUGUST 2009 STATS Original Balance: December 11, 2008 $24,044.41 (minimums $697.74) Current Balance: August 12, 2009 $10,561.75 (minimums $322.00) Minimum payments have gone down by $375.74 I have paid off 7 credit cards Debt has been reduced by $13,482.66 My overall debt has gone down by...