Question: My husband and I have five kids and he is the only one working. We can’t seem to get out of debt and have money left to go out and do anything fun. What would be your advice?
My wife makes $45,000 per year and I recently accepted a promotion that pays $60,000 per year. We have four children at home, ages 4-19. My new position will leave me little time and even less energy for my family and our worship.
Ben Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
We believe that 100% especially when it comes to our health. We eat healthy food, get exercise, drink a lot of water, wash our hands often and take vitamins and herbs to maintain our health and fight off any sickness that might come our way.
Question: After 32 years of teaching, I am retiring at the end of this school year. We’ve been married for 23 years and have three boys. Our oldest son is a college sophomore, and our twins are 12. I’m looking for ways to make extra money after I retire. I could substitute teach but I’m ready to do something different. I live in a rural area of Arizona. I want to stay close to home to be here for my younger kids. What do you suggest?
Question: What about “green”-conscious families, like mine, who are on organic/nonprocessed diets with recycled paper/plastic products, and nontoxic cleaners? They don’t have coupons for this stuff or carry it at warehouses. Do you have ideas to save money yet live healthy and environmentally-friendly?
Question: In the seven years we’ve been married we have paid off both of our student loans and paid $40,000 extra principal on mortgage. We have one $7,500 loan left before my husband can drop back to one job — he currently works two. We plan to pay that loan off in 12 months.
Question: How do I find more coupons for the groceries and other things I need?
Answer: Network with friends and relatives to share or trade coupons for things you use. We used to exchange unused coupons with a group of friends every Sunday at church. It was convenient and beneficial because we all used different products.
Question: I have been paying an extra $560 on my mortgage since July 2007. Recently I began paying an extra $1,000 each month. We owe $l55,000 on our house — our original loan was for $l86,000. Our house payment is $l,427. We have $200,000 in a 401(k) plan (maybe less now).
Question: How can I shop only once a month if I don’t have the storage space? I would like to be able to do this, but only have one refrigerator/freezer.
Answer: It’s time to get creative and “invent” storage space.
