What I learned from dancing pt. 1

Pinterest.com

When it comes to dancing, I'm like a dance-in-my-living-room-dance-off-with-my-brother-line-dancing-church-"chouting"-type of dancer. And should I mention love line dancing again??? I love line dancing.

Anyway, last night, I went to a dance class with one of my friends from church. The big emphasis was on salsa dancing later that night while we learned some other dance earlier in the night. I was really nervous about the class because I don't really like the whole "dance with a partner" because I haven't been good at it up until this point in my life. I really haven't practiced or done this type of dancing much either...

I really like experiencing new things so that I can have a good story afterward, and I wanted to spend time with my friend...so I went with her to the class. I stepped on a few feet while dancing with the men there, but they were all very gracious. First lesson learned: When you take a risk to do something outside of your comfort zone, there will be nice people to keep you encouraged.

I went to sit down for a minute and struck up a conversation with the guy next to me...

Me: "You dance?"
Him: "I'm fixing my watch".
Me: "So you don't dance." (as a definitive statement not as a question).

My friend walked up. I told her that he didn't dance and that he was "fixing his watch". He cut his eyes at me, and I smiled at him, amused at my own joke.

He got up and took my friend out on the dance floor while another man grabbed me. I sat back down again right after that dance and "Mr. Watch" came back over and said something to the effect of, "Alright, let's go," and extended his hand...

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...

Getting healthy before the doctor appointment

Slimfast.com

One day I ran into my grandma at the grocery store.

Even though she only lived across town, I didn't spend much time with her aside from family gatherings. This all changed during my senior year of high school when I started going to visit my grandparents every week. But anyway... Back to the story...

Loose recap..
Grandma: "I gotta get some celery and boil it and drink the water I boil it in every day for the next week."
Me: "Why?" My curiosity at work..
Grandma: "I'm going to the doctor next week."

I immediately busted out laughing at the idea of trying to "get healthy" before going to the doctor. But now... The struggle is real!

I've been under quite a bit of stress at work, gained 7 lbs, and my face broke out in some acne that I haven't been able to get rid of in the last month. I'm bout to buy some Slim Fast and drink more water before my doctor's appointment at the end of the month. I have to get it together before then!

It tickles me that we often look for a quick fix in life. Hard work? Stress? Who needs it? Ain nobody got time fa dat! But the Lord uses the hard times, the stressful moments, and the tight timeframes to work in us to produce character, perseverance, hope, dependence, and trust in Him. So I'll go through the hard times to get to the glory...

I'm still bout to buy this Slim Fast though!