Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 50th birthday.

It started out pretty blah because my husband had to quickly leave town to tend to his elderly father.

I was feeling pretty down and alone until I saw an email from DaveRamsey.com....

It was announcing his Spring tour and one of the locations is a mere 4 hour away! When I clicked on the EntreLeadership class I noticed there were FREE tickets still available! So, I am now going to see Dave Ramsey live and in person in April! Our target date for becoming debt free is in the Spring, so the timing could not be more perfect!

Not such a blah day, after all!

Integrity

“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.” — Zig Ziglar

Today I will work my hardest on moving forward and not worrying about what I cannot control. I believe in God and know he has great plans for me. I will be a faithful servant and steward.

Pass it on, don't take it all

This blog entry inspired me to post on my own blog after reading about a home economist who went shopping and scored a great deal on dishwashing soap. It was such a great deal, she felt compelled to wipe out the entire shelf. A little consideration for other shoppers goes a long, long way.

Here is what I wrote to her...

Hello,
I just saw your link from (name removed)'s blog page regarding the dishwashing soap you bought at Target at a 90% discount.

I am also a coupon clipper and home economist, and I would have loved to score a deal like that. I realize this was an unadvertised sale and you just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but I do think it's a bit selfish to buy all of the items off the shelf keeping others from scoring a great deal.

On a similar note, it is also discouraging to shop the sales with coupons only to find the shelf completely bare. True home economists should also be looking out for the welfare of others who want to save money for their families. Many times when I have been shopping if I see someone take an item off of the shelf and I know I have an extra coupon, I will offer it to them.

Pass it on, don't take it all, please.

Back from Shopping

Just back from a two hour shopping trip, but it was so worth it.

Here's what I got:
Pack of AAA Batteries
4 lbs. dry cat food
1/4 watermelon
10 (6-oz.) packs of Raspberries
5 (6-oz.) packs of Blackberries
Bunch of Cilantro
Bunch of Green Onions
3 Bartlett Pears
Bunch of Bananas

Total was $72.86
Subtract $43.80 in coupons, I only spent $29.26!

Cheap! Cheap!

Well, this week's grocery specials have been pretty sparse. After weeks of awesome deals, things have slowed down.

Here's the summary of my shopping specials this week...

8 bottles of Benevia (energy drink) for 17 cents, but after tasting one bottle, we decided to give them away. Yuck!

$5 coupon at CVS and will be able to get the AAA batteries free for my son's calculator for school.

Raincheck for two Lowe's Foods for blackberries and raspberries. $5 for 5 for 6 ounce packs.

Overall, I think I have done pretty well over the past few weeks. I wish I had kept track of the back to school supplies I scored. I figured I spent around $30 where in the past I have easily spent $150+ for supplies for two kids.

Shadow or Light

Which are you?

Who do you follow? Who do you want to be?

I find myself shadowing people I admire. I'm listening, reading and learning from them. It could be either their excellent business/financial management, wonderful personality or amazing faith. By following, I hope that I am in effect showing a light for others to see.

CVS Money Maker!

Here's my money-maker at CVS today:
(2) 4-pack Sharpie highlighters. I had a raincheck for 99 cents each plus had two coupons for $1 off each.
(2) packs of Carefree pantiliners at $3.79 each. I had two coupons for $1 off each. [Extra Bucks: $3.79 each]
(2) Composition Books at 99 cents. [Extra Bucks: 99 cents each]
Overall, I spent $8.40 and got $9.56 in Extra Bucks!
Thanks to Money Saving Mom! Please read her blog, she uncovers incredible savings for your family!

Blessing in Disguise?

No, it's not fall yet.

This once beautiful tree struggled through the years of drought and just couldn't go another season. I am so sad, I feel like I've lost a family member.

When we were building the house 10 years ago, we had it written in our contract that all the large trees in the backyard must stay. We had just moved from a house with a heavily wooded area and we loved the trees and all the wildlife that came with it. The builder fought with us over keeping the trees because it was more difficult for them to build with the trees so close to the house, but we were persistent. He predicted the trees would only last 10 years. At least he was right with this tree. There are others still standing and we hope they stick around for a while too.

I knew it was too risky to keep a dead tree standing so close to our house and it must come down. I had no idea how much it would cost, but fortunately, with our Dave Ramsey emergency fund, I knew we could "probably" cover it, but didn't know just how much.

The first tree trimmer came by and gave me an estimate of $825 with a discount of $125 bringing the total down to $700. He also offered to trim our crepe myrtle trees back for free since they are scraping the roof and will damage our shingles. He seemed nice and very professional. I thanked him and told him I would get back to him.

Wow, $700. I knew we could cover it, but it meant either a large dip out of our emergency fund or canceling a big snowball payment I had planned on sending to our smallest credit card. I hoped to pay off this card in the next month and it made me sad to think my plans would change due to this "Murphy".

I went to sleep that night wondering what I should do. The next morning I woke up too early, 4:30, and could not go to sleep. I laid awake and just started casually praying to God. I'm never formal, by any means! I just asked him how I should handle this dilemma and asked for help on how I could possibly make more money this week to cover the excess cost.

I got out of bed and started working on a few projects for my clients. I also listened to Dave Ramsey on my ipod. After working for a few hours, I decided to check my phone. There was a message from another tree trimmer I called the night before and he wanted me to call him back.

As I dialed his number I was thinking of the tree and remembered a conversation I had with my husband regarding the quote from the night before. He said he wanted to keep some of the wood. Of course! We could have the tree cut down and split into firewood! We go through at least one cord of wood a year and it's very expensive.

I called the tree trimmer back and he came over within a few hours. I showed him the tree and explained that we would like to keep the wood. We could stack it in one of the gardens and split it later. He and I talked for a while and he finally gave me a quote of $325! He also asked me how wide we wanted the pieces cut! So, not only was he going to cut down the tree , he was going to cut it to the size we wanted. All we have to do is split it.

I worked out the numbers and figured a full cord of wood delivered cost somewhere around $450. We are actually going to save money this winter by burning the very wood that is in our backyard.

Although I am sad to see this tree come down, I am thankful that we can recycle it and use it to heat our family room this winter. Talk about a blessing in disguise!

Financial Peace

We are currently on month 8 with our Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University plan and are proud to say we have knocked out 40% of our debt, not including the house! We should be debt free by this time next year! If you don't know who Dave is, visit his website.

We keep a posted chart on the refrigerator door that marks our progress and keeps us on track so our children know what the plan is. Throughout these months, the children have seen that even though we tightened our budget, we have what we need. They have their own envelopes and know how much money they can spend on clothes. They have their own chores and get a weekly allowance so they never ask us for money — they already have it!

I have also become a coupon clipping addict and love going to the store and paying 70%! I also visit the blogs of other coupon clippers and get a wealth of information from them. Check out Money Saving Mom, what a wonder woman she is!

Next month (September) we are hosting the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class at our church. It's a 13 week program and we could not be more excited! Peace is the key word ... I am so less stressed now that am on my way to being debt free and cannot wait to share this information on how others can achieve this goal, too.

Blessings,
Stacie

Garage Door Opener Revisited Part Two

I am so excited! We finally caught up with our finances and "Murphy's" and were able to purchase a new garage door opener with cash! We saved about $200 by having my son and husband install it. They took their time and did an excellent job! I think it was a great experience for both of them and I think my son learned a lot!
It seems like such a small thing to be excited about something as mundane as a garage opener, but maybe it's the little things in life that keep me going!

Busy, Busy, Busy .... wait ...

The beauty of having your own business is being able to pick and choose what you want to do. Unfortunately, though, most of the time the jobs you want come in at the same time!
I have several jobs that are just getting started. I am in limbo until the clients come back to me with the materials I need to complete their projects. Hurry up and wait...
Right now I could use a time out from my office and computer, but I am intent on sitting here and waiting for my inbox to "come alive"!

Garage Door Opener Revisited

The technician said it wasn't the door opener that needed to be replaced, it was the spring. Replacing the spring cost more than having a new door opener with installation.
So, after replacing the spring, guess what? The door still does not work properly. Back to the drawing board after our finances catch up with the last home improvement budget buster.

Attack of the Garage Door Opener

*Sigh*

After living in our house for almost 10 years our third garage door opener will be installed tomorrow. It seems like our openers have only worked for about 95% of the time we have lived in this house. I feel like there is some kind of poltergeist ghost responsible for causing all our mayhem.

Mind you, we live on a very steep hill. Our driveway is vertical and that's not an understatement. The skate board kids in the neighborhood call it the "professional" hill. It is not an option to park anywhere else but the garage. My minivans' emergency brake can't handle the incline and the very narrow street is too tight. It's also against our association to park on the street anyway.

Anyway, I am hopeful the installer will cast away all the problems we've had in the past with our openers. If not, at least I can call the technician to come back....

Hit Refresh

This is so refreshing! I have moved my office upstairs to the guest suite and it's sweet!

It feels great to clean out files and start over again.

New place, new projects, new perspective! Just like hitting the refresh button on the computer, I have hit refresh on my office.

It's Here!

After my very long wait, my baby is here! I have so much to do with transferring files, loading software and bookmarking the new browser. Also, the RAM I ordered online is not correct, so it will take about another week to send the wrong RAM back and get the new installed. Oh well, I'm happy with the way things are and it will be interesting to see how much faster the computer will be with 2 more Gigs of RAM. 

Pins and Needles.... !

FedEx finally updated their tracking site and my new baby is finally in Charlotte! Time will tell if it actually gets delivered tomorrow. Torture!

Anticipating

I am on pins and needles!

My new laptop is on the FedEx truck and was supposed to be delivered today, but the FedEx website says it's still "in transit" from California. It's not like I don't have plenty to do, I am very busy right now with work, proposals and possible clients. I'm just terribly distracted. It won't get any easier once my computer arrives because I'll want to play with it and get all the software set up!

O.K., back to work!

Thinking Green

In my most recent quest to reduce our family's landfill waste, I have decided to discontinue (mostly) the use of beloved ziplock bags, or "baggies". We are a long time lover of these flexible plastic containers we've used for lunches, leftovers and backpacking. So versatile and functional, but I have come to the realization that they are wreaking havoc on our landfills.

I have also been taking our vegetable leftovers/cuttings and saving them in a container to be dumped into our yard waste trash container. We don't have a place for a compost bin, so I think this is a very good alternative to either using the disposal or throwing in the regular trash bin. Our roll away trash bin is usually 1/3 to 1/4 full most weeks, so I think we are doing a good job. Of course, we can always be better recyclers!




My latest project is a sandwich "wrapper". I used fabric remnants from my local fabric store. The outside is a colorful cotton fabric, inside is plastic coated tablecoth material. Although it is commonly used for covering a table, I'm not sure if it's "food grade", so I use a sheet of wax paper to separate it from the sandwich. The wax paper can be used several times before it can be recycled, it breaks down easily in a compost bin.

The sandwich can be easily wrapped up like a burrito and then it's fastened by a simple velcro "dot". The entire wrap also acts like an insulator and keeps the sandwich fresh for a few hours. I've also used this wrap for pretzels, chips and other snack foods.

Ash Wednesday

Today at 3:15, I'll be going to the school to pick up the kids and get them a treat at Starbucks. After that, we'll be going to the church to participate in their first ever Ash Wednesday service.

The last time I went to an Ash Wednesday service, I believe I was in 6th grade and attending St. Anthony's School. I remember I went to church by myself and walked home afterwards. It was a somber time and I mostly just felt alone. I did not have the support of my parents. They did not take me to church, they told me to go, so I did. Catholic guilt ran rampant in our house. Most of the time I didn't even know or understand what it was that I should feel guilty about.

My hope is that I can teach my children about tradition and reflection during this lent season. They have yet to decide what they will give up, but I have one thing in mind. No arguing! What a peaceful house we would have if there was no bickering, complaining or finger pointing.

Personally, I will be giving up alcohol for this lent season. It should prove to be very challenging and I hope rewarding at the same time. I will be praying for strength and support during these 40 days!

Where to begin?

There is so much going on right now both personally and professionally, I'm not sure where to start and don't want to just put random thoughts out there. I will spin my Wheel of Fortune and make one topic a day.

Topic for Today: Getting Out of Debt

I have been taking the Dave Ramsey Course now with John for three weeks now and we are both so excited about our new "vision". It seems like we've been living in a fog for so long and it feels like we got new glasses and are seeing our spending in a whole new light. I've also made a new piece of artwork... a credit card mosaic!


We've tried to mix our finances before with terrible results, but the way that DR has us set up our accounts, it's easy to see where we need to be and where the money is going. Cash is definitely the way to go. I will be closing my personal checking account today and merging with our newly made joint checking account.

One of our biggest hurdles, however, is that I work freelance and I don't always get paid on time. I spend a large amount of my time just tracking down where the checks are and doing the mailbox dance. I am seriously considering getting a part time job locally for the morning hours and working online at home in the afternoon. I can keep my clients as they are, but still have a solid cash flow. Most of my clients have cut back their spending anyway, so this would be a great way to keep my eggs in different baskets and have a back up plan.

Some options would be Target, Petco, or one of the many restaurants. I'm not really sure that I want to go into the food service, but if the hours are good and the money is consistent, it could work. Seems like people still have money to eat out. We, however, don't go out much at all and will be budgeting a certain amount and keeping within that budget.

The debt snowball plan is so exciting! We had so much fun with that particular spreadsheet! If we are diligent, we could pay off all our debt this year. We will be signing papers to refinance our home next Friday. This is something we wanted to do last year, but we hit a speed bump and it was not possible.

I am praying for a wonderful year with lots of changes for the good. I feel like I need to do something different!! I am active in my church, but need to do more. I'm not sure if a mission trip is in the plan for this year, I need to save up for something next year. Maybe as a family we could all go to Bolivia. I think it would be life changing and a wonderful experience.

I'd like to leave each post with a prayer or bible. This is courtesy of www.verseoftheday.com and I find it so relevant to my focus!

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

God bless you all.

Thinking Positive!

Welcome to my new blog! This year proves to be a gateway year for me and my family as we look forward to the future in a new way ... spiritually, financially and personally.