God has challenged me to write about how He will supernaturally pay off our mortgage in 5 years. I am a homemaker, my husband is a teacher, and we have three children. Our mortgage balance at the start of this blog is $97,802.62 with a projected payoff date of May 11, 2035.

Sounds foolish, huh? The Bible says that, "...God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;..." So I am choosing to be foolish and trust Him. He's never let me down before.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Worth the Wait

Bed time can be relentless.

I am a morning person...at times a 5:00 in the morning person.  Waking up that early means that at the end of the day (and sometimes before the end of the day) I am spent.  But before I can put myself to bed, I need to put the kids to bed.  Hence my opening statement.

Ross and I share this responsibility.  Most times we'll ask each child who they want to tuck them into bed--Mommy or Daddy.  I was recently joking with a girlfriend of mine about how this is one time that I wish I were not so popular!  "Mommy" is often the response from the kids after which they kiss Daddy good night and my wait begins.

What exactly is the wait you ask?  The wait is the period of time between each child going upstairs and actually being ready to be tucked in.  Sometimes, I know exactly what they are doing during the wait.  Brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, changing into pjs.  But in the case of my daughter, it seems like an unsolved mystery. It may have been a good 15 minutes since she's gone upstairs.  Naturally, I assume that she must have done all she needed to do in that time to be prepared for bed.  I knock on her door.

"Morgan, are you ready to be tucked in?"

"Uh, almost," is usually the response I receive.

"Did you use the bathroom yet?"

"No, not yet."

Ugh!  That means at least another 10 minutes between washing, brushing, etc.  This was the case last evening at bedtime.  I sat on my bed.  My side was turned back, the extra fuzzy blanket I use now that we've been having colder nights was in place.  The only thing missing was me all snuggled into the empty linens. 

As I sat waiting, my mind started thinking about the future.  Started thinking about Morgan dating, Morgan getting married.  I don't want her to succumb to the belief that she is not important enough to wait on.  I want her to feel now, especially as a young woman, that she is worth the wait, worth the time--worth my wait and worth my time. 

Hearing the bathroom door handle, brought me back to present day.  As I heard her approaching my room, I put on a pleasant face to greet her as she stepped into my doorway declaring, "Ready for bed."

Putting her to bed last night, I lingered.  Usually I provide a kiss on the cheek after prayers and high tail it out of there to get to bed or whatever task I have for that evening.  Instead I told her how proud I am of her.  How she even as a young lady has a reputation of kindness and integrity.  How much I love her.  

Monday, October 15, 2012

Finding Hidden Money

Last evening Ross and I had the awesome opportunity to speak with a group about how we got out of consumer debt.  In just under two years, we were able to pay off over $44,000 worth of money owed to creditors.  The reactions expressed last evening when we shared the amount of debt and the timeline until it was paid off, served as a reminder to me that our story is truly a miracle of God.  In the same way, because it is a miracle, He can do it in anyone's life.  Including yours.

One of the topics of discussion was how to find hidden money.  Once found, this money can be put away into savings--a savings of $1000 to be exact.  This cash reserve provides a relief fund for the unexpected expenses that arise in life.  Having this money helps to prevent one from taking on more debt and continuing the vicious cycle of funding expenses with credit.

I thought it would be handy to list some sources of hidden money for you to consider if you, too, are in a season of wanting to demolish the debts that you owe.  If this is helpful to you, or if you have additional suggestions, please feel free to comment.  Thanks for reading!

  • Spare change--Lots of people let loose change accumulate in their car, on their counter tops, and in other places.  Take this found money to your bank's coin counting machine and cash in!
  • Late fees--Avoid them by paying your bills on time.  Our late fees would set us back $35 a pop.  My guess is that they are a lot more hefty nowadays.
  • Add money to your monthly budget by taking as many exemptions as possible.  You can do this by working with your employer's HR personnel.  Your goal should be to not owe income taxes and to receive a smaller income tax return because more of that money is staying in your paycheck.
  • Buy term insurance instead of whole life.  Term is cheap.  Whole life tends to be more expensive because it serves as an insurance and an investment.  When you are in debt, your immediate goal is not to invest--it is to get out of debt.
  • Decrease your car travel.  Living in Harrisburg, I know many people who have ties to Philadelphia and will go there regularly to visit loved ones and to shop at places they like.  I'm proposing that unnecessary trips be eliminated so as to minimize gas expenses.
  • Sell your stuff!  The new dress that's been in your closet for five years, the old baseball cards, the framed art from your Aunt Martha gathering dust in the basement...there are people out there willing to pay for your it.  Craigslist, eBay, and even a site on Facebook allow you to sell your items without having to arrange for a yard sale.
  • Don't buy fundraisers (temporarily at least).  Remember you are in debt--you need to be the fund raiser :-)
  • Work to minimize your utility costs.  Our utility's website provided a breakdown of our home's energy allocations and suggestions for decreasing our bill by making simple changes in our house.


Tuesday, October 9, 2012

One Small Step for Man...

Looking at my fireplace today, I was reminded of when our daughter was a baby.  Built out from the floor of the fireplace is a ledge of bricks about four feet in length and maybe 2 inches high. 

As new parents we were determined to keep her away from that ledge.  Our minds swirled as we envisioned our beautiful baby girl with a big, ugly gash on her head from falling onto those bricks.  But try as we might, she would always find her way back to them.

One day, much to our surprise, she stepped up onto the ledge of bricks, and then stepped down off of them!  Because she was still pretty clumsy at walking, this was a major feat for her--and we let her know it.  We applauded as if she had just performed her first piano concerto.  And, like most kids, she offered the courtesy of performing encore after encore to sounds of our applause.

I thought today about how things would have been different if we had kept her away from the bricks, the hard things.  She wouldn't have developed in her mobility skills as quickly as she did.  She wouldn't have the confidence that she did to even try to maneuver herself down from those bricks.  In the same way, the contact that we have in our lives with hard things (our bricks) cause us to grow and develop in godliness.  Yes, it can be scary to us and to others.  But when we take those small steps to mature in our faith, God moves in leaps and bounds in our lives.