Ask Your Daddy for Something You Need

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I mentioned on Tuesday that Keith and I just celebrated our eighth anniversary. Wow. In some ways I can't believe it's been that long, and in some ways, I can't believe any part of my life was lived without him. Know what I mean?

I had really been wishing and hoping that this year for our anniversary, we could get away together. Alone. You know, just the two of us? Without our beloved children.

In fact, we haven't been away together, alone, since we've had children. I was startled to realize today that not only have we been married for eight years, but it has been five years since just the two of us went away together. You know what? That's a really long time.

I've always had a nursling, and I think that has been the main thing that has kept us from getting away. But right now I'm not nursing a little one (yet!). And in a very short while, we'll have a new little one who will certainly need a great deal of time and attention and it will probably be a while before we can get away again. (Hopefully not another five years!)

Now seemed like the perfect time to take the plunge and go away.

There was only one problem.

We had no money.

As I mentioned in my post about our staycation, things have been especially tight around here lately. And there was absolutely no way we could squeeze out money to spend on a getaway.

Here's my Frugal Friday tip for today:

If there is something you need, or even something your heart greatly desires, ask your Heavenly Father about it.

No, He doesn't guarantee that He will give us all our heart desires. After all, we don't give our children everything they long for either, do we? We know that some of the things they ask for would be detrimental to them! But how often do we delight in giving our children special gifts, just because we love them?

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:7-11

So, I asked. I told my Father that I felt that Keith and I really needed some time to be away alone together to recharge our relationship.

And you know what? He provided.

We have some friends who own a great little cabin out in the woods on a million acres of land. It's actually where Keith proposed to me, where we honeymooned, and where we celebrated our first anniversary. It's a pretty special place for us.

Keith called them up and asked if we might be able to use it again to get away together. And they were delighted for us to use it!

So, tomorrow we will be dropping our sweet little ones off at Nannie and Grandaddy's house (thanks, grandparents!!!), and heading to this special little place.

That cost us nothing.

Because our sweet Father saw fit to delight us with a beautiful gift from His hand. Just because He loves us.

Is there something you're in need of? Ask your Father. He delights in giving good things.

The Staycation: How to Have a Great Vacation When You Don't Have Any Money

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I'm about to go on vacation! Well, um, I'm about to be on vacation to put it more accurately.

Keith is taking his vacation time next week and we are so excited! We are in desperate need of a break and some rest.

We have also experienced a serious feeling of tightness when it comes to finances lately. In the past, we've had a vacation fund that we contributed to regularly throughout the year, but that was something that had to go this past year as we tightened our belts some more. We decided that if we were able to do something special to raise some extra money for vacation during the year, we'd do that instead.

But, as it turns out, any time we've been able to set aside some extra money, it's been needed more somewhere else. Thankfully, we were able to get a start on our emergency fund this year and now have three months of savings set aside. That's definitely worth more to me than a vacation to a new spot.

So, we've got this vacation time coming up, a need for refreshment and fun, but no money.

As a result, we are planning our very first staycation! Sound intriguing? Here are the ideas I've come up with to make our week at home fun, exciting, relaxing, and best of all--cheap!

1. Make a commitment to really take vacation.
I don't want to fall into the rhythm of regular life even though we're here in our own house. It needs to feel like vacation! So, Keith won't be "allowed" to work in the yard (unless he presents the argument that it makes him feel relaxed)! I won't have anything on my schedule or to-do list other than the necessary things like laundry, dishes, and cooking. No deep cleaning. No delving into my baby preparation list. No blogging. No extras. Just relaxing and enjoying each other!

2. Plan some fun things to do.
I don't expect to schedule my days to death, but I know us well enough to know that if I don't figure out ahead of time how we'll spend our time, the week will be gone, and we won't have done anything worth doing! Here's a few things I'll be putting on our schedule for the week:

• Swim in Nannie's pool
• Play in our wading pool
• Go for walks with Daddy
• Visit nearby state park and take a picnic
• Take a day trip to the beach
• Visit the library with Daddy (the kids are always begging Keith to come with us--now he can, because he's on vacation!)
  

3. Put some "fun" foods on the menu.
I don't know about you, but vacation always seems extra special to me because of some yummy, fun foods I get to eat along the way. So, our menu will be things that are our family "fun" foods. Burgers on the grill, wings, tacos, chicken caesar salad, and pizza. Breakfasts will probably be some special treats like coffee cake, bacon and eggs, and even a box or two of sugary cereal that I never, ever buy for my family. It's vacation after all!

4. Plan at least one small "luxury".
For us this might be going out for shaved ice. Or we might be able to budget enough to treat the family to a meal out one evening. It doesn't have to cost a fortune to seem like a treat. Just something you don't treat yourselves to very often.

5. Consider taking a break from the techno world.
Anytime we've gone away, we've been somewhat separated from the rest of the world. We don't have cell phones, so we aren't usually on the telephone. And we don't usually have access to the Internet--so, no Facebook, blogs, etc, etc, etc. Really, all that stuff can take up quite a bit of mental energy. I think I'd like to see us turn our answering machine on and turn our computer off--at least for the majority of the time.

6. Look at the very, very bright side of a staycation.
Are you in our shoes this year and expect to be spending your vacation time at home? Maybe you're not really into the idea, and you feel more like moping about it than trying to make it fun. Here's a couple more thoughts to get you pumped about the possibilities:

• You don't have all the prep work that going away requires. (No finding a place for the dog, arranging for the mail and newspaper to be on hold, or PACKING!)
• You don't have to travel in the car with whiney, tired children for hours.
• You don't have to worry about going into debt to pay for the vacation you know in your heart you really can't afford.
• You don't have to UNPACK! (This might be the best one of all.)
• You won't have 17 loads of laundry to catch up on when you come home. (Second best!)

Do you have any more suggestions for our family and the week ahead? Any fun, cheap ideas to make this memorable, relaxing, and exciting! I'd love to hear them!

For more money saving tips, please visit Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM!

Are You a Book Lover? Use Interlibrary Loan

So, I love books. Have I mentioned before that I love books? Because I really do. Love books that is.

But books can be expensive. And if I were to buy every book I wanted to read...there would be no electricity, water, or eating in our house. That's how much I love books.

So, imagine my complete and total delight when I discovered the interlibrary loan system at our library! My local library is relatively small. It's got some good reads in it, but the chance of me finding a particular book I've been wanting to read is slim to none.

I realized soon after we moved here that our library is connected to almost every other library in the state of Georgia. That means I have access to every library in the entire state! That opens up my choices a bit, wouldn't you think?

So, all I have to do is go online to my library's website, use my account, search for the book of my choice, and almost every time...I can place a hold on that book. Sometimes it takes a few weeks or even a couple of months to actually get my hands on a certain book, but who cares? It's free, for Pete's sake!

Nearly every book I read these days comes to me through interlibrary loan. Not too shabby.

Free, people, free!

Well, except for the times I don't return a book on time and have to pay late fees. Or the times I lose a book and have to pay for it. Or the times Levi tears a book to shreds and I have to pay for it. Sigh. But overall, it's still saving me a ton of money!

I've heard sad stories about people who don't have this kind of service, so I know it's not available to everyone, depending on your location. But if you don't know, be sure to call your local library and ask! Maybe you've got access to more books (free!) than you ever dreamed!

For money saving tips, please visit Frugal Friday over at LifeasMOM!

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How to Build an Emergency Fund When You Don't Have Extra Funds

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The emergency fund.

Here's a description of the emergency fund according to Dave Ramsey:

It is a rainy-day fund, an umbrella. An emergency fund is for those unexpected events that are not regularly planned for happening in life - you lose your job, there's an unexpected pregnancy, the car's transmission goes out, or, or, or. This is NOT an investment or Bahamas fund! Before attacking Baby Step 2 (the Debt Snowball), save $1,000 as a baby emergency fund. A fully funded emergency fund is 3-6 months of your personal expenses set aside in a savings or money market account; build this up in Baby Step 3.

Do you have one? Is it big enough to weather a financial storm that sticks around for a while? Are you wondering how to build an emergency fund when you don't have any extra funds?

Our family has certainly been there. Actually, we're still there. We do have an emergency fund, but it's only a three month supply, and given the current economic situation, we really would like for it to be at least six months, if not more.

If your family is like our family, you're already eating rice and beans and beans and rice. You feel the importance of having mom be at home with the children, so you're willing to sacrifice and live on one income. You've pared down your pared down budget. You're still struggling to make ends meet.

We really don't have extra to set aside each month. Well, we have a little extra, but it's a very little. So, we've been trying to be resourceful as we've sought to build this fund and continue on our baby steps.

Here are some of the ideas we've found useful:

1. Reevalute Your Budget
I know I said that we've already pared down and pared down more. But sometimes you can find some more little things that can be cut. For us, the extras are usually found in small pockets of disposable income. Something I'm really trying to work on is always paying with cash. It has helped tremendously in this department.

2. Sell Something
Are there items in your home you don't really need that could garner a fair price on Ebay or Craigslist? Try to think outside of the box. Sometimes things we think of as junk (especially old/vintage items) can sell well!

3. Use Your Tax Return
Some of you may still be expecting a tax return. Instead of spending it, can you put it towards your emergency fund?

4. Dream Up Ways to Increase Your Income
Develop an entrepreneurial mindset. You don't have to be bound to traditional part-time jobs for extra income. Do some brain storming.

5. Ultimately, Trust God
You know what? God wants us to be wise stewards of His money. And He makes it pretty clear in Proverbs that a wise man saves for the future (Proverbs 21:20) But He also wants us to look to Him to supply our needs. I've been trying to remember that while I should be wise and set money aside for emergencies, I shouldn't trust in that money or anything else besides my Father.

Sometimes I feel frustrated that we aren't making the progress I would like to see. But the truth is that we're doing our best to please God with our finances. We are seeking to be generous givers, working hard to live simply, and asking Him to provide ways to make a little more income so that we can pursue things like investing for the future and paying off our house.

He sees the sparrow! How much more does He watch over His children?

For more money saving ideas, please visit Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM!

The Wonder of Water

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Would you like to save some money and get healthier all at the same time?

Well, I've got another infomercial worthy secret.

Again, I'd charge for this information, but I'm such a generous person. Well, actually, if you've been reading recently, you know that I'm not.

OK, OK. The truth is that what I'm about to tell you is just plain common sense. But, then again, sometimes we have trouble seeing the obvious, don't we?

So, here it is:

If you want to save money and be healthier...use more water.

Now, I'm not talking about water use in the shower or on your grass outside. No, that kind of water usage is sure to cost you more. Clearly. (Just pointing this out to those of us who have trouble using the aforementioned common sense.)

But. What would happen if you stopped drinking so much juice, tea, coffee, or soda...and drank water instead? Hmmm?

Well, I bet you'd save a bit of cash, don't you? Actually, if you look at your last grocery receipt, how much did you pay for drinkable items? Now, I'm not saying you should cut out every single cup of coffee or juice, but you could probably cut it down considerably without feeling deprived. Or maybe you could do it slowly. Cut it down bit by bit until you're drinking mostly water.

On top of the savings, think of how much better off your body will be without all that yucky high fructose corn syrup, caffeine, calories, etc! But not only will your body not have to deal with that junk, it will benefit from the extra water--here's a list of ten great reasons to drink more water.

Additionally, I've found (after having to be on a dairy-free diet for a while) that there were some recipes for which I could substitute water for milk (pancakes, muffins, coffee cake, etc.) If you were going to try this, I'd recommend substituting only part of the milk to begin with. Sometimes you really do need the milk to make a recipe "work".

And there you have it, folks. Just so you know, I'll be mad if you take my generously offered secret information and sell it on late night TV. I know you were thinking about it.

For more money saving tips, please visit Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM!

Whose Money Is It Anyway?--Developing a Generous Heart

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Our family is on a journey. A journey to financial freedom, baby! (A la Dave Ramsey.)

• We've completed baby steps one through three.
• We eat beans and rice and rice and beans most of the time.
• We drive a clunker.
• We've learned to tighten our belts--sometimes it feels like the belts can't get any tighter!
• We've looked for ways to bring in a little extra since we really can't pare down much further.

All in all, it's been, well, fun! The journey isn't without its challenges, but it can also be invigorating.

There is something along the way (and even before we started this) that I've found difficult. I am not by nature a generous person. My husband on the other hand? He's generosity itself.

We do give. We tithe to our church. We sponsor a little boy in Peru. We also give periodically to other organizations we believe in.

But. The truth is that, for me, this kind of giving feels easy. It feels easy because it's in the budget. It's a line item. An obligation. (*Gasp* That sounds so bad!)

It's the spontaneous giving my husband wants to do that is so hard for me. When someone has a need that arises and Keith is aware of it, he is always willing to give sacrificially. I'm not. And that's just the plain, sad truth. I don't want to be that way. But it is indeed very, very hard for me. I don't want to deviate from our budget. Or mess up our baby steps.

But here's the thing I'm trying to understand more clearly: Everything I have doesn't really belong to me. It belongs to God. I'm just the person He has asked to handle His money.

Whew. When I look at it from the proper perspective, it really does change things. I want to hold everything He has entrusted to with an open hand. I really want to be like the Macedonians Paul writes about in II Corinthians 8-9.

"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints." (8:2-4)

Later on Paul says this:

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (9:6-8)

My frugal tip for today is: Be a generous giver--it's not yours anyway! It might seem like a paradox, but the truth is that God's economy doesn't work like the world's economy. May He continue to work in my heart in this regard!

For more money saving tips, please visit Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM!

Does giving come naturally to you? Can you share how you have learned to be more generous?

Haircuts for Little Men Giveaway! Woohoo!

Last week I posted about my experience with home haircuts--along with a dire warning to attempt at your own risk. I stated that I cut my boys' hair because I can't bear to spend $20 a month on haircuts--not because I'm necessarily wholeheartedly satisfied with my haircutting skills. No indeed.

Well.

Melonie came to my rescue and mentioned a friend, Nancy, who not only cuts her children's hair successfully (and lives to tell about it), but has also written an e-book detailing how-to's!

Well.

Lo and behold, Nancy herself contacted me, and, perceiving my desperate straits, offered her kind assistance. (So, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but it appeals to my need for a good story, OK?)

Well.

Not only did she offer me a copy of her e-book for free, she also offered me one to give away here on my blog to one of my awesome readers!

How neato-mosquito is that?

Her book is entitled Haircuts for Little Men, and it's designed to help us poor, desperate mothers save a buck and still feel confident that we can cut our boys' hair and not leave them scarred for life. (Figuratively or literally!)

Now, I'll be honest. I had just cut my little guys' hair when Nancy offered to do this. So, I haven't actually tried out her techniques and instructions yet. But I have read it and the instructions seem pretty straightforward.

Plus, her website is filled with great reviews--including pics of first time cuts by previously inexperienced haircutting moms. I've seen the pics, and if seeing is believing, I'm pretty darn impressed.

So, if you're interested in attempting haircutting for the first time or improving your skills, here's a chance to win a great how-to book!

There are three ways to enter the giveaway and you can enter up to three times.

1. Leave me a comment here and include your funniest haircut story. Your own haircut gone wrong, or a haircut you did for someone else, or whatever!

2. For a second entry, subscribe to my feed! There will be a secret code in the footer of the post in your feed reader or inbox that won't show up on the site itself. Email the code to me at hearthmanagement (at) gmail (dot) com. Put the quote in the subject line--I won't actually read the email! For those of you who are wondering what it means to subscribe, here's a quick explanation. Please don't comment to let me know--I'll get your email.

3. For a third entry, post about and link to the giveaway post on your own blog. Email me with your link in the subject line. Again, please don't comment to let me know--I'll get your email.

The giveaway will be open until Wednesday, April 22 at midnight. The winner will be announced on Thursday the 23rd and will be notified by email. Please be sure that I have a way of contacting you. (Either a valid email address in your Blogger profile, a link to your website, or your email address included in your comment.)

Enjoy and happy haircutting!

For more money saving ideas, please visit Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM!

Home Haircuts: Attempt at Your Own Risk

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My little guys are 4 and 2. To date, they've never had a professional haircut.

Sometimes...you can tell. Well, at least I can tell. My husband assures me that no one else notices while I'm fretting that they look like they've been cutting their own hair.

Within this post, you will not find a tutorial. Why, you ask? Because, truth be told, I'm still not sure what in tarnation I'm doing. And sometimes...sometimes I'm not so happy with the results.

But I simply cannot bring myself to pay $20 a month to have someone cut their hair! I just can't. Things are pretty tight around here and there is always something we could use that $20 dollars for. So, I do it.

What I can share with you in my general approach to haircutting time.

1. I put it off at least a week longer than I should because I'm dreading it.

2. I gather tools--clippers, towels, scissors, comb, etc.

3. We pop a DVD into the computer in the kitchen. Captive audience!

4. I clip a little with the clippers and cut a little with the scissors. As fast as I can. While they wiggle and squirm and bob their cute little heads.

5. They cry and fuss because they're itchy from the hair.

6. We run to the bathroom and I clean them up in the tub. Their hair always looks so much better after it's been freshly washed. Sometimes, I can't even see all the mistakes I made.

Yes, it's very scientific.

Again, I am not a professional and I'm not really sure you should try this at home. If your child's hair looks terrible, do not email me to complain. You've been warned.

I figure, however, that sooner or later, I'll get really good at this thing. And maybe someday I won't even notice any mistakes.

I said I wouldn't include a tutorial. Well, I won't include one of my own, but here are a couple of links to people who seem like they might know what they're doing:

How to Cut Your Own Children's Hair to Save Money
Save Some Cash--Cut Your Own Kids' Hair!

These are links for boys' haircuts. I have no idea what you do with girls. I am not girl-hair-schooled.

And maybe, just maybe your little guy's hair will turn out super cute! My boys don't look so bad. But I am rather partial.

For more money saving ideas, please visit Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM!

Beautify the Space God Gave You

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Sometime in the last year I read The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer. What a beauty of a book! This book is not about being organized or managing time well. The subtitle is "Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life". This is a book for the soul of the homemaker.

In short, this book is about creating a beautiful sanctuary for your family. It's about art. Music. Flowers. The things that feed the soul. Ahhhh. Refreshing.

The biggest challenge I found within its pages was this: Don't wait till you live in your dream home to make a place of beauty around you. Make wherever you are a place of beauty! I realized I had been doing just that--dreaming about how I would decorate the beautiful home in the country. You know, the one under the shade trees? The one with the sound of a happily gurgling brook? The one with wide open spaces. The one with hardwood floors and tall, gleaming windows that let sunlight stream in. The one that might never, ever come to be?

The Lord pricked my heart with this challenge. He wanted me to be content wherever He placed me, and to beautify my current surroundings. After all, our Lord isn't just a God of order, but a God of creativity and beauty!

So, I started planning a redecorating project for our home. I started by making a list of words that drew a picture of what I wanted to create in our home. Here are some of my words:

warm homey cozy colorful light quilts plants books art music life joy peace cheery kid-friendly imperfect laughter learning welcoming nature

Since then, we've slowly (very slowly) worked on moving my initial ideas from imagination to reality! We've painted, sewn and created. It has been so much fun to put pieces of my personality into my home! I'm not going for a gorgeous showplace--just a little spot of beautiful refuge for the people I love most.

I was "hindered" by a small budget. I put that word in quotes because, as I said, the Lord had really been working on teaching me to be content with what He had already provided for me. So, I've tried to be creative. One of the happiest little spots in my home is also one of the most frugal decorating projects I've completed.

These little circles are so easy and so cheap to make! I found some wonderful fabrics (you may even have some fabric scraps hanging around that would work), and bought some very inexpensive embroidery hoops. Pop the fabric into the hoop, pull to tighten, trim, and hot glue the edge to the inside of the hoop. Ta-Da! You're done!

I'm planning to do more of these in our living room. I'll use different sizes and put them up randomly instead of in a grid like I've done here in the kitchen.

This little idea is not my own--actually, most of my ideas are copies of what I've seen others do. I originally saw these delightful little circles on Delight's photo stream on Flickr. Sara (Delight) blogs at Walk Slowly,Live Wildly and I love her taste!

So what's stopping you from creating a beautiful space for you and your family? Day-dreaming? Budget limitations?

Ask God to show you how you can be creative with what you have, so that you can make a sanctuary where love and laughter can grow.

For more frugal tips, please visit LifeasMOM for Frugal Friday!

The Stay-At-Home Date Night

Image by diogo86.

In all my reading about keeping your marriage strong and healthy, I've found a recurring theme. The importance of spending time together. More than one author has advised the regular date night.

For my husband and I this is a bit of dilemma. This season of our lives makes it hard to accomplish a regular date night. We've got young children--two small boys and another on the way. It's hard for us to find a sitter. Plus, we have a very, very tight budget. Neither lend well to a date night. But we find that this season of our lives also leaves us very much in need of a date night!

So, what to do?

Enter the stay-at-home date.

Although getting out of the house, seeing new sights, breathing different air and experiencing a change of pace would be nice, that just isn't usually possible for us. The stay-at-home date is a good alternative.

Here's my tips on having a successful date night at home:

1. Put your date on your calendar.
Remember a million years ago before you were married? Your sweet man would call, you'd set up plans to go out, and then you'd put it on the calendar and wait for it with dreamy anticipation. Why not add a little of that back into your life? If you're the one planning the date (I'm the planner at our house), tell your husband you're starting something new. Put it on your calendar, talk it up, and look forward to spending some fun time together.

2. Get the littles in bed early.
Our date night is Friday. So, every Friday I try to make sure that I have something for my little guys to eat that's simple and quick. If necessary, I rearrange nap times and other scheduled events to ensure that they are ready to hit the hay pretty early in the evening.

3. Make it a fun, flirty time.
Again, remember the delight of just being together that you felt once upon a time? How just spending time in each other's company drinking coffee and chatting was so great? Set your mind on delighting in your husband's company. In fact, if you're in a season of your marriage where this seems impossible, ask the Lord to help you do this. It's His desire to see you have a marriage that doesn't just make it. He wants you to have an amazing marriage. Set your mind to have fun. Flirt. Wink. Kiss. Smile. Laugh.

4. Once in a while, make it extra special.
Every once in a while, plan a little something extra. Something extra sweet. Or, ahem, spicy. Fix an extra fancy dinner. Put on some music and dance. Use your imagination.

Ideas:
To be honest, I could really use some fresh ideas for our date nights. But here are some of the things we do on date night.

• Listen to a great audio book while eating popcorn
• Watch a movie
• Play a card or board game
• Sit and chat while drinking tea
• Read aloud to one another
• Get some of our favorite takeout or pop a frozen pizza in the oven
  

These might sound pretty boring, but like I mentioned, we do spice it up once in a while. Again, use your own imagination.

So, what about you? Please share your ideas for at-home date nights! Help me round out my ideas list!

For more frugal ideas, visit Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Savin' O' the Green Sale!

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Speaking of grocery shopping, how timely that the gals at Money Saving Mom and Living On a Dime have teamed up to offer a huge package of books and e-courses about saving money on groceries for an amazing sale price. These items are valued at over $100, but until next Monday at midnight these 17 items are only $17!

I've learned more from Crystal at Money Saving Mom about saving money at the grocery store than anyone else! This woman knows her stuff.

Here's a list of the 17 e-books and e-courses included in this package:

• Supermarket Savings 101
• Grocery Shopping On A Budget
• Money Saving Meats
• Saving On Cleaning Supplies
• Eating Healthy On A Budget
• Is Eating Out Eating You Up?
• 224 Meals In A Hurry
• Grocery Savings
• Menus That Make Cents
• Plan Ahead Leftovers
• Quick Dinners
• Menu Planning Made Easy
• Simply Centsible Breakfasts
• Simply Centsible Suppers
• Kids Recipes
• Menus On A Dime
• 470 Crockpot Recipes

Visit here to purchase this great package or read more details!

Journey to Financial Freedom: Driving the Clunker

Image by Bogdan Suditu

If you struggle with the sin of covetousness. . .you might want to move on right now. Flee, I say, flee! Because I've got the kind of car that is going to make you so jealous. I don't want to be a stumbling block to anyone, you know.

With that disclaimer, let me tell you about my car, the Little Mean Green Nissan. Little Mean Green has been in the family for about eleven years or so now, although he wasn't new when he came to us. He actually became a teenager this year! That's right--my car is the super cool age of thirteen! (Are you swooning yet?)

Little Mean Green is unique. He has special markings on his back (where I backed into a tree--hey, I just didn't see it!), on his front (where I bumped into a light pole--thought I had enough room!), and his top (where an entire stop sign skidded across him--I was trying to teach my sister to drive a stick).

The lining on his ceiling is held jauntily in place with thumbtacks where my small children decided to pull it from its place. It's hard to close his trunk properly--and his little door where you put gas in? You musn't ever, ever close it all the way or you can't get it back open. Even when a helpful gentleman at the gas station uses his credit card, keys and pocket knife to try to help you.

Oh, and his size. I haven't mentioned his size! Little Mean Green is the cutest little two door coupe you ever did see! We're so cozy with our two car seats jammed in the backseat. It's a little tricky getting kids in and out--especially when one seat is still rear facing, but did I mention how cozy it is?

OK, OK. I guess I might have been exaggerating a little bit about his super coolness. A bit. In fact, maybe some of you are even wondering, "Why is she driving a car like this?" It's OK, I won't tell him you asked.

Well, there's a few reasons.

First, he's paid for.

Second, he suits our needs for the time being.

Third, he's paid for.

If you've heard of Dave Ramsey you're familiar with the saying, "We're living like no one else, so that later we can live like no one else." Yep, some people think it's totally crazy that we're driving this old, beat-up car that is so tiny when we have a family of four (and one on the way!). But, I've got a soft spot in my heart for Little Mean Green. He's served us well, and, by George. . .he's paid for.

Besides, in a couple of months we're upgrading! Yes, we'll be moving on to our currently parked, but slightly more spacious 1994 Buick Regal. Yeah, baby! Now we just need to come up with a name for him. Oh yeah--he's paid for, too.

On a completely unrelated sidenote: a new blogging friend is hosting an incredible giveaway today. For more details click here!

For more ideas on how to save money, please visit Life as Mom for Frugal Friday!

The Great Cash Experiment: Is Paying with Cash Really Better?

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So, I don't really like cash. It's dirty. It's inconvenient. It's heavy. (I'm originally from Canada, and when I lived there we had one and two dollar coins that were respectively called loonies and toonies. Don't laugh. Think of the backache you'd get from carrying THAT stuff around.) Besides, carrying cash is risky! I could be mugged! (Ahem. I live in a small town in Georgia.)

Plastic. It's so much nicer, no? It's pretty clean. It doesn't hurt my back. Well, I suppose it's still risky. I suppose I could still be mugged--aside from the fact that I do live in a small town in Georgia.

I've always heard that you should pay cash for things. You know Dave Ramsey and how he preaches. But I figured that using a debit card was just as good. Until recently. You know how sometimes you get a flurry of info from different sources on the same topic? And you figure maybe you should listen up?

Well, I kept hearing that using plastic--even a debit card--resulted in higher spending than paying with cold, hard cash. You know the stuff made of paper and metal. (It's been so long since I've seen some that I'd nearly forgotten, too.) I heard it from Dave, Meredith, and then Crystal. In fact, they were saying that consumers spent 12-18% more when they used any form of plastic. Hmmm. Could that be where those extra pennies dollars were going each month?

I decided to bear the (ahem, literal) burden of carrying cash for a while and see what happened.

Enter the Great Cash Experiment:

1. I decided to use cash for the most obvious variable expenditures.
We're a pretty basic family when it comes to spending. I have a grocery category and a "miscellaneous" category. The miscellaneous category covers toiletries, birthday gifts for others, stamps, and overdue fines at the library for the book that has fallen into a black hole in our house. You know, miscellaneous stuff. The kind of stuff that can really eat away into your budget if you're not watching.

2. I put the debit card away and gave my cash assigned spots.
I found that I had to put my debit card out of sight. Out of habit, I was still reaching for it without thinking. I'm considering leaving it at home entirely, but I'm not there just yet. Right now, it's in an out of the way spot in my purse. I'd given my old wallet to the boys to play with, but stole it back since it had handy dividers in it for my different cash categories and a spot for change. Levi cried for a minute and I felt guilty, but we all recovered. I promise I'll be on the lookout for another wallet for them to play with!

3. Online purchases were deducted from my cash.
These days I buy a LOT of stuff online. We needed some homeschool materials that I purchased online. I used my debit card for that, but then immediately took the cash out of my wallet and set it aside as though it had been spent.

4. I readied myself for the big test--the grocery store.
Every week most of my variable budget is spent at the grocery store. I've been working with a budget, but if what everyone said was true, I was still spending more than I would if I paid with cash. So. I counted my cash and meticulously counted my grocery costs as I went through the store. How embarrassing would it be to not have enough money to pay for my groceries?!

Verdict:
I know I spent less! There was an online purchase I didn't make because I realized that, although the purchase was small--only a few dollars, I might be cutting my budget a little short for next week. I saw the biggest difference at the grocery store. I found myself asking, now do I really need this for that recipe or could I do without it? I looked harder for smaller packages of meat and discounted produce. These are things I do sometimes, but I paid much more attention knowing I had a limited amount to spend.

Spending with cash brought a reality to spending that just wasn't there with plastic. It "hurt" more to lay out my paper and metal (yes, I even used a few pennies to pay for my purchase). In short, this experiment was a success. Your back might hurt a little more, and if you get mugged, don't say I didn't warn you, but your budget will be in a healthier place for the risk.

For more tips about seeing your cash flow grow--visit We Are THAT Family!

Celebrating Financial Milestones!

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"We're debt free!!!!!!!!"

In case you don't recognize it, that's Keith and I screaming Dave Ramsey-style. He allows people to call in to his show and scream on air that beautiful phrase which fills me with giddiness. In order to participate in this call-in, you have to meet the following requirement: Be completely debt free with the exception of your mortgage--and that's us right now!

We've never incurred much debt in our married life with the exception of Keith's school loans, an unexpected medical bill, and now our mortgage. However, God has been gracious to provide us with wise biblical teaching on sound money management along the way, and as a result we had realized the importance of purposefully seeking to pay off all of our debts as fast as we could.

The medical debt has long since been eliminated, but we still had that ornery student loan that hung on like a leech. Bit by bit, we chipped away at it. Finally with part of our economic stimulus rebate, we made the very last payment!

One thing we have learned along the way is to celebrate when you reach a new goal! So, that's exactly what we did. We called up some of our good friends who have been on the same journey to honor the Lord with their finances, and invited them to join us for a celebration dinner--our treat. We hired a babysitter and headed out to a Mexican restaurant with our friends. We toasted our success--or rather, God's provision--and enjoyed adult conversation. Afterwards, we finished up with some yummy snow cones. It might not seem like anything big, but since we rarely go out to eat--and never without our children--it felt like a luxury.

Some of you might be thinking that the money spent on that dinner would have been more wisely used if it had been set aside towards our next step on this journey (growing an emergency fund). However, "splurging" a little on a celebration is actually a very wise and frugal move.

When you celebrate, you refresh your spirit. It gives you some new motivation to keep on keeping on. If you trudge through the very hard work of saving and scraping with nary a stop for fun and celebration, you're much more likely to give up altogether.

Here are four tips for celebrating those financial milestones:

1. Have a plan so that you actually reach a milestone in the first place!
We've used the Crown Money Map personally, and it's very similar to Dave's Baby Steps. I would recommend either plan. You can also celebrate intermediate steps that may not be one of the bigger goals in order to keep you motivated along the way. Celebrate the simple things like setting up your budget for the first time and then actually keeping it for a month.

2. Plan for your celebrations.
The encouragement to celebrate is not encouragement to lose sight of wise stewardship and frugality. Don't spend money you don't have on your celebration! Make sure that you plan to wisely set money aside if your celebration is going to be an expense. By the way, your celebration doesn't have to cost money! It might be as simple as spending the evening curled up next to your honey as you watch a favorite movie borrowed from the library while eating homemade popcorn. Celebrating is simply about doing something special and at least a little out of the ordinary to mark the attainment of a goal.

3. Make the celebration fit the milestone.
If you kept your very first budget for the very first month, it's probably not fitting to celebrate by taking an Alaskan cruise. Again, don't use the celebration principle as an excuse to be a bad steward. On the other hand, if you just paid off your house, you need to do something more exciting than buying a snow cone, for Pete's sake! You get the picture, I'm sure.

4. Give credit where credit is due.
Ultimately, it's because of the Lord that we're able to reach a new financial milestone. Take time to praise His goodness and provision!

Thank you, Lord, for what you've done for us in our own lives and for providing us with biblical guidance, the encouragement from friends to keep on going, and the means to reach this new milestone!