Announcement from Lovedtodeath

[Lovedtodeath]

As part of our Total Money Makeover we will be getting rid of internet service. I will still check emails periodically at the office, but just wanted all of you to know. I especially do not want Susan to feel that I am upset at this forum, as that is not the case at all. :)

[Georgiana Daniels]

Wow you are really brave! I could never do it, but I admire people who make tough decisions and stick with them.

[Gooblink]

Brave woman! And I'd never noticed your post count before...11,000+ ??? Holy moly!! I've enjoyed your contributions. Best wishes on your money makeover!

:)

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks! The amount that we pay toward internet, cable, and home phone can have Emily's college covered if we save it for her. That is awesome! Every bit adds up!

[happygrrl]

Aww, we'll miss you! You can do this, and it will feel soooooo good. Imagine how much more free time you'll have! I'm a teeny bit jealous.

[ChrisOR]

Good job. Please check in and let us know the other benefits of not having internet that you notice. I wish I could do it too.

[WishboneDawn]

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

[sbgrace]

I'll miss your contribution here and personally but I'm excited for you as you change your financial picture!

[PollyOR]

Have you thought about selling your spot as number one poster? ;)

[lollie010]

Wow! What amazing resolve. We are getting rid of a few things, too, for the same reasons. We will still have internet though (I hope).

[amydavis]

Wow! Dh and I have talked about stopping our internet; I just don't think I could do it right now. Although, I used to think that about cable, and now I honestly don't miss it. So, maybe it won't be so bad. I'm betting you adapt pretty quickly, and if it helps, then it will be well worth it. You've given me something to think about!

[Liz CA]

Wow! What amazing resolve. We are getting rid of a few things, too, for the same reasons. We will still have internet though (I hope).

 

Will you come back once you are totally debt free?

[Jean in Newcastle]

We'll miss you Carmen.

[Pata]

Miss you Carmen, but kudos to you for doing the hard things so that you can save some moolah :).

[ElizabethB]

I'll miss you. Good luck!!

[hornblower]

Awwww- I'm sure many of us will miss you.

 

 

Hey, you'll have to change your location description :D

[Rosie_0801]

Woah. You're tough!

 

Rosie

[johnandtinagilbert]

Thanks! The amount that we pay toward internet, cable, and home phone can have Emily's college covered if we save it for her. That is awesome! Every bit adds up!

That is an amazing perspective. May God bless your makeover and may you save away for a brighter future for Emily. :grouphug: I'll miss you on our PR group, but I'm happy for your decision to live wiser.

[johnandtinagilbert]

We dropped to basic cable and are using magic jack. Saving $60 a month! Amazingly :glare: dh has found something to watch on network television every evening....I knew he could live without higher channels! If it were up to me, I'd lose the cell phones and go strictly emergency, pre-paid minutes, drop tv altogether and increase my Roadrunner light to Superfast Roadrunner! I suppose we all have our priorities :D

[Jackie in AR]

I hate to see you go, Carmen, but I understand.

 

Best wishes!

 

:grouphug:

[hillfarm]

Keep in mind that this is only for a season. The time may well come, and hopefully sooner than you think, that you will be able to restore many of the luxuries that you have cut. IMO, this is an awesome way for you to be able to discover which of the extras are truly important to you and to indefinitely discontinue those others that were no longer meeting your needs.

 

Every month, when you would have been paying your internet and cable bills, sit down and have a cup of tea and ponder how good it feels to be making tangible progress toward excellent goals. We are rooting for you!:hurray:

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Aw, do you have to go?

 

We tried Dave Ramsey and loved it. We are currently hiding from him, though, as we really needed a second car and bought one this past week. Now we have to dig ourselves out of debt again.

 

Please stop by when you can. I love reading your posts.

[homeschoolally]

I'll miss your contribution here and personally but I'm excited for you as you change your financial picture!

 

:iagree::iagree: You've had some great contributions to specific questions I've had here!! But that sounds like a great plan--think of all the extra time you'll have!!!!!

[SophiaH]

Aww, we'll miss you! You can do this, and it will feel soooooo good. Imagine how much more free time you'll have! I'm a teeny bit jealous.

 

:iagree:

[Denisemomof4]

:crying::crying::crying:

[Renee in NC]

We have cut off the internet in the past. The only reason we have it now is that my Dad is paying for it. He had told us that he couldn't anymore, so we were going to have it cut off again. My FIL found out and said he would pay it. The internet is a luxury, but other people seem to think we really need it!:tongue_smilie:

[melissel]

Thanks! The amount that we pay toward internet, cable, and home phone can have Emily's college covered if we save it for her. That is awesome! Every bit adds up!

 

Gosh, isn't that a kick in the head? You are so right, I'd be dancing in the street if I had that much to put in the college funds, and yet we pay it every month to a provider we hate! Unfortunately (or fortunately, I guess it depends on how you look at it) both DH and I need the consistent connection for work reasons. But you have really just opened my eyes here. I'm going to look for other costs I can cut to move money to savings! Maybe even the $30 a month for the phone service, hmmm...

 

We'll miss you, Carmen. I hope that your health continues to improve and you can get your kids onto a better sleep schedule for everyone's sanity! Come and say hi once in awhile, if you can! :grouphug:

[Heather in AL]

Aw...you'll be missed!! :crying:

 

Best wishes!!!!

[Guest ME-Mommy]

We dropped to basic cable and are using magic jack. Saving $60 a month! Amazingly :glare: dh has found something to watch on network television every evening....I knew he could live without higher channels! If it were up to me, I'd lose the cell phones and go strictly emergency, pre-paid minutes, drop tv altogether and increase my Roadrunner light to Superfast Roadrunner! I suppose we all have our priorities :D

 

Tina,

 

We've done something similar -- we dropped cable altogether and watch DVDs (from our shelf and Netflix), went to Vonage for phone and have Tracfones for cell phone. (We'd go with strictly cell phones *IF* our area had cell coverage -- we can't get a tower until we're about 10 minutes down the road. ;)

 

We can't drop internet because my dh is in IT and has to be able to work from home...

[Guest ME-Mommy]

Wanted to say, as short a time as I've been here, I'll miss you Lovedtodeath!! :)

[Veritaserum]

Brave woman! We'll miss you! :grouphug:

[Teachin'Mine]

Wanted to say, as short a time as I've been here, I'll miss you Lovedtodeath!! :)

 

 

:iagree: I wish you and your family all the best. Thank you for all you've contributed! :grouphug:

[Caitilin]

Carmen, your calm voice and pleasant tone will be missed on the boards. I wish you the very best--and I will miss you. :sad:

:grouphug:

[Rebecca VA]

What a fabulous example of sacrifice you are! Best of luck to you!

[Parrothead]

Congratulations on your decision. We are going to get rid of the other electronic media - the dish as soon as our contract if up in October.

[Beetkvass]

Great job and good luck!

[rafiki]

.

[HRAAB]

Wow, what an admirable decision. Best of luck to you. I sometimes wonder how much more I would accomplish around the house if we didn't have internet, but dh has to have it for work.

 

You will be missed. Take care.

[LibraryLover]

Good for you for prioritizing! :)

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks everyone.

 

I can still check in at the Phonics Road group when I use the office occasionally.

 

Yes, I will change my location. :tongue_smilie::lol:

 

I will also let ya'll know how our Total Money Makeover is going. (You know, in a few years when we have a million.;):lol:)

[Lovedtodeath]

Gosh, isn't that a kick in the head? You are so right, I'd be dancing in the street if I had that much to put in the college funds, and yet we pay it every month to a provider we hate! Unfortunately (or fortunately, I guess it depends on how you look at it) both DH and I need the consistent connection for work reasons. But you have really just opened my eyes here. I'm going to look for other costs I can cut to move money to savings! Maybe even the $30 a month for the phone service, hmmm...

 

We'll miss you, Carmen. I hope that your health continues to improve and you can get your kids onto a better sleep schedule for everyone's sanity! Come and say hi once in awhile, if you can! :grouphug:

Melissa, here are three other ways we found $100 in the budget:

 

I plan our grocery list to the dollar before I ever enter the store. I can adjust it much easier before hand, even changing the whole menu. A calculator in the store never helped much. I use cash and DH no longer stops by Walmart to pick up pancake toppings, etc. when the mood strikes. Savings: $200 per month.

 

No more fast food trips. DH was spending about $25 per week and I was spending about the same with me and the kids when we had doctor's appts or field trips. Our reduced grocery budget still covers snacks and lunches, and we still spend about $25 a month for emergencies. Savings: $150 per month.

 

Refinancing the house: interest is down by two points. Savings: $167 per month.

Building up an emergency fund in cash and planning our budget so that credit cards are not longer needed for dentist visits, etc. We have about 1,000 collectibles and 200 books to sell in addition to a couple of pieces of furniture if we needed it to build this up. Savings: about $300 that would be put on the credit card every 4 months.

 

Investing 2,000 per year starting at age 8 adds up to aruond 40,000 dollars for college according to the DR book.

 

I hope that helps someone!

Edited August 2, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[lionfamily1999]

:( The internet will not be nearly as much fun without you. All the same :hurray: good for you!

[missmoe]

We went without internet for a season, also. It was hard but I found myself fitting in all the things I never had time for! Good luck.

[Guest aquiverfull]

Wow Carmen, you are brave!! Internet is not something I could easily give up...lol. Good for you though. :)

You will be missed.

[Lovedtodeath]

Oh No!!!! How will you keep your post count above mine?????

 

:lol:

 

I will have to quickly say :iagree: to about 100 posts on my once a month stop by in the office. :lol:

[PentecostalMom]

We are getting on the DR bandwagon, too. We have been discussing it for nearly a month, made our first budget tonight! Kinda scary and kinda exciting. If you have more tips or a link/site where you found tips on slashing budget, please share before you depart. We are selling and selling, but need more ideas on how to make extra money and how to save in our current budget. Internet we have to have for dh's school, cell phones...GRRR, we are in a contract FOR-EV-ER it seems like. Thinking of prepaid at some point in the future. Just bought a new truck to get rid of one truck & one motorcycle payment cause we could not sell the bike, no matter how hard we tried! That helped some, but need more! Dh refuses to let me sell my car, though we own it outright. I am willing to work with one vehicle for awhile, but he isn't. We did it while he was in college before and it was HARD, he doesn't want to re-visit that. Any other ideas....Carmen or anyone? Other resources for help? We can pay our bills but we want to do the snowball and are struggling to get there!

 

Thanks and I didn't mean to hi-jack this farewell to Carmen thread....:tongue_smilie:

[Lovedtodeath]

I don't mind the hi-jack at all, (it isn't really a hi-jack since I started talking about DR) but I do think we need a DR thread, as I am excited with ideas and questions.

 

My biggest idea is to nickel and dime everthing to death. But that is only $15 per month! Really? That will send your baby to college. Get rid of the bill!

 

We found Jakobs college fund last night. :tongue_smilie:Trash service and slashing the grocery budget by another $10 per week.

 

I should admit, going into this, we already had a TMM of the heart and had most debt paid down. We aren't into the looking good aspect of money at all. We only own one vehicle and it is a 2000 stripped down model, though still we paid more than we ever will again. ;) I already saw how my mom did everything all wrong, so spending on clothes, shoes, decorative items, furniture, nail salon, hair style, etc. has just never happened around here.:D

 

Another idea we are working on is for me to make some money. I can't get a part time job, and working from home isn't working out... but if I watch one kid after school then that is another 100 per month. Watch that one kid before school and that is another 100. Watch two kids... you get the idea. It isn't a lot of money, but it will help us pay off our HEL and save for retirement. I can start slow and see how much I can handle. Just one kid in the afternoon part time will still make a big difference in our plan.

 

Then the boook TMM talks about selling things to get your emergency fund and debt snowball running. One woman sold 300 goldfish from her pond for $1 each. Okay, we are there. We have some collectibles that will go, even if we sell them for less than what they are "worth". I can probably find 300 books for $1 each. Emily's old room decorations and Jake's baby bed that I am keeping for sentimental value? Take a picture and sell them.

 

I will post this all in a new thread if you want to start one. :D

Edited August 3, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[Lovedtodeath]

Someone should start a Dave Ramsey social group! I will join and check in once every couple of weeks if you do.

[Dina in Oklahoma]

Lovedtodeath ~

 

You are an inspiration! We got rid of cable years ago, have never taken a vacation, and only got tracphones when parents started having health issues. We thought there was nothing more we could do unless I could find work from home.

 

THANK you for pointing out that if there's a will there's a way! Best Wishes and please stay in touch! :grouphug:

[DawnM]

I am on the free Dave Ramsey forum, LivingLikeNoOneElse.com

 

We did a program similar, called Crown Financial. DH and I now teach it.

 

We did not ever go so far as to cut internet, DH needs it to do his work from home for one thing, but we did cut out a LOT of things and we are debt free other than the house. It was well worth the sacrifices!

 

Best wishes to you.

 

Dawn