Financial Freedom

Financial Freedom, those words are like music to my ears and something I have been longing for since I graduated from grad school in 1996. Financial freedom means different things to different people. It might mean not having any debt, it might mean having only “good debt,” or it might mean having “extra” money each month that can be spent freely without guilt. Whatever your definition, have you been able to achieve it for you and your family?

My family and I have been on a 13-year-long journey to pay off all of our debt, aside from our mortgage. The debt in our well-educated household is comprised of $60,000 worth of student loans resulting in nearly $100,000 of principle + interest payments. The great news here is that persistence does pay off. In March 2010 my family will be free of the debt burden when final payments are made to our friends at the Direct Loan Servicing Center.

I Love Vacation!

Who doesn't love a great vacation?? Whether your idea of time away involves an outdoor adventure or leisurely site-seeing or lounging on the beach, this time is both valuable and necessary to recharge for the demands of daily life. Many of us don't make our vacations a priority for a variety of reasons, often due to cost. I want to share a few of my "secrets" as well as nudge you into considering just where your next vacation might take you. For me Living Large means having an annual vacation, outside of my city of residence, and I am willing to make some sacrifices throughout the rest of the year to make that a reality. In my family's first year of Living Large with Less we managed to save approximately $125/month on our groceries, this resulted in a $1500 savings for the year! We used this money for a trip to Kauai. Would you rather have name-brand groceries or a trip to Hawaii?