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This is the beginning of the second paragraph. You will only see this if you select the option to see the first text box.
My Story
When my late husband passed away, I had no problem paying off the mortgage and the vehicles. I was making good money plus there were less utilities being used and less groceries to be bought. I even started adding more to my retirement fund.
Then Life Happened
Within six months after retiring, every small appliance in my house decided to quit working at the same time and all had to be replaced.
Within another six months, every major appliance had to be replaced, including the water heater.
A year goes by and I had to start all over with the small appliances. The manufacturers don't make them to last more than two years or so.
The next year I was replacing the HVAC and the electric water well pump. The tank had to be replaced within a few months.
Four years later the HVAC started giving me problems again. The local company that I had used for years sold out to another company. The new company representative that came to check out my system told me I needed to replace it and all the duct work.
Vehicle problems one after another...new radiator, new thermostat, new transmission, tires and more tires, regular maintenance and the list goes on and on
It didn't take long to diminish my savings to almost nothing and just the thought of having to live on nothing but social security was scary.
I knew I had to do something because the cost of living kept going up month after month.
First Things First
I had to make a budget and stick to it. Being used to buying what wanted when I wanted it, it was very hard at first. My entire mindset had to change.After a couple of months I could see progress.
But the savings I realized was not substantial.
That's when I started using the Zero Dollar Budget. Every dollar had a purpose.
To see how the Zero Dollar Budget works, click on Budgeting for Beginners on the menu