Today is our 8th Wedding Anniversary.

We feel like wearing an “I survived the 7 Year Itch” t-shirt.

We’re in a better, happier, more comfortable, more stable, more loving, deeper, more affectionate, more real, place now than we ever have been. At least I feel that way.

The 7 year itch was like a journey into marriage war, but at least we finally worked some stuff out (where previously we’d been applying Band-Aids).

The overwhelming feeling on this anniversary is Phew. We made it. Thank God (literally) we’re on the up-side.

Honey, I’m so glad we struggled through and worked it out. I’m having …read more

Are you an average American? Have $10,000 in credit card debt and no money in your savings account? Is your New Year’s Resolution to get off the futile never-ending minimum payment treadmill. It may be time for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.
It’s a series of 13 classes in churches and community centers around the country. You meet in a group to watch these hilariously entertaining videos about money – can you believe math and finance is interesting and funny?
Then you interact with a group getting moral support. You know, sharing a goal with like-minded people can help you keep …read more

All I wanted for Christmas was my dream home. And I got it. We moved into our first home last Saturday and it’s 1,000 times better than I dreamed possible.
Picture this with a big, giant red bow . . .
Yes, that’s a ski lodge sized fireplace. Yes, the entire wall to the right is built in 1950s book shelves, drawers and cabinets. Yes, there are original parquet wood floors. Absolutely, there is lighted vaulted ceiling. See that lovely Christmas tree? It’s an 8.5 foot tree. The ceiling fan has a remote control. I’m totally serious.
To understand exactly how much I appreciate our …read more

Now is the time to start discussions about Christmas boundaries. No one cares about Christmas in July. If I remember this factoid correctly, most Americans just finished paying for last Christmas around March. That was only a few months ago.
Time for the family vacation. Then school clothes. Then, Holy Crap, Christmas! In fact, I’ve recently had two conversation with people who are already dreading the mass extended family gifting.
We use no credit cards. Period. Since our income doesn’t increase around Christmas we must be strategic about our giving.
I’m not taking a second job to pay for Christmas and though …read more

If you’re sane you’re in a near-panic over the flipping Christmas ornaments dotting the shelves of your local haunts.
Halloween has a few more days to arrive, but the Christmas push to buy more stuff is already making the national blood pressure rise.
Maybe my Boycott Christmas in June idea didn’t seem reasonable. But, now that it’s November, I’m thinking you might be considering a part-time job or scratching some extended relatives off the list.
Might I recommend a budgeting technique that will make sure you don’t end up doing the big recover from Christmas through March?
Write down the income you expect to get through January …read more

I have a confession. Though Dave Ramsey fanatic and groupie I am, I have in my hands a credit card that I accepted. In In Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny Suze Orman recommended that I get one in my own name. I did.
Don’t tell my Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Counselor.
 Truth be told, and I’ve been candid about this before, my husband and I got into some financial trouble a few years ago and cut up every credit card we had. We had vowed never, ever to get another credit card as long as …read more

I’m always a little surprised when someone tells me that they don’t make a budget. I suppose I always think Grown Ups make budgets. I guess not all of them do. I will say that I think it’s a wise thing to do if you ever want to get anywhere financially, anywhere besides where you are right now anyway.
A friend of mine is going through the upheaval of life that awaits all middle-class Americans. Hubby has been out of work for one month. Only one month and we’re talking about the wholesale of all furniture and other house-fillers like the …read more

 I went out to Pier One and bought a ton of new furniture this weekend. NOT!
Actually, I scored a sturdy entertainment center at the Goodwill for $20. It was an ugly cream faux-wood color but it has great Zack-proofing storage so he couldn’t get into all the electronics.
Bought a $25 gallon of black paint – never skimp on the paint or it will look like crap – and painted the ugly stained-up end tables I was already using to match. Borrowed the primer from a friend who already had some – always prime or sand or the paint will peel off and …read more

I have tons and tons to say about cashola today.  However, since we finance nothing we, my husband and webmaster, share custody of this computer. He’s giving me a bitchen redesign and update on my other site to empower girls, So Sioux Me. He’s totally hooking me up with Technorati and all the other blogosphere jazz that I just haven’t had time to figure out and do. New laptop for me is on the list, but new minivan (and air conditioning) had to come first.
So, I shall have to very quickly advise that you go to this Carnival of Debt …read more

My husband and I took the Dave Ramsey course Financial Peace University a few years ago and we finally had enough cash to buy a new car.

We live within our means – period. We finance nothing, aside from a house (when we’ve saved enough of a down payment). If you find yourself going to sleep with a sick feeling in your stomach, or your prayers often include this sentence, “God, please find some way for us to make our payments,” then this class is for you. Follow this link and enter your zip code and find out when and where …read more