Be content with what you have

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and was able to keep it about Christmas and not the commercial spending spree it has become. We were able to tone things down and everyone had a great holiday, especially the kids!

Beth Harrison wrote the following article, I thought you might be interested.

Another Christmas is under our belts and, as the New Year approaches, most of us probably have at least 10 pounds to lose, some sleep to catch up on, a house that needs un-decorating, and a pocketbook that is empty.

Economists predicted that this holiday season would be a financial nightmare for the store owners with consumers not spending as much as previous years due to the downturn in the economy.

We are in this economic crisis for so many reasons of which just one of them is purchasing things such as houses, cars, and other stuff that we really could not afford.

Credit cards have allowed us to live above our means but made us think we were living within our means. Interest-only loans have enabled us to buy houses whose costs were way over our heads.

Seventy-two-month auto loans have enabled us to buy cars that were also beyond our finances.

Soon the media will report on our Christmas spending. Maybe people didn't spend as much this year because of their dwindling finances or fear of the economy but wouldn't it be nice if the decrease in spending was because we were celebrating the real reason for the season.


Click HERE to see the enitre article

Money saving tip: Quickbooks Pro 2009 for FREE

Today I just ordered a copy of Intuit Quickbooks Pro 2009 from Staples for FREE!

Visit www.Staples.com and click the blue and green ad on the upper right side.
Shipping is free, there is a $40 instant savings and the rest is available via a rebate coupon. All you end up paying for is sales tax for this $200 software package!

This offer is also available in stores while supplies last.

Merry Christmas!

One more balance paid

I paid off my American Express - Costco card (had a $600 balance) today. I plan to keep this card for Costco and fuel purchases only and not carry a balance. This will be my only credit card.

Once I receive my severance check, I plan to use a small portion to pay off the bank line of credit and put the rest in savings until I find employment.

Seeking employment

Strange how things work out. Three days after I began reading 48 Days to the Work You Love, I was informed the corporation I have worked at for the last 17 years no longer required my services. In the name of head count reductions I am back in the job market.

I view this as a good thing as it gives me the opportunity to find work that I really enjoy and hopefully accomplishes something other than the circle that is the corporate environment. With the severance package, it comes to about a six month cushion for me to find employment, I am optimistic I will be able to replace my job well before then.

Until then, the plan is to use a portion of the severance to kill a portion of the debt and save the rest, back to making minimum payments on the other debt. It was recommended I try to call the company I have the HELOC with and offer to settle for less with them now that I have lost my job, I will call them later this week.

Still on the road to debt freedom, just need to stop on this bench and rest a little.