Biggest Challenge?
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Biggest Challenge?
| Tue, 12-30-2008 - 9:46am |
What do you consider to be your "biggest challenge" on your debt reduction journey?
Has your "biggest challenge" changed along the way on your journey?
What challenges do you anticipate in 2009?

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Our biggest challenge has been being in the red most months. Then we got to the point where our budget balanced on paper (er, on spreadsheet) but because we were running behind on everything the late fees kept us in the red. Catching up, of course, was out of the question. Now that I'm "working" we're much better off.
Luckily we have NOT had a problem with spending. DH is just as on board as I am and he won't even spend $3 on lunch without checking with me first. (He usually takes leftovers but with seven of us sometimes there aren't any!) We very rarely spend money that we don't have to spend -- not even on clothes or entertainment. Having a guy that is 100% into becoming debt free is a true blessing!
Goal #1:
1. My biggest challenge in all of this was telling my DH I was hiding debt. I didn't even do that - he found out and I was faced with having to own up to it. I am not 100% at fault here - we had debt before that my DH knew about. I was just not doing a good job of telling him to NOT spend and I was using the c/c for gas/groceries and household items. Anyway, that has stopped. NO c/c use since July of 2008. That was my biggest hurdle in all of this.
2. Right now my biggest hurdle is staying positive. With layoffs at work and layoffs with friends that I hear about its easy to get depressed and scared. I am trying to be positive that when I'm at home at night I am pleased to have a house that is paid for this month and heat for my babies and food in their bellies. :) Small steps along the way.
3. My BIGGEST challenge for 2009 is my friends wedding in April. It's a destination wedding for us - she is in Boston and we are in Chicago. I am SO looking forward to going. But, I have taken a second job to help pay for it and its not easy. I want to pay for this trip FREE and clear but its hard. I feel once her wedding passes I can focus on complete debt repayment. Right now I worry about our debt and this wedding.
What do you consider to be your "biggest challenge" on your debt reduction journey?
Thats a good question. I would have to say
Bex -
Our biggest challenge over the last three years has been job losses for my husband.
Norma
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus
Our biggest challenge is our irregular income.
What do you consider to be your "biggest challenge" on your debt reduction journey?
**I used to think my biggest challenge was not paying off the debt fast enough.
Has your "biggest challenge" changed along the way on your journey?
**Now my biggest challenge is not adding more debt before I can continue paying it off!
What challenges do you anticipate in 2009?
**biggest challenge is going to be staying positive! I am having a very hard time with this right now. Depression lurks in my back yard.
What do you consider to be your "biggest challenge" on your debt reduction journey?
My biggest challenge was to curb my shopping (books, jewellery and DVD's).
Has your "biggest challenge" changed along the way on your journey?
Yes.
Kate
I usually only have 2 of us to cook for too as we are not good at eating leftovers either, so I have started cooking smaller amounts so that there is no leftovers. I will make 2-3 items that all need to baked so that I only have to turn on the oven to cook everything. (possible menu - 2 pieces of chicken in casserole dish with veggies around them. and a couple of potatoes - baked potatoes are a favourite here) another easy one is pasta and sauce. I buy the jarred sauce so that I can just use the amount needed for that night. And it will keep for a few days so that we have pasta 2-3 times in a week. And if by chance I haven't made enough and we are still hungry I can open a can of fruit to have for dessert. It sure has helped with not having as many science projects in the fridge and I don't waste as much food anymore.
Or can you join a community kitchen where they will help you with the cooking and you get to take home several different meals in small portions? You get a good variety and I think it is usually a decent cost.
What do you consider to be your "biggest challenge" on your debt reduction journey?
Cutting back on things to find the money to snowflake. Not charging anything else to make the balance go up. Getting my ticker to work. Tee Hee.
Has your "biggest challenge" changed along the way on your journey?
It seems like my biggest challenge now is not going over board on the snowflaking.
Thanks for the tips, ileea!
Kate
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