• About
  • My Favorite Blogging Tools
  • Archives
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Terms & Policies

Family Balance Sheet

where family, life, and finances meet

  • Home
  • How to Budget
  • Finances
    • Our Debt Freedom Plan
    • Christmas Savings Club
    • Debt Free Stories
    • Marriage and Money
    • Medi-Share
  • Grocery Budget
    • Saving Money on Groceries
    • Freezer Cooking
    • 31 Days to Slash Your Grocery Spending
  • Recipes
    • Freezer Cooking
    • Recipes – Appetizers & Snacks
    • Recipes – Beverages
    • Recipes – Breakfast & Brunch
    • Recipes – Desserts
    • Recipes – Grilling
    • Recipes – Main Dish
    • Recipes – Sides & Soups
    • Recipes – Slow Cooker
    • Cooking ‘How-To’ Series
  • Family
    • Frugal Holiday Fun
    • Frugal Family Activities
    • Travel Destinations
    • Camping
    • Budget Travel
    • Giving
  • Frugal Living
    • How We Frugal-ed
    • Saving Money on Groceries
    • Saving Money in your Home
    • Saving Money during the Holidays
    • Gardening
  • 31 Days to Find $1000

Take Control of Your Money in 2015

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you sign-up for services or make a purchase after clicking on a link below, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Also, I am not a financial advisor. I'm a blogger who LOVES to share how I manage the finances for my household.

January 1, By Kristia 9 Comments

2015

New year. Fresh start. Lots of possibilities and many opportunities.

Every January 1, I get caught up in the hopeful feeling of the upcoming new year. And 2015 is no different.

My husband and I make some financial goals at the start of every year. Most of them are related to our small business, my husband’s chiropractic office, but last January I got a bee in my bonnet about debt…thank you, Dave Ramsey.

I tricked…nudged my husband into following along and together we wrote out our Debt Freedom Plan. We made some head way in 2014 but we have a LOOOOONNNNNGGGG way to go.

When I run the numbers, I realize it’s going to take years before we can scream, “WE’RE DEBT FREE”, our ultimate goal.

There’s just one problem.

I am painfully inpatient.

I don’t want to wait years. I want it NOW!!!!!!

Tantrum aside, it’s still going to take years, but there is room for us to make some considerable progress in 2015. Although it will take hard work and sacrifice on our part. This is the year that we will be very intense about paying off our debt.

This is the year that we will control our money instead of our debt and fear controlling us.

Take Control of Your Money in 2015

In 2015, I will be sharing our journey to significantly reduce our debt.  I’ll continue to offer additional money saving tips, ideas, strategies and recipes like I always have, but I have some new themes that I will be starting next week.

My Themes for 2015:

1. Debt Free Stories

I started the Debt Free Stories interview series back in September and it has been really well received. These will continue as long as I can find people don’t mind being open and transparent about their debt free story. If you’ve missed the previous interviews, you can find them HERE.

I aim to publish two interviews a month and usually on Wednesdays.

2. Choose Thrift First Challenge

For the past two years, I held monthly accountability challenges on the blog. In 2013, The Christmas Savings Club encouraged all of us to save monthly so that we could have a cash Christmas.

In 2014, the Grocery Budget Challenge encouraged us to keep our grocery spending in line and to be creative with our meal planning so that we do not over-spend.

In 2015, the monthly challenge will be the Choose Thrift First Challenge. We will be challenging ourselves to resist buying retail and instead choose thrift by borrowing, buying second hand, or making do with what we already have. I’ll go into more detail in an upcoming post.

3. Weekly Meals on a Budget

Maintaining a grocery budget is a weekly process for me. When I blow off meal planning, I blow up our grocery budget.

I liked having an accountability challenge here on the blog in 2014, but this year I’m going to try something different by posting our weekly meals while sticking to our $400-$500 budget.

I will try to post this weekly, but could be bi-weekly, depending on my schedule. This should start next week and my goal is to post on Fridays.

4. How We Saved

I will be sharing how we saved in our every day lives. This will either be weekly or monthly, depending on how much content I have.

5. How We Live

I will be sharing more about my family’s everyday life. I’ll try not to keep this too mundane and boring for ya!

In 2015, Let’s Take Control of Our Money

I hope you’ll join me this year as we resolve to take control of our money.  My husband and I are pumped to make 2015 the best year ever.

There are several ways to follow me and Family Balance Sheet:

  • Sign up for my weekly newsletter. You’ll receive an email every Friday listing that week’s posts. I’ll only post separately if something is time sensitive.
  • Follow me on Pinterest.
  • Follow me on Twitter.
  • Follow me on Instagram.
  • Follow me on Facebook.

 

 

Photo Credit: 2015. Photo Credit: Fireworks.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Get a Free Family Balance Sheet Excel Spreadsheet download

Comments

  1. Margaret says

    January 2, at 1:20 am

    Happy New Year!

    Hubby and I have paid off $85K in debt since January 2013. We still have a quite a ways to go. People always talk about how hard it is, and all the sacrifices. Those are not hard for me at all..the hardest part for me (like you) is the impatience. The waiting for the days and months to pass so that more and more $ can go towards paying off that debt. I don’t want the days/months to fly as it means I’m getting older, but want them to so that we can scream “We’re Debt Free!!”
    Margaret recently posted…A Start To A Thoughtful New Year!My Profile

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      January 2, at 7:51 am

      Margaret – How true! My kids are young, so I don’t want these years to fly by, but I’m really looking forward to debt freedom. Congratulations on paying off so much debt in 2 years–that is outstanding!

      Reply
  2. Sam says

    January 3, at 1:12 am

    We are debt free at the moment and it gives you so much freedom. Good luck with your goals for the year.

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      January 4, at 9:06 am

      Thanks, Sam! And congratulations on being debt free.

      Reply
  3. Ellen Christian says

    January 3, at 5:12 pm

    I need to work on our food expenses. That’s one of the things on my list this year.
    Ellen Christian recently posted…Easy Soap Making | Orange Flaxseed SoapMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      January 4, at 9:05 am

      I am constantly working on our food expenses. If I don’t follow a plan, then my budget blows up. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, Ellen.

      Reply
  4. Toni @ Debt Free Divas says

    January 4, at 3:51 pm

    Happy New Year Krista! Yay for the debt bee in the bonnet! I would love to include you and hubby in our Share Your Story profile. Let me know!!!!
    Toni @ Debt Free Divas recently posted…New Year New You 2015My Profile

    Reply
  5. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says

    January 9, at 2:28 pm

    I”m looking forward to continuing this journey with you in 2015, Kristia. Like you, I look forward to the possibilities of a new year. And, like you, I can be very impatient. I want to be debt-free right now, and yet, it will take time.

    One of my goals this year is to decrease our grocery spending, as well, so I am looking forward to reading about what you are doing with your family for some inspiration.

    Thanks!
    Heather @ My Overflowing Cup recently posted…One WordMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      January 9, at 2:51 pm

      Decreasing our grocery spending is also one of my goals too this year, Heather, so I’ll continue to write about my kitchen adventures.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

WELCOME!

SEARCH

Get a Free Family Balance Sheet Excel Spreadsheet download

recipes

Recent Posts

  • 8 Action Steps for a Frugal February!
  • Our 2023 Financial Goals
  • 3 Smart Steps to Pay Cash for Christmas
  • 30 Free but Thoughtful Christmas Gift Ideas
  • 10 Ideas to Find Cash for Christmas
Follow Kristia Ludwick's board Best of FamilyBalanceSheet.org on Pinterest.

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Kristia Ludwick is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

COPYRIGHT

I love it when you share! Please keep in mind that all images and text on this site are property of Family Balance Sheet. Feel free to use one or two photos provided that a link back to my original post is included. Please do not remove any watermarks, crop, or edit any of my images without first obtaining written permission from me. Please do not replicate or copy any content from Family Balance Sheet without written permission from me. All free printables & spreadsheets offered are for personal use only. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated! Thank you!

Disclaimer

FamilyBalanceSheet.org is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a financial professional. I’m a girl who loves to talk and read about personal finance and how it relates to hard working families. If you feel you need financial advice, please seek out a competent professional.

Disclosures

  • The content on FamilyBalanceSheet.org may contain affiliate and/or referral links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services that I believe in.
  • Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in