Getting out of debt one coupon at a time

Change. Of. Plans. Current contract negotiations are looking VERY bleak. Vote on the contract to take place in August, but the caveat is a 75% vote to strike which will be very difficult to obtain (Thanks illustrious Chitown mayor!--I am reluctant to name him because I wouldn't be surprised if he has someone paid to find public employees like me bad mouthing him on the interwebz). In the event that we DO strike (which I feel we must given what I know about what the board of ed wants from us), I must have a reserve of cash. This is what is rumored the board wants in our new contract:

1) get rid of tenure
2) get rid of sick day bank
3) employee pays entire contribution to pension
4) no extra pay for longer day
5) get rid of language in the contract that details job specifics and leave it up to principal discretion

Well gee, I guess that means you'd like me to thank you for the privilege of keeping me job, eh? Given that fact that I teach without ANY of the resources required for me to do my job safely and properly, that I encounter some of the most dangerous children in America daily and that given my education, I am paid far below those with commensurate education, I think not.

SO...the plan is now to bank as much money as possible. If I find a job in another district, I will be free of the strike issue. If not, I will need to teach summer school so I can bank that money in the event of a strike.

On a more positive note, I have collected $35 in Target gift cards and $20 in Amazon gift cards towards my Christmas gift card challenge. I am so proud of myself! Swagbucks has been great and as to the Target gift cards, I have simply waited for products on sale that I would normally buy and rather than rolling the gift cards into my purchases, I am saving them for my Christmas purchases. I am so proud!

My stockpile looks good. I am considering the purchase of a small (4 cubic feet) freezer that I can place in our small closet so I can also begin stockpiling frozen goods. Strike=nuclear holocaust? It may as well mean that. I have GOT to be ready X marks the "yes" box and I mean to hold out for as long as it takes for our government to understand the value of their teachers.

Dinner today was delicious, healthy and certainly hearty. I had all the items in the house....love my stockpile and planned shopping trips. I had chicken breasts in the freezer which I baked the night before. Brown rice, green beans from our local fruit/veggie stand, a can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup, ritz crackers and melted butter equals one great casserole. I also had purchased a mix of red leaf and romaine lettuce as well as grape tomatoes and cucumber in my fruit/veggie stand trip Monday. No spend day as far as I am concerned! Leftovers for tomorrow

We have snow on the way, but only about six inches. Traffic will be excruciating tomorrow, I am sure. Thank God it is Friday tomorrow!

I am scaling back on my CVS purchases; however, this particular week had some items that we like to purchase/use on sale and it was a perfect storm of coupon matching. Here is the breakdown:

3 boxes of Cool Touch Kleenex (LB likes these--bought them on a previous CVS trip): 50 cents per box

6 boxes of Wheat Thins: 83 cents per box

2 packs of Valentine's Kisses: $1 per pack

2 bags of Kettle chips: 65 cents per bag

I also purchased a loaf of wheat bread because LB doesn't like the Brownberry Oatnut I got on sale (I happen to like it, but oh well). I used the bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches with the homemade turkey soup stashed in our freezer. Background story on the soup: when I first started this couponing endeavor, it was around Thanksgiving and Turkeys were delightfully on sale. I bought one for around $5 with my coupons and froze it. I figured it would eventually come in handy as a cheap meat option. My mom soon after found out her markers were super high and that she would have to go back on chemo. Because she gets super nauseous, I decided that turkey soup might be a good food option for her, so over winter break, I cooked the turkey and made the soup. I froze a container for us and am pleasantly surprised to say it was REALLY good. I do need to figure out a better way of noodling the soup as the frozen noodles became soggy upon reheating. LB said he liked them as it kind of had a dumpling effect.

In any event, checked the ads for our local grocery stores this week and the only really decent deal going on is Tide at Jewel for $4.99 per bottle if you buy two with coupon. I have a bunch of $2 off Tide coupons, so will buy two for $2.99 a piece. I will also hit up our local fruit/veggie market for some cheap produce for next week's lunches and dinners. We've got rice, pasta and potatoes. Life is good

So I joined swagbucks.com and have already earned my first $5 Amazon gift card. I have decided that the better deal is to work towards accumulating as many $5 Amazon cards as possible. I will save these for my Christmas shopping next year. I have also decided to save any Target gift cards I receive for purchasing specific deals at Target rather than rolling them into another purchase. So will my earnings through savingstar.com as well. In the mail today, I received something regarding a class action law suit. What ever amount I receive will go towards the Christmas fund goal.

The grocery store in my area has this sweepstakes going on where specific items in the store get you game tickets. If you collect the right tickets, you can win grocery gift cards, cash, TVs, even a car. After months of collecting the darn things, I finally won a $2 gift card. I'm stoked. Mission complete--I won something! People at work have been complaining of all the work involved for nothing. I liked last year's promo better. I paid two cents for two non-stick beautiful pans. Ahhhh well, $2 for the win!

On the CVS note, I totally picked up some sweet deals this week. I had four 40 cents/1 softsoap coupons and they were on sale for 99 cents a piece at CVS. I now have a stash of five hand soaps in my closet. I also snagged eight tubes of sensodyne for LB and my mom (who can only use sensodyne due to the chemo) for $1.80 a piece and two free carmexes (the sensodyne usually retails for $5.99). I paid a total of $14 for $55 worth of merchandise and boy is my stockpile looking good. It's full of favorite brands all purchased at a fraction of the price. In fact, cheaper than I would generally spend on the "I need" list. I love this saving approach. So superior!

First off, I have become rather OCD regarding my weekly CVS trips. The past two months, my goal has been to create a stockpile in my home so that I no longer am required to do large weekly shopping trips. I was sharing with my friend (I will regard her as M) That so easily was I able to drop $150 if not more on a weekly grocery trip just shopping using the strategy of "what I need" rather than "what's on sale." When purchases such as the razors I like to use or shampoo would come up, I would then panic because those items would drive my total through the roof.

Last week's CVS trip was rather large, but I did supply my mother and sister with products (for which they paid) and also created enough stockpile that now I keep my eyes peeled for a)items/brands not currently in the stockpile b)seriously good deals. This will shrink my weekly trips very much, although I truly was only spending $50 per week if that on a CVS trip. I have this week and next week planned out. I am currently working on planning my grocery purchases. I have plenty of chicken breasts in the freezer, have a good supply of pasta as well as rice so will stock up on sauce, non-perishable lunch items and seriously good deals ONLY. Of course the perishables need to be purchased on a regular basis.

I have been scouring the couponing blogs care of M lately. I found Simply CVS who recommends ethical couponing. I whole heartedly agree! I did not realize that CVS has a policy that there can only be one CVS card per household. I had opened a card in my lovely boyfriend's (I shall regard HIM as LB) name to maximize deals. I am going to stop doing that. I very much like that I can do my couponing and would like to continue doing so in an ethical and legal manner.

Also, said blogs have hipped me to money making opportunities. I signed up for swagbucks as well as savingstar. I plan on working hard at earning gift cards to pay for my son's spring aftercare fees. It's $210. Let's see if I can do it! You'll notice I've installed a swagbucks widget on the side of my blog and have also installed their toolbar. I will work on daily earning points/dollars and dutifully save those gift cards (I think both web sites reward in paypal gift cards which is perfect because our park district uses paypal).

Before winter break, I put in an email to teach night school. I will keep you updated on this endeavor. I will also be keeping my eyes peeled for other tutoring opportunities.

It has truly been such a long time since I visited this site. Some may remember me as aevans1206. Through the years, I have lurked, but never jumped back in against my better judgement. Life as a single working mom was hectic and I was content just to keep my head above water. I am ready to grow and become a financially stable working woman.

This site changed so much about my life for the better and in the spirit of getting back on track and learning more, I acknowledge that this is the best tool I could ever use to accomplish my goals. Best part is that it is free and more supportive than anything out there.

Here is an update on my debt situation. You may want to a) sit down b) stop eating (choking hazard) or b)take a nap when done reading. I WILL pay it all off, mark my words. I make a very good living, keep an excellent budget and have the skills to get this done. I hope that by being more honest with myself, I will be disciplined enough to put my money where it should go--to pay off debt.

Debt Summary:

Remaining Debt: $34,197.56
Percent Paid: 14.83%
Debt Free Date: Jun 2014
Payoff Strategy: High Interest Rate
Total Monthly Payments: $1,314.24
Extra Payment: $300.00

Interest Savings: $5,501.90
Payoff Early By: 3 Years 0 months
Debts:
Hfc:

Credit Limit: $3,000.00
Percent Paid: 0.00%
Payoff Date: Sep 2012
Balance: $3,027.04
Interest Rate: 29.90%
Monthly Payment: $401.00
Next Due Date: January 7, 2012

Dell:

Credit Limit: $2,000.00
Percent Paid: 49.81%
Payoff Date: Nov 2012
Balance: $1,003.83
Interest Rate: 27.99%
Monthly Payment: $31.00
Next Due Date: January 17, 2012

Chase:

Credit Limit: $3,200.00
Percent Paid: 3.24%
Payoff Date: Apr 2013
Balance: $3,096.22
Interest Rate: 27.24%
Monthly Payment: $101.00
Next Due Date: January 25, 2012

Barclay card:

Credit Limit: $250.00
Percent Paid: 0.77%
Payoff Date: Mar 2013
Balance: $248.07
Interest Rate: 27.24%
Monthly Payment: $20.00
Next Due Date: January 7, 2012

Childrens place:

Credit Limit: $500.00
Percent Paid: 3.77%
Payoff Date: Apr 2013
Balance: $481.16
Interest Rate: 25.99%
Monthly Payment: $25.00
Next Due Date: January 12, 2012

Amazon:

Credit Limit: $1,000.00
Percent Paid: 0.96%
Payoff Date: May 2013
Balance: $990.40
Interest Rate: 25.99%
Monthly Payment: $41.00
Next Due Date: January 10, 2012

Orchardbank 1:

Credit Limit: $600.00
Percent Paid: 1.36%
Payoff Date: Jun 2013
Balance: $591.84
Interest Rate: 24.99%
Monthly Payment: $25.00
Next Due Date: January 4, 2012

Gap:

Credit Limit: $500.00
Percent Paid: 63.30%
Payoff Date: Sep 2012
Balance: $183.50
Interest Rate: 24.99%
Monthly Payment: $25.00
Next Due Date: January 16, 2012

Angel card:

Credit Limit: $750.00
Percent Paid: 29.86%
Payoff Date: Jun 2013
Balance: $526.05
Interest Rate: 24.99%
Monthly Payment: $25.00
Next Due Date: January 11, 2012

Company store:

Credit Limit: $250.00
Percent Paid: 32.19%
Payoff Date: Aug 2012
Balance: $169.52
Interest Rate: 24.90%
Monthly Payment: $25.04
Next Due Date: January 11, 2012

Firestone:

Credit Limit: $800.00
Percent Paid: 29.82%
Payoff Date: Jul 2013
Balance: $561.42
Interest Rate: 22.80%
Monthly Payment: $22.00
Next Due Date: January 3, 2012

Amex:

Credit Limit: $2,000.00
Percent Paid: 0.45%
Payoff Date: Sep 2013
Balance: $1,990.95
Interest Rate: 15.24%
Monthly Payment: $45.00
Next Due Date: January 23, 2012

Orchardbank 2:

Credit Limit: $300.00
Percent Paid: 3.02%
Payoff Date: Sep 2013
Balance: $290.93
Interest Rate: 14.90%
Monthly Payment: $15.00
Next Due Date: January 7, 2012

Capital one:

Credit Limit: $2,000.00
Percent Paid: 2.20%
Payoff Date: Oct 2013
Balance: $1,956.00
Interest Rate: 13.15%
Monthly Payment: $42.00
Next Due Date: January 18, 2012

Honda:

Credit Limit: $23,000.00
Percent Paid: 17.04%
Payoff Date: Jun 2014
Balance: $19,080.63
Interest Rate: 4.90%
Monthly Payment: $471.20
Next Due Date: February 1, 2012

I have a detailed budget in an excel spreadsheet and also have started tracking my spending. In November, I began extreme couponing with the assistance of a good friend. As of yesterday, this is my spending at CVS for 2012:

Total Value Total Spent Total Saving
$310.89 $92.64 $218.25

Sale Savings $96.74
Coupon Savings $113.50

Thus far, I have about a six month supply (if not more) of personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, paper goods and many groceries. I hope that by combining my coupon clipping practices and my discipline in budgeting/spending, I will accomplish my debt payoff faster. I also have intentions of picking up extra work such as teaching night school this coming semester and I generally always teach summer school.