Bad spending habits

[lrprn]

That would take us down to 36 months minus the savings of making breakfast makes 35 months.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but unless you are in a 100% payback plan, if you make extra payments to the trustee, the extra money just increases the % your non-secured creditors that filed claims get. It won't shorten the number of months you have to pay in the plan

Take that extra money saved and put it in an emergency fund savings account to throw at the financial problems that always seem to crop up when you're in Ch 13 - appliances that stop working, cars that need repair or new tires, kids who need new school clothes and shoes.....the list goes on and on!

[ruggal]

Wow, there are some great ideas here!

A couple that we have found to work...I go to the grocery store the LAST day of a sale, which here is Wednesdays. The first stop is the butcher section, and I buy meat that was on sale that is ready to expire. I KNOW it sounds gross, BUT, many times it is discounted 20-40%, and the butcher is very nice in reassuring me it's okay to bring home. I immediately wrap it for the freezer. Last week I found ground chuck on sale for $1.62 per pound, discounted 40% with a buy by date the following day. Needless to say I grabbed several of those.

Also for those breakfasts, an egg casserole frozen reheats very nicely, and there aren't any problems with the texture. We make one with eggs (5), sausage (1lb cooked), grits (1/3 cup cooked) and cheddar cheese (8oz bag), and freeze the remainder. It fills a 9 x 13 pan, and goes a long way. If you follow the above strategy for meat, the sausage tubes can cost as little as a $1.50 each, it'll only cost about $4 to make. Tastes just as good as when it comes out of the oven.

Someone mentioned Starbucks...we had to go cold turkey. I think we've been three times since we filed in May, and we now make them at home for an after work treat (non-drinkers). We killed the good machine already, and had to go for the Mr. Coffee.

We don't go out to dinner anymore, but I watch Food Network Saturday mornings, and try to make some new stuff. Don't tell anyone, but it's been kinda fun.

[truckerswife]

oops, sorry granny. I am in a 100% payback. true about the emergency fund though. That is what i am doing with my overtime money now. At least 10 hours of overtime a week now through Christmas. I work at an e-commerce distribution center.