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 Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
  
| Someday ... not sure when ... but someday! |
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 Mature beyond Years
Posts: 10780
 
Location: North of the 49th Parallel | Nevertooold - 2015-11-19 6:17 PM
bccanchaser16 - 2015-11-19 7:57 PM NOT! Student loans, a pretty high CC bill right now thanks to wiping out my savings after major knee surgery, not being cleared to work until now and some major vet bills from this past summer  I'm going to need a new to me horse trailer soon so that will be another bill but I'm putting that off until next summer so I can get these CC bills paid off and put more down.
Yes I do. I wasn't able to go on EI or short term disability because of my contractor status with my job. This was my 4th major knee surgery and the only thing I've paid for out of pocket was the HA injections and PRP. I didn't exactly have much in the way of savings (thanks vet bills) as they basically called me and I had surgery the next week so what I did have is/was covering rent, etc. |
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 I Sell Dreams
Posts: 1654
Location: Freestone TX | Debt free on everything. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1384
Location: Kansas | Except for the house payment I am, the house is 3/4 paid off. I also have enough in savings to purchase a new vehicle if needed
It took several years to get to this point.
I don't have a lot of fancy equipment/tack/clothes that others have. I can't afford to go to all the major shows, but that is okay with me.
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Veteran
Posts: 180
| I currently am. I'm in my second year of college with no debt thanks to taking quite a few college credits in high school and receiving a scholarship. I also just paid off my car and own my trailer outright. I am estimating around $10k in student loans when I graduate. Could be worse I guess
Edited by gypsykalgirl 2015-11-20 12:24 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| We have a small mortgage on our 3 br, 2 bath simple brick home and 1 acre. We own the other 15 acres. We are ag exempt so taxes are not expensive. It is 50% paid for, we are going to refi to get a lower interest rate, shorter term and payment will actually be less. I have one cc I charge about $50 a month on buying something I have budgeted for anyway ie fuel or feed and then pay it off. I do this to keep my credit moving. We pay for my daughter's college every semester. She has 3 semester left and will graduate with a teaching degree for less than 25k and debt free. She works and pays for fuel, her horses and fun stuff. She lives at home, attended jr college and now attends Tarleton but still commutes. We own all our vehicles(4), our horse trailer, we have a nice nest egg. I am able to work part time(to pay for my horses), ride and a full time mom to my son. I don't get to go to all the races I want, I have to save for tack or other wants. |
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
Location: Florida | Being "older" I was raised to always be debt free. With help from my large family I build my own home, nail by nail. I paid cash for the first 2 acres of land, then gradually bought up all the land around me, a couple of acres at a time. I paid my own way through college like most people in the 60's and 70's BUT, the cost was so much less. I remember my first 2 years at a junior college cost $296 per semester unlimited credits. The next 4 years weren't that much worse. The books cost as much as the tuition. I drove my last two trucks for 15 years each and saved up money so I could buy the next one with cash.
I am glad I am not trying to start out now. I could even live on my own with animals working at minimum wage. Sure couldn't do that now. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | got boost? - 2015-11-19 7:43 PM rodeowithjoker - 2015-11-19 4:03 PM I was doing good at this until I decided to pursue teaching as a career and had to take classes to complete program entry requirements last spring. Now I'm in 6 hours of graduate courses (internship) this semester, 6 more of internship next semester and I have a handful of other classes to take by May 2017 to complete my alternate route teaching licensure program and be a fully licensed English teacher.
Thankfully, I got a credit card offer with 0% interest on purchases for 18 months about the time I enrolled in the first courses, so while I'm making payments on my tuition, I'm not also racking up interest charges. School is expensive! I would consider that good debt!
Oh yeah, I'm not upset with my current financial situation. I left a job with a community newspaper to come teach and literally almost DOUBLED my monthly income. Granted now I am paying rent for myself, a dog and 4 horses, plus buying my own grain and some hay to supplement what I've hauled up here from Dad's hay barn, but I'm no longer freaking out about how I'm going to pay the next bill that comes along. (Other than the one 3-hour class that costs $880 to take.....that one is freaking me out a bit.) I just wish I had more hours in the day so I could get everything done like I want but I guess I'll have to be more productive next summer. :) (yeah right, I'm going to be rodeoing while everyone else is working! LOL) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | Nope but we are working on it! I own my own house at 21, If all goes well and we don't wreck it I will be able to make a decent amount of money on it when we sell, I got a killer deal on it. My student debt will be paid off by Jan 1st. I will then have some credit cards to pay off and a line of credit. We own both our vehicles, my horse, all my tack and our horse trailer. Not the nicest by any means but they aren't costing us any!! As much as people say if you don't have the cash don't buy it, that's not always the case. Emergencies come up and they happen so don't feel too bad. Remember folks, you cant take it with you when you die!!! Don't stress:) Keep at it! |
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | Not even close. But, I've paid off enough debt to be a bazillionaire. Does that count? 
I know you asked for encouragement, my advice is not to let finances define you. Depending on choices you make in life, sometimes it's not possible to be debt-free and that's not always a bad thing. |
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 Texas Lone Star
Posts: 5318
Location: where ever my L/Q trl is parked | Me- have no debts except my mobil phone and auto insurance... |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Ok - you're looking for encouragement ... you CAN do it!
My BFF has paid off over 50k in student loans in a little less than 5 years while also paying off her pickup and moving three times. She is dedicated and living out her dreams with two horses, a dog, a ton of cats, and a random group of chickens too! It hasn't been easy, but getting her spending under control and "telling" her money where to go every month has changed her life for the best!
The hubs and I took the Dave Ramsey thing to heart, we've paid off over 60K in the last two years together and saved 25K for a down payment for our farm (80 acres) that we just bought in June. We have one credit card, as I'm a miser and refuse to get rid of it even though we never use it. We sit down once a month, add to our spreadsheet of expected bills, decide where the money should go and just do it! We have a healthy bank account for our emergency fund, we have a farm account to cash flow the row crops and livestock, and we're both working full time. The farm is our only "liability" right now but with our plan we'll have it paid for in 15 years.
It takes dedication but getting your money under control can bring so much less stress to your life!! You can do it - it is hard, but SO worth it!! |
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 Scorpions R Us
Posts: 9586
Location: So. Cali. | I was until my old man decided to go into the hospital for a week and still counting.
I'm very ontop of my banking and credit cards, I check my bank account daily just so I have the regular reminder of what my funds are looking like, I plan out my weekly expenses and anything extra I may have I try to designate to my savings.
I do not own a home yet so I have it a bit easier than most. And no car payment or student loans.
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | Someday! We're working at it......we're going to have a mortgage for another 11 years, I don't know how anyone buys land without going into debt. We're south of Fort Worth and land is so high. I try to follow Dave Ramsey's plan on a lot of things....but I am going to go run my horse and enjoy it! I'm ok with a truck pmt and mortgage - but really want everything else paid off. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| We are close, we have 6 years left on a 10 year note at 3.5% for our land, no car notes, paid cash for the house we just built. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| I wish. I was doing great until I got married and we bought a place. Had my truck and trailer paid off. All I had was monthly bills and student loans. THEN being an adult happened. Bought a house and property, no big deal. Paying extra on it and paying the 30 year note off in 15 years. We were rocking along. Then my paid off truck crapped out on me. And the cost of the repairs was more then the truck was worth and I needed a dependable vehicle to get me to and from work. Got my first truck note at 27. I have been paying weekly so the interest is staying down. I am hoping to sell one of my barrel horses and pay it off plus put a good chunk towards my student loans. I HATE having debt and Im trying to get out as fast as possible. Too bad I cant get my husband on board. Any tips for that? |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| I am but I plan to buy a new truck next year. i will plan to have a big enough down payment thats I will only have to finance it for 4 years. My truck is 16 years old and I just think it is time to get a new one. |
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Veteran
Posts: 197
Location: Where God has placed me | Bear - 2015-11-19 6:38 PM
So I guess owing nothing except taxes and insurance means we are never debt free, according to some experts. In other words, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as living debt free, according to them.
I guess that makes this thread moot. Right?
In my definition, taxes and insurance are merely living expenses. I define debt the Dave Ramsey way: credit cards, student loans, mortgages, car loans, etc.
Edited by southern belle 2015-11-20 12:13 PM
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I'm a farmer, my middle name is Debt.  |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | We have been since my husband turned 50. I really don't know how people do it today. Pretty sad when health insurance costs more then a mortgage. |
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