Westin South Coast Plaza

$16 per night to park my car. Or $22 for valet. $3 for the M&M's in the "refreshment center". $5 per 1/2 hour to use the computers in the business center. Good grief. I would not be surprised if there's a per flush charge...
Anyway, it's a pretty nice joint. Bloomingdales is across the street. I think I should stay inside lest my emergency fund disappear.

What will they say?

Class was in session as usual for me today in my "Automobile University". The audio book I was listening to presented a thought that's been on my mind all afternoon.
It goes a bit like this: Imagine you are attending a funeral. You arrive and slip quietly into the back seat. Then you realize the funeral you are watching is your own. Now imagine that four people will be speakers at your funeral. The first person will be a family member. Not necessarily your immediate family, but perhaps an aunt or a cousin. The second eulogy will be given by a friend. The third person will be someone you work with. Finally, the fourth will be someone from your church. What will each of them say?
I am writing these eulogies for each of these four people everyday. Wow...I've got my work cut out for me.
Perhaps this post would be more fitting on the myndfood blog, but this made too huge of an impression on me not to share.
Maybe we'll all do better at writing these eulogies tomorrow.

The Results Are In!

And the winner is... $51-75. 38% of those who voted in the poll said they spend $51-$75 per week on groceries. When I start losing weight I'll add more to my weekly grocery budget. Thanks for participating in the poll!

Vacation Bargains

It's Labor Day weekend, and under normal circumstances we would not be going out of town. But my dear cousin is marrying this Saturday, so we certainly have reason to leave town. I booked and paid for our room a few months back when the Vacation Envelope permitted. I must take this moment to brag about my bargain. I scored a 4 star hotel- the Westin South Coast Plaza- for $55 per night. Needless to say, I am quite pleased and looking forward to my weekend away.
As if that weren't bargain enough, some friends of ours have made us an offer I'm not sure we can pass up. We've been invited to vacation with these friends in Kauai. We can stay for free in a condominium there, which also includes use of a vehicle for free. The cost to us would be flight, food and fun expenses only. We are still counting the cost, but very hopeful to go.

Going anywhere exciting for the holiday weekend?

High Dollar Face

My stinking face is costing me money again. Today it cost me 100 bucks. So, while I may not look like a million bucks after this round of treatment, I had better at least look like a hundred bucks.
Acne. It's the story of my life, and an expensive one at that. I've fought it since junior high with a few seasons of success. Last September I completed a course of Accutane. It's some tough stuff-it really took its toll on my vision and caused a bit of hair loss. But it was actually rather easy on my pocket book at a mere $10 month for the generic drug. So, nearly a year later, here I am with an angry looking zit colony on my chin.
After the $20 copay, I go in to see the doctor. He prescribes a course of treatment that he refers to as "rescue mode". We're going to rescue my face I guess. The "tools" for this rescue are 4 different medications. I know it sounds like I must have a horribly afflicted face if I'm using so much medicine, but it's not that awful. At any given time I'll only be using 3 medicines: pop one pill, smear one medication on in the morning, smear on another at night. Anyhow, these rescue tools left my budget in S.O.S.
Needless to say, August is not turning out to be a banner month for dumping debt. Not because we're blowing money, but because work hours for my spouse have been average in a month that's usually very busy. Nonetheless, it was satisfying to me today to see that thousand digit drop from 11 to 10.
Now if I can just keep Murphy away from my face and other aspects of my life, I'll be doing well.

For the Love of High Speed

Apparently my time is up for $29.99 Comcast High Speed Internet. Exactly one year after I began service with them, they have doubled the price on me. When I called them I found out that they discriminate against people who don't own televisions and home telephones, because the best deals they could offer me on high speed internet came only with cable TV and home telephone service. I have neither, so I was up a creek.
I cancelled service.
One thing that has my dander up is the stinking monopoly that there seems to be with high speed internet. In my city I can choose between cable from one company or DSL from one company. No wonder rates are so high- they can live without me.
I called the other guys. The DSL guys- which happen to be AT&T. I'm sorry if you work there, but in general the organization seems to be incompetent at best. Did you know that it takes 45 minutes for them to order service for a person? And the list of fees rattled off at the end of the call was daunting.
Needless to say, the whole experience today has left my spirit destitute. And who knows now after all those fees if I'll even save any money by switching. I'll tell you: this relationship with high speed is certainly bittersweet.

Hot Button: Groceries?!

It seems I have stirred up a conversation in my microscopic corner of the blog world. If you'll remember, a few days ago I posted about Sac Lunches, and in the comments portion I mentioned my own weekly grocery bill average. The amount of response (from family, emails, and blog comments) has surprised me. The reason being that I don't see myself as some super-duper-bargain shopper. I shop at a store that I think has great prices over all, but I don't go to several stores for different items on sale that week and I don't cut coupons. I have read about some amazingly frugal people, so that is how I know I don't exactly fit in this category. On the other hand, I know people who buy a pantry full when they shop, and I know I don't fit that category either.
What category do you fit in? A serious coupon cutter? A hungry, reckless grocery shopper? Or just a regular ol' shopper buying what you need at the best priced store?
Maybe you have a different opinion of my grocery bill average. Or perhaps you have a cost-cutting tip or meal idea to share. This is your forum.

One reader shared this $10 Grocery Budget. Amazing, but not exactly what I'd call enticing.

You may now comment.

Hehehe...RATHER quiet on my last post. I love it. When I get 0 comments on a post, I flatter myself and choose to believe I hit the nail on the head. Judging by some of the emails I've received on the post, I believe the post was apropos.

Onward.

Word has it that Christmas is in December this year. That gives us all just about 4 months to prepare for the season of spending. My post today is really just an inquiry of sorts. Have you started preparing financially for Christmas? Will your Christmas spending be different this year? Have you and yours agreed to forgo gift giving? Or did I just remind you that Christmas is indeed in December again this year??

Hearers, but not doers- DO THE PLAN!

I've been wondering why it seems the simple methods presented by Dave Ramsey and his plan seem so hard for some people to understand. Just today I was listening to Dave's show archives, and this lady starts her call by saying she has been listening to Dave's show for years, and then goes on to ask a stupid question about something she'd done with her money. Dave had to smack her around a bit because she really just wanted to talk and didn't seem to hear what she was being told.
I see and hear of others who pick and choose certain parts of the plan, expecting the same results as though they had followed completely. I marvel: why tweak something that is proven?
Another group I see and hear of are those who were on this plan long before I was, promoted it to family and friends once they saw the results, then they were apparently so ecstatic to have a few bucks that they abandoned the plan and went spend-crazy.

I think I have these people figured out. They don't have a problem understanding the plan. They hear it, but they just don't do it. They have something to contribute to the occasional personal finance conversation, but that's about it. They rather deceive themselves, by being hearers, but not doers (James 1:22.)
I'm only 5 1/2 months into my own total money makeover, but I hope I won't soon deceive myself. How ignorant would that be to pay off all my debt, accumulate 10K in the bank, and think that I've arrived and need not practice the plan?!
In our FPU class discussions one night, some of the members mentioned that they wish they were as young as my spouse and me. One lady even said she was so proud of us and talked about us to all of her friends. We were appreciative, but uncomfortable. The thought occurred to me that I can't let these people down. If I run into one of them at Home Depot 15 years from now, I had better be able to make them prouder still. And I plan to.
So, you've started your money makeover. Congratulations. But don't stop. Don't drop elements of the plan in the midst of satisfaction. Do the plan.

Bossy Bonus: Talk about money a lot with people. Not only will you learn (and teach), but the more people know you have a plan, the more people will ask you about it when you cease talking of it. Kind of like telling a lot of people you're on a diet. You better shed the pounds, buddy, or people will start wondering what's up.

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Sometimes even the best jobs stink

I have a fire inside. It's the fire of wanting to work for myself. This fire burns continuously, but sometimes it get so huge I can hardly stand the heat. Today is one of those days, this week is one of those weeks.
If I had no payments of course I could walk away from my job in a couple weeks. But of course I built this house of cards, so I must keep my job to prop it up.
So today I share my fire with you and ask for any and all input. Suggestions, opinions, etc. I'm prepared to take the good and the bad.
I'm one of those poor souls who knows a little about a lot. This often frustrates me when I try to narrow down what kind of business I could start. I shoot myself down in every idea because I don't know enough about it. Sometimes I think I could start my own doggie walking business (since many people have designer mutts that they have no time for,) but then I even convince myself that I am unprepared to handle even that.
I recently read a terrific book titled 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller. That's been over 48 days ago.
Bottom line: I think I have an inaction problem. I fear risk, which is normal, but I choose inaction to prevent risk. Can you tell I'm disgusted with myself and the current lot I find myself in?
Comments, please.

Debt-Free Dreams

Often I dream of the day when we will make that last payment. My plan is for it to be one of the HUGEST days of celebration in our life. So let me share here some of what I imagine for that day.

First thing- we're both taking the day off. Milestone life events require days off from work.

Likely it will be on a Friday since that is payday for both of us- this is cool because I dig Fridays.
Fridays on the Dave Ramsey Show are called "Debt Free Friday". This is my favorite day of the show because Dave lets people call in who've recently become debt free and he lets them scream "I'M DEBT FREE" at the end of their call. You've gotta listen to a Friday broadcast archive if you've never heard it. Sooo, that Friday we will start at 11am trying to call in on Dave's show so we can scream. Hopefully we'll be able to get thru on that day.

Another thing I dream of is going down to the DMV to pick up my personalized plates that say something like NO PYMNT. From there I'll go pick up a personalized plate frame that may read something like "Normal is Broke. I wanna be WEIRD!" Hehehe...I get giddy just thinking about it all.

Then I'd like to throw myself a Debt Free Party. Then I can invite all the weirdos and family over (sometimes those are one in the same) and we can eat and chat with any "normals" who may be there.

So that's my plan for the day of debt freedom. It gets wackier the more I think about it. I think of decorating my car much like they do for a bride and groom- cans trailing behind with lots of streamers and window paint that says "Just Paid-For." Then I can just drive around all day.
Yeah, weird I know. But it sure is fun to dream.

Sac Lunches

I'll be making/packing my lunch here in a minute. I'm not the best at this, but I try. "Hegazelle" is MUCH more dedicated to packing his lunch than I. I wake up late so I don't pack lunch. Or it's Friday and I think I'd like to join the office in eating out so I don't pack lunch. He doesn't miss a day. Perhaps that is why he has managed to drop 15 lbs since we've started the Dave Ramsey plan. You didn't know it was a money & diet plan in one did you?! Well, it can be, depending on your intensity.

Eating out: We eat out a lot on weekends. It's like a celebration or something. Friday night is not a night for cooking so we go out. Saturday afternoon we routinely hit our favorite sandwich shop for lunch. And of course Saturday night and Sunday night dinner. (Now that I write it all out here and look at it, that is a lot of eating out!) What has always helped is that we share everything. We did this before we started our TMM just simply because I can't put that much food down, and these places serve a ton of food.

Sac Lunches: Coming up with lunch ideas that don't get boring (or soggy) can be difficult for me. I have a refrigerator and a microwave at my office, he has to take a small ice chest. I have more options than he does, but I only buy one lunch option per week. So far I've found only about 3 things that work for summer lunches.
1. The Standard Sandwich- this is the one you can't make too far in advance, otherwise your tomatoes take their toll on your whole wheat bread. We don't do sandwiches too often.
2. Wraps- this option is swell since you can make several of them at the beginning of the week and they don't get soggy! Get some tortillas (flavored ones from Trader Joes sometimes give a twist) smear on some low fat cream cheese, throw on some deli turkey, your favorite leafy lettuce and your favorite cheese and you've got a basic wrap- otherwise known as a cheap lunch option.
3. Salads- I think this one is my favorite. I make low fat ranch dressing and also fat free Italian dressing at the beginning of the week. Buy a rotisserie deli chicken and shred it up. Canned tuna is another great "meat" option. Then before the week begins chop up all your salad fixin's. Then before you go to work all you're doing is dumping things in a to-go container. QUICK. That's what I'm all about.

So there you have it. The Gazelle family summer lunch menu. I know there's not much variation, so if you have ideas to share, bring it on. But budget wise, it works. Lunch can smack you every day to the tune of $6+ and that's just your average nasty combo meal. If you and your spouse each spent only that much 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, you'd spend $3,120 a year on gross fast food lunches. And all you'll have to show for it is a lighter wallet and a big belly.

How many of these are/were in YOUR wallet?
I used to have a pile...in fact one of my art projects in college was a photograph of that pile.
Try all cash for a while- what a difference!

Good Spouse? Count your blessings!

As Billy Hill would say when his bow gets stuck in his nose, "I'm OK!" I have recovered from my covetousness. I went to the Regent Seven Seas website to check out prices on sailings on the Paul Gaugain cruise ship to Tahiti. Doable. Of course that will be after Baby Step 3, but I'm just fine with that.

Dave talks a lot on his show and in his books about working together with your spouse on your finances. I am often amazed after a day of The Dave Ramsey Show how many callers called because they and their spouse could not seem to work together on a spending plan.
I suppose I have been naive enough to believe that every couple would want to work this plan together. Apparently that is not always the case.
What a difficult road this would be for me if my spouse was indifferent to or fully opposed to working this plan! I often whisper a prayer of thanks that he is on board and has the eyes to see years down the road to the benefits.
When I loan out my audio book of the Total Money Makeover to someone, I tell them about 45 times not to listen to it without their spouse. I think it's because I remember the drive when we heard it together, and the excitement we both had when the light came on for us. Either one of us, had we listened to it alone, could have botched the explanation of the plan to the other.

The point: If you're experiencing your own Total Money Makeover, count your blessings if your spouse is as thrilled and involved as you are. That's a large percentage of what's gonna make this work so well for us all.

Bossy Bonus: If you haven't established life insurance for both you and your spouse, now is the time. It's cheap and it's the smart thing to do.

Happy Friday/Payday/Budget Day!

Warning! Downer Post Ahead!

Short post: This afternoon I was hit with a small case of "stuffitis". Stuffitis is just an average American disease. The symptom is liking stuff. Sometimes it's hard to get rid of. My case came this afternoon when I found out that a colleague is going to Tahiti. Do you know how BAD I have always wanted to go to Tahiti??!?!! Ok, so maybe you don't know, but now I've told you. So at the moment, I'm having a bowl of poor-me soup.
This is what happens occasionally throughout this process of living like no one else. I've figured out that with what I've been paying towards my debt recently, I could be going to Tahiti. Ugh, but alas, I am not.
So you'll have to pardon my downer post today. I presume that by morning I will have recovered.

Edit:
A reader sent me this photo to hold me over until I can make the trip.

Shegazelle: Alumni, Financial Peace University

You may have noticed on Dave's site something called "Financial Peace University" and wondered what it is exactly. From April to July our Monday nights were spent at this course, and I am certain it has played a vital role in our TMM. Financial Peace University is a 13 week course taught by Dave (via DVD) and is facilitated in local areas by good people who want to see people break their chains of debt. These people don't get paid, they just take on the burden of providing the course. At the end of Dave's teaching each night we had group discussions. One night, everyone who had credit cards brought them to class where they underwent plastic surgery- they had a "plasectomy".
At week 7 the class totaled up our collective debt. We did so again on week 13. Collectively we paid off around $22K in 6 weeks! Talk about a great return on investment!
Each night focused on a certain subject in detail; obviously more detail than could fit in the TMM book. The lessons were as follows:

Super Savers
Cash Flow Planning
Relating With Money
Buying Only Big, Big Bargains
Dumping Debt
Understanding Investments
Understanding Insurance
Retirement & College Planning
Buyer Beware
Real Estate & Mortgages
Career & Extra Jobs
Collection Practices & Credit Bureaus
The Great Misunderstanding

One invaluable item that is included in the FPU kit is the entire course on Audio CD's for you to refresh your memory in the future if necessary.
We managed to convince another couple and also my parents (only dad needed true convincing) to join the class too. It is great to have others to share this excitement with. I was quick to refer my parents to the passage in Proverbs 13 which states " A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children." I'm certain my father wants to be a good man. :-D
During this time, my spouse prayed a prayer that was answered in rather quick fashion. He prayed that God would bless us for trying to take better care of His money. I guess God figured that was fair because a pay raise came the next morning. It's like Dave often says on his show: it's like God looks down and says, hey, there's a guy who can handle the things I give him. I think I'll give him some more!
So if you're in the midst of your own Total Money Makeover, be prepared to run into some unexpected financial blessings. I guarantee it.

Bonus photo:
Here's Dave Ramsey giving us a picture of what we look like in the midst of our debt mess.

Guess we look a little silly!

Various Thoughts and Information

Did you see that link on Drudge this weekend about that Arkansas woman who just gave birth to her 17th child?! Goodness. I'm not gonna say whether or not she's crazy, right, wrong or otherwise. You can check out their website if you'd like to take a look. One fact I did notice about them is that they are debt-free. Debt-free including their 7000 sq ft house. I thought that was pretty cool.

Hopefully no one is terribly uncomfortable with me talking numbers. I'm only sharing the ones I'm comfortable with so it's my prerogative right?
Ok, that said, I have the July Mega Car Payment numbers. I am happy to report that we were able to sock $1703 to the car this month. **jumping up and down and dancin' around like a crazy person** The glory is God's- that is for certain.

In our journey to becoming debt-free, I have come across a few ignorant naysayers. I don't call them ignorant to be mean, but in the true sense of the word- they are ignorant of the principles that I am applying in my financial plan.
Anyway, one naysayer in particular is convinced that Dave Ramsey is getting rich off of "suckers" like me. I mean, what a conman Dave is; helping tens of thousands of families find the road to financial peace and selling those rip-off books of his!
So, I figured this naysayer must have a superior financial plan, and thus have plenty of money to spare. So I went ahead and proposed today that this person purchase lunch for our entire team. And would you believe- the naysayer declared he was BROKE! Just three days after payday. Must've gotten mugged over the weekend is all I can figure.

I'll take my tongue from my cheek now.

I've turned my car into an Automobile University, by listening to non-fiction audio books. Currently in the player is The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley. I'm learning that the truly wealthy lead lives different than one would expect. Some may even call their way of life boring. All I can say is that it seems consumption is not the way to build wealth. Quite an interesting book- I'd recommend you pick it up at your library if you are interested in the subject.

Enjoy your evening.

My Favorite Day of the Week

This day is my favorite day of the week for a few reasons- it's Friday so therefore it's payday so therefore it's BUDGET DAY! I love to do my cash flow plan every Friday. (I told you I was a freak about this stuff, so you shouldn't be too surprised by this post.) My current reason that I enjoy it so much, is because it's at this point that I see how much extra I can put on the car debt for that week.

Before we started the Dave Ramsey plan, we had what I'll call a Theoretical Budget- it was there in theory. It was a kinda-sorta budget. It listed my bills and so forth, but that was about the extent of it. After we listened to the Total Money Makeover and did a Zero Based Budget, things changed drastically. Honestly, it felt like we'd each gotten a HUGE raise, when in reality we are just an average income household. Where we couldn't find money before, we found it. What has helped this to work so well is using an envelope system. For certain categories, we've assigned an envelope in which we put the cash for that week. It is such a simple concept that works so well. Now we only use our Visa debit cards for online purchases.
One thing I've found: cash is powerful. When you spend cash you feel it. You're aware.

Contentment. I believe this is the foundation wherewith wealth is built. That is not to say I don't have goals of things I want, but I am content with my life at the present. The Bible states in I Tim. 6:6 that "godliness with contentment is great gain." Sounds good to me.
So, have a good weekend- enjoy the simple things like your family, a book, a good laugh or a breeze. (Who wouldn't appreciate a breeze these days?)

My idol is 19 years old

Every few days or so it seems like God puts someone in my path to inspire me to continue my journey to financial peace. Whether they are making fun of my plan (which is one of my favorite fire fuelers) or they have a positive story of their own to tell.
I was talking with a couple of young people yesterday, one of which is a 19 or 20 year old young man. He has been planning for some time to purchase his dream car, and this is the subject we were discussing. At the other person's asking, this young man disclosed that he has $10K in the bank for the purchase. At 19! This kid has certainly raised the bar for me. He does live at home still, but he has forced himself since high school to tithe and live from 30% of his net income and save the rest. He has been called a loser and much more when he has had to decline a night out with friends. Yet he made it happen. WOW. I actually asked him if I could touch the hem of his shirt sleeve.
These are the kind of people that achieve wealth and success. These are the kind of people that God blesses with more because they handle well what He has already given them. And I want to be just like 'em.