How I saved $1,000 this year pt. 2

Marketwatch.com

...So I took the Financial Peace University class with a girl I knew from my church. It was challenging, inspiring, and pretty fun! We took it at another church because their class schedule worked well for us. We learned the tools that we needed to be think about money God's way including how to:

- set a budget and stick to it
- get out of debt
- save for emergencies and other important purchases,
- invest, and
- give.

The class just really helped me to think outside of my box of how money works and to see possibilities that I never thought of. I learned how to do more with less money in my pocket while saving more in a higher interest savings account. This has been both challenging and awesome! It took a whole lotta discipline and accountability. I now meet with the girl from my church once a month to go over our budgets, goals, exciting money updates, and bitter money failures.

During that class and in the months following, I paid off over $4,000 of debt, completely taking me out of debt. I saved $1,000 for emergencies, then used the money and had to build back up over $1,000 this year.

Now, here's how I saved the $1,000:

I set a budget and have limited the amount of cash (yes, cash) that I can use each month to buy groceries, eat out, hang out with friends, get my hair done, etc...and I've stuck to it for several months. A few slip ups here and there, but I get right back on the bus. I also put aside enough money each month to saved $1,000 this year. By doing that, I've come to the end of the year with over $1,000 in savings, instead of coming to the end of the year with nothing to show for it as I used to! I have also saved for vacation!

Have you taken Financial Peace University? You should check it out! It's a great class (other people are talking about as well!) that I'm sure will change your life, too! Tell 'em I sent you!

How I saved $1,000 this year pt. 1

MarketWatch.com

At the end of 2014, I was in quite a bit of personal debt. I'd started trying to keep up with the Joneses on a non-profit salary. I wasn't saving money and was giving money away. I had no idea how much money I was really spending except I watched my bank account closely enough to know that I wasn't overdrafting.

I had a lot of credit cards. I would open an account in a second just to get the discount for applying or the reward that was promised. Not paying off the balance each month sure added a lot of fees. If I had a car repair or some unforeseen expense, I'd charge it.

For a co-worker and I, this was the first time that we'd made "this much" money. She pitched the idea of us making budgets and holding ourselves accountable. Sounded good but I was lazy about tracking my spending and was not up to speed on Smart phones or apps at that time... Still not too technologically savvy now.

I kept hearing about Dave Ramsey and this "Financial Peace University" class. My roommate encouraged me to take it because she took it and it really changed the way she started to relate to/with money.
Since she offered to let me use her book and materials, the class would be free for me...

Wanting to give up

My current job is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. 

There are so many people who are hurting and need our help. Many times, "those people" are ourselves. When you are fighting for things to change so that people are no longer treated as "throwaways" the dominant culture doesn't usually change and do the right thing overnight. 

I have wanted to give up so many times. Part of me doesn’t understand why I just haven’t quit. Another part of me knows that I have stubborn, dogged, determination. I don’t want my stubbornness to drag my organization down though. 

I’m so stressed and tired and want to just give up and let "Pharaoh" win. I can better understand why the Israelites groaned and complained and figured it would have been easier to stay slaves in Egypt – at least they knew what to expect being a slave. They knew the ups and downs and what it would take to get by. Going through the wilderness to get to a land that’s promised to you is hard when you can’t see past the day-to-day. 

Oh, but when I look beyond my current circumstances, I can see the land that flows with milk and honey! When I can believe without a shadow of a doubt that the same God who brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand will bring us into the promised land no matter what the naysayers are saying, have said, keep saying…when I can look to the hills from where my help comes from, when I can hold to God’s unchanging hand and His promises and when I know that I know that I KNOW that He’s gonna work it out no matter what it looks like, no matter what it feels like...then and only then will I be able to lead the people there!!!!

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