Drowning in Debt?

Are you drowning in debt?
Check out this article of a woman with $60,000 in debt. I admire her courage to share her story. Fortunately, many of us in the frugal village have real solutions for her and you IF and only IF you are willing to accept the fact that what you have been doing doesn't work and hadn't worked.

Freedom requires sacrifice and we all know that freedom just isn't free. My highest unsecured debt 4 years ago was $27,000. I paid it all off using the Dave Ramsey plan. It worked and still works. It has totally changed my life! I see and hear things differently. I give freely laced with wisdom. I have greater understanding about life itself. Please join me and thousands of others living the affordable good life!

Freedom!

Mainstream America Goes Frugal? Go Figure!

Many online news articles are focusing on the ever changing lifestyles of Americans who have recently decided that living frugally is chic. Chic? Oh my gosh! I cannot imagine my lifestyle as mainstream chic. How many times over the past many years have co-workers, family, and friends cringed over the sacrifices I've made to either get rid of debt, stay out of debt, or live within my means without using credit. Funny stuff, alright.

I hope the new chic living leads them to the wonderful freedom we enjoy!
Freedom!

Enjoy Life!

No matter what happens today, I intend to enjoy my life to the fullest. To help with this effort, I will limit my exposure to the negative media, walk away from negative people at work, and only spend money on basic necessities if I spend at all.

I intend to frugally and efficiently make the most of every positive interaction today: I don't want to waste a moment of each one. I intend to enjoy life! Freedom!

Here's to Your Healthy Heart

We can't control how long we live but we do have some say in the quality of life we have. Check out the healthy lifestyle recommedations offered by the American Heart Association.

Hope you aren't allowing this crazy recession to depress your life and positive outlook. Our lives are so much more than society lets on. The free joy of eyesight, beauty in nature, smiles of those we encounter are all part of real living. Daily, I choose to push aside the media and gratefully enjoy the basics, the boredoms, the no-drama paths that allow me to live as stress-free as possible. I can't change anyone but myself and that's hard enough but not impossible. When I decide to make healthy changes, I see what I missed before and actually live better. Freedom!

Now Reading Simple Prosperity by David Wann

I'm in the middle of this delightful read. He is the co-author of Affluenza. Wann presents many sound arguments and suggestions on taking charge of our lives vs. allowing the media and culture to dominate and tell us how to live. Freedom!

Remodeling Bankrupt Malls

In the middle of this recession, we can justify scaling back for the common good and improve the lives of the common people for good! If gigantic malls are going bankrupt, fewer malls might give way to more open space. Fewer restaurants might lead to more gardens for communities to grow their own food, prepare it together, and eat it together in well structured community centers in local parks. Fewer fast food joints would definitely lead to more healthy people. And, of course, with fewer car dealerships we could use those showrooms for more after school programs for kids and cheap to free weekend events for families.

For the hundreds of thousands who have become unemployed, more retraining in community infrastructure jobs like nurses, doctors, social workers, teachers, police, fire fighters, camp leaders, mentors, designers, landscapers and engineers who are skilled in building new parks, etc. If we increase communal efforts to raise psychologically and emotionally healthy families, training others to do it would create more jobs. Government would not need to create the jobs if creative and competent entrpreneurs are given tax friendly terms to do business and, perhaps, low cost lease agreements in old mall space or car dealerships for their headquarters.

Fewer malls could make way for more affordable housing and rehabilitation centers for the mentally ill homeless.

I see so many possibilities in helping ourselves and our neighbors with less of what we have allowed to become needs when the extras are merely unnecessary altogether. Many in the sustainable living village see it and live it as well. When we let stuff go, we open ourselves to exciting and more efficient lifestyles and it's all good. Freedom!

Full Moon Means Time to Run Away...From Debt!

A couple of nights ago we experienced yet another gorgeous full moon! Almost every time I see one, I think of the runaway slaves who escaped or died trying under the glowing clarity of the moon: They broke the law in search of freedom! Renegades to the core!

I used the renegade spirit as I spent 4 years running away from debt and finally broke free of the enslaving cycle. I "bought" my freedom and no one can convince me that voluntary debt is good for me and neither is a neanderthal FICO score. We must not only think outside of the box, we must insist on living outside of it altogether in how we use the government's currency parallel to our precious time and talents. The box remains a HUGE trap where those who benefit most are savoring the sour fruit of our own stupid uses of credit cards and wacky loans. They take advantage of our unwillingness to sacrifice, wait, save, then spend. I decided in 2005 I just would not live that way any more!

In my world of paying cash or living without it, I chronically experience serenity, peace, and joy: It didn't take a miracle, it took discipline and hard work. Less shopping for others and more time giving loving care, interest, concern, gosh, the simple time of day, leads to life sustaining connections that money cannot buy. Amazingly, a shared, simple homecooked meal with tax-free laughter and fun in the company of family and friends warmly fills up our senses and decreases our desires to overspend: Money cannot fulfill you! Stuff will never make you happy! We feel complete as the coins jangle in our pockets while we spend time together. One caveat in this recession: Many of us have a better understanding of what's really important. Let Freedom ring!

Welcome to Tax-Free Bartering!!!

I had 2 very new and exciting small scale bartering opportunities this week between 2 co-workers: One of them shared homemade bread with me while another gave me a daffodil. In exchange, I gave them fresh organic lettuce/mesclun blend from my garden. It didn't start out as an official trade but when I received their gifts, I wanted to exhange. No US currency used so no taxes owed. Freedom!

I will lawlfully pay taxes I owe but I intend to take advantage of every opportunity I get to legally avoid paying them. Currently, government isn't taxing love, generosity, goodwill toward each other, nor being a good neighbor. Yes, the "little" man can get ahead when we choose cooperation over competition and use less of the government's currency. Love each other. Freedom!

Free Joy of Songbirds

Over the 9.5 years I've lived here, the songbirds seasonally show up each spring to sing their hearts out! They have no care in the world except to sing! When I moved in here, there were already two older trees available to them. Over the years, I 've planted about 7 more trees without intentionally inviting the birds to hang out at my house, but I'm glad they choose to land here. Last year, I was privileged to host a nest in one of the older deciduous trees but didn't discover it until late fall. These simple natural, organic events thrill me to pieces!!!

Since I don't overwork and removed excessive stress in my life, I have time to both listen to and enjoy the songbirds. I literally stop and smell the roses growing my front yard (and will likely clip a few of them later on today). Life in the natural world is completely fulfilling and I am grateful that I am able to appreciate it. Freedom!

Being Grateful

Today,

I plan to focus on being grateful! I try to pinch ideas of gratitude daily, but I am going to focus more on it today as I have so much to be grateful for and am able to express it in words and deeds. Choosing to channel my thoughts this way in the middle of work and busy activities becomes a rejuvenating form of meditation. It strengthens me and guides me in being the best person I can be today. Freedom!

Gift of Life

"What a gift life is to those who stay the course!"

Book of James, Chapter 5:10-11, Message Bible

Enjoy simple living

Pay off debt

Appreciate the love and concern of family and friends

Stay the Course!

Freedom!

Making a List and Checking It Twice

One key strategy I've used for all of my shopping involves the use of many lists. I keep a running grocery list on the refrigerator. I have a "big purchases" list as well as daily to-do lists. I realize to many, keeping lists leaves you listless (get it?)

By writing what you want to buy now and in the distant future, you reduce the impulse spending and become empowered to stick to your budget. Writing down expenditures forces me to plan ahead and prioritize. Simultaneously, I keep a saved amount to buy things on sale when those items match what's on one of my lists. For example, I know I want to purchase a new mattress this year and it's been on my list for several months now. So, I know that when the timing is right and the right sale crosses my path, I can freely go buy the mattress, pay cash for it, and enjoy exhilarating nights of slumber. Obviously, the mattress I want is a fabulous upgrade from the one I've slept on for the past 10 years.

In past posts, I've discussed, in tandem with others in the frugal village, the importance of buying food and grocery items you use most often when they go on sale and stock up on them. I still have plenty of toothpaste, detergent, bathroom tissue that I bought on sale a few months ago. My freezer is full of poultry and seafood I bought on sale. (I don't eat red meat any more but there are always sales for tasty steaks and pot roasts.) No need to list what you already have and if you already have it, there's no need to go shopping. The less shopping you do, the more money you save. Marketers will try to persuade you that you actually save money when get a 10 or 20% discount. NO! You save when you don't spend at all. If it's not on the list and I see it on sale, I don't buy it. I save.

Listing helps me plan and control the dollars instead of letting them control me! Freedom!

My First Debt-Free-Except-for-the-Mortgage-Birthday!

I turn 45 years old today and it's the first debt-free-except-for-the-mortgage birthday I've had since my 20's but then again I didn't have a mortgage back then. It's been an interesting journey that has changed my life in so many ways beyond a reduction in bills. (Check out my blog archive.) Simple living offers incredible stress-free rewards.

My birthday wish for everyone is that you will take the rest of 2009 to eliminate debt. It's a wonderful feeling to get a paycheck and only pay cash for one mortgage debt and simple services like utilities, goods like food, and fun stuff like saving and giving to others. Freedom to live without allowing the pressure imposed by the media and the culture to spend on stuff I don't need and most of which I really don't want is sustainable through good economic times and bad times. Freedom!

Enjoy Life!

We have so much to be grateful for and I intend to enjoy it! The best things in life are still free! Freedom!

Creating Levity

(Please feel free to use these photos in your own publications.)

Spinach growing in my garden.

Jade plant in the front yard.

Lilacs blooming on side west side of my house.

Calla lily in the front yard.


African lily in the back yard.

I invite you to silence your radio, turn off your TV, walk away from your computer and toward whatever creates levity in your life, if only for a few minutes. Plants help me regroup and eliminate stress. I choose to enjoy more of what the economy will never provide for me and realize that I am and will be fine! God is my source!

Freedom!

My Little 1995 Truck Passed the Smog Test Today!

First, if you live in California, cars older than 6 years old must be tested every two years to make sure they aren't over-polluters. It's a great racket, uh, business. I found a coupon at http://www.smogtips.com/ which helped reduce the cost by $30. I paid a total of $59 - just $9 more than I paid 2 years ago.

I sat in the lobby trying not to hold my breath because although I've kept up the maintenance on the truck, thoughts kept piercing through telling me, "It's an old truck with almost 200,000 miles, don't be surprised if it doesn't pass, girlie!" Ha! It passed!

The best part about the experience, after the price, was talking to the owner of the business: He was a man who wanted to talk and had something to say. So, as he finished the testing, we connected in a very friendly, platonic way.

Get a load of this: Yesterday, I intentionally visited another Smog Check business on a holiday in the pouring rain with the expectation of making a deal. I was absolutely the only person who walked in for the test and was ready to pay cash. What these shops charge for the service isn't regulated by the state. The guy told me he was going to charge me $69 to start plus vehicles from 1995 and older now need a 2nd "new" test for which he was charging another $20. (I verified the new test on the Internet last night as I also found the online coupon.) I said, "Okay, I'll check around elsewhere, thanks."

As I walked out back into the pouring rain, he told me if I find it cheaper, he'll do it for $10 less. WHAT????? You have got to be kidding me, right? The man who wants to make a buck often finds a way to not let money walk out of the door during a recession on a rainy day. Why would I come back to him if I find it for less? I thought, he really doesn't want to make any money today. He let me walk out of the door with cash in my purse. I came to do business but he let me walk away! I was stunned! Yes, I had mumbling words that were sarcastic! Please, God, forgive me.

Glad to have choices in doing business! Glad I didn't wait until the last minute to get this done which gives me far more options to pay less. Freedom!

Living Outside of the Debt and Stuff Enslavement System

Just before Thanksgiving 2008, I finished Harriet Tubman by the brilliant researcher Catherine Clinton who, by the way, wamly responded to my email that I sent stating how she enlightened me.

Tubman remains one of my favorite real life heroes but I was struck by how she crafted dozens of runs to free so many slaves but did not adequately prepare for her own retirement in Canada: Over the course of many years, cash flowed into Tubman's life from abolitionists yet she did not put any of it away for later living: She struggled to make ends meet in old age. (From another source I learned that her contemporary, Sojourner Truth, lived in a paid for home in the 1800's. Certainly, if Truth can do it, I can too!)

Another odd and interesting fact: Tubman was committed to freeing her family and was able to motivate her aging parents, siblings, and their families to run and live outside of the slave system. Her husband, John Tubman, however, chose to remain a slave. This broke Harriet's heart and I know we can read into the variables affecting his decision but it baffles the mind to know someone who can set you free yet we choose to remain enslaved. He remarried another slave and stayed within the system. (Guess she said, "I love ya, baby, but I got to go. Can't live like this no mo'. (LOL))

This is exactly how I perceive many people who don't want to live outside of the "being broke with debt and stuff system or being an enabler."

The broke enablers don't want to confront the addicted or extremely dependent ones they are supporting so they claim that this self-destructive behavior of giving away huge sums of their earnings is what they are on the earth to do. Some people seem to prefer to remain broke decade after decade and will recite the "the comforts of enslavement" to you. They are only fooling other slaves, not the frugal and free. I'm not convinced that such a line of reasoning correlates to God's best for mankind.

An incredible body of information to financial freedom can be found online and, of course, libraries, bookstores, etc. Most folks know at least one wise individual or couple who are exceptional in handling their resources and money. Often, the broke folks shun the wise and free as if they are intergalactic aliens when coins are jangling in their pockets yet, praise the same when they spend their last dime a few days or weeks before payday.

Freedom from the enslavement of debt isn't a mystery. The Bible has clear instructions but if you don't believe in it, check out the non-biblical resources in the new blibliography I've posted. Universal truths are true whether or not you believe God is the source of them or not: The principles work. In 2004, I stumbled on Dave Ramsey and a plethora of information began chasing me down. I couldn't resist! It made too much sense and as challenging as it was and still is to control my human nature, as the slave system of debt and stuff beckon me back into the game, I love my freedom and I'm not going back. Freedom!

Single and No Valentine? Becoming Better, Not Bitter!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the 6 billion+ people in the world!

This message is targeted to the singles without a "special" Valentine: All you need is love! (Thanks Jesus and The Beatles!) Even if you had a special committed one-on-one romantic relationship, it's never enough. You've got to have those other friends and connections to make life balanced and fun. The more love I give, more love boomerangs back to me both from expected and unexpected sources.

One very important key to experiencing the abundant love around me is to let go of fantasies and accept whatever people have to offer: If some of the folks in my life can only offer me a paper clip, then I'll take it and make it useful... I won't put them on the shelf. Those willing and able to journey the deep waters of life with me, my soul becomes restored by their devotion and I experience incredible comfort and healing. However, I won't torture the paper clip bearers with how extensively the deep water navigators demonstrate their love for me nor will I attempt to change them. That's not fair! I just let them be! I've chosen not to feel cheated by the paper clippers because they do help my life in small ways as they do help keep small things connected and in one place. I'm taking it all in and enjoying the ride!

So, singles, make it your special day to love yourself then love others as you love yourself! I'm certainly not moaning and whining about not having one special Valentine 'cause I really have an abundance of love in my life through various healthy relationships! Love and Freedom!

Are You Blooming?

From Matthew 5:1-16 (Message Translation)
1.
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down
2.
and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3.
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4.
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5.
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
6.
"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
7.
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.
8.
"You're blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9.
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
10.
"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
11.
"Not only that - count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.
12.
You can be glad when that happens - give a cheer, even! - for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
13.
"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14.
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.
15.
If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand.
16.
Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

FREEDOM!

Power of Loving Relationships

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." I John 4:11-12

When I am in the company of loving friends, the world's problems totally shrink, money problems don't exist, and global warming remains only a theory that I care less and less about. Loving and connecting defeats all fear by increasing our resolve to move forward and face another day knowing that we are not alone in the journey.

I am very fortunate to have others to reach out to only to have them reach back to me...strangers, acquaintances, and friends. I've had exceptionally intimate interactions involving connecting and reconnecting this week. I am enjoying more of the essence of life that money cannot buy: Love and Freedom!