It is finished!

I really wanted to call into Dave Ramsey's show and scream it, but I'm a little shy. I decided instead to share with you how the conversation would go:

Me: Hey Dave! How are you?
Dave: Better than I deserve! What's up?
Me: I'm calling because I'm debt free!
Dave: Awesome! How much did you pay off?
Me: $50,000 to Sallie Mae in 12 months.
Dave: WOW! Kicked the old lady to the curb! And what was your income during that time?
Me: It's hard to say really because it was my first year working, but I think we grossed a little over $75,000 this year.
Dave: Wait a second, that's not mathematically possible! Did you sell stuff?
Me: No, we had some money in savings when we started the process, and then we also stupidly bought a house, but we got the tax credit. We used it to pay down the debt.
Dave: Oh, alright. Well cool. What was the hardest part of this process?
Me: Probably giving up the dinners out. My husband and I really love to eat out, and we didn't get to do that much while we were paying off the loan. I got really good at meal planning. Our spaghetti didn't have meat for a long time.
Dave: I hear ya. What's the key to this?
Me: Sticking to the budget, Dave. and ignore the nay sayers. There are a lot of people who can't celebrate the fact that you're doing something good in your life. You've just gotta keep your head up and keep working hard.
Dave: Snoopy dance, I hear ya. Well congratulations and count it down.
Me:Three, two, one I'M DEBT FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Listen, thanks for sticking around to see the end of my debt free journey. I promise 2011 will hold some exciting blog posts. I'll be M.I.A. until after Christmas, but I pray your holidays are merry and bright. God bless!

Book #21 Dear John

I am not usually a Nicholas Sparks reader, but I had kinda wanted to see the movie Dear John. I try not to see movies before I read the books, so of course I set out over the weekend to read it. I like that Nicholas Sparks' are easy reads, and I generally can finish them in two days or less which was the case with this book as well.

I must say, however, that I wasn't a big fan of this story. It wasn't that the plot wasn't interesting. I enjoyed the overall story line, but I felt like Sparks broke the cardinal creative writing rule: show, don't tell. He TOLD this entire book. I think part of the "telling" stems from the fact that we don't really know what happened over in Iraq. The imagination can only go so far.

I have another Sparks' novel that someone gave me, and I'm thinking about reading it, but I might wait a few weeks. His books are so depressing.

29 books to go! I don't know if I'll be able to meet my goal this year, but I'll keep chuggin' on!

Do Not Seek the Treasure

(of the Flea Market!!!)

One of my goals this year was to go to a flea market. Originally, I wanted to go to the Hillsville Flea Market because apparently it is epic. The town of Hillsville essentially shuts down for Labor Day weekend. People rent out their yards for parking spaces, and the public school closes for the Friday before in preparation for the massive traffic invasion on a two stop light town.

Unfortunately, I missed the Hillsville Flea Market and was reduced to going to the much smaller Dublin Flea Market, and just like that squirrly little guy in O! Brother Where Art Thou, I must reiterate: DO NOT SEEK THE TREASURE!

In layman's terms, the flea market SUCKED. I was expecting to find one of Madonna's rings or a signed copy of a Shakespeare play but no! Nothing! Instead, people were selling McDonald's Happy Meal toys for a dollar a piece. A dollar! And no meal? You've got to be kidding me... this frugalista is not buying a toy without a burger and fry.

Everything was so dirty too. I felt like I was scrounging through a dumpster. Not that everything in a flea market needs to be pristine. I just want it to be gently used and, you know, free from mold.

But hey, at least I completed another goal off my list. Until next time, kepp livin' vita abundantior!

Trip to the Farmer's Market: A Frugal Success!

Do you see that? Yeah, that's my forearm, and that my friend is a zucchini, just one of the amazing purchases I found at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. I spent a frugal $3 and bought enough veggies to last me for two weeks including three jumbo zucchinis, three squash, and a bag of potatoes. I also spent a dollar on some yummy chex mix

I will definitely be shopping at the market again, no questions asked. I couldn't believe the bargains! I think between cooking a whole chicken for four dollars and then three dollars in veggies, I could conceivably cut my grocery budget in half.

In other food related news, I made Baja Pie last night (or as Mr. Wookie and I like to call it "Badger Pie"). I think this is my new favorite recipe. The hubs really likes tacos, but I am not a fan. Tacos don't fill me up. They give me the allusion of being full, and then twenty minutes later I'm scrounging around for a second dinner. Badger Pie is a compromise piece. It has all the flavor of a delicious taco, but it leaves me feeling full like after I eat a Sonic cheeseburger (mmm Sonic).

I found the recipe from Betty Crocker Online, but here it is for you in a simple version:

Heat your oven to 325. In a glass dish, layer four or five tortillas (I used the ones by Mi Casa) and brush with a little melted butter. In a large bowl, mix two cups of cooked chicken (I got mine from the chicken I cooked last week), a can of black beans, a cup of salsa, two tablespoons of taco seasoning, and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Spread the mixture over the tortillas and bake for 25ish minutes or until hot. Then sprinkle some more cheddar on top (about a cup, but I don't really measure...I just sprinkle until my heart is content) and then bake another minute or two until the cheese is melty and delicious. Serve on a plate with a wedge or two of tomato and avocado.

The recipe says it makes six servings, but I must be a heifer because I only got four servings.

Until next time, happy eating!

Money Thoughts and Debt Update

For those of you that weren't aware, I gave up two beautiful weeks of summer vacation to spend time with a group of rising 9th grade kids via summer school. Was it insane? Yes. I have never needed a day off so bad in my life. My nerves were about shot by the end of summer school; however, the paycheck I received was BANK. I sent over $3600 to the spawn of satan (aka Sallie Mae), and I'm currently owing only $17,333! I can't believe how close I am to paying off this wretched woman.

I did some calculations, and if I send all of my paycheck plus $398 each month, I will be DEBT FREE by the end of December. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time holding on to cash flow. I thought I was doing so well with my envelope budget that I went back to paying for things with my debit card. Big mistake. I blew my fun budget by hundreds of dollars last month. Ridiculous.

Instead of letting the extra money sit in my checking account until the end of the month, I have started moving superfluous dollars to my savings account. For whatever reason, my savings account is a sacred place. It's like I've forgotten I have that money. For all intensive purposes, the money doesn't exist until I'm in an emergency or it is time to pay off debt. From my husband's paycheck, I was able to set aside $250, and I'm thinking next week I'll be able to set aside another $200 or more. I've also gone back to the envelope cash system and I think I'm finally back on track.

Ok, that's all for today. I didn't mean to write this much! I only wanted to give you an update.

Book # 12 : I am One of You Forver

Fred Chappell's novel, I Am One of You Forever, is a a book that will stay with you forever. You will laugh and you will cry. The story is about about a young boy, Jess, growing up in the Appalachian mountains. Jess lives with his father, a trickster if there ever was one, his mother, and grandmother. They live on a large farm, where work is plenty. Hoping to get some help, the grandmother sends off to an orphanage for a young man who can help around the farm.

At first, Jess's father and the new man don't get along, but their relationship quickly changes as they find a common bond: trickery and humor. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing throughout the first few chapters. So much of the story reminded me of my own family, specifically exaggerating situations for the effect of a laugh.

I did warn you earlier the story will also make you cry. An important member of the family dies leaving the remainder of the family to mourn in silence. The most elegant chapter of the book is when Jess describes the grief he feels. He is unable to talk about it with any of his family members, nor are they able to talk about the death with him, yet he recognizes grief is in every corner of the house; it's inescapable, and it affects everyone.

I highly recommend Chappell's novel. At only 185 pages long, you'll find yourself wishing this tender story to continue.

Blue Ridge Parkway

I am in lust with South West Virginia. No, we don't have a plethora of shopping centers or places to eat, but I've never seen the appeal of owning a lot of stuff. I'm a self-proclaimed frugalista, and I love all the free outdoor activities SWVA has to offer.

Today I took my summer enrichment students on a field trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We visited Mabry Mill and the Music Center. I have been to Mabry Mill many times because my dad is a fan of the Sunday drive. Mabry Mill is one of his favorite places to visit. When I was little, I loved to go there because there were ducks around the pond. Luckily, the mill hasn't changed much. The ducks were still around the pond. For those of you who don't know, the mill was a grist mill, and it still runs today (although what you buy there is actually produced in NC now). The park also has a late 1800's cabin on site AND a corn liquor distillery (read: moonshine).

Even though I've been to Mabry Mill twenty times in my life, I'd never been to the Music Center until today. I am in L-O-V-E with the music center. First of all, our ranger was a fantastic speaker. You could tell he is passionate about Old Time music and instruments. I appreciate people with a little passion. Second, the views are spectacular! We sat in rocking chairs on a porch that overlooked the mountains while an Old Time band played. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.

We also stopped at Groundhog Mtn. for a picnic lunch. Without planning, I ended up completing one of my 25 goals for the year. I hope to get back to the Music Center sometime this summer to hear one of their weekend concerts. If you live in the area, I highly suggest making use of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It really is a gem.

How to celebrate your birthday when you're turning an unimportant age

Tomorrow is my birthday. To celebrate, I made Pioneer Woman's shrimp pasta recipe this week. My husband, although a little camera shy, very much enjoyed the pasta as did I:

I will tell you that the color of the pasta is a little scary. I mean, when you take bright red sauce and add a cup of cream, the pasta turns pink. There aren't many pink foods in life (in fact, I can't think of one off the top of my head), so my brain wasn't exactly pumped to eat this meal. However, my taste buds were a jivin'. Yummo! I will definitely make this meal again.

Lucky for me (and my husband), our one year anniversary is next weekend, so I'm planning on making a fantastic anniversary dinner! He doesn't actively read my blog, so I'll go ahead and tell you the menu:

*Chicken skewers

*Grilled Asparagus

*Rice

Not especially different or enthralling, BUT dessert will be amazing! I found a recipe for crock pot fondue:

1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips (any flavor really)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

All you do is put everything into the mini crockpot, cover, and cook for one hour. Then you take the mini lid off and stir. I'm serving mine with pound cake, strawberries, and marshmellows. I'll let you know how that turns out. For now, I'm off to see my dad for lunch before his big trip out west.

Visit Maw Maw

I have a wonderful grandmother. She's 82 years old, and she's absolutely beautiful. She is very religious, but her humor and spirit are still very much alive.

I'm a horrible granddaughter. I mean, I'm blessed to have a grandmother who lives only an hour away, but I can't seem to get to her house on the weekends. So, I decided I would spend the dreaded mother's day with Maw Maw. My dad and I took her out to eat, and I think she really enjoyed herself, and I certainly enjoyed myself. She told me all about the jobs she had when she was working and about how things used to be.

After spending the day with her, I have to say I have a new appreciation for her strength. She is fiercely independent and was even when being an independent woman was still unpopular. I hope I'm supporting myself when I'm 80.

Now if I could only find the time to go visit my brother.

Creative Dining/Clean Out The Pantry

Let me just start off by saying that my grocery budget has been shot for the month. Unfortunately, I had to buy laundry detergent and paper towels last week. If you are the primary shopper for your family, you know that these two things can easily total $20 by themselves. Now, I know that I only have to buy these items once every five or six months, but I still cringe when I get to the last paper towel because I know that I'm going to have to pinch pennies some other way.

I've been getting by on $100/two weeks at the grocery store for the past five months. Sadly, this will not be the case for the first two weeks in May. I spent $83 last week at the grocery store leaving me with $17. I anticipated this purchase and put back a little extra for this week's grocery trip, so I have $40 for groceries. Now, I know that I've posted on here that I've been able to buy groceries for $30, but that was when I had meat in the freezer. My freezer is currently pretty bare. I've got a little hamburger and three pieces of chicken, but I'm determined to make this work!

Here's my menu for next week:
Sat: Chef Salad. (I have half a head of lettuce, onions, and some sandwich meat. I'm going to buy a cuke, a tomato, and a bag of shredded cheese)
Sun: Quesadilla with chicken (I have the tortillas and the chicken, so I'm going to use the remainder of the shredded salad cheese for my quesadillas. I'm also going to buy some rice and a can of corn.)
Mon: Grilled cheese and soup (I've got the cheese, the soup, and the bread)
Tues: Burgers (I have the hamburger. I need buns. I also have some broccoli left over and some french fries in the freezer.)
Wed: Burger leftovers
Thurs: Pizza (which I'm going to buy for $2.)

I will also need to buy some fruit and snack cakes (for our brown bag lunches) and some microwavable pancakes for breakfast.

and then of course Friday is pay day, so I can go shopping again before dinner Friday night.

Now, I know that grocery shopping may seem boring, but I enjoy competition. Did you know that I ran track back in the day? Yup. I'm into beating my personal bests, and folks, I've got to tell you, I think I can beat my personal best at the grocery store this week. I mean, we may not be eating fancy food, but it'll eat.

Week Three of the February Eat-In

My DH broke the February Eat-In. He bought a pizza at Little Caesar's (which is horrible pizza anyway) one day when I was at work. I should probably be mad at him, but eating in for a whole month wasn't his goal. Eating in was my goal. Plus he paid for it out of his own money, so I can't be mad at him for dipping into non-existent funds either.

The menu for this week looks like this (and no, we usually aren't such carboholics!):
Sunday: Chicken Parm leftovers with spaghetti
Mon: Hamburgers, fries, and veggies
Tues: Leftover hamburgers
Wed: Pizza and salad
Thur: Shrimp Pasta and salad
Fri: Hot dogs, fries, and veggies
Sat: Chicken sammies

See what I mean? It's a carb heavy week, but when I was planning my grocery shopping I saw I had all of this stuff already in my freezer (minus the salad and veggies), so I decided I would eat the cabinets down this week so to speak.

Eat in for a Whole Month # 2

Well we did a whole week eating in which was pretty easy. Tonight I went grocery shopping for the upcoming week, and I'm excited! Here's what on the menu:

1. Shrimp quesadillas (I actually never made these from last week. We ended up having an extra night of left overs)
2. Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans
3. Breaded pork and veggies
4. Vegetable beef soup (which I'll probably make tomorrow because we're expecting a big snow storm again!)

Luckily, I didn't have to buy any snack foods this week (except for some Dr. Pepper), so my bill came to $49.90. Last week's bill was $81, but again I had to buy the snack foods. I find that snack foods really make your bill go high, but I only have to buy them once or twice a month. Hubs and I always pack our lunches to work and typically I pack a piece of fruit, a sandwich, and a snack (like a swiss cake roll or a pudding pack). It gets boring eating a sandwich everyday, so sometimes I mix it up and make a pasta salad.

So far I haven't had any desire to go out and eat, but I'm sure I'll get stir crazy eventually.

Books I've read so far this year

1. The Handmaid's Tale
2. Total Money Makeover
3. Her Fearful Symmetry
4. Revolutionary Road
5. Women and Money
6.Push
7. Honk and Holler Opening Soon
8. The Help
9. Behind Rebel Lines
10. Crash
11. Suite Francaise
12. I am One of You Forever
13. Eclipse (re-read before the movie)
14. Breaking Dawn (re-read)
15. What to Expect Before You're Expecting (Don't read too much into this. We're still waiting for awhile, but I want to be on top of my baby making game when the time comes.)
16. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (don't judge me. I love Twilight.)
17. The Last Girls
18. Walk Two Moons (reading this with my 6th graders)
19. Eat Pray Love
20. Choosing Gratitude
21. The Christian Atheist
22. Dear John
23. Secrets of the Fire King
24. Harry Potter # 1 (first time read)
25. Harry Potter # 2
26. Angels and Demons
27. Harry Potter # 3
28. Harry Potter # 4
29. Harry Potter # 5
30. Harry Potter #6

Goals for 2010

Since I've put my travel goals on hiatus, I've put together a list of goals (most of which are on the original 101 things list) to accomplish this year. Should I pay off the student loan debt early, I will pick back up the travel goals. Right now, I'm not hopeful that I will be able to do that because I'm quitting my job to go to grad school. I will continue to work, but I won't make nearly the amount I'm used to. My hubs will pay all our regular bills and I will put my entire paycheck to the loans.

So here's my list of 25 goals for 2010:
1. Pay down $20,000 of my student loan debt (I reached my goal, and now my new goal is to have the remainder of my SL paid off by the end of December.)
2. Take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway and have a picnic
3. Go to a flea market
4. Send poetry to lit mags
5. Read 50 books(Currently reading numbers 8 and 9)
6. Get a pedicure with my sister
7. Babysit my sister's twins
8. Shop at a Farmer's market for veggies
9. Try 6 more recipes from Pioneer Woman's website
10. Eat in for a whole month
11. Take a bike ride
12. Run 3 miles
13. Camp away from home
14. Visit Travis
15. Visit Maw Maw
16. Bake a pie
17. Take my nephews to the park
18. See a play at the Barter Theater
19. Read Gone With the Wind
20. Change a tire
21. Purchase Christmas for an angel tree child
22. Get all my books from the library (or from gifts) instead of buying books (because I spent a hefty amount on books last year!)
23. Walk 12 times a month (I had a goal of three times a week, but I wasn't keeping up with that. It's been really cold here, so I think 12 times a month makes more sense because I can pack all my walking into a warm week)
24. Husband's choice: Visit Amy in Kansas (road trip!)
25. Have a cook out

There they are. The 25 goals for this year. And here's hoping that we pay off my loans quicker than expected. Debt free is the way to be!