Thanks to everyone who's signed up with INGDirect via one of my bonus links! I just earned another $10 to add to my $20 challenge balance! We just might make that trip at the end of the semester.. still a ways to go!

Received payment in the mail yesterday for a shop that I submitted a few weeks ago. (I 'shop' businesses and file reports to management on what I see or experience). Not a bad job, but it only comes around every 90 days, but free dinner and a small check is pretty good after all. So... I'll add $17 to my Challenge balance, bringing my total up to $576.22. Then I'll add the interest that the account made this past month bringing my grand total up to $577.92.

Well we finally cleared more stuff from the garage. Hey.. maybe one day I'll be able to park in there too! We had a extra lawnmower that was left by the previous owner of our home... a nice touch and it did last another two years. After thinking about it, and the fact that we did not need two mowers (it was 15 yrs old) I listed it forsale in a local paper that comes out once a week. Listing was free, and someone bought it and got it out of our way.

Hmmm... I wonder what else I can list to sell!?

$100 to add to my $20 Challenge account!

As of this past month we've paid off everything except the house, the truck (that one we're hitting next), and my student loan. It's amazing how much interest one saves by paying more to the principle each month. On my truck ('03 Hyundai Santa Fe) each month we paid the due payment, then sent the same amount towards the principle. Doing this we were able to pay it off after only 2 1/2 years instead of the 6 years we had on the loan. Plus it ended up saving us $5000 in interest alone!
As for the credit cards.. those are all paid off and in the process of being cancelled. YEAH!! I do plan on keeping one card (no annual fee) just for emergency situations. We've also been listening to Dave Ramsey alot, and have completed most of his steps to financial freedom.

We're on a roll... a snowball roll that is!

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/cms/index.cfm?intContentID=4055

Next we're going to put what was my truck payment towards the principle on hubbys truck. As for what to do with all those credit card payments that we don't have anymore... most will go to the INGdirect or Emigrant high yield savings account, and some will go towards my student loan.

Currently I have about eight months until graduation and hopefully back into full-time employment after being a student since 2001. (prior to quitting work I worked for 14 years in the IS field). There are employers in our area that offer tuition reimbursement and/or help in paying off your student loans, in return for working X number of years with them. I'm really looking into this situation..and have a friend who just completed his term, and stayed with the firm. Who knows...maybe I'll luck out and hit that jackpot too.