If you are one of the millions of people who are facing extremely tough situations with your home mortgage, this website might help you out a ton!

Here are some helpful tips/tools I found while browsing the site:

• Self Assessment Tool  This tool helps you determine if you are eligible for Home Affordable Refinancing or Home Affordable Modification.
• Home Affordable Refinancing  If your mortgage is held by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you could be eligible to refinance - even if you owe up to 25% more on your house than it is currently worth!
• Home Affordable Modification You can use a tool on this site to determine whether or not you are eligible for a mortgage modification.
• Foreclosure Delay  I read the following statement, "MANY LENDERS HAVE MADE A COMMITTMENT TO DELAY FORECLOSURE ON ALL LOANS THAT MEET THE MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR A HOME AFFORDABLE MODIFICATION."

You can visit MakingHomeAffordable.gov by clicking HERE.

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I announced last month (HERE) that Jenn and I were SHOCKED, STUNNED, and AMAZED to learn that we were expecting a second child.  This child is truly a miracle.

We went to the doctor today, and now we officially have a due date of February 6, 2010!

Junior is 1.32 inches long and was moving his head, both arms, and both legs.  All of which caused his/her big sister to comment, "I think he has a radio in there!"

Below is a picture of our miracle.

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Jonathan (over at MyMoneyBlog.com) has posted a picture of his California tax refund IOU.

I had heard that California was unable to pay its citizens their tax refunds, but I had not seen an actual copy of the IOU.

Can you imagine a scenario where …

• You overpaid your taxes …
• You filed your tax return on time …
• Your state says, "OOPS!  We spent all of that, you can't have it back for at least six months!"?

Let's see how this would work in reverse where you underpaid your taxes and you owe money to the state …

• You underpaid your taxes …
• You filed your tax return on time …
• You sent the state an IOU saying, "OOPS!  I spent all of tha, you can't have it for at least six months!"

I do see that California is paying 3.75% interest which should allow the certificates to keep up with inflation.  I wonder if the interest is taxable?

Yet another reason to NOT overpay taxes.

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I am pleased to say that the high school money book is roaring along!  I am really excited about this new resource that the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. team will have to offer to young people as they are preparing to enter the "real world".

Whenever I am writing, I like to ask myself this question:

"What do I want to accomplish with this book?"

Here is what I hope to accomplish with this book:

• Teach young people the financial principles and tools I wish I had known before I hit the real world
• Provide a resource that helps PREVENT financial mistakes instead of attempting to CURE them later

There will be a group study resource that will be released with the book as well.  I can't wait to see entire groups of young people study finances together and commit to manage their money to the absolute best of their ability.

That may sound like a complete nerd session to you, but it is my hope that this material captures the heart of every single youth that reads it.  And it is my hope that they are challenged to answer the question, "Is this the absolute best use of this money?", every single time they are faced with a spending/saving/giving decision.

I appreciate all of the feedback that the readers have provided too!  If you have not sent in your thoughts, you might enjoy reading the "High School Money Book" series.

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Welcome to the latest series from the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Team - Save Money On Groceries

Ready to save $100 - $200 every month on groceries?  Read this series, and we will show you how!

Aldi Grocery Store

Aldi is the cheapest grocery store I have ever found.  It is first-quality, top-notch food, and I LOVE shopping at this store!  It is about 10% - 33% cheaper than the next cheapest grocery store.

I buy cereal, milk, bagels, bread, eggs, cheese, fruit, vegetables, meat, canned foods, and many other products at this store, and I have been very satisfied!

I can only hope that Aldi has a store near you.  You can click HERE to see if they do.

Do you shop at Aldi?  If so, share your stories!

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Welcome to the latest series from the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Team - Save Money On Groceries

Ready to save $100 - $200 every month on groceries?  Read this series, and we will show you how!

SouthernSavers.com

Add this website to the ones you check every single day.  This website is written by a stay-at-home mom so you KNOW that she will share some incredible deals!

You will find INCREDIBLE deals for at least eleven grocery stores, coupons, and saving tips.

All of the members of the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. team are crazy about this site.

You can check it out HERE (you should go ahead and SUBSCRIBE).

Have you used Southern Savers?  Share your story!

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Welcome to the latest series from the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Team - Save Money On Groceries

Ready to save $100 - $200 every month on groceries?  Read this series, and we will show you how!

TheGroceryGame.com

TheGroceryGame.com is very similar to Couponmom.com in the way it lists the best deals matched with coupons to give you unbelievably low costs on groceries.  However, the sight is not free.  It costs $10 for each two month period for the first grocery store and $5 for each additional grocery store.  The advantage to this site is that it has a much larger database of available stores.  So if your local grocer is not on the Coupon Mom list you will probably find it here.  The site does pay for itself many times over and is worth the money if you cannot get the stores you need from CouponMom.com.

You can sign up for The Grocery Game HERE.

Have you used The Grocery Game?  Share your stories!

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Welcome to the latest series from the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Team - Save Money On Groceries

Ready to save $100 - $200 every month on groceries?  Read this series, and we will show you how!

CouponMom.com

If you are not using CouponMom.com, there is a high chance that you are way overpaying for your groceries.

In our Financial Learning Experience events, I have the opportunity to share some money saving ideas.  Of course, I always wish I had ten or eleven hours to share as many of them as possible, but there is not enough time.

One that I ALWAYS mention however, is CouponMom.com.

Here is how it works:

1. Obtain Sunday newspaper coupon booklets (issued by SmartSource, RedPlum, and P&G)
2. Mark the date issued on the coupon booklets - do NOT cut the coupons
3. Sign up to CouponMom.com (click HERE to sign up - it is FREE!)
4. Every week, go to CouponMom.com and pull up your store's deals under the "Grocery Deals By State"
5. CouponMom.com will tell you which coupon booklets to cut coupons from and how to use them to obtain an average of 50% to 85% OFF!

It sounds too good to be true, but I use this myself!  I KNOW it to be true!  For example, this week I went to Publix (grocery store near my house) and had a bill of $69.00.  I received $33.98 OFF after using my coupons.  This was not for useless junk that I will never use.  This is for cereal, pickles, ice cream, vitamins, toilet paper, paper towels, and many other products that I would purchase anyway.

Have you used this service?  If so, share your victory stories!  If not, get started and save a ton of money.

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Selfishness leads to poverty.

But not necessarily in a financial sense.  It is much deeper.  I believe that selfishness leads to poverty of the spirit and soul.

Are we not all born with a drive toward selfishness?

It is proven to me every time I am standing in a line at Wal-Mart for thirty minutes.  I want to cut in line to avoid waiting.  Let's say that I did cut in line.  I would have the immediate gratification of getting out of the line and not having to wait anymore, but there would be a moment later that evening when I would have to wrestle with the fact that I was out-of-line - literally and figuratively.

It is proven to me when my wife is suffering from morning sickness which has turned into all-day sickness.  The magic fairy that somehow transformed dirty clothes and dishes into clean clothes and dishes has ceased to exist.  The magic fairy that managed the household - mail, laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, library trips, activities with the daughter, shipping IWBNIN resources, managing the financial affairs …  It all stopped.  Now I realize that it was my bride all along.  Now I have to clean, wash, shop, etc.  Poor me.

You know what drives the pity party, right?  Selfishness.  You know what selfishness leads to?  Poverty of the spirit.

No one wants to hang out with a selfish person.  No one wants to hear the pity party.

If you want to lose friends and ruin relationships, be selfish.

Everyone wrestles with it.  If you do not believe me, watch your children when they are little.  "MINE!", is one of the most uttered words.

My friend, Jake Beaty, once asked another friend, Jamie Salmon, this question: "Why do you give?"

Jamie's answer rocked Jake's world.  When I heard it, it rocked my world.

Jamie said, "I give to keep from being selfish."

Well said, Jamie.  Well said.

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Recently, Casey Graham (Founder of The Change Group) sent a book to me and told me that it had a major impact on his life.

It is a book called "The Go-Giver".   It is authored by John David Mann.

It took me a couple of months to sit down and read it, but I wish I would have read it sooner.

Seriously, it is a fictional story the relays POWERFUL business (and personal) concepts related to giving.  It could even be called a framework for how one can have an amazing life.

I LOVED this book.  Here are some of the reasons why:

• It focuses on giving.  I love giving.  My wife loves giving.  I believe that everyone loves to give.
• It is highly focused on a few principles.  This book does not attempt to share too much.  I read this book one chapter at a time over a period of several days.
• It has caused me to reflect on how this applies to my crusade.  And I am making changes as a result of this book.
• It was short and to the point.  For some reason, I have difficulty developing the willpower to pick up a four-inch-thick book.
• I have seen it at work in my friend's life.  Casey (you should follow him on Twitter) has been applying this stuff as well.  He is FIRED UP about it!  So am I!

Have you read this book?

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