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May in Review!

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May was a FABULOUS month for us!

Not because of our numbers, well, those helped too, but because I started teaching my first Financial Peace University class. I was nervous because I had never attended the class let alone led one, and because the response was lower than I expected. Our small group is pretty open with each other, not something that is required to attend the class FYI, but I think has really brought us closer. It’s a judgement-free zone and we make sure each of us leaves confident for the next step / week ahead of us. Nine weeks sounded daunting as I was making the decision to commit but we’re half-way through the course already and trying to figure out how we’re all going to stay connected when it’s over. And if you’re curious, I will most likely be teaching another class this fall! It won’t be free and it won’t be in my home — but I can promise that it’ll be just as good!

Now let’s get to the numbers!

Our income increased this month, which helped us DUMP cash toward debt! If you can’t cut your spending any further than it already is, you’re only other option is to earn more to make a dent in the process. I participated in Market Research one evening, I received a Young Living check, and the beau took on freelance work.

This month we reduced our principle balance by $10,785.23 or 22.53%!!! To date, we’ve paid off $51,992.72 or 58.37%!!! in 9 months! We only have $37,082.73 in debt left to pay off and to meet our goal, we need to keep this momentum up, big time.

To put things into perspective:

  • In September 2017, our monthly minimum payments totaled $718.27
  • As of June 1st, our monthly minimum payments are only $194.20

That means if an emergency were to happen and we needed to stop the snowball, only $194.20 would be needed to cover minimum debt payments. Not too shabby!

A lot of people are curious how we eat and stay on budget. We only plan our dinners, here was our meal plan for the 1st thru the 15th:

  • Mondays: fajitas
  • Tuesdays: veggie stir fry
  • Wednesdays: taco pasta
  • Thursdays: BBQ tempeh with a crockpot green bean casserole and sweet potato fries
  • Fridays: tofu & broccoli + a birthday dinner out
  • Saturdays: dinner out at a Mets game + tofu & broccoli
  • Sundays: king oyster mushroom pulled pork sammies + a Mother’s Day lasagna

My mom had been requesting this lasagna for months, so I offered to make it as an early Sunday dinner. I made the sauce and roasted the veggies ahead of time during the week so that it would be less to do on Mother’s Day (more time spent with my mom).

This was our second time making the pulled “pork” sandwiches via Bosh = so good! And we had enough leftovers for another meal, so we froze the cooked mushrooms…. we shall see how those hold up! I’ve never frozen mushrooms before, I’m hoping they’ll be okay and then we can just cook ’em up in the air fryer.

Oh yeah, we won an air fryer! Whoop whoop! Culinary Square had a giveaway for TNO and I entered after picking up a bridal shower gift. We’ve fried mushrooms, gyoza, sweet potatoes, chicken-less tenders, eggplant, zucchini, tofu and russet potatoes (home fries) – this thing is awesome! The beau tends to use more oil than I do (but he does get things a lot crispier than I do), so I was excited to use this device and cut back on oil. LOVE IT!  

The beau requested I buy canned green beans for the casserole because fresh or frozen were still too crunchy for him. Confession: I had never purchased canned green beans (or any canned vegetable for that matter). I was a skeptic at 40 cents a can but I have to admit, they were delicious! Yes, these canned beans were not organic and yes, they were in a can but I have to remind myself that these are the sacrifices we are making now so that we can invest more later. Don’t judge… at least we’re getting a serving of veggies.

Our meal plan for the 16th thru the 31st:

  • Mondays: tempeh jalapeno wraps with roasted broccoli
  • Tuesdays: veggie stir fry
  • Wednesdays: pasta with TVP sauce and roasted asparagus
  • Thursdays: Chinese takeout + tofu + broccoli
  • Fridays: tofu + broccoli + loaded potatoes
  • Saturdays: eggplant parm + loaded potatoes
  • Sundays: southwest quinoa burgers + tater tots

This month we cash flowed ($585) a CSA with Denison Farm – all USDA certified organic and I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about it. I’ve been rocking the whole meal planning thing and now I’m going to have to shop / cook on the fly with what we receive each Saturday at the Farmer’s Market delivery. I like shopping twice a month. And I also prefer shopping on my lunch break, avoiding the weekend crowds. Once the CSA begins in June, our monthly food allowance will decrease by $27 per week because of the prepayment amount. I’ll surely have an update next month with how I’m juggling this change.

We also cash flowed:

  • a birthday gift and two mother’s day gifts – sinking fund envelope
  • hair gel for the beau and soap for us both
  • a new website layout (business investment)
  • tickets for a show at the Egg (beau)
  • the beau signed up for a watercolor class at the Arts Center of the Capital Region
  • parking at the train station (the day we went to a Met’s game)
  • stuff for our garden (some seedlings, burlap, screws and twine)
  • our 6 month car insurance payment – sinking fund envelope
  • and a small gift certificate for an employee on my work team

This month I also tried to focus on my running more, as last month (April) it took a back seat… and I have a race to run in three months! I ran almost 70 miles in May, which wasn’t what I was aiming for but I’m happy with because I feel like I’m easing back into a routine and not overwhelming myself. I’m remembering what it feels like to be sore and getting use to being out of the house before 5AM.

June will hopefully bring a lot of miles… and a lot of cash because I’ll be working downtown again on Saturdays. I’ve picked up a side hustle at Annick’s during the farmer’s market – hey, I’m going to be down there anyway getting my veggies!

That’s it folks, we made yet another budget, told our money where to go, hustled and made it happen. No magic, just a plan!

[Again, sorry no photographs, I should be purchasing a new phone over the next three months prior to race day.]

April in Review!

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April showers bring HUGE payoff numbers!

Nah, who am I kidding? It was us who made it snow this month! Snowball that is.


The final numbers are in and we paid off $10,591.57 or 18.12% in debt this month! We’ve officially paid off 46.26% of our debt in 7 months AND we are officially under the $50k mark… only $47,867.96 to go! That number may seem daunting but it’s all about your outlook. While listening to the DR podcast, I heard one caller mention that instead of months, she started counting down the payments. Only 10 more payments to go sounds A LOT better than 10 more months. Hint hint…

Money used this month to eliminate debt:

  • Leftovers from our zero-based budget (this is what we find in our budget/income on a monthly basis)
  • Our tax returns minus two small personal purchases
  • Cash from savings

As mentioned last month, we have money in savings and are slowly withdrawing that account to bring it to $1,000. This month we made all of our regular monthly payments, trying to bring the balance on Debt #5 as low as possible, and then withdrew the difference to knock it out completely. Remaining transparent, we do have more money in savings that will be deposited toward debt eventually, but getting quotes for chimney repairs is taking longer than expected.


This month we cash flowed or purchased the following items (using cash):

  • 4 new tires for my car
  • 4 new tires for the beau’s car
  • a new piece of art
  • a weighted blanket
  • Easter flowers
  • a homemade soap workshop
  • a pasta claw & bottle of celebratory wine
  • and some deodorant cream for me

Eight new tires was a BIG cost for us! But I did my research and shopped around ($11 per tire saved). I also found a coupon in the local Clipper Magazine the day I found the cheapest tires ($40 off each time!) AND the brand we were buying was offering a $50 rebate for every 4 tires purchased. Zing! That’s a $134 savings, per car. I knew my car needed new tires but we didn’t know the beau’s would need them as well… and there wasn’t even an instant of panic when we got the news. I literally called him and said, “just buy the tires, we have plenty of cash in our budget leftover this month.” A $355 purchase and nothing, other than happiness. That has NEVER happened to me. The amount of security I now feel is well worth all of the hard work over these last 7 months.

This month we had some fun too! We continued to participate in Nine Pin’s 26er challenge (sampling ciders 7 & 8), we had Chinese takeout twice, I visited a friend and congratulated her on her 2nd year in business (seriously, support this mother + daughter team, it’s a wonderful addition to Troy), I visited a friend aka my partner in crime who FINALLY moved back to the area, and we spent three days in Portsmouth, NH drinking all the beer and eating all the fried food we could possibly handle. I also went to a bridal shower for a friend whom I haven’t seen in forever (life, I get it!) and had a lovely time (and paying cash for the card and gift from the gift sinking fund envelope).

Because we tapped into savings and used our tax refund toward debt, WE PAID OFF LOAN #5!!! That loan total heading into April was $10,402.27, BOOM!


We are now working on paying off Student Loan #6, which was consolidated with the first student loan we paid off in full, so unfortunately I can’t see all of the stats. I can see that it was originally disbursed in August 2005 for $13,064.96 and the fixed interest rate is now 3.75% (could have been higher or lower at the time of signing). The balance as of April 30th is $14,084.25 and if we were to follow Navient’s payment plan, this loan will be paid of on 9/25/2029. My personal goal is to have this loan paid off by June 30th 2018…. 11 years and 3 months ahead of schedule! The minimum payment for this loan is only $65.50 BUT if you add in all of the previous minimum payments because that’s what you do for a debt snowball, the minimum is now $589.67.

Jumping back into the month, we stuck to our meal plan pretty diligently. We tried one new recipe that I saw floating around on FB that looked delicious… and it turned into a major FAIL. We were laughing so hard, it was like one of those Pinterest fail slideshows you see with the birthday cakes. The meatballs crumbled the second we added liquid, and it just looked like slop. After adding some additional seasoning, I have to admit it was delish buuuuuut we won’t be making this a second time. I also spent Sunday making a favorite lasagna of ours while sipping on some boxed wine… it was very hygge. Ha! And inspiring to cook nicer or should I say, a longer meal on a Sunday. We eat fast, usually one pot meals throughout the week, slowing it down and enjoying a meal after an hour or two of work felt nice. Annnnnnd the other perk was leftovers. We rarely have leftovers.

Sorry for the lack of photographs – my phone is on the fritz and I don’t have a sinking fund for that expense. 🙂

What are your goals for May? When are YOU going to be debt free?

Books I’ve Read this Quarter: Q1 2018

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Working for a library system has one major perk: library books are delivered to your desk!

With the start of the new year, I set a reading goal for myself because the most successful people tend to have one thing in common: they read. (click here for more) I had heard this while earning my Master’s but was reminded of it while listening to an episode of the Millionaire Theme Hour on the Dave Ramsey podcast. Are you sick of him yet? One of the questions he asks these successful (and not famous) individuals is how many books they read a year. Four out of five times the answer is more than 10 books a year. Insert my goal: 15

I’ve started the year off strong with the help of a long, cold winter and a honeymoon. Here’s what I’ve read this quarter and a brief review of each:


The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs // I really enjoyed this book. The author has a dark sense of humor that made me laugh out loud multiple times and really makes you think about what makes a meaningful life when you have limited time.


The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein // I read this book on the first full day of our honeymoon, relaxing in the sun; I couldn’t put it down! I cried and cried during the last two chapters – it’s written from the perspective of the dog and is just what I imagine a dog thinks during the course of its life. We don’t deserve dogs FYI.


Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother’s Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South by Beth Macy // I also read this book while on our honeymoon but wasn’t read in a day (5 to be exact). This isn’t my idea of a book to read while on holiday but I did enjoy the story of the two brothers who were kidnapped and forced to travel the world as circus freaks. The author does a great job at exploring the question: where they better off?


Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life by Ruth Soukup // This book was on my must-read list for a number of months and I wish I had read reviews prior to taking it out. There was maybe ONE chapter that was exactly what I wanted/needed to hear – the rest, was mostly about living a good, Christian life = I can normally block this out (I am not a religious person), but it was really heavy and not for me. Her story felt very… weird… like a rich woman trying to act frugal but was still very much concerned with her designer clothes, car and perfectly decorated house. I’m not knocking her lifestyle, I just couldn’t connect with it while on my journey to financial freedom.


The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking // I also really enjoyed this little book! The illustrations were beautiful and the reading was inspiring – almost makes me want to move to Denmark! I can’t wait to take this book into consideration when we start decorating our home – and by decorating, I mean replacing light fixtures and paint colors etc. Also important to note: hygge is not about what you HAVE, it’s what you FEEL.

I’m “ahead” of schedule but must admit I’m falling behind; I don’t know if it’s the longer days or what, but I’ve had zero motivation to read this month.

5/15

Have any good book suggestions? Do you use Good Reads to keep track of everything you’ve read? (the beau got me hooked!)

The Envelope System

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I think a major part of our success over the last seven months can be attributed to the fact that we almost always use cash for making purchases. Yes, we pay our monthly bills (mortgage, utilities, cell phones etc.) online via our checking account, but just about everything else is paid for using cash. The big expenses in this category include our grocery money and what we allot to eating out / alcohol.

It’s true: if you use cash, you tend to spend less. When you physically see the money leaving your palm, you tend to be more conscious of what you’re using that cash for.

To organize the cash in our lives each month, we use the envelope system. Simply withdraw cash at the beginning of the month (or as you get paid), fill your envelopes and you’re good to go. What may you ask are the envelopes? You know, the envelopes people use to send letters in? Those. Just label them and you’re ready to spend (wisely)! We prefer to fill them at the beginning of each month and try to save as much as possible as the month progresses, but we usually use up all the cash. Bonus: if you do have money leftover, you can A. carry it over into the next month, B. splurge and order takeout (or whatever category item the envelope is for) or C. put it toward debt!

In the grocery envelope, we rarely have money leftover. If you do the math, there’s typically 30 days to a month, which equals 90 meals. Multiply that by two because there’s two of us in our home = 180 meals. We put $400 in our grocery envelope each month. If you divide that by the 180 meals, you get $2.22 per meal. Eating healthy, real food is NOT expensive! And I follow people who get it down even lower than that! We love food, we aren’t going to take it to the next level just yet but lowering that monthly allowance. But back to the envelope system, all of our groceries are purchased with cash and I usually only make 2 trips to the market each month. We go with a list which makes it 100x easier to stay within your set limit.

For expenses that aren’t due each month – auto insurance, water/sewer, trash – I still withdraw cash and put the money into a separate envelope. That way, it’s out of my bank account and I’m not tempted to spend it on anything else. In 2018, we set up two new envelope for gifts (birthdays, weddings, Christmas) and haircuts. When the bills come due, I make a trip to the bank, deposit the exact amount of cash needed, then pay the bill electronically. It feels SO GOOD to be prepared these days! I use to dread when my car insurance payment would come due… so conveniently every six months.

Important to note: once the envelope is empty for that given month / time period, you do not refill it. If your food money is gone, you cobble together meals with what’s left in your pantry. It’s tough to get use to, especially if you’re use to running to the market every time you think of an item you’re out of or craving, but after a couple of months, you get into the routine of planning and using what’s on hand. Because I only go to the market twice a month (the first and the fifteenth), our money is usually gone mid-month. Which is tricky, especially when you run out protein powder for your daily shakes about a week in advance from the start of a new month… but the end is near.

Some other categories people have envelopes for:

  • entertainment (we don’t do because the eating out / alcohol envelope is already a splurge)
  • vacations (suggested for after Baby Step 2)
  • beauty (included in my monthly YL wellness box budget)
  • clothing (we don’t do because we don’t need new clothes)
  • Random spending (we don’t do because the eating out / alcohol envelope is already a splurge)
  • Doctor visits (which we don’t do because we have FSA/HSA accounts)

That’s it. Super easy! It also makes balancing your checkbook / bank account much easier because there are far less smaller transactions. And speaking of bank accounts: get in the habit of checking yours each day! It only takes a minute or so – you can scan to make sure there aren’t any mysterious charges (identity theft is a real thing) and you can check to make sure you are on track for the month. I take this time to update our spreadsheet, what I use to balance our finances. For example: if one of us uses our debit card for cash, I add that amount to the gas line in our budget and make a note of the date. Again, we only use our debit card for a handful of payments so this only takes but 5 minutes a day. I do this immediately after checking my email.

Let me know if you have any questions or need further tips / suggestions for using your envelopes. This is a technique I’ll use for the rest of my life, even when the debt is paid in full and my monthly budget adjusts. What I like most about this technique: mega cheap!

Today’s Notes

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Dear Beau: There is no other person I’d rather explore new places with, especially when said person steps up to be my DD on a Sunday afternoon 3 hours from home. Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun: It feels so good to be reunited with you. Make yourself at home this season, I’d love to start working on my raised gardens soon. Kitty Kitty Cocoa Puff: I told you we’d be home on Sunday. I’m enjoying all of the extra snuggles this week (and sleeping in past six o’clock). Dear Self: Taking time off to rest is okay. But taking two weeks off because you’re being lazy is not. Let’s get back, back in the (NY) groove.

Happy Tuesday, friends! Are you planting a garden this year? Any tips?