I was reminded by my son: As of today, we have lived in our new house for 5 years. So, it’s time for a mortgage update – with handy-dandy chart! When my wife and I financed the purchase of our new home five years ago, our goal was to pay it off in less than ten years. We have a fixed, conventional, fifteen-year mortgage. I use a simple pie-chart to track our progress. Having a visualization keeps us motivated and excited about the progress we are making. We purchased our home in February of 2010. Hopefully, we’ll pay it off in less than 10 years – which is our stretch goal – but as of right now, we have shaved…
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I Still Buy Stuff I Do Not Need
I have been writing about personal finance (as in, my own) for nearly a decade. In that time, I’ve had some financial success – paying off my consumer debt, purchasing a new home – and some blogging success – mentioned in the New York Times, interviewed on television and on radio – but the truth is: I still buy stuff I do not need. I also use unnecessary dashes and commas when I write, but that’s a topic for another day. Convenience Items – I am a sucker for anything that makes life easier. I tend to spend too much on convenience items – because, you know, they’re convenient. Tools – I love new tools, used tools, old tools, broken…
Continue Reading→How To Stay Motivated While Getting Out Of Debt
Let’s be real. The idea of getting out of debt sounds awesome. The day-to-day grind of getting out of debt… not so much. Here’s how to stay motivated while getting out of debt – Celebrate Your Progress – Check those numbers and get excited about the amount of debt you have already paid off! For our family, we are working to pay off our mortgage (update this week!) – and while our progress has been a little slower than we had hoped – we are 1/4 of the way there! It’s super-motivating to see just how far we have come. Connect With Others – This has been very important for our family. (So much so, that I started No Credit…
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