Debt Free Journey Overview

My aunt gave me the entire Dave Ramsey series when I was still in high school, and I did what any normal kid would do... I pushed it to the back of my mind. A couple of years, marriage, school, house, children, and a lot of debt later, I got to a point where I was just overwhelmed, but I remembered my aunt discussing Dave Ramsey.

I decided to listen to the audio book (that I loan for free from my local library) and set out on a mission to help our family become debt free, and live like no one else.

Dave Ramsey's plan is made up of what he calls "baby steps." The idea behind the baby steps is that looking at your entire journey can be a daunting task, however breaking them down into baby steps helps to see the larger, more attainable, picture.  Today were going to talk about the baby steps! :)

Baby Step 0 - This one isn't listed in Dave's book per say as a baby step, but after researching and looking throughout the #debtfreecommunity - it is a VERY important step. You need to sit down, and figure out a written budget. Write down your income (if it varies, average the last six months), what bills need to be paid, and find out how much extra you have left over each month. For us, I sat down and looked at bank statements to figure out the average we had been spending over the last few months and honestly, some of the numbers were shocking.

Baby Step 1 - Save $1,000, and save it FAST! One of the large reasons that many of us are in debt is because we have no savings (or we don't want to touch our savings), we when an unexpected expense happens we think it is easier to but it on a credit card or take out a loan. Sell what you can, cut back where you can, and get $1,000 and put it away fast, and do not touch it unless it is a true emergency.

Baby Step 2 - This is where you start paying off that debt! After you have made your budget, and saved your $1,000 you are going to list all your debts from smallest to largest (except your mortgage.. that comes later), and start to attack the smallest debt. This is called the debt snowball, because after you have paid the lowest balance, you are going to roll whatever minimum payment you were making on it plus any extra, and throw it at the next smallest debt. A great tool we used was a website called undebt.it! This allowed us to put in all of our debts, their minimum payments, their interest rates, and what we were able to pay a month and actually see the snowball. We loved playing around with it how just throwing an extra $100 a month towards our debt would help our debt free date move up closer. We were also able to see how the debt avalanche (paying off highest interested rate first instead of lowest balance) would work, and shocked to see that it only brought our debt free date up one month! We decided to go with the debt snowball as we felt it would keep us motivated to see quicker results.

*Side note... I had to realize at this point that this is a journey, and every ones journey is different. Tyler and I have about a four year journey on Baby Step 2. While I love the #debtfreecommunity, when we were first starting it was very disheartening to me to see people becoming debt free quicker than I would be. I finally had to have a reality check... in four years, I will be 32 years old. While I would love to be debt free now at 27, how amazing would it be to be 32 and have no debt except my home?! I had to realize that comparison was the thief of my joy, and learn to celebrate with those who had a different journey than my own!

*Side note 2.0... We found that for our family, adding in "sinking funds" in our budget also helps. This is for items/purchases that may not be needed monthly, but that we want to be prepared for. We set aside money monthly for our car taxes, gifts, and vacation. We plan to start a sinking fund for home and car repairs soon, as these are things that come up that would hinder our debt snowball and we would like to have money set aside for these!

Baby Step 3 - Now that you've paid off all of your debt, you are going to on your fully funded emergency fund. This should be 3 - 6 months of expenses for your family. This means sit down, look at your budget, and what amount would it take for your family to live comfortably for 3 - 6 months if an emergency cause you to not have an income? Throw all of your money that you were throwing towards debt into this account.

Baby Step 4 - 6 - I am listing all of these steps together, because these three can be (and in my opinion, should be) completed together.

• Step 4 - Contribute 15% of your income towards your retirement. Dave Ramsey has some great ideas and tools about where to invest this and it be tax free. To be honest, we have not looked into this much yet.. but it is definitely something that the closer we get to this step we will do more research about where to save our money to! The goal is to be able to retire a millionaire.. and honestly thinking about that gives me chills.
• Step 5 - Contribute to a college fund for your children. Again, Dave has some great ideas about where to put this money... but it is not something we have researched so far. He also does not tell the exact amount to save. This step is a personal choice based on what you feel your child/children will need for their education. It is something we haven't discussed and talked about much yet.. but I will update when we do!
• Step 6 - Pay off that mortgage! Put every extra cent you can above your retirement fund, college fund, and monthly bills towards your mortgage and pay it off. 

Baby Step 7 - Build your wealth, and give! This is your final step. You are debt free and have no monthly debt payments.. think back to your beginning budget and look at how much you are putting towards debt a month and think what you could be doing with that money! We have a few debt free goals in our house I want to share:

• Save, and pay cash for a home remodel - We live in a 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom home. We would love to remodel our home to be three bedrooms and give us a bit of extra space.
• Save, and pay cash for a family vacation - I would love to take the girls to Disney World and do/enjoy all the things knowing we aren't racking up on debt. Tyler may disagree about the destination though... #girldad
• Random acts of kindness - I love seeing these on the internet. While I know some can be done for small amounts, I want to be able to have large amounts to give and make people's day

Those are just a few of our goals.. and I know more will come along as we work through this process. I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and comments. Are we crazy? Yes! But.. we cannot wait for the day that all this hard work and sacrifice is worth it.

August Meal Plan

How did we get here? Not in the way I expected, that's for sure.

Tyler and I are on a debt free journey, following Dave Ramsey's plan. While looking at numbers, I realized we were spending a huge amount of money on groceries and eating out every month. I knew it was a lot, but I never expected it to be as much as it was. I set out on a plan and started working our budget.
I decided the best thing for our family was Aldi. We already shopped there, but since the store is 45 minutes away, I felt the best idea for our family would be to plan out a month at a time, and shop for that entire month in one Aldi trip.

A few notes about our meal plan:

1. We have three weekends this month that we plan on not cooking. Two of those we will be out of town, and one of those is wedding weekend for Tyler's sister. However, even if we were eating at home those nights, I figured it would have only cost us around $20 more this month since I only accounted for one leftover night.

2. We eat tacos every Tuesday. Our girls LOVE tacos, we love tacos, and it is easy, and cheap.

3. I did not plan for meals on Sunday. Around here Sundays are crazy between church and family time. We plan on using leftovers, or meals we have a surplus of and have frozen for those days if we don't end up eating dinner with family.

4. This is a tentative schedule. As a mom, and a teacher, I know those unexpected events happen. The way I have planned out the last half of our month is freezer crockpot meals. Those are already put together, in a bag, and in our freezer. We can easily shift those to another night if an event happens and we need a different meal idea.

5. I planned for crockpot frozen meals for the last half of the month, since I go back to work and it is usually an adjustment time for me. However, I really love the idea of having all the ingredients mixed and ready to go, and will probably use these monthly!

6. I don't use measurements very well. I get that from my Mama... I eyeball just about everything, but tried to put amounts if I knew exactly how much I used/will use!

Alright, let's get to the meal plan, recipes, and prices!

I create our monthly budget from my paid day, the 25th... so this calendar reflects that for us. When I sat down to create it I knew I wanted to add in some tried and true favorites (some using ingredients we already had) and then try some new ones. I'm going in order as they are listed here! :)

Crockpot Ritz Chicken (I did not freeze this one, since I was using it the next day, however I'm sure you could!)
3 chicken breast
1 can of cream of chicken
8oz container of sour cream
1 sleeve of butter crackers
2 tablespoons of butter

Combine sour cream and cream of chicken, place chicken breast in the bottom of the crockpot and cover with mixture. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Around 30 minutes before serving, take chicken out of crockpot and shred, placing it back in the crockpot to combine with sauce. Cover with one sleeve of crushed butter crackers (Ritz), and butter. Replace the lid to allow butter to melt.

Cost:
Chicken breast (one pack was $8.69, and 3 breast is half a pack) - $4.35
Cream of chicken - $0.45
Sour Cream - $0.89
Butter Crackers - (an entire box is four sleeves and $1.09, and we will only use one for this and use the rest for snacks and lunches) $0.27
Butter - kitchen staple

Total Meal Cost: $5.96



KFC Potato Bowls

We had frozen nuggets in our freezer and I knew I wanted to use those, however I did not just want the normal nuggets and fries.

Nuggets - already had, but were around $6 at Aldi
2 packs of mashed potato mix (we've never made this before, so one may be enough, but I'm counting two for the sake of validity) - $0.69 each
Shredded Cheese - $1.69 (we most likely won't use the entire pack, but again, for validity)
Can of corn - $0.38

Total Meal Cost: $9.45



Hotdogs and Chips

Hotdog buns - $0.59
Chips - $0.99 (I bought two bags - ranch and nacho. The ranch were $0.99 and nacho was $0.75. I'm counting most expensive here, but what is left will be used for lunches.)
Hotdogs - We have some frozen from a sale a couple of weeks ago, but we like Nathan's and Aldi had them for around $3

Total Meal Cost: $4.58


Texas Toast Pizzas --- Aldi did not have the frozen Texas Toast for these, and were sold out of pepperoni. So I will have to get the items for this when I run to the grocery store for sodas. I'm going to say how we make them, but leave off prices!

Texas Toast Frozen
Pizza sauce
Cheese
Pepperonis

Follow cooking directions on Texas Toast box. Before placing in the oven, place pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni on one side of the toast. Cook as normal.



TACO TUESDAY!

Hamburger meat ($10.33 for 5 pounds, we will use 1/3 of this) - $3.45
Shredded Cheese - $1.69
Taco seasoning - $0.29
Salsa (one jar was $1.89 but it will be split between all four Taco Tuesdays) - $0.47
Sour cream - $0.89 (that is for one container, it will probably last use for at least two, if not more Tuesdays, but I'm counting the total of the jar since I'm not sure)
Tortillas ($1.99 for a 20 count that will last us all month) - $0.50

Total Meal Cost: $7.29



Waffles and Bacon

I don't have the cost for these, because we have waffle mix and bacon frozen!



Chili Beans

Tyler REFUSES to eat beans - but he will eat my Mama's chili beans... so we're going to test our her recipe and see if I can do it justice!

Hamburger meat ($10.33 for 5 pounds, we will use 1/3 of this) - $3.45

Two cans of pinto beans - $0.89 each

Two cans of Rotel - $0.45 each *I could kick myself, because we already had some in the pantry but I bought more because I didn't write it down! 

Chili powder - already have

Red pepper flakes - already have

Total Meal Cost: $6.13

Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and Grits

Eggs ($1.47 for a dozen, and we will probably use six between the four of us) - $0.74

Grits - $1.29 (we won't use the entire container, but I don't know how much we will use so I'm counting the total amount)

Bacon - another frozen pack from a couple of months ago! 

Total Meal Cost - $2.03

Chicken Casserole and Rice

Three cans of chicken - $1.55 each

Cream cheese block - $0.65

Cream of chicken - $0.45

Shredded Cheese - $1.69

Garlic powder - already have

Onion powder - already have

Rice (a whole box of instant white rice is $2.35, and I'm estimating we will use a sixth of it for this recipe which is probably a large over-guesstimate!) - $0.39

I literally mix everything together except the cheese and rice, place in a casserole dish, cover with your desire amount of cheese, and bake on 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until cheese is nice and melted. We serve it over rice.

Total Meal Cost: $7.83

Here comes what you really want... the frozen meals! 

Crockpot French Onion Chicken

Chicken breast (one pack was $8.69, we will use 3 breast cut in half) - $4.35
Onion soup mix - have it already
Chicken broth - have it already
Rice (a whole box of instant white rice is $2.35, and I'm guesstimating a sixth again) - $0.39

I literally placed the chicken in the bag, mixed the soup mix and chicken broth together and poured it over the chicken. I'll defrost it the night before, and just dump it in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours and serve over rice. If the sauce isn't thick enough for us, I'll sometimes add in some flour once it's done cooking.

Total Meal Cost: $4.74



Crockpot Pulled Pork Sliders (I made double of this because I had enough, but it isn't accounted for on the meal plan so this will probably be on next month's plan as well)

Pork Loin ($9.32 and I split it in half) - $4.66
BBQ sauce - $2.38
Hawaiian Sweet Rolls - $1.79
Frozen french fries - $1.95

I put the pork loin in the bag, and cover it with BBQ sauce and some seasoning we already had. Easy, peasy! I also frozen the Hawaiian rolls because I don't want them going bad before we need them! I'll pull both out the night before and leave them out the thaw. I'll throw the pork in the crockpot on low for 6 - 8 hours and then shred and place on the rolls!

Total Meal Cost: $10.78



Crockpot Pot Roast

Chuck roast - $12.47
Baby carrots ($0.79 for the entire pack, and we only used about a forth.. we will use the rest for snacks) - $0.25
Red potatoes ($2.49 for a 5lb bag, we will use about a fourth and use the rest for mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes another night) - $0.62
Two packs of brown gravy mix - $0.29 each
Italian seasoning - already had
Ranch seasoning - already had

I placed the chuck roast in the bag. I mixed the brown gravy packs, a little Italian seasoning, and a little ranch seasoning with some beef broth and covered the roast with them. I placed the baby carrots in, and then cut the potatoes in forth and put them in. I'll defrost the night before and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. I have in here that we will eat over mashed potatoes... but we could change to rice, or even eat without any side since it has potatoes and carrots in it already, so I'm not counting that in the total meal cost.

Total Meal Cost: $13.63 (I had sticker shock at the chuck roast price, but after seeing this I'm happy I decided to go ahead with it because even at a higher total meal cost it is STILL less than it would cost us four to go out to eat!)



Brown Sugar and Garlic Pork Loin

2lb pork loin (I bought a twin pack that totalled a little over 2lbs and just used both loins) - $8.44
Minced garlic - already had
Brown sugar ($0.95 for a one pound bag.... I only used three tablespoons) - $0.02
Salt - already had
Pepper -already had
Olive oil - already had

Put all ingredients in your gallon size freezer bag and place in the freezer. Defrost the night before cooking. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

Total Meal Cost: $8.46



Tatertot Casserole

Hamburger meat ($10.33 for 5 pounds, we will use 1/3 of this) - $3.45

Cream of chicken - $0.45

Cream of mushroom - $0.45

Tater tots - $1.65

Shredded Cheese - $1.69

I will brown the hamburger meat and drain. I then mix in cream of chicken, and cream of mushroom as well as some seasonings (I usually use garlic and onion). Place those in the bottom of your pan, and cover them with the frozen hashbrowns. Top with cheese.

If I am freezing, I defrost the night before and cook on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. You can also take this straight to the over from the above recipe and just cook to the directions on the tater tot bag! 

Total Meal Cost: $7.69

Sweet Orange Chicken

Chicken breast (one pack was $8.69, and 3 breast is half a pack which is what we will use) - $4.35

Orange marmalade ($1.79 for the entire jar and I used half) - $0.90

BBQ sauce - $2.38 (I used about 1 cup, but I'm not sure the total size of the bottle so I'm counting the entire amount)
Soy sauce ($1.19 for a bottle, I used only 2 tablespoons) - $0.25
Red potatoes ($2.49 for a 5lb bag, we will use about a fourth as a side) - $0.62

Mix ingredients in bag. Defrost night before and cook on low for 6-8 hours. We will probably eat this one with the leftover red potatoes!

Total Meal Cost: $8.50



A few other things I go that aren't included in the meal plan:

• Milk - I got two gallons, and put one in the freezer (did you know those sunk in circles on the milk are there so the bottle expands when frozen?!) They were $1.06 a gallon
• Tea bags - We drink a lot of tea around here. They were $1.39
• Applesauce - Tyler and Eva love applesauce, and we hide Eva's medicine in it for her to take. It was $1.89.
• Honeypuffs Cereal - $1.99
• Honey Oats Cereal - $1.15
• Tuna - I got around six cans for $0.65 each. This is a quick grab for me when I'm not wanting to cook lunch or take leftovers for lunch.
• Toilet Tissue - a 30 roll pack was $14.99 y'all!!!!!
• Seedless Watermelon - Because I wanted it, and sometimes that is the only reason I have. $2.79
• 4lb Sugar - $1.29 (because tea needs to be sweet)
• Instant Mashed Potatoes - another one of those lazy grab things $1.29
• Dish detergent - $1.49
• Non-stick Spray - $1.35
• Black Forest Ham - $2.55
• Black Forest Turkey - $2.55
• These two are for our sandwich lunches! I froze half of the pack of each to take out later so it did not ruin before we ate it all. This may last use two months.
• Cheese singles - $1.25
• Saltines - $0.75
• Two cucumbers - $0.45 each (I like these with my tuna and a bit of cream cheese for a faux sushi)
• Honey Wheat Bread - $0.85
• White Bread - $0.65

And that my friend is my $175 Aldi haul. I still need to grad the things for Texas Toast Pizzas, and a few drinks (I need my caffeine) from the local grocery store. I also have a bit of the budget let for us to run in an grab fresh fruit and veggies (or another gallon of milk if the girls drink it quickly) for the month if needed.

All in all, it was a pretty painless process... and I see us doing it again!