Debt Free in 40

What could be so distracting?

2011-10-13T09:12:00.000-04:00

What could be so distracting that we haven't posted a new post in months? Why haven't we at least updated the savings/debt totals? As of yesterday, I am 16 week pregnant! We've been very busy getting our physical, emotional, and financial selves ready for our expanding family. This includes a two-pronged approach to getting our finances in order: savings and free stuff. Free Stuff Thanks to

How Much Rain Am I Expecting?

2011-07-09T09:42:00.000-04:00

I made a decision last week, one that has the potential to shape our financial future for years to come. It was a hard decision, and I made it while drinking coffee and staring at an Excel spreadsheet. I decided to stop adding money to our Rainy Day Account. We all know what the Rainy Day Account is supposed to do -- when you get a time in your life where all heck breaks loose, the Rainy Day

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

2011-07-02T19:40:00.001-04:00

As Independence Day lurks just around the corner, I've been taking some time to consider the great American spirit of self-reliance. As Americans, we are masters of our destinies. We need not seek the help of others to reach our goals. We are ... invincible... [said with whispered awe] Of course, that's crazy. Whatever you may think of what it means to be an American, there is nothing wrong

Yes, We're Still Here

2011-07-01T08:23:00.000-04:00

I know it's been about half a year since either my wife or I have posted on Debt Free in 40, but we are still out here, though busy with the rest of our lives. I'll try to get here soon for a proper update, but in the meantime, you can enjoy the new debt numbers over at the right. Our mortgage has gone down (though not a great amount), mainly because we've been socking cash away into our Rainy

2010 Wrap-up

2010-12-23T09:24:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since either my wife or I have blogged here -- chalk it up to being a musician during the Christmas season. Oddly enough, it seems as we get closer to the actual day of Christmas, the less pressure there is on us as musicians, as if the whole of the world got so much Christmas spirit from the 1st to the 20th of December that they're just ready to have a Silent Night for

Giving Thanks

2010-11-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

For those of us here in the United States, it's Thanksgiving Day, and while my wife and I are thankful for a great many things, one of the things we're most thankful for right now is how well our financial life is going. In an economy that's still in the tank, where countless people are without jobs and are having to make some terrible financial choices, we're not just surviving, but are

Breaking the Barrier

2010-10-14T11:56:00.000-04:00

October 14, 2010. A date which will live in infamy. Okay, so maybe it's not as grandiose as all that, but today was the day we officially broke below $100,000 in terms of debt owed. We haven't owed this little money since we bought our house back in 2004. We also have about another $1,500 poised to go toward the loans in the coming days, so that will drop us even further. Something about

Bi-weekly Mortgage Payments

2010-10-02T09:38:00.000-04:00

I had an email from Jen last week about a deal her bank was offering where, for a small set-up fee, they would switch her mortgage payments from monthly payment to bi-weekly payments, or payments every two weeks, of half the current monthly amount. She suggested I expound on this phenomenon and whether or not it's a good idea. I'll start with the answer -- yes and no. First the no: Paying

Goodbye, Old Friend

2010-09-21T08:14:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we finally did it. Our beloved Chevy Cavalier that I've had since March of 2000 is finally gone from our lives. Okay, well, that's not entirely true -- we gave it to my wife's uncle, so I'm sure we'll hear about it from time to time, see it every so often, and know of its whereabouts for another few years, but at least for us directly, it's gone from our lives and our garage. In

Money Down the Drain

2010-09-12T16:29:00.000-04:00

While cleaning out the old car yesterday in a prelude to giving it away, I came across a compartment full of disgusting, fused-together coins. I had no clue what had fused them together, and even less desire to find out. What I did know (or hope) was that water, The Universal Solvent, would separate them and render them once more individual coins. So, I put them in a cup of water and let them

Focused Intensity

2010-09-06T13:22:00.000-04:00

Goals are a great thing. Having a place you want to get to or something you want to accomplish is a tremendous thing to have. The problem is so often, we feel like we're meandering toward our goals. It can feel not like we're a horse streaking to the barn after a long journey, but rather like we're a dog crossing a field, stopping to sniff every tree and rock while marking our territory along

Own Your Home Faster and Cheaper

2010-08-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

I was just over on the ING Direct site looking at a table of interest rates while lamenting the pathetically-low return we're getting on our savings and checking accounts over there, when I scrolled down the screen and did a double take. Currently (as of August 28, 2010), on their Easy Orange 5 year loan, ING Direct is offering a rate of 3.125%, and on their new Easy Orange 10 year loan, the

What do we do with our extra car?

2010-08-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

When was the last time we drove our old car? That's a very good question. We think it might have been back in May, but we're not quite sure. We do know the check engine light came on last time we drove it, and we've not done anything about it since. Jason and I go to many of the same places each day, so carpooling only makes sense. It saves money on gas, and it gives us time together during

Yeah Toast!

2010-08-07T10:00:00.006-04:00

I hope Bob and Tom don't mind me stealing their song title for this posting, but I just really love toast. It's cheap, easy to prepare, and goes with just about everything. This summer, Jason and I enjoyed a lot of easy, frugal, and delicious meals because of this crunchy treat. The first thing to consider? Every time you throw away food, you throw away money. This includes the moldy

Farewell Land Line

2010-08-04T13:27:00.001-04:00

For a while, we've wondered if we really needed our land line. Jason carries a cell phone, and that seems to be how we do most of our telecommunicating. We had two obstacles. 1. We got a better deal on our DSL because of the land line. 2. If one of us was at home and the other was out with the cell phone, we'd have no way to call 911 if the house caught fire, became burglarized, or was

Travel Frugality

2010-07-24T22:20:00.000-04:00