My husband and I got into major financial trouble years ago due to an uninsured medical emergency, and some business set backs. The details aren’t important, but the results are. We came up with a plan and procedures that got us out of financial trouble and enabled us to re-build our retirement accounts. We chose to eliminate debt from our lives and to learn to live debt free.

This year, I want to help you reach a place in your lives where you can clear off all your debt. You would not believe how much more you can do with your money when you aren’t paying interest to some institution. Just to get an idea, spend a few minutes today with all your monthly bills. Be sure to include your auto and home loans. Add up the monthly finance and interest charges on all your credit cards, loans, and other bills. How much was it? Now, what could you do if you actually had that much money every month to spend? New clothes? Fancy Vacations? Investments? A new car or home? You can have it if you learn to live debt free. If you have debt, you first need to eliminate it.

This is how I want to help you this year. To gain the freedom that only comes when you live debt free. I also want this blog to become more interactive. Please feel free to post your comments and questions. Let me know what specific help you need. I’d also love your input on the name of my blog. Should I leave it or change it? If I change it, what title would best fit my new direction?

2.  Homework Club
If you live near a middle school, establish a homework club. These slightly older children need some after school supervision if their parents work, and would be able to complete most of their homework after school so their evenings with their family would be free. When they go home alone after school, they seldom work on homework. Arrange to have the child or children arrive at your home straight from school. Feed them a snack, and get them started on their homework. You would need to provide an environment where each student could work, and be able to provide occasional help with difficult problems. After one or two hours, the children would leave or the parents would pick them up. Your fees would be similar to child care rates, and you could build in a bonus for yourself based on the student’s grades. Maybe $10.00 for every B and $25.00 for every A.
Promote your business by visiting the schools in your area and asking teachers to tell the parents of students that are getting poor grades.
As a parent, I had difficulty establishing and maintaining a specific homework time and environment for my kids, and would have loved to have a service that taught them the skills and provided a proper environment for homework.
 

3.  Make Velcro Hair bows for babies and pets.
Most babies and many short haired pets have hair too fine or short to tie a bow. Purchase the small Velcro dots or strips. Make little bows and “pretties” and glue them to a small square or dot of Velcro. Put them in a small plastic bag, make an appropriate bag topper. Take a selection to beauty salons that specialize in children’s hair cuts, and to dog groomers. Offer to sell them at a “wholesale” price. Suggest that they have a small basket of the bows available for their customers to purchase.
I recommend that the bow is attached to the “loopy” side of the Velcro. That way, the hook side is always away from the babies or pet’s head.

4.  This one is a little “out there”, but clever, and would work great for a teen looking for a little extra spending money.
There is a regular business here doing this and they call their business “Doody Calls”. Contact neighbors with dogs, and offer to come over to their home once a week (or more or less often) and clean up the dog poop from their yard. Take a shovel (or use theirs) a plastic bag, and disposable gloves. Do the clean up, leave the plastic bag in their garbage can, collect your fee and go on to the next house.
Try to get several clients in the same neighborhood on the same day if you want to make the best use of your time. Most yards could be completely cleaned in under 1/2 hour, so $5 would seem quite reasonable, and you could easily make $20 to $50 in a day.

I also hope to share more recipes and shopping tips that will save you money on everything from groceries to telephone service.  I’ll also be publishing excerpts from the book “Getting God’s Army Out of Debt” written by John and Sandi Larson.

 I’ll also link you to unique and special web sites that feature one of a kind and unique products from small business owners, artists, and crafters.  There is no gift you can give that is as precious as something made just for the recipient.

I would encourage you to read through my archives for daily tips on saving money for Christmas;  After all, that was the original purpose of this blog.  And, as we go forward, I wish you a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Use the next largest tin for your wish list. Put a memo pad and pen in the tin, or glue a magnet on each, and attach them outside the tin.  Throughout the year, when you shop with your kids, and they ask for something, tell them they can write the item down, put it in the wish tin, and then let them put the money in the Christmas tin.  Do this for yourself and your spouse as well.  For example, instead of buying a new shirt for yourself, write down the store, price, size, etc. on the memo pad, drop it in the wish tin, and place the money you saved into the Christmas fund.  Make sure each family member puts their name on their wish so you will remember later.

Up-date your Christmas Card Record Book.  If you’ve received gifts in the mail from family members, address Envelopes for Thank you notes.  Keep the notes handy.  Then, as the gifts are unwrapped, you can mark in pencil on the envelope where the stamp is going to go what the gift was.  A few days later, it will be simple to remember who got what from who, and make writing thank you notes much easier.  If you need thank you notes or a Christmas Card Record Book, you can get them here:  http://bobbibopstuff.com/

By now, those giant tins of cookies, popcorn, and other Christmas treats should be on sale for just a Dollar or two.  Buy a few of them. The treats can be used as snacks for the next couple weeks. Keep the tins.  They will be a big part  of your success next year. 

Returning items today?  Shopping the sales?  Get a head start on next year by purchasing wrap, cards, decorations, tags, and gifts.  If you’re just starting this program, you may have overspent for the Christmas you just celebrated.  If so, don’t use credit for any purchases today no matter how cheap things are.  Only use cash.  No cash?  Return that silly sweater “Aunt Beth” bought for you, and use the cash or store credit to purchase needed sale items.  It will be one of the best presents you’ve ever received, your first steps to Christmas without debt. 

After Christmas sales go on for almost two weeks.  Take your time.  The longer you wait, the lower the prices.  Your selection will be limited the longer you wait, but the prices make up for it if you aren’t real picky.  Try to purchase at least one unique roll of Christmas wrap for each member of your family.  If the price is right, get two or three rolls of each design.  If you have dollar stores in your area, their Christmas paper should be 50¢ a roll.  The quality isn’t great, but you can’t beat the price. 

Plan on saving all your Christmas cards that you receive from friends and family.  If money is really tight next Christmas, you can make post cards, re-purposed Christmas cards, ornaments, decorations, and lot’s of other decorative embellishments from used cards.  If you get to next Christmas and don’t have time or need to use the cards, you can dispose of them, or continue saving them along with the new ones for future use.

Call all your friends and neighbors, and plan a Christmas cookie exchange for next week.  If you’ve never hosted one before, here’s how it works.  Each invitee (and you) bakes his or her favorite Christmas Cookie.  They will make one dozen cookies for every other guest, plus one dozen for tasting.  (If you invite more than 12 people, the tasting cookies need to equal the number of people invited.  When everyone arrives with their cookies, you spread out all the tasting cookies, provide milk, coffee, and tea.  Explain the rules.  Each person can taste one only of each different kind of cookie.  When everyone leaves they will take home one dozen of each kind of cookie.  Your best group size is 12 people including yourself.  Each person bakes 13 dozen cookies.  At the end of your “party” each guest goes home with 12 dozen different cookies, and an amazing sugar high!  You clean up the mess, and now have 12 dozen Christmas cookies.  You can freeze most of them, and take them out as needed throughout the holiday season.  NO MORE BAKING!

Time to pamper yourself a little.  Think about your

Mail all your out of town packages and your Christmas Cards.  (Overseas Packages should be mailed in late October or early November.)

Plan your menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  If you are planning on having a fresh

It’s Time to open the Christmas Tin.  If you’ve been working this plan since last Christmas, you’ll have enough money in the tin to pay for all gifts, events, food, and entertaining.  If you’ve only been doing the plan for a short while, you may not have enough, but do EVERYTHING you can to avoid using the credit cards this year.  Follow the plan to the best of your ability, and by next Christmas you’ll be set.

Take all the money from the tin to the bank.  Try to make this a family event.  It’s very exciting to see how much everyone has been able to save.  Don’t go to one of those “change machines” at the grocery store, they take a percentage of your money, and you’ve worked too hard for it to leave a portion in a machine.

            Take time out to be thankful for all you are and have.  Also, spend time in prayer.  Seek peace, calm, and love.  Be thankful, also, for all that you have accomplished toward being ready for Christmas!

19-Nov

            If you’ve been keeping a wish tin, today would be a good time to begin reviewing and revising the wishes.  Sort the wishes by person, and spend the evening reviewing the wishes each person has made throughout the year.  Are there any they no longer want?  Is there something they now want more?  Try to encourage each family member to “throw out” at least ½ of their wishes.  In exchange for them eliminating ½ of their wishes, you will write “special surprise” on a page, and put it into the tin for them.

20-Nov

            Make a list of the wishes that are still in the wish tin, and be prepared to mail or e-mail it to Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc.  Now is about the time they are asking what you and your kids want for Christmas.  Make sure sizes, brands, and color preferences are also listed.

21-Nov

            Schedule one special event and shopping day for each child individually during the next few weeks.  Let it be their day, their agenda.  You might take one to visit Santa, and then to the dollar store to buy gifts for their friends or grandparents.  An older child may want to attend a special

            If you saved last year’s Christmas cards, select all appropriate cards that have no writing on the back of the picture.  Cut out 3”x 5” or 5”x 7” postcards from the old card.  Turn them over, draw a line down the middle, write an address and return address in the right section, and a short greeting in the left section.  Send these Christmas postcards to people that you need to acknowledge, but aren’t close to.  You’ll save on cards and postage!

17-Nov

            Make last minute arrangements for Thanksgiving.  If you are cooking, finalize menus and entertainment plans