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...

You doing what?

Hello there!  We all probably know someone who we claim is "DOING TOO MUCH."  Y'all know what I'm talkin' 'bout! Example...let's call him Bro. Fantastic:  a dude that works 50 hours a week as a nurse in the children's ward, volunteers each week tutoring a child, is a Big Brother in Big Brothers Big Sisters, active in his church planning youth events and teaching the youth class in Sunday School, actually has a relationship with the Lord, disciplin' a dude from the youth ministry, spends a few hours every Saturday either takin' his grandma grocery shopping or visiting the sick and shut-in and sharing the Gospel wit da young brothas he runs into in da neighborhood.  


UM....HELLO??!?! He's doing A LOT!  You may be thinking, "Ok so he must have EXTRA brownie points wit Jesus.  Peter is ALREADY waitin' for him at da Pearly Gates to give him a personal tour around New Jerusalem that includes a chariot-ride with St. Paul 'n nem.  Mmm-hmm..." 

Green with Envy

Hello there!  Do you live on the East Coast like I do?  If so...YOOOO...did you feel that earthquake or the tremors from it?  That was ridiculously startling!  Whew!  I was sitting on the bed when that mattress began wobbling and I thought, "Oh no! Is this THE DAY?!" I started asking for forgiveness and ALL THAT just IN CASE I'd forgotten to confess something. Ha-ha-ha!  He's still coming back one day...I'm just glad it wasn't that day! But we should actually eagerly await the return of Christ and especially the rapture before the Tribulation...

Then today came and I looked at my news feed on Facebook and saw all these seemingly exciting things that were happening in the lives of my friends and I became envious.  While things are picking up on the missionary front and my life has been satisfyingly busy at the moment, I still found myself envying my friends' profile pictures in exotic places and the "cool people" it seemed like they were hanging out with and how happy they seemed to be.  With pictures and news of weddings, engagements, babies, statuses about how happy some were to be married or how some had enjoyed the day with his/her significant other, family vacay photos, road trips and such...I began to think that my own life was hum-drum and a bit...*gasps!* boring.  I even kind of mentally rolled my eyes a little and thought, "They can't be THAT happy." Then I thought, "What am I doing?! Why am I thinking this?!" I also asked the Lord to forgive me for envying others. I'm happy that my friends are enjoying their lives and the things/opportunities God has blessed them with!

I also started to think about the many goals and dreams the Lord has placed in my heart and mind.  So many that I almost feel like I will need TWO lifetimes to do all of those things.  But ya know what?  The God who gave me those goals and dreams knows exactly how long my life will be and what things I really will accomplish.  I praise Him for giving me those desires.  Even if I don't accomplish them all on this side of glory, I know that He will still be glorified.  Maybe I'll just have to write all of them down so that many other people can see the vision and become a part of what God is doing in my life and what He can do in theirs...

Til next time,
U.M.