Hope

"Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

— Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

What happened?

We were doing so well.

Our last credit card was going to paid off March 15th. Our very last debt was scheduled to be paid off the day before our 19th wedding anniversary. We have been living on a budget, throwing everything we had into our debts. Beans and rice, rice and beans all the way.

We are teaching our second Financial Peace class and feel like we've made a positive impact on the folks who attended. I was going to see Dave live in April for his Entreleadership class where my only expense was going to be the hotel and gas. And, I have been diligently checking Dave's website on when the volunteer applications would be accepted to work the program the day before I took my Entreleadership class.

I was looking into what it would take to home school the kids because I am unhappy with their school system. After researching it, I found that it would take anywhere from $150-$300 a month to fund their books and materials as well as tutors. Piece of cake..

Well "it" just hit the fan.

John has until the end of March to find another position in his company. If he doesn't get hired, he only has a few weeks of severance before we are on our "own".

The cat is at the vet after getting attacked by the dog. $426.15 is going out of our checking account for that. And, the dog bit my hand in the process. It hurts horribly and is still swollen. Thank goodness the rabies shots were up to date.

The other cat is puking in the hall. Sympathy pains?

I guess the upsides are:
We have $47,000 less debt than we had before plus we can start stockpiling our money now.
I received a free bible in the mail today. It's beautiful.
I have lots of work, new clients to tend to.

Trust in the Lord. Pray. Pray. Pray.

Teaching my first coupon class!

We'll see how it goes. It's only for a half an hour and I doubt if I'll be able to cover everything, but I'd like to stress a few things....

The idea behind using coupons is to purchase items YOU USE at drastically lower prices than you would normally buy them at.

You cannot be brand loyal.

Shop early when there's a sale. Stores don't always stock up enough of the best sale items. Don't take it all. If the item is gone, ask for a raincheck for as many as you think you might purchase. Rainchecks normally never expire.

Be kind to the cashier. Tell them up front if you are going to make more than one transaction. If there is a line of shoppers be patient and wait for them to pay for their items before you check out.

The Sunday newspaper inserts are the best place to get your coupons.

Ask neighbors and friends if you can have their coupons. Stock pile as many as you can. If you know that the Sunday paper will have 5 or more inserts and they are usable, think about purchasing an extra paper at the drug store.

Only print out coupons if you know you are going to use that one in particular. Toner and paper are expensive and coupons, unfortunately, expire.

Shop the grocery sales, buy what's on sale and make your menu for the week with what you purchased. Keep an inventory on your fridge so you know what you have to work with.

Follow blogs like www.mycouponteacher.com. She will let you know the sales and coupons before they come out. She also matches the coupons to the stores with prices. It is unnecessary to pay for a coupon service. You can do this on your own.

Day Two of Lent

It's day two already! I am trying so hard to be motivated and was able to finish one of my ads that I've been putting off for two days now. I'm on a roll!

I love lent and changing perspective. I am disappointed that I was unable to go to Ash Wednesday services but am happy that we were able to go mentor one of our FPU students. This really seemed more important, anyway.

Today is a day of short prayers, reflection and motivation.

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.