Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

Reasons To Continue Family Outings and Vacations While Paying Down Debt

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If you listen to Dave Ramsey, you may have heard his admonishment that you should put all extras and luxuries in your life on hold until your debt is paid off.  “Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else” is his mantra.  I would agree with him if you can pay off your debt in a year or less.  However, I disagree with him if it will take you several years to pay down your debt.  There are many reasons to continue family outings and vacations while paying down debt.

Your Children Are Growing

My husband and I dug ourselves out of consumer debt about five years ago.  Then, three years ago when one of our children started suddenly having medical and behavioral issues, we found ourselves back in debt thanks to doctor and psychiatrist visits.  There were a good 18 months where we were seeing specialists and searching for answers, and we went back into consumer debt.  There is also still student loan debt we’re working on.

We stopped taking any vacations and going on family outings because we thought that all of our money should go on our debt.  We did this for about two years, and then we realized that our kids are growing up.  Our teenager will soon be an adult and out of the house.  We only get this time with our kids once!

Reasons to Continue Family Outings and Vacations When Paying Down Debt
Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Of course, we do our best to save money on family outings, but spending time with our children is now more of a priority, even if we still have debt.

Your Family Is Aging

Our families live far from where we do, so when we started focusing heavily on paying down our debt, we stopped traveling.  We went 3.5 years without seeing my extended family.  During that time, one uncle died and another got lung cancer.  My uncles and aunts are all in their 70s and 80s now.  I know there won’t be many times left when we can visit with them.

Photo by Sven Brandsma on Unsplash

This fall, my daughters and I made the 2,000 mile trek to visit my extended family, doing what we could to save money.  We drove instead of flying; we packed our own food on the trip so we wouldn’t have to eat out; and we stayed at hotels where we could save 20% or more.  I’m very glad we made the trip, and we plan to do it again next year.

You Are Creating Memories

As I get older and see my extended family age and my children grow up, I see the importance of making memories with those I love.

I belong to several financial groups on Facebook, and recently on one, a man posted that for the last four years, even though he had debt, he and his family made the decision to take a vacation once a year.  They always included the man’s mother.  She passed away this Thanksgiving.  He wrote that he’s so glad he took the time to vacation with his family and his mother.  He’ll always have those memories, even if it will take him about a year longer to pay down his debt.

Of course, you should pay off your debt as quickly as possible to improve your finances.  However, keep in mind that nothing is guaranteed in life.  There are very good reasons to continue family outings and vacations when paying down debt.

Why You Should Avoid Grocery Delivery and Pick Up

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Our lives just seem to be getting busier and busier.  Luckily, our society offers conveniences to help us save time where ever we can including grocery delivery.  Seriously, does anything beat not having to go to the grocery store and having your groceries brought right to your door?  While this sounds like a dream, there are reasons why you should avoid grocery delivery and pick up.

Why You Should Avoid Grocery Delivery and Pick Up

Delivery Fees

Many grocery stores will offer customers a one-time free delivery.  This is an excellent way to try out the service, and you could get grocery delivery for a few weeks by shopping at a different store each week and trying out the free trial from each store.

After the free trial, most grocery store delivery services charge $5.99 and upward.  Many people argue this fee pays for itself because you’ll likely save by not giving into impulse buys.  However, if you rarely give in to impulse buys, you’ll be paying an extra $24 in delivery fees every month (if you shop once a week).

Some Items Are Automatically Substituted

If an item that you ordered is not available, the store will often automatically replace it with an item that they consider comparable.  While this may be fine some of the time, other times, the item may not be what you want.  You may need to make a separate trip to the grocery store to get the item that you actually need.

Can’t Buy the Bargains

If you’re someone who likes to peruse the clearance items, you may be disappointed by a grocery delivery service because most items aren’t on clearance.  You’ll not only have to pay full price, but sometimes the grocery store marks up the items that are available for delivery to help cover the cost of the service.

Some Produce May Be Less Fresh

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For about a year when my children were very young, I ordered groceries through Peapod.  I was worried how the produce would arrive, but almost always, Peapod sent produce that was fresher than I could have bought in the store.  I absolutely loved this, and it was one of the main reasons why I continued with a grocery delivery service.  However, this is not always the case.

A hobby of mine is to watch grocery hauls on YouTube, and some of these vloggers take advantage of grocery delivery.  Time and time again a common complaint is that the vegetables and fruits are not fresh.  One woman even showed that the greens she ordered were already slimy.  Yuck!  That particular vlogger no longer orders produce when getting grocery delivery.

The quality of your produce may depend on the store you order from and their delivery service.  You’ll just need to try out several to find the one that offers the best quality.

Grocery delivery is a wonderful service, but like anything, there can be drawbacks.  If they bother you, the added delivery fees and possible item mark ups and less than fresh produce are why you should avoid grocery delivery and pick up.

Do you use a grocery delivery store?  If so, what has been your experience?  Would you recommend it?

 

Zero Net Worth: The Next Steps After Beating Debt

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Debt can feel like a heavy shackle around your neck, weighing you down and making every movement difficult.  The funny thing about debt is that you may not even realize that you feel this way until the debt is paid off.  Then, you suddenly feel free and light, as if you can do anything!  When you reach zero net worth the next steps after beating debt are imperative for a financially secure future.

Zero Net Worth: The Next Steps After Beating Debt

Celebrate (A Little)

Most people’s natural tendency is to splurge once they pay off their debt.  Maybe they take an exotic vacation or just increase their standard of living.

While it’s okay to celebrate, do so in moderation.  Achieving zero net worth is a fabulous milestone, but don’t erase all of your hard work by immediately living above your means and slowly putting yourself back into debt again.

Zero Net Worth: The Next Steps After Beating Debt
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Decide on a splurge amount that you want to spend, and go ahead and spend the money.  But after you’ve spent the amount you decided on, get right back to being financially disciplined and increasing your net worth.

Establish an Emergency Fund

You likely have a tiny emergency fund, if you have one at all.  That was understandable while paying down debt.  Now that the debt is gone, it’s time to make your future more secure with an emergency fund.  In general, a six-month emergency fund is a good goal.  However, if you’re the primary breadwinner or if your job is based on commission or not secure, you may want to have a nine-month emergency fund.

Create Sinking Funds

Zero Net Worth: Steps to Take After Beating Debt
Photo by Max Rovensky on Unsplash

At the same time you’re building your emergency fund, I’d also recommend creating sinking funds.  Sinking funds allow you to save for future expenses, helping you avoid going into debt in the future.  Let’s say you think you’ll need a car in four years.  You plan to buy used and think your car will cost $20,000.  Each year, you’ll want to save $5,000 for that car or $416 a month.  You’ll set that money aside every month just as if you were paying a regular bill.  When you’re ready to buy your car, you’ll be able to do so with cash.

Sinking funds can also be created for smaller expenses such as a vet fund for your dog.  When he needs to see the vet, you’ll have the funds to pay cash.  Other common sinking fund categories are home repairs, home improvements/decoration, car repairs, and medical bills.

Start Saving for Retirement

Unless your employer matches your retirement contributions, I’d start contributing to your retirement fund AFTER you have a six-month emergency fund and sinking funds established.

If your employer does match, I would start investing right away up to the amount that your employer matches.  So, if you make $50,000 a year, and your employer matches the first 3% of your salary for retirement contributions, I’d go ahead and invest the $1,500 a year (3% of your salary).  Your employer’s contribution will double your amount to $3,000 a year.  Definitely take advantage of that offer for free money.

Final Thoughts

Congratulations!  Paying off all of your debt is a huge accomplishment.  Now that you have zero net worth the next steps after beating debt are crucial to your future financial security.  If you take these steps, you’ll be on your way to a solid financial future.