LIMONCELLO

Oh Limoncello, how do I love thee, let me count the ways ….

Well normally I drink limoncello in the summer because it is the perfect summer evening drink. I keep the bottle chilled in the freezer and then shortly before serving put some small glasses in the freezer to chill. Right before serving, I dip the rim of the glasses in lemon juice and then sugar and pour a few fingers of the liqueur. Yum.

I buy my weekly bottle of wine on Wednesdays when all wine is 15 percent off at my local liquor store. Today while I was in there, I saw a gift box of Limoncello that included two cups from Deruta. You can see here that I have a Deruta platter. I am tempted to go back and buy a second gift box while the store still has them.

In the photo, you can tell my kitchen is under construction. The backsplash with my Mexican tile is new, but if you look closely you can see it does not yet have grout on it — that is happening tonight. But you can see how the deruta cups go with the theme of my kitchen. I also have other pottery that is blue and yellow and my walls are that same yellow.

Laundry

Months after Marsi guest posted HERE about making your own laundry detergent, I finally ran out of my costco brand and went to buy the ingredients today. I also bought a tin at the thrift store to keep the detergent in and a cheapo cheese grater so I didn’t have to use my food one to grate the soap bars. By the way, rumour has it that Marsi makes a killer limoncello, as well.

A very Italian and la bella figura philosophy is to care for your belongings. Taking care of what you own shows respect for yourself, respect for your belongings and respect for the planet.

The classic example is the Italian man or woman who drives the older vehicle and spends weekends polishing it and caring for it so it always looks like new.

It is also about keeping those old shoes polished and your clothes ironed and your house spotless (I have a problem with this last one, especially with two small kids).

It is about meticulously cleaning your appliances, such as your blender, after each use.

It is taking care of everything you own so it will serve you well and last for years.

It isn’t about tossing something that is broken or needs to be repaired unless it is a hopeless case. It is about trying not to buy anything that is “disposable” that is meant to have a short life and then meant to be tossed.

Instead of discarding what you own so readily, try to figure out if you can fix something that is broken or find a new use for an item before you pass it on. I am trying to do this.

There is a fine balance between decluttering and using what you have until it no longer gives you use. I think the differences is that if you own an item, such as a toaster that works and serves your purposes but maybe isn’t the exact model or color you like — use it as long as you can before you replace it.

The idea is to not replace useful items so readily … use what you can as long as you can.

For instance, I am not overly thrilled with my winter coat, but by taking off the belt and the belt loops, I am much happier with the way it fits. With the waist belted, it looked sloppy, bulky and not chic in the least bit.  When one of the loops for the belt broke off, I decide to tug on the other one and become belt free. the only problem is I ended up with two big rips in the sides of my wool coat. Then a button came off.

Because it is wool and an expensive clothing item, my immediate thought was to take it to the tailor for repairs. I kept waiting to have enough extra money to do this. Didn’t happen. So I sat down with a needle and thread and repaired it myself. It was actually easier than I thought. The stitches aren’t great, but my repair work does not show.

Then I took my beloved trench coat and reinforced the beautiful wooden flower buttons on it. I was upset last spring when I lost one of the buttons on it. I found it crushed by a tire on the street. Luckily, I could pull off an unseen button under the collar and use that. But that was the only button left that doesn’t show, so I need to make sure I don’t lose any more.

This photograph by Pamela Hanson http://www.pamelahanson.com/fashion   has always captured my fantasty of living in a European city in my small apartment overlooking a bustling boulevard.

For some reason I imagine this is a very small apartment, maybe even a studio apartment where this woman lives.  It just appeals to my love of small homes, small apartments, few possessions, but ones that are meaningful.

One thing I have always loved about Europeans (at least the ones I have known personally) is that they were all so nonmaterialistic.

It wasn’t about buying, buying, buying. It was about living.

For them, life wasn’t about having things. Life was about having experiences.

I have tried to embrace this in my own life.

I remember reading in Entre Nous, how French women “make do” with their clothing, their belongings, even their husbands — not trying to change them to meet their expectations.

I like to remember this philosophy of making do when I cook — using up the ingredients I already have in my cupboards and refrigerator; when I “shop” my closet — working with the clothes I have instead of believing I need more of them; with my belongings — for instance, I will place one pot ontop of another for a voila! instant double boiler instead of thinking I need to go buy a new kitchen accoutrement.

I am trying to live my life this way and hopefully get out of debt and then only spend my money on things like books, movies, language classes, cashmere sweaters, wine, good food, piano lessons for my kids, etc.

It began when I was not even 20 and I was in a very unhealthy, scary relationship that was complicated and difficult to get out of. I looked around at an apartment full of stuff that was owned by both of us. I felt trapped. That is an understatement. I felt underwater, overwhelmed and helpless.

So I began packing boxes — for him.

I threw everything in that apartment into his boxes and walked out of there with my clothes and a boxspring.

I was free. I was free of him. I was free of all the “stuff’ and belongings that trapped me.

Good for me. Except what I brought with me was a neurosis about owning things. If I began to accumulate too many belongings, I started to feel trapped again.

One of the best experiences in my life was when I backpacked through Europe for two months. I carried everything I needed to live for 2 months on my back. I didn’t buy souveneirs — I took pictures. It was a wonderful time in my life. I was free as a bird, so to speak.

But that was not real life. In real life I had more than what fit on my back. I would move from one college apartment to another with what would fit in my small hatchback. I had discarded the boxspring early on and had a small, twin roll up futon mattress that rolled up in the back of my car.

I think I lived like this for another 15 years as I moved from apartment to apartment in L.A., then Seattle, then Monterey, then Oakland.

Then I got pregnant. For some reason this allowed me to relax a little. I didn’t feel like I had to be ready to run at any second. I didn’t feel trapped by my belongings anymore. Well, maybe a little.

Now, what I do, is I declutter. I only keep what I love and find useful. But I still know deep inside me there is the desire to own nothing and to be able to leave in a heartbeat.

I love those exercises where you look at your belongings and have to decide what to take if you have 20 minutes to pack before a fire consumes your house. Because there is always a mental list in my head.

So yes I am a minimalist in the good sense where I would rather be on my deathbed and remember all the “experiences” I had instead of the things I owned, but I also am a minimalist in the bad sense, where I fight within myself to be able to live a life where “stuff” doesn’t own me, I own it and it doesn’t take up space in my thoughts — it just is.

Thanks for all the well wishes and nice comments the past few days.

Outfit:
oatmeal colored tee * Target
Levis
black boots
silver hoops, white gold necklace with diamond
Menu:
Breakfast: small dish pasta fagioli leftovers from last night; cafe au lait
Lunch: banana and peanut butter sandwich
Dinner: quesadilla (no wine on antibiotics)
Finances:
 *$6 on clearance shirt at Target while picking up:
$21 from prescription yesterday

100 Things Wrap Up

63. Aqua cardigan (too light, doesn’t coordinate well with rest of wardrobe)
64. A too tight Banana Republic LBD. I can’t even sell this  because it has a rip in a place that only a seamstress could repair and I’m not going to pay for the repair and then sell it for only a bit more
65.  A broken tripod for my camera
66 -70. Four pasta bowls. I have been using these with chipped edges for months until this weekend when my husband found a piece of the porcelain that had chipped and was in my KID’S BOWL!!! Yikes. I threw them in the trash. Now I need to replace them, since we use them constantly.
71-77. six plastic placements I don’t use
78.  A nylon sports jacket I would never wear but held onto for sentimental reasons
79-80. Old picture frames I will not use again.
81. A tablecloth I never use
82, 83. Two old scarves 
84 -86. Three wine glasses (inspired by The French Corner I will exclusively return to using juice glasses and stemless glasses for my wine. I only started using the stemmed wine glasses when I received them as a gift. I really don’t like them and have broken several.) I will replace them with more stemless ones like the one I have in the photo above.
87-97. Miscellaneous Toys.  My poor kids are cursed with a minimalist mother who declutters for them.
98, 99, 100. three more books

 As you can see every available surface in my bedroom is being used for clothes drying!

Outfit:

Teal tee (J.Crew)

Turquoise sweater (consignment)

Levis

black boots (consignment)

turquoise/black/pink scarf (Target)

Menu:

Breakfast: banana; 1/4 slice pizza; two oatmeal cookies; cafe au lait

Lunch: carrots, slices of parmesan; grapes; oatmeal cookies (I desperately need to get to the store!)

Dinner: balsamic chicken; romaine salad with avocado and honey mustard dressing; wine; fresh bread with butter

Balsamic Chicken:

Mix 1/4 cup dijon with 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, three minced garlic cloves; juice of one lemon and salt and pepper. Marinate chicken thighs or other chicken parts in it at least for an hour or two, turning at least once. Bake at 400 for about an hour.

Finances:

$0

Today I’m doing laundry (hanging to dry, washing, ironing); baking oatmeal cookies and applying for online freelance work.

I think my blog is taking (at least for now) a frugal chic slant. I am obsessed with money and the lack thereof. I have about $4,000 due in November for bills, mortgage, food, and so far have about $300 toward it. Yikes.

I have had some freelance assignments this month and also have a finance blog I have been making money on by writing inane articles on subjects people pay me for. Not much money — maybe about $40 a month, but way better than nothing.

I have a dilemma, though: I signed up this blog — La bella figura – to see what would happen and got my first bite yesterday — but I didn’t like the subject they wanted me to write about — I just didn’t think it would be of interest to any of my readers. I also worry about “polluting” this blog. I just put my feelers out to see what would happen. What do all of you think of me writing an occasional article on an assigned subject?

I would make sure it would be of interest to readers first. I was thinking I could categorize it under something special so you could ignore it if you wanted knowing it was really a paid ad or that I should just scrap the whole idea … I know lots of bloggers do this, but  not sure how I feel about this. My finance blog was set up exclusively to do that so that’s a whole different story.

I’m really trying to make money/save money and live chicly, but frugally. My husband and I don’t want a new or bigger car or a new or bigger house — we just want time to experience life. We were the ones in the SF Bay Area who were completely content to live together in a a 500 square foot studio apartment and felt like we had everything we needed.

We are trying to get back to that spot (emotionally not physically) and this time with two kids along the way. I once read about an artist who said when he was growing up his family often didn’t have money, but they were always able to afford piano lessons for the kids. They made this a priority above owning anything else. I want to raise my kids this way, that we would rather help pay for them to learn an art or pursue a passion than accumulate more stuff.

 I think I need to chronicle this journey in my blog.

 Here are some of my efforts to live frugally:

I have two falling apart drying racks to dry my clothes — one of them is — honest to God — at a 45 degree angle on one side so everything slants that way, but it still works for now.

I have taken all my kids feetie pajamas and cut the feet off. I realized I needed to do this after one child woke in the middle of the night crying that her legs hurt because she couldn’t straighten out her feet — poor thing.

I am a fiend on craigs list. This week I sold an antique clawfoot bathtub, a vintage toy box, tap shoes.

I save and re-use (yes I am THAT woman) ziplock type bags. For starters, I despise plastic, so avoid it at all costs, but find it is useful for a few things so when I come across one (I never buy them) I re-use them.

I have bought one shower liner years ago. About once a month I wash it in bleach with the shower curtain and rehang it. I don’t understand people who just throw them away and get a new one just because it takes as much work to take the old one down and hang a new one as to just wash the old one.

I use everything up to the last ounce, whether it is food or another type of product. I cut open my proactiv cleansers and use my finger to get the remaining medicine, etc. out of it.

I rip my old flour sack dishtowels and use them as rags.

As most of you know I buy nearly all my clothes at the thrift store or a consignment shop. I also have bought lace curtains, a fancy kid clock, toys, photo frames, books, glasses, kids clothes, cloth napkins, doilies, dressers and art supplies there.

What do you do to live a frugally chic life?

Outfit:

Turquoise tee (Land’s End) bought on sale over the summer but it has been too hot to wear until now!

Levis

Turquoise/white/black scarf  (Oscar de la Renta) garage sale about 10 years ago

Black boots (Liz Claiborne) consignment shop

Menu:

Breakfast: two slices toast with butter; cafe au lait

Lunch: quesadilla; three oatmeal cookies  

Dinner: spaghetti with pesto, tomato and avocado salad; wine

Finances:

$30 gas for car 59 cents for eggs

PESTO!!!!

God bless generous gardeners and generous neighbors. My garden has been absolutely pitiful this year. My tomatoes have been a joke and my basil — so sad. I finally moved my remaining basil stalk into my kitchen window to save it from freezing temperatures (we’re getting close where I live).

So here is my measly basil:

So I’ve been feeling pretty poor lately, but I tell you what, I am RICH with the generousity of others. I ran into a dad at preschool today giving away HUGE bundles of basil. I spent the morning making pesto and freezing the remaining basil leaves. Here’s my bounty in this photo. I saved one stalk (out of about 25 I had) to give to a friend of mine in the morning (that’s the one in the vase). I made 5 jars of the pesto to freeze and have about another jar for dinner tonight.

When I first got the basil I immediately called up my super fabulous gardener neighbor to see if I could give him some basil. Well,their plant was still flourishing, he said, but would I like five big fat juicy tomatoes from his garden? YES PLEASE! So tonight we are eating pasta with pesto and yummy tomato and avocado salad, thanks to the generosity of neighbors and friends.

I’m hoping to do a little pay it forward tomorrow morning by bringing a giant batch of my biscotti and that stalk of basil to another friend and neighbor. I would bring her a jar of pesto, but I make mine a little different than most people because my child has severe nut allergies, so it is nut free. Our family loves it, but not sure everyone else would like it as much without pine nuts or walnuts in it.

Whenever I feel poor (monetarily) I bake! It always cheers me up, so I’ve spent the day preparing pesto and baking biscotti, laundry, housecleaning. It has been a good day!

Here is a guest post by Marsi, a fabulous writer and editor many of us have begged to start her own blog, but she is probably too busy, so we’ll have to be satisfied with this wonderful guest post. Thank you Marsi!

The Money Diet Does Laundry

“After enlightenment, then laundry.” (Zen proverb)

          Although the U.S. is showing signs of emerging from the serious recession of the last two years, many of us still feel its effects in our own personal economies and are looking for ways to save money where we can. When you consider that major appliances (such as washers and dryers) consume approximately 9 percent of the average household’s energy, the laundry room is as good a place as any to make small changes that can save you money. Today, I share with you some of my tips that might help you realize some savings and, I hope, make the drudgery of laundry a little more pleasant.

Wash in cold water. Would you believe that 95 percent of the energy expended in using your washer comes from heating water? According to the Saving Electricity website (http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html), a warm/warm wash-and-rinse cycle costs 39 cents per load, whereas a cold/cold cycle costs a mere 3 cents per load — for an average annual savings of $143. In my experience, washing in cold water gets my laundry just as clean as warm water, while better preserving its colors and sizing.

Consider buying a front-loading washer. Because front-loaders use significantly less water and energy to operate, the long-term savings of replacing a top-loader with a front-loader add up over time. If you need to replace your washer, it’s best to do so with a front-loader. Although it may cost an extra $200 up front, it will pay for itself in long-term energy savings. Also, a front-loader is much gentler on your laundry because it doesn’t use an agitator, which can pull and damage clothing, so your clothes last longer — a hidden savings itself.

Drip-drip dry your laundry. Kick it old-school by installing a clothesline in your backyard. My rowhouse has a huge balcony in lieu of a backyard, which is perfect for a multiple-line retractable clothesline. I use it three seasons a year, from spring to autumn. Indoors, I also use a folding laundry rack for smaller items (such as socks and underwear) and delicates. I have found that not putting my shirts in the dryer keeps their color and texture intact for much longer, which saves me money as well.

Make your own laundry detergent and fabric softener. I came across great recipes for homemade detergent and softener two years ago on Modern Cottage (http://modcottage.com/?p=117) and have used them ever since. Modern Cottage estimates that each batch (which yields approximately 35 loads) costs a mere $2 to make, versus nearly the $10 for the equivalent in Tide. My family and I have detected no difference in the cleanliness and freshness of our laundry; if anything, our clothes seem fresher and less dingy because they don’t have build-up from fabric softeners. The cleansers are so mild that they’re perfect for baby clothing, and if you have sensitive skin or allergies yourself, you’ll be pleased with the results as well.

As you can see in the photo, I store my laundry detergent in a cute tin from Cost Plus World Market and have decanted my fabric softener into a decorative bottle. They add a nice touch to my laundry room and are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than big plastic jugs of detergent. Although young Wolfgang doesn’t contribute much in terms of labor to my laundry efforts, he — along with everything else in my Laundry Room Still Life — certainly improves the view while I go about my task. 

Laundry Detergent (adapted from Modern Cottage)

2 bars Ivory soap, grated (comes out to about 2 cups)
1 cup borax (available in the laundry aisle of grocery stores and Target)
1 cup washing soda (in the laundry aisle of larger grocery stores, also may be available in some hardware stores)

Blend it all together into a bumpy, granular mix. Add drops of essential oil (lavender is my favorite) to scent your detergent, if you wish. Use 1 tablespoon of detergent for a light load, and 2 tablespoons for a large or dirty load.

Note: I urge you not to destroy your food processor by using it to grate bars of soap. Please trust me on this. If you have a standing mixer (such as a KitchenAid) that comes with a metal grating attachment, you’ll make quick work of this task. If not, please do it by hand with a cheese grater and enjoy the firmer biceps that undoubtedly will be yours after this exercise. Do not use any appliance that has plastic moving parts because grating soap overworks the motor, causing the plastic parts to break or melt. Please, use only an appliance that has metal moving parts to grate soap.

Fabric Softener (adapted from Modern Cottage)

1 gallon distilled white vinegar

25-30 drops essential oil

Use 1/4 cup per load to eliminate static, soften laundry, and rinse away soap residue.

Outfit:

OK, bear with me while I experiment with my new boyfriend’s (husband’s) closet look.  I’m pretty tired of my clothes right now, so I’m having fun with some of his!

Pink and white striped shirt from HIS closet

Levis cuffed

Black Sandals (Lauren by Ralph Lauren) thrifted (I took your advice on the heels, A)

Silver necklace with diamond pendant

Menu:

Breakfast: banana and cafe au lait

Lunch: spinach spanikopta? and snacks at Costco!

Dinner: Chili (I always make mine the day before I intend to eat it so it soaks up all the flavors. I use my dad’s recipe and he recommends making it a day ahead); fresh bread slice with butter; wine

Finances:

$  148 at costco. I budgeted $100 for this so I underestimated what I would spend. I was driven to go sooner than I planned when I ran out of olive oil and spent a small fortune for a tiny bottle at the grocery store. The Kirkland brand is really good and I use A LOT of olive oil. Here’s my Costco breakdown:

Toilet Paper  $18.99

Olive Oil (two 2 liter containers at $9.99 each)

Pure maple syrup $12.99

Sue Bee Honey $9.99

Butter $5.83

Peanut Butter $8.19

Oregano $3.49

Balsamic Vinegar $10.99

Parmigianno Reggiano $16.70

Coffee Beans (2 pounds) $19.99

Italian sausage $12.99

Penne $7.35

Nothing extravagant, although the Parmesan is super expensive, it is cheaper here by the pound than anywhere else. I use it like it is liquid gold, but I tell you it makes a world of difference in all my dishes having the real stuff.

Work to Live or Live to Work

First let me preface this by saying I am fortunate beyond belief to stay home with my kids. I have done the math and if I did take a job and pay for daycare I would basically be working to keep my kids in daycare. Before I had kids I was a newspaper reporter, a super low paying job during normal times. Now, to even get a job in newspaper would be next to impossible. Some of the most talented reporters I know have been laid off. I’m hoping to use some of those skills online to make some money, which would be ideal for me as a SAHM. I have a few paid projects I’m working on, but have another idea I want to run by all of you later.

Without going into too much detail, my dh is self-employed in construction and this has not been a banner year for us. Normally we are saving money to survive the winter, but right now we are trying to survive day to day!

It is not fun to use a credit card for food and other necessities, so when I say I need to stick to a budget I am pretty serious! And even though I am careful, I probably spend too much money on food because I truly believe we are what we eat, so I will spend more money on pure maple syrup for my kid’s pancakes and probably too much on luxury items like the really good parmesan cheese I buy at Costco (above).

With all that said, I think part of our problem is that although we live frugally, we bought into the whole American thing of having to own a house. It has been nice to be homeowners finally, but what a HUGE financial burden. The mortgage for our small house is about 60 percent of our income. Crazy.

My husband and I have really been brainstorming lately how to live the life we want (not full of material things, but full of experiences). But the most important goal we both have is to be able to live a life where we don’t stress about money constantly. Is that even possible? We don’t want much, we just want to not worry about money for food or other necessities.

Is it possible to live a life where the lack of money is not all consuming? I know for many people it isn’t. I feel somewhat silly even writing this, because believe me I know I have it a million times better than most people in the world. A million times better. But for me this whole thought process is also about living a quality life.

Working to live, yes, but not  living to work.

That is something I love about some European cultures. I love the idea of the siesta in Spain, that there is a big break in your work day to recharge. I love how many European countries have a tradition of a monthlong August vacation every year for workers to  become revitalized. I love how many European countries value motherhood enough to provide free preschool and extra long maternity leaves.

I just think some other countries have better attitudes about work and how it fits into a person’s life.

This is why I dream of moving somewhere like Spain. I wouldn’t mind selling everything I own and packing up a suitcase to move to another country,  renting a small apartment with my family and living a simple life.

Do any of you feel this way?

I am thrilled to have Stephanie from Bonjour Madame, someone I admire enormously, write my first guest post.  Thank you so much Stephanie! You are always an inspiration to me. I won’t waste time with my words, but rather defer to hers. Enjoy:

The Money Diet

Kristi graciously asked me to guest post on the topic of money. Specifically “The Money Diet.” I would like to state that The Money Diet or Regime Fric is something I read on the French Chic (Yahoo) boards years ago and it was originally written by a talented writer and board member, Marline. It inspired me so much to change the way I treated money and that change stuck with me and changed my financial life for the better. I’d like to share why it inspired me so much.

Marline approached this strategy in such a way that made the project fun. She related the money diet to strategies outlined in Mireille Guiliano’s “French Women Don’t Get Fat” book.  As women, we can probably all relate to an actual diet.

Step one …”round up the usual suspects”. What are you buying repeatedly? Especially those things that you already have enough. If you don’t know what these are, keep all of your receipts for three weeks. Review all of your receipts and start writing down the trends. Take note of not only what you are buying, but how often and how much. For me, it’s lipstick, skin care, books, magazines,tea from the coffee shop, and clothes. Write it down.

Step two … where are you spending? Is it online, the mall, extra items in the grocery store, bookstores or coffee shops? Write it down and devise a plan to avoid these temptations. These are your offenders and while you are paying off debt, should probably be avoided. Stop going to the mall. I’m being sarcastic, but it’s amazing how well this works! Just avoid that particular place that you overspend. Realize mindless shopping is an attempt to fill a void in your life.

Step three … have patience and develop rituals. While you are not spending on needless items, put that money toward paying off debt until it’s gone. Embrace organization and cleanliness. If you take care of what you own now, you will appreciate it more and realize you have everything you need already. Organize your bills. Make bill paying a pleasant experience. It can be done! Fix a cup of tea, put on relaxing music, place your bills on your clean table, use a nice pen, and relax a little.

Step four … picture yourself where you want to be financially and have a goal. It’s important to have a dream for your future both involving sound finances and a splurge. What do you want to do? Take a trip to Paris or Rome? Buy a fabulous pair of shoes? It can be big or small but it must motivate you. Mine is another trip to Paris. I think about strolling along the Seine, sitting at a cafe, shopping for something special in Paris (and paying cash) and it always stops me in my tracks with whatever I’m about to buy.

Consider writing down on paper your new story. How do you want to be financially in the future? Write down how you will treat money, organize your finances, live stress and debt free, and have extra money to do the things you’ve always dreamed about. Make it fun and be specific. Use your imagination!

Finally, these are a few of my tips that I’ve learned throughout the years from experience. Always live below your means. It’s the only way to have extra cash to save for your future goals. If you are constantly spending everything you make, it will never happen. Resist the urge to continue trading up your house and know that it is possible to pay off your mortgage in much less time than your original loan. Aim high!

Learn that it’s OK to be different. Even when your friends think your decisions are strange, learn to be at peace with it and know that what you are doing is the right thing for you. Make a list of free and inexpensive things you can do that enhance your life and do them regularly. Create a savings account for your specific short term goals. I’ve got one titled “Paris” and it’s an absolute joy to make deposits into this account. It’s separate from other investments and savings accounts.

One of the things my husband and I do too often is eat out. I actually prefer to eat at home because it’s healthier and more relaxing. I can control the ingredients and practice becoming a better cook.

If you like a more technical approach, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover”. It will explain how to get out of debt and approach it with great intensity. It’s a great book. I tape his show on the Fox Business Network every day and watch them when I have free time to continue to stay motivated, even though I am debt free. I need constant motivation to continue to save for what is important and staying focused on a more frugal lifestyle helps.

I also recommend that you visit the FC boards and search for these older posts by Marline. They are treasures and I hope that she knows how much of an impression they made on me years ago.

Stephanie

http://bonjourmadamestephanie.blogspot.com/