50 Random Things About Me
- I was born in Boise, Idaho.
- I’m a preacher’s kid.
- I drink hot coffee with a straw.
- I don’t like goat cheese.
- Or anything hazelnut.
- I got into really bad credit card debt. Seriously, horribly bad. Maxed out at more than $100,000 when my world fell apart.
- Took 13 years to pay back the credit card debt—every dime of interest, fees, and principal with no concessions, settlements, or negotiations. Yay.
- In 2014 we paid off the mortgage too —100% debt-free. Super yay.
- My husband’s name is Harold. You wouldn’t believe how many people mistakenly call him Howard.
- I’ve been married to the same man for 50 years. He’s a preacher’s kid, too.
- I have two sons.
- And two grandsons.
- I can’t swim.
- I refuse to learn.
- One time, with my two little boys in the back seat, I inadvertently drove the car into the living room.
- I have written 26 published books, most still in print.
- And have led thousands of people out of debt.
- Cheapskate Monthly newsletter debuted in Jan. 1992.
- To date, I’ve logged 1.4 million miles on American Airlines.
- I love to iron.
- And knit.
- As the only passenger in an NYC taxi, my driver T-boned a limousine, threw the cab into reverse, and then fled the scene.
- With me in the back seat.
- I play the piano.
- My Steinway M-model grand was built in 1929.
- I am its 2nd owner.
- I didn’t intend to, but I singlehandedly fixed a major plumbing issue while a guest in a historic old San Francisco hotel.
- Back in the 1970s, I figured out how to make men’s ties.
- My husband wore them to work. The word got out and I ended up selling thousands before I burned out.
- I love textiles. I fight becoming unreasonably obsessed with both fabric and yarn. Now and then I lose the battle. See # 21.
- Our son Jeremy won an Emmy Award.
- My favorite flavor is salted caramel.
- I am not a fan of chocolate.
- But I love a good fruitcake
- Upon meeting me in person, someone who’d heard me on the radio told me I’m a lot shorter than I sound.
- For me, overeating and overspending have some kind of correlation. As the debt grew, so did I.
- As the debt shrunk, eventually so did I. By 110 pounds. Really.
- My favorite color is lime green.
- I was commissioned to select the final winner in the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet contest to crown the Cheapest Person in America.
- Our son Josh met our daughter-in-law Wendy on eHarmony. Match made in heaven. Refer to #12.
- I am a coffee roaster.
- I import raw green coffee beans from Costa Rica, 200 lbs. at a time
- When I was a guest on the Leeza Gibbons Show, she called me Mary Hart on air. Three times.
- I am the first woman to have served on the Board of Directors of the American Industrial Real Estate Association (now AIR CRE), Los Angeles, Calif.
- I am a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
- I love the great hymns. My favorite is Great is Thy Faithfulness.
- I live in northern Colorado near the Wyoming border.
- In 2002 I was a contestant on the TV game show revival, To Tell the Truth with John O’Hurley. I was the only one telling the truth, but the panelists all voted for my two imposters. We won the whole enchilada.
- I love Christmas for all it means to me—and because my kids come home for the holidays.
- My dream is to one day visit Israel.