Living Debt-Free...

I was asked to give a lesson on living debt free for relief society. I've read alot of books on finances and studied up on it this past couple of years. Im one that gets mad at having to pay interest on anything, so this assignment came at the right time. Because its a church function I was looking for information from the church or church members n ran into "Enough is Enough!", by Cheryl Carson.  Its the perfect book to do my lesson on, its different from the other books I've read on the subject, its pretty simple to follow and the only question you have to ask yourself is, "How bad do I want to live debt-free?".  We shop at the same stores and do similar things, except she has the goal of living debt free while I just shop for bargains and have more stuff than anyone I know, all dirt cheap ofcours..lol. She doesn't really follow a budget, she makes it a lifestyle to spend very little so she doesnt have to make alot of money. Giving her the opportunity to stay home and be with her children. I've started a couple of years ago trying to get my finances in order and being free from bills, it is slavery a certain bondage that can end marriages and destroy families. President Hinkley called money problems, "a very serious and real factor affecting the stability of family life." On another occations he observed, "I am satisfied that money is the root of more trouble in marriage than all other causes combined."



I remember my husband handing  me 3 credit cards right before our first christmas. Buying on credit was a new concept to me, I was raised to only buy what I needed with the money I had. It didnt take me long to get use to the American way of living on credit, it never felt right but I got use to it anyways. The buy now pay later was what everyone else around me was doing, so it seemed okay. I knew it wasnt, what can I say, I was young and dumb..  A couple of years later we bought a home in West Jordan, we were young homeowners, not yet 22 years old. I remember signing all the closing papers n having them say that it'll take 30 years to payoff and the amount of interest was twice the amount of the loan. I at first thought it was a joke, but no one else was laughing so I signed the papers n left the office feeling like there wasnt anything I could do about it. It didnt seem fair or right, but everyone else was doing it. It's taken me 20 long years to decide that enough was enough. We now have 2 vehicle that is paid for, 2 older model vehicle and wouldn't trade them in for anything.  I asked my self, How bad do I want to live debt-free? And that includes my mortgage. Its what I want for not only my husband and I, but its what I want for my children as well. I will be spending the new few years teaching my children this life lesson that took me 20 years to learn.  First thing, payoff all debt n concentrate on paying down mortgage. We have very little debt so we're pretty ahead of the game. I'm concentating on what she calls, stopping the leak. The extra dollar a day to drinks at work, the occational trip to 7-11 with the kids, and new shoes just because..( I love shoes!..lol), that will all be stopped, Im more committed to being debt free.

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Im going to make this into a game, we already live this way anyways, our lifestyle just needs a little fine tuning to reach our ultimate goal. Another book I'd advise is, "Rich Dad Poor Dad." and "Who stole my cheese!." I read who stole my cheese to my younger children right before dinner one day, it took an hour. I think it needs to be read to them quarterly, it helps them deal with change, and its a great reminder for me as well. Couponing will definately help us reach our goals, with less money spent, we can live on less so I don't have to work full time and can be home with my children. The less we spend, the less my husband has to make and all the extras will go straight to the bank for a rainy day.

Here are sum of our church leaders teaching on the subject, their counsel is not only timely but timeless.

Brigham Young: "If you cannot obtain all you wish for today, learn to do without that which you cannot purchase and pay for; and bring your minds into subjection that you must and will live within your means....Pay your debts; do not run into debt any more."

Joseph F. Smith: "I again admonish the Latter-day Saints to aim and diligently endeavor to free themselves from debt. Get out of debt and keep out of debt, and then you will be financially as well as spiritually free."

Heber J. Grant: "If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family it is to live within our means, and if there is any one thing that is grinding, and discouraging, and disheartening it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet."

Harold B. Lee: "Keep out of the bondage of indebtedness...."

Ezra Taft Benson: "Our inspired leaders have always urged us to get out of debt, live within our means and pay as we go." He spoke of the "dangerous threat of increasing indebtedness." Also, "I implore you as you value your solvency and happiness, buys within your means."

Gordon B. Hinkley: "Nothing is quite as discouraging and debilitating as debt and obligations that one cannot meet. .. One has neither independence nor freedom from bondage when obligated by debts... What a wonderful feeling it is to be free of debt... We have been seduced into believing that financial bondage is an acceptable way to live. I suggest that it is not."

Thomas S. Monson: "Too many in the Church have failed to avoid unnecessary debt.  They have little, if any, financial reserve. The solution is to budget, to live within our means, and to save for the future."

My financial goal for my family is to avoid debt like the plague... My next ofcourse is a wise investment. ("Rich Dad Poor Dad," is a great read for that, but thats another post altogether..)

Getting back in to Couponing.

I took 4 months off from couponing, change is hard and sometimes you need to sit on things b4 you admit defeat and move on. We were getting free papers fr recycling bins n there was plenty of coupons to go around, I shared alot with everyone I trained. Than our area noticed that they can sell the sun papers til the end of the week, up the price, charging $3 for the bundle (2 papers). So I went from free coupons to $15 weekly, plus they pulled the RedPlums out of the papers. Our favorite store Albersons pulled out of our area, it was alot to take in at once. Now that I'm pretty low on alot of things, its time to get back into again. The deal for the 8 papers delivered for $159 yearly ended, but theres still a deal for 4 papers delivered at $80 a year, that might work out for alot of people. ($.38 paper).  My friend Melissa runs the couponing blog now, savingmoneyaroundtown, link to hers thru my page.

I'm training Jessica 2day, she bought her 10 papers n we went thru the cutting, fThe only coupons I have now is from last sun 9/12, if your area still has em out my advise would be to get 10 papers. That $15 investment is worth it. Smiths I picked up 10 Marie Calendar's meals ($.38 ea), 10 banquet dinners ($.13 ea), 10 Colgate toothpaste (FREE). Will be picking up GM Cereals for $.83-1.25 ea, n FREE Bumblebee tuna.  (All can be priced matched at Walmart)

I shop with paper (coupons).

A year supply is the goal!!

2 Different Stores:

I was raised in the Island Kingdom of Tonga until I was the age of 10 than traveled with my family to the US, my parents picked Salt Lake City Utah because we are members of the LDS church.  We already had alot of famiy living in Utah so it was a great place to move our family.  I've always been observant, I loved learning about people and places. My favorite Uncle Sione Tomasi whom was more like a father to me, traveled to the US alot.  I'd always questioned him about the US and since we were moving here I wanted to know as much as I could. During one of our conversations I asked what is the most important thing about the US he wanted me to know. He said, there are 2 different kinds of stores in the US, one for the rich and one for the poor. I asked what the difference was, he said there wasnt any difference just the price.  He cautioned me not to shop at the store for the rich, that I could find everything they sold at the poor peoples store. I couldnt believe people would pay more for what they can find in the poor peoples store. That lesson stayed with me my whole life. I love to bargain hunt, thank you Uncle Sione, your advise is what made me what I am today. I coupon, browse garage sales, thift stores and love the 75 percent off sales at all the major department stores (Dillard/Macy's..etc..).  I love to share my bargain hunting ideas with all my friends and relatives, we use coupons to reduce our costs for groceries n household items. I have my newspapers delivered, 8 sunday papers weekly and I paid $159.00 for the year. It saves my family over $700 a month, my grocery bill is only $200 a month. That includes all household items, toilet paper, shampoo, cleaners, etc. Plus our storage is stocked, n we have basically a year supply of everything we need, n sum fun stuff I wouldnt normally stock up on, hair dye, makeup, n every hair product out there. Thru these savings we were able to pay off our credit cards, both vehicles, with the goal of never having a car payment again. Our only debt right now is our Mortgage, n we're hoping to pay that off within 5 years... Our favortite book right now is "Rich Dad Poor Dad!", his advises reminds me of my Uncle Siones advise. "Dont say you cant afford it, say how can I afford it."