Blogging Away Debt Our Journeys to a Debt-Free Life

by Hope

I’m staying uber busy with work so aside from previously scheduled activites we are not doing much which is great because it means we are eating at home and not spending money.  Yeah!  So my plan is to get another numbers post done this weekend once some big projects are complete.  But here are few highlights from the couple of weeks.

As I mentioned last week, it was homeschool prom time.  And princess just barely made the age range, by like two days.  Here she is ready to go, she was escorted and chaperoned by the twins and a great time was had by all!

Princess all ready for prom.

Can you believe she is just 12? I can’t.

All about the money: She wore her Easter dress and I had a coupon for $15 off a pair of shoes, so total spent on her ensemble $12. Twins just wore dress clothes they already owned. I call this a win!

The chicks finally got moved out of the kitchen and to their own outside scoop. It’s a DIY coop and we’ve shored it up with bricks around the edges to keep predators out. They are loving it and we are loving having our kitchen chick free, especially since they had started regularly escaping.

Chicks have moved outside to their own coop.

All about the money: $0 spent. Our hosts continue to foot the bill for all supplies, we just supply the labor. And most of the things we used on the coop were found on property from scraps of other projects. Another win!

We took over lawn care of our section of the property this past weekend. Would have done it sooner but it’s been raining non-stop here for almost a month. Both the twins were super excited to learn to drive the Zero Turn Lawn Mower, and while there was a learning curve they conquered it like champs and conquered the grass. They compared it to the driving in Star Wars. So of course, that makes it a ton of fun.

History Buff learning a new skill and cutting our grass!

Princess birthday was this past week and she really wanted a bike with a basket. Do you know how much bikes cost??? Well, our host knows a man who rehabs used bikes, making them like new mechanically. So I got this perfect bike for her and our host got her a basket.

Princess and her birthday bike!

All about the money: Princess dad sent me $100 this week for her birthday. I got the bike for $45 and got her a few other things.

Now last but not least, Gymnast finally acquesced to a hair cut. His hair had become quite a little afro and was getting harder for him to care for. He wanted to go where his dad used to take him when he lived here. Here are the results:

K/p>

Do you think he likes it?

All about the money: $25 spent at the barber shop but barber says from now on it will be less to maintain. I say it’s money well spent.

I’ll be back next week with some numbers! Have a great week!

Hope

Hope is a resourceful and solutions-driven business manager who has spent nearly two decades helping clients streamline their operations and grow their businesses through project management, digital marketing, and tech expertise. Recently transitioning from her role as a single mom of five foster/adoptive children to an empty nester, Hope is navigating the emotional and practical challenges of redefining her life while maintaining her determination to regain financial control and eliminate debt.

Living in a cozy small town in northeast Georgia with her three dogs, Hope cherishes the serenity of the mountains over the bustle of the beach. Though her kids are now finding their footing in the world—pursuing education, careers, and independence—she remains deeply committed to supporting them in this next chapter, even as she faces the bittersweet tug of letting go.

Since joining the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015, Hope has candidly shared her journey of financial ups and downs. Now, with a renewed focus and a clear path ahead, she’s ready to tackle her finances with the same passion and perseverance that she’s brought to her life and career. Through her writing, she continues to inspire others to confront their own financial challenges and strive for a brighter future.