I’ve snuck away for a few minutes.  My wife and I are going through our house, room by room, and doing a major spring cleaning.  We are looking for three things – items to sell on eBay, items to put into storage, and items to throw away.  As of this morning, we have thirty items to sell on eBay, several items for storage, and two bags of junk.  It feels good to get rid of the stuff we simply do not need!  (Isn’t it amazing just how quickly we accumulate stuff?!?)

Alright, I’ve got to get back to work.  We have the momentum, and I don’t want to interrupt our progress.  I’ll let you know how things are going – and if we make mad cash from selling our unused stuff.

*Update – Oh, yeah, we also found some stuff that we will donate to a local “clothes closet”.

I thought you guys might get a kick out of hearing from my wife – Mrs. NCN.

NCN – So, what’s it like being married to a geek like me who likes to write about personal finance.

Mrs. NCN – It certainly makes life interesting!  It is pretty cool that you handle all of the boring day-to-day stuff and I don’t have to deal with it.

NCN – Do you feel like you are left out of the decision making?

Mrs. NCN – No.  If it’s a major decision or whatever, we talk about it, but you enjoy all the facts and figures.

NCN – How did you used to feel, back when we were in debt?

Mrs. NCN – Weighed down.  Nervous.

NCN – And now?  How does it feel to be debt free?

Mrs. NCN – Amazing.  It’s just a great feeling to know that we are debt free.

NCN – What do you think is the most important thing that a couple can do if they want to be debt free?

Mrs. NCN – Talk about it and then get in the right mindset.  Make out a budget – and then go for it!

NCN – Where do you think we could stand to improve?

Mrs. NCN – We still spend too much money on junk!  Our lives are so hectic, we still eat out more than I’d like.

NCN – Do you miss your credit cards?

Mrs. NCN – No.  I honestly never even think about them.  We have our budget, I use cash or debit.

NCN – How often do you read the site and what do you think about it?

Mrs. NCN – Every other day or so.  I enjoy seeing what you write, and I think it’s awesome when people comment and say that you have helped them.

NCN – If you had advice for couples who are tying to communicate about money, what would it be?

Mrs. NCN – Be honest with each other.  Listen to each other.  Compromise.

NCN – Would you feel comfortable taking over the day-to-day management of our finances, at this point?  Paying bills, transferring money between accounts, etc.?

Mrs. NCN – That’s a hard question.  I feel comfortable, due to the fact that our financial house is in order, but I really dislike handling those tasks.  So, yes, if push came to shove, I could do it and I know how to do, but I prefer that you do it.  We make a great team!

NCN – What is the most important financial lesson that you hope to teach our kids?

Mrs. NCN – Never spend more than you make – and value people over things.

At this point in the interview, I opened the floor for questions from Twitter -

FrugalForLife – Do you feel NCN spends more time on the computer than with you?

Mrs. NCN  – He spends a LOT of time on the computer, but he loves writing.  I’m proud of his work, and he still manages to have plenty of time for his family.  Plus, he’s a bit of a geek, so if he didn’t have his computers, he’d have some other geeky hobby.

Now, I’ll go back to asking questions –

NCN – Do you ever miss our old borrow money – we can make the payments – lifestyle?

Mrs. NCN – Not really.  I guess I miss buying brand new cars and just buying whatever I might want, without thinking about the consequences.  Honestly though, having those more expensive things and going on those shopping sprees simply cannot compare to the freedom we now have.

A couple of more questions via Twitter pals -

BigHonkin – Has you ever gotten frustrated with NCN over finances?

Mrs. NCN – He does tend to worry more than I do, but that’s because he cares so much.  Honestly, he’s the most laid back guy in the world, except when it comes to managing our finances or working with our kids.  Then, he’s super intense.  So, yes, it is difficult when we are out shopping, and he’s calculating, to the penny, how much each item will cost, but that’s just NCN being NCN.

FiveCentNickel – How do you feel about NCN’s No Credit Needed stance?  Agree or disagree?

Mrs. NCN – I completely agree.  It has fundamentally changed the way we manage our finances.  Now, instead of worrying about credit card payments, we save up for future purchases.  It just makes things easier.

BudgetsAreSexy – Do you get irritated hearing the words “blog” and “finances” 100 times a day?

Mrs. NCN – Haha.  Well, I didn’t even know what a “blog” was when you started, and I’m amazed that so many people are doing this now.  Let’s just say, I’ve learned to nod my head a lot when you go on and on about stats and stuff.

I hope you guys enjoyed this interview.  My wife is the greatest, as proven by the fact that she puts up with me!  It was super fun to talk to her, and get a little insight into what she thinks about the site and about our finances.  So many couples struggle – trying to figure out how to talk to each other about money.  We have learned, over time, to simply be honest, and real with each other.  We’ve also learned how to compromise, and we’ve learned how to focus on our own strengths.

Mrs. NCN – You rock!  And, I love you.

I have decided to do the majority of my Christmas shopping online this year.  In fact, even though I like bargains, I am going to forgoe going to any stores on Black Friday.  I might, however, take a peak or two at Amazon’s Black Friday page and see what I can find for my family and friends.

I would like to have all of my shopping wrapped up (pun intended) by the first week of December.  Across the board, I think that I will spend a little less this Christmas than in the past.  One positive thing to come from the recent economic situation, people are finally learning to tell the difference between needs and wants.  Most of the things we buy as Christmas gifts are wants, not needs.

I will confess, Christmas is the one time of year when I like to splurge.  I really enjoy buying gifts for my kids and my wife.  This year, I am going to be a little more frugal, but I’ll still buy them some fun things.

For the most part, I will take my own advice, and stay away from the mall.  I might go once, just to pick out a few things for my wife, but I think it best to stay out of any atmosphere which promotes reckless spending.  Even after years of living on a budget, I am still susceptible, like most people, to the occasional impulse purchase.  Staying away from the mall, and shopping online, allows me to research products, take my time, and really think before I buy.

Also, when I shop online, I can shop through Upromise and earn cash back for my kids’ college savings.  When saving, every penny counts, and since I don’t use credit cards, I look for bonus rewards from wherever I can get them.  With Upromise, I just registered my debit card, I shop with it online, and I get cash back.

By the way, for those worried about shopping with a debit card online for security reasons, here’s my setup.  I use the debit card associated with my ING Direct Electric Orange checking account, instead of a credit card.  The amount in the account is limited, and I regularly check my balance.  I’ve been using my debit card online for several years and I have never had a problem, but you might want to contact you financial institution and ask them about how they handle identity theft and debt card fraud.

I love Christmas, but back when I was getting out of debt, I didn’t have a lot of spare cash for buying Christmas presents.  I have written down a few ideas for a debt-free Christmas.  I hope that these ideas will help you save a bit of money and get out of debt.

I don’t know if I will have time to write much over the next few days, so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very happy Thanksgiving.  Each day, I am amazed by the number of folks who take the time to read my site, leave comments, and connect with me.  The last three plus years have been amazing, and I just can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.  You guys rock!