We enjoy an incredible amount of freedom in the United States. Freedom of religion, freedom of the press and my favorite…free speech (to name a few!). While we celebrate these American liberties, many of us are not FINANCIALLY FREE and are getting the life squeezed out of us by consumer debt. We bought into the glitzy ideals of “buy now, pay later” and “easy credit”. But no one ever makes a sizzle reel about how many YEARS you’ll have to work to pay that debt off. For me- it was about 17 years.
In 2009, I had student loan debt ~$60k, credit card debt ~$20k and a home equity line of credit ~$60k. I had read a couple of “do this and get rich quick” books, but my plan to house FLIP, turned into a FLOP. To make things worse, the economy crashed, we were down to 1 income (mine) and my son was in a car wreck that racked up medical bills (I have blocked out how much money that was). I had no choice but to look for a way out of this hole and I had no one to blame since I dug it myself.
I don’t remember which friend suggested Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, but I am eternally grateful for it. I didn’t have money to pay for a class, so I learned what I could online, and I got a Dave Ramsey book from the library. I had never stopped to take an inventory of what and who I owed. I had also never tracked how I spent my money. No wonder I was so upside down! I had no money management skills AT ALL. Dave Ramsey has a simple and boring system, but it WORKS.
When I actually looked at HOW I spent my money- I was shocked at how careless I was. I found out that I spent almost $200/month going out to lunch. LUNCH…And it wasn’t even that good- so that was my first lifestyle change- I started taking a PB&J every day to work. I quit buying anything that was not a necessity. I pinched pennies until they screamed. For example: We had a TV go on the fritz-it took @20 mins to get a clear screen when you turned it on, but a new TV was @$800 back then. My solution: Don’t turn it off- just mute it at night. While it was chintzy- we made that work for over a year. Some other quick fixes: we stopped eating out (I had to learn to cook first!), we enjoyed “staycations” at home and I enjoyed a lot of “window shopping” (where you go look at everything, but you don’t buy anything!). Getting back to basics also made me realize that the best things in life really are free: family & friends.
I finally got out of debt in 2018 when I paid off my student loans. It took forever, but it was worth it. Now, I know where every dollar goes and I have an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses. I am able to save for retirement, give to worthy causes and tithe. While I am not immune to “retail therapy” of “treating myself” from time to time, I now know I can afford it.
*If you are on board with saving money this summer, but would STILL like to have a Fourth of July party- make it a pot luck -I’m sure Dave Ramsey would approve! It’s a little bit of work to divide the menu out amongst your guests, but you’ll be surprised how much everyone enjoys contributing to a great time. For those guests who don’t cook- let them bring drinks & ice. I hope everyone enjoys a safe & festive Fourth Of July!
Free Bird Grazing Board by Melanie Knight
This American Eagle snacking board will make the perfect centerpiece for your Fourth of July celebration. Feel “free” to change up the snacks to fit your family’s taste- just make sure you have touches of red, white & blue.
This Patriotic American Eagle snacking board will make the perfect centerpiece for your Fourth of July celebration. Feel “free” to change up the snacks to fit your family’s taste- just make sure you have touches of red, white & blue.
Supplies
- Eagle Cheese Ball (directions below)
- 10-12 Snyder’s of Hanover pretzel rods (wings)
- Snyder’s of Hanover Snaps
- Triscuit crackers
- 1 pint strawberries
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- Red- 12 Lindt milk chocolate bon bons
- Silver- ½ bag Hershey Kisses
- Blue-10 Ghirardelli dark chocolate sea salt caramel
- 6 slices provolone- cut into star shapes
Eagle Cheese Ball (Bacon Ranch flavor)
- 2 8oz pkg cream cheese- room temperature
- 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
- ½ cup bacon crumbles
- 8 oz pecan halves (feathers)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella (feathers)
- 1 curved slice yellow bell pepper (beak)
- 1 black olive (eye)
Cheese Ball directions: Mix the cream cheese and ranch mix. Add in the bacon crumbles. Scoop onto plastic wrap. Coat you hand will a small amount of oil and shape the cheese into an “eagle head”- kinds like a triangle- with a oval on the left side of the top point. Wrap up in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour. If you are in a rush- freeze it for 20 mins.
Board Assembly: Once the cheese base if cold, unwrap it and place it in the middle of your board. Starting with the pecan halves, make a row of “feathers” on the bottom of the eagle bust. Repeat until you are to the neck. Next- press the mozzarella into the rest of the cheese for “feathers”. Add the black olive “eye” and yellow beak.
Add 5-6 pretzel rods on each side of the eagle for “wings”. Fill in the bottom half of the board and around the eagle bust with pretzel snaps. Add the strawberries into the 2 bottom corners and the tomatoes into the 2 top corners. Add red bon bons around the eagle. Add the blue chocolates under the rod “wings” in a row. Add the silver kisses to each side of the eagle. Last- arrange the 6 cheese stars in an arc around the eagle.
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