WeLiveFIT!Challenge 2010 Presented By Florida Commerce Credit Union

Meet the Fleischer Family

Kenner and Pepper Fleischer merged their lives and their debts when they married three years ago. With just under $40,000 in unsecured debt weighing heavily on their family finances, Pepper worries about the life they can provide for their 20-month-old son, Chase, and her 12-year-old stepson, Justin.

After daycare expenses, her job as an orthodontic assistant and Kenner’s income from a local transmission parts company barely pay the bills. Determined to be pro-active in financial planning, they enrolled in a debt management program but need more help. “We have absolutely no savings,”Pepper says, “I want to do whatever it takes to get us debt free and never get in debt again.”

Blog

Hard Time

06/24/2010 03:43 pm

I'm not gonna lie..... It is hard not spending money over the summer time. Chase needs a new bathing suit, I need a new suit and god only knows what else? You want to do all kinds of "extra" stuff but it all requires money!

We have worn the Southwood pool out!! My dear brother Billy is a great uncle to Chase and for letting us use it all the time. Chase loves it...It's free, we pack a lunch and cooler, and Chase is tuckered out when we get home.

What else can we do that doesn't require "alot" of money? I want to go to the beach, but not for a day, I wanna go and stay a night or two. But that would require some money. Camping in this heat is out of the question!!! Don't get me wrong, I love to camp, but I would not be plesant woman in this heat!

A much as I love the Summer, it needs to rap up so I can go back to my normal routine! But after we win $10,000, I may sing a different tune! All I want to do will be feasible.....YAY!

Coupons = SAVINGS!!

06/18/2010 07:32 am

I went to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping knowing we would probably go over our $68.00 budget. Sierra needed more dog food (she's a big dog) and chase needed more diapers. After doing my research, Winn-Dixie had a coupon in their store add for $5.00 off Pampers big box. I also had a $1.50 off Manufacturer coupon. After getting to Winn-Dixie, they were out of the Pampers I prefer to use. I proceed to Publix and used the two coupons their and paid only $13.50 for a $19.99 box of 82 count Pampers! Not to shabby.

Here is a quick summary of my trip with some items worth listing:

• Eggs $1.39 (-1.00 Harveys Coupon) paid $.39
• 2-Prevacid @ $10.69 each (-4.00 MF coupon, -4.00 MF coupon, -5 Publix coupon) paid $8.38 total for both!
• B1G1 Eggo's $2.59 (-1.00 Target coupon) paid $1.59
• 2-Sobe Life waters @ $1.00 (-B1G1 free coupon from target and (2) -.55 off coupon) paid NOTHING + .10 overage!
• B1G1 Tombstone pizzas $5.79 (-$1.00 Harveys + -$1.00 Harverys) paid $3.79
• Purex Detergent on sale $4.99 (-$1.00 MF coupon) paid $3.99
• Dog Food big bag $9.99 (-$2.00 off $5.00 pet aisle purchase from Harveys) paid $7.99
• B1G1 Seventh Generation Dish Soap $2.99 (-$2.00 off 2 Seventh Generation products) paid $.99
• 2-John Frieda Shampoo and Conditioner on sale @ $3.99 each (-3.00 Target, and 2-$2.50 MF) paid NOTHING FREE!
• B1G1 Juicy Juice $$3.39 (-$1.00 Publix Baby club coupon) paid $2.39
• 1/2 gallon milk at $2.45 (1$1.00 Publix Baby club coupon) paid $1.45
• Used $5 off $25 purchase from CVS

That's a run down of the major stuff I used coupons for. I used some more on lunchmeat, yogurt, pasta, etc.

My total was $130.48 and after coupons I PAID ONLY $80.64 Only a $12.64 budget overage!

I've been tracking my savings just with COUPONS this year and my total is at $998.72 so far!!!

Anticipation

06/15/2010 08:18 am

With eliminations right around the corner, our anticipation is at an all time high. The thought that we might be one of the first three families to eliminated from the challenge is nerve racking. We think our "financial"aspect of the competition is where we are going to rack up our score. I was amazed when I sat down and saw the numbers over a 2 month period. The popularity part is not our strongest leg in the competition, so voting is going to be something we really have to keep on people and hope they are doing it as much as possible.

The learning process so far has been beyond our expectations. Schools need to start teaching these lessons to kids in middle school. It's always been things we "knew" but it can be hard not to use a credit card, when the money access is so easy. The lessons on deb,t and paying it back, hits hard when you all the sudden open your eyes and realize, "Oh crap.....We've accumulated $6,000 in the past two months doing home upgrades. How did that happen? " It's important to know watching the physical "cash" leave your hands is so much harder and that is why we live on a cash budget only!

It's make it or break it time!

06/09/2010 01:17 pm

Well we haven't done all that great in our recent challenges!! The garage sale was our best, we got third place making $435. With that being said, we need everyone to please register with the site, if you haven't already, so you'll be good to go when voting starts on June 14th - June 15th. We need all the votes we can get. I know we have done really really well with saving and paying off debt, but we don't know if the other families are doing better?? So community votes may or may not be our saving grace. All you have to do is:

1. Go to www.welivefitchallenge.com (If you are reading this you have already done it)
2. Register with the site (If you haven't already)
3. Log in once registered
4. When June 14th arrives.......VOTE FOR THE FLEISCHERS!!!!!!
5. Easy as that!

We would really love to make it past the first elimination...We intend to win the $10,000 but if not we have learned so much and will continue to practice our lessons in our everyday lives from now on.

WE APPRECIATE EVERYONES SUPPORT!!!! PLEASE PASS ALONG TO YOUR FRIENDS THAT THEY SHOULD VOTE FOR THE FLEISCHERS AS WELL!!!!

Saving money for vacation

06/08/2010 01:17 pm

Kenner and I had been saving our left over "weekly budget money" for the last 6 weeks, for our recent getaway. $20 here and $30 dollars there can add up really fast. We would put it aside in a seperate envelope labeled "West Palm" money. By the time we were ready for our trip last weekend, we had about $260 in cash for spending.

We had a great weekend at the beach. We did a whole lot of nothing, laid out at the beach and pool and went to bed before 10 pm every night. Much needed rest with one night out for dinner and one night in with pizza. We packed snacks, water and only managed to by some adult beverages and sodas. We still managed to come home with $16 dollars left over.

The lesson we learned was an easy one. Put a little money away before a trip and you come home feeling like you really didn't spend a thing "out of sight out of mind".

Hardest week so far

06/01/2010 12:54 pm

This has been our hardest week so far since the challenge started. With the long memorial day weekend and the constant go go go drained us. We normally have left over "budget" money every week, but not this time! Friday we replenished our envelopes and monday (Memorial day) they were all empty. Luckily, we do have groceries and gas but it's hard knowing that if something comes up we have to "dig" for it somewhere. This is just our first "bump in the road" since the challenge has begun, but it's really just a tiny pebble compared to what we have gone through in the past. Many more we know are coming our way but we hope, once we past them all, it will be a smooth ride for the rest of our lives "financially".

Kenner and I are leaving this thursday for a weekend getaway. Our anniversary is the only weekend we get alone and we couldn't be looking forward to it anymore than we already are. The thought of being at the beach with no plans, sleeping in and doing "whatever" is so appealing. Momma needs to not worry about anything for a couple days!

More Imrovements

05/28/2010 09:04 am

We were getting really irritated with our comcast bill getting more and more expensive. All we had with comcast is TV and internet. I decided to pick up the phone and see what changes can be made to lower our bill. I was in shock when they told me they can switch our service to the "triple play" which will keep our same TV and internet but will add a home phone, a movie channel package and faster internet speed for $45.00 less than what we were paying! How is that even possible. I've been wanting to reconnect our home alarm system for the past few years, but didn't want to pay for it. Well with that $45.00 savings we know have our home alarm reconnected as well and we are still saving $25.00 a month. Totally worth it for my peace of mind. (I feel like I can't even watch the news these days without being creeped out).

If you have a bill that is outrageously expensive, pick up the phone and see what changes can be made.... You may save more than you expect.

If I had $100 in my wallet and I could spend it however I wanted, I would...........

05/21/2010 12:27 pm

If I had $100 in my wallet and I could spend it however I wanted, I would put it in savings or use it to pay towards debt. This whole learning experience during this challenge has been so rewarding. We've learned to watch our spending and really enjoy seeing left over "budget" money being saved instead of spending it frivalously. Watching the numbers in our savings account keep going up and seeing the numbers going down on debt is a very rewarding feeling. I feel like a huge burden is starting to get lighter and we feel so much better.

We hope the lessons we are learning, will always be a part of our everyday decisions. Sharing this experience with the community was frightening at first, but now that it's out and in the open, we feel relieved. I never realized that keeping our financial problems a secret was actually taking a toll on me emotionally and physically. We hope our experience will also help others. We know how easy it is to get yourself in a bad financial situation. There are so many resourses and little changes that can made to help make things better again.

most unnecessary purchase

05/17/2010 08:02 pm

When Kenner and I were engaged, we got suckered into buying a timeshare...It seemed like a good idea at the time. We thought it would be great for our honeymoon in Maui. After purchasing and then later realizing we couldn't use it that soon, was a lesson learned. Don't get pressured into buying anything without doing your research! Apparently booking a timeshare in Hawaii needs to be done about a year in advance. Now, four years later, we are still paying for it monthly and have yearly maintanence fees that are outrageous! What a dumb move.

Anyone interested in a points system timeshare that can be used ANYWHERE, please let us know!

Things are GREAT!

05/14/2010 05:42 pm

We officially have gotten through one month of the We LiveFit Challenge. Things are great! We continue to keep going with our weekly budget. We have about $175.00 a week in cash, separated into envelopes (transportation, gifts/clothing, groceries, entertainment and other). Its been working so well that I would love for it to become our way of living. It is amazing how mindful you become about purchases. “Do we really need this?” When you only have cash and no credit/debit cards to use, its much harder to watch the cash leave our wallet. Items that never were thought much about are now considered useless. It takes time but, as you can see, totally worth it!

Every week when we start a new budget week, we have money left over from the previous week. We had both thought that $175.00 a week would not be feasible and probably wouldn't work. Well we were wrong and now know how well it is working. I knew we had to try it before we ditched the idea. The couponing is still going strong. I've got my system down and still learning a few things as we go. I've been keeping track this year how much we have saved just with using coupons and it is unbelievable. Total so far is $721.58 just in coupons! We had no idea it was that much until I started going through receipts and writing them down. It takes time but, as you can see, totally worth it!

We paid off our third credit card and now tackling the next lowest balance. We chose to start with the smallest balances first to make us feel better and to keep our motivation going. We have increased our savings tremendously as well. Before the challenge started we had nothing in savings. My stress level has lowered knowing that if something goes wrong with a vehicle or something needs fixing in the house we know have a cushion for emergencies. Peace of mind is a great feeling. The only problem I still have is going to bed at night and wondering, “where did all this money go before?”

Fleischer Yard Sale

05/14/2010 05:40 pm

During our first We LiveFit Orientation, when we found out our first challenge was going to be a yard sale, I couldn't have been happier! My biggest flaw is being a neat freak and cannot stand clutter. This was a great way to get rid of some junk that has been driving me crazy around the house.

We immediately called family, asked if they had anything for us to sell and if so did they mind that we keep the money for our savings? Of course they all were happy to help with no questions asked. I couldn't believe how much they gave us. We hope they know how much we appreciate their support.

The yard sale was a lot of work but more than worth it. We managed to make $415. Our “goal” was $200, so we were thrilled! We immediately put the money in our savings and plan on keeping it there. We have been shocked to discover, during this process, that when you're cautious about spending, how much you can actually save when you stop spending on the “little” things you don't think about, like sodas, fast food, etc. We have managed to find about $230 a month for our savings! We have had zero in Savings for Years!

We loved being able to meet and get to know a few of the families. The families and the staff at Florida Commerce are great! What a nice bunch of people. I can't wait to have another Yard Sale due to the Success of this one! The saying “One mans Junk is another's treasure” is so true! Who would of thought the nine families combined would have raised just under $3000?

We wish all the families Luck!

The Fleischers

Meet the Fleischers

05/14/2010 05:38 pm

April 8

We are officially one of the nine families competing and we couldn't be any happier!! We had our Orientation the other day, got our family T-Shirts, we are Navy Blue, and now it's feeling really "real". Everyone is so nice and the Staff at Florida Commerce is Awesome!. Our Financial coach is John and I hope he can steer us in the right direction if were not heading there already! I feel like we get mixed feeling from others sometimes about us participating in the challenge and that discourages me, but my husband Kenner reminds me that "we don't care what people think and that they will be jealous when we win the $10,000". In all actuality, who isn't in debt? We just aren't shy about it and have gotten to a breaking point of having to do SOMETHING!"

April 10

Just a little summary of who the Fleischer's are. Kenner and I married in May 2007. Sooner than we had originally planned I got pregnant in Dec. 2007 and had my first son, Chase, in July 2008. Best thing that ever happened to me!! We also have an older son, Justin, from Kenners previous marriage, who is 12 years old. Chase and Justin absolutely adore each other!

We married and joined our debt. This is where our financial problems started. Our engagement year was a blast because we charged everything!! If we wanted something we just charge it! Now we are paying for it and know once we get out of debt we are not getting into it again. Having an added daycare bill to everything really set us over the edge. It is literally paycheck to paycheck. Life lessons have hit us hard! We currently have about $37,000 in unsecured debt. We started a debt management plan back in 2008 so we are already on track but need more help! By our calculations we should be out of debt by the end of 2012. We applied for the We liveFit Challenge because the $10,000 that we ARE going to win will shave about a year off that calculation to be done by end of 2011!

April 16th

I met with our coach John today, for our first meeting. He made me feel really good about things. He sees we are already doing all the necessary things to get on track and noticed we barely eat out at all, YAY! We've already made the necessary changes to lower any bills we already have and having only one car payment helps a lot.

I did some of my own research and we are going to start the Dave Ramsey "envelope" method of budgeting really soon. Cash only with a certain amount of money allocated for certain things. We are going to do this weekly. When we run out of cash its gone till the following Friday. In my eyes, as long as you have gas and groceries, that's all you need anyway.

John saw our Budget and thinks it looks great and to give it a try! We even found about $220 extra dollars a month for savings. Going from zero savings to something makes me feel so much better. The stress is already getting lighter. Where was that money going anyway? HMMM?

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