The other day I was asking my 12-year old son what items he would like for me to pick up at the grocery store for his school lunches. He asked if I would get some snacks like the ones I normally get. They come in individualized bags but are sold separately instead of in a multi-pack. I find them at the grocery outlets I shop at and they are anywhere from 4 for $1 to 8 for $1. The price is on a sticker attached to each bag.
"Already got them on my list," I told him.
Then he said, "Yeah, the kids call them 'poor chips'."
"Why do they call 'em 'poor chips'?" I asked trying to get a sense of whether this was bothersome to him or not (which is tough to do with his personality).
"I don't know." His typical answer.
"Wait, are these the same kids who trade food with you at the lunch table?" I countered.
"Yeah. They'll be like, 'I'll give you my drink for your poor chips'."
Just then my 13-year old pipes up. "Yeah, my friends like the snacks that I bring for lunch, too. They always trade me for their school lunch stuff."
When I was growing up 25 cent chips (or 13 cent chips for that matter) would not have been cool. But in the same middle school cafeteria that I sat in over 25 years ago what's cool has changed. Imagine that!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
My Many Miracles
I haven't talked in a while about my mortgage. After all, the original aim of this blog was to show anyone who may read it the miracle I am trusting God to do--paying off our mortgage in five years. We are currently in year two. September of 2014 will be three years. The mortgage balance is at $91,332.42 and I am still trusting God.
The reason that I can post about so many things aside from my mortgage is because God is so good! He constantly blesses me, teaches me, and rebukes me as a good Father should. If I were to look only at what I don't see happening in my mortgage balance, I would be missing all that I do see happening around me on a daily basis. My neighbor's two-year prayer answered. My seven-year old's sorrow in lying. Finding freedom from fear. A warmth inside of me that cannot be taken on a 20 degree day.
I look forward to seeing how and when God will pay off my mortgage, there's no doubt about that. But in the meantime I am content in seeing the daily miracles that remind me of His faithfulness.
The reason that I can post about so many things aside from my mortgage is because God is so good! He constantly blesses me, teaches me, and rebukes me as a good Father should. If I were to look only at what I don't see happening in my mortgage balance, I would be missing all that I do see happening around me on a daily basis. My neighbor's two-year prayer answered. My seven-year old's sorrow in lying. Finding freedom from fear. A warmth inside of me that cannot be taken on a 20 degree day.
I look forward to seeing how and when God will pay off my mortgage, there's no doubt about that. But in the meantime I am content in seeing the daily miracles that remind me of His faithfulness.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Healthy Wealthy and Wise Interview
Ross and I were interviewed last month on the internet radio program "Healthy Wealthy and Wise". The show shares with listeners how to be physically, financially, and spiritually fit.
The segment that we participated in dealt with the financial realm of health (surprise, surprise :-) We share about why we made the decision to get out of debt and the emotional issues that occurred along with that decision. May the Lord use our words to grow His Kingdom.
Healthy Wealthy and Wise (finances)
The segment that we participated in dealt with the financial realm of health (surprise, surprise :-) We share about why we made the decision to get out of debt and the emotional issues that occurred along with that decision. May the Lord use our words to grow His Kingdom.
Healthy Wealthy and Wise (finances)
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Lost and Found
Over the Thanksgiving break we went to my in-laws home to celebrate the holiday with family. It is always an enjoyable occasion as they truly sacrifice their time and their home to our family so that we can have some R&R.
In spite of their hospitality and my excitement about going, I always tend to leave for the trip holding my breath. Leaving our normal family routine of chores, little to no t.v. viewing, and regular bedtimes can cause all of us to become a little selfish. I'd like to think that it's just the kids fighting over the remote or absentmindedly leaving dishes lying around. But Ross and I can overindulge in laziness just as easily as the kids. I feel like we become lost...looking for what we can get rather than looking for what we can give.
Our family rotates holidays between two sets of grandparents which means we will not be with my in-laws for Christmas. Therefore, we have a tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts during our Thanksgiving time with them. This year, we each received $100 from them to spend as we wanted--a huge blessing.
We went shopping on Friday. I took Morgan to look at some clothes in one of the department stores and Ross took the boys to go and look at some items in another department store. We met back about an hour and a half later. Looking at Ross I could tell that he was upset. Morgan and I were late in arriving, but his face conveyed that this was not the entire reason he was angry. My eyes scanned the rest of the party for clues as to what had happened. Hunter had a shopping bag and seemed fine. Then I looked down to Blaise whose face was downcast. Instantly I knew what had happened, but asked the question anyway.
"Why does everyone seem so down?"
"Because someone lost his money," my husband retorted.
Right on cue Blaise came over to me and buried his head in my stomach. 'Oh, no,' I thought. 'How do we handle this?'
We let Morgan and Hunter go off by themselves to look around the mall while we stayed with Blaise. Ross recounted to me what had happened, the places they had already searched, and the frustration he was understandably feeling. Blaise is a kid who does whatever he does with gusto. Somehow in the midst of him doing something his money got lost. An accident, yes, but unfortunately one that came at a big price! After talking about it, we decided that we would handle the situation this way: anyone in the family who wanted to could give Blaise $20 of their money. But only if they wanted to do so. Ross joked with me and asked, "What if he only gets $20?" "From who? You?" I joked back.
After finishing up at the mall, we walked out to the van, got in, and Ross shared with the kids what we had decided. Immediately, both Morgan and Hunter, piped up and said "Okay" and passed their money forward. Immediately. Not begrudgingly, not with an attitude, not with a comment or question. Almost instinctively. I cannot express how proud I was in that moment to be the mom of my kids.
Right then and there my heart rested in knowing that what I thought was lost had been found.
In spite of their hospitality and my excitement about going, I always tend to leave for the trip holding my breath. Leaving our normal family routine of chores, little to no t.v. viewing, and regular bedtimes can cause all of us to become a little selfish. I'd like to think that it's just the kids fighting over the remote or absentmindedly leaving dishes lying around. But Ross and I can overindulge in laziness just as easily as the kids. I feel like we become lost...looking for what we can get rather than looking for what we can give.
Our family rotates holidays between two sets of grandparents which means we will not be with my in-laws for Christmas. Therefore, we have a tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts during our Thanksgiving time with them. This year, we each received $100 from them to spend as we wanted--a huge blessing.
We went shopping on Friday. I took Morgan to look at some clothes in one of the department stores and Ross took the boys to go and look at some items in another department store. We met back about an hour and a half later. Looking at Ross I could tell that he was upset. Morgan and I were late in arriving, but his face conveyed that this was not the entire reason he was angry. My eyes scanned the rest of the party for clues as to what had happened. Hunter had a shopping bag and seemed fine. Then I looked down to Blaise whose face was downcast. Instantly I knew what had happened, but asked the question anyway.
"Why does everyone seem so down?"
"Because someone lost his money," my husband retorted.
Right on cue Blaise came over to me and buried his head in my stomach. 'Oh, no,' I thought. 'How do we handle this?'
We let Morgan and Hunter go off by themselves to look around the mall while we stayed with Blaise. Ross recounted to me what had happened, the places they had already searched, and the frustration he was understandably feeling. Blaise is a kid who does whatever he does with gusto. Somehow in the midst of him doing something his money got lost. An accident, yes, but unfortunately one that came at a big price! After talking about it, we decided that we would handle the situation this way: anyone in the family who wanted to could give Blaise $20 of their money. But only if they wanted to do so. Ross joked with me and asked, "What if he only gets $20?" "From who? You?" I joked back.
After finishing up at the mall, we walked out to the van, got in, and Ross shared with the kids what we had decided. Immediately, both Morgan and Hunter, piped up and said "Okay" and passed their money forward. Immediately. Not begrudgingly, not with an attitude, not with a comment or question. Almost instinctively. I cannot express how proud I was in that moment to be the mom of my kids.
Right then and there my heart rested in knowing that what I thought was lost had been found.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Car Talk
Our car is getting older. It is a 2001 model. Needless to say I've been thinking about the next vehicle that we might purchase and exactly how we would purchase that vehicle.
We have savings enough to cover expenses for at least three months if Ross were to lose his job. We are consumer debt-free and don't want to go back into debt to pay for a new car. So in October we decided to create an additional savings account for a vehicle.
So far there is just about $100 in the fund. It seemed almost embarrassing at first to have an account for a car with so little money in it. But God reminded me that no money will be saved if I do not open an account in the first place. So I did my job of opening it and I'll let God do his job of filling it up.
Today I went into the bank and saw the guy behind the counter working that had waited on me the last time I made my deposit into our "car fund", which is how it's labeled. I secretly hoped that he wouldn't be the one to wait on me again as I made my meager deposit of $20 into the account. But wouldn't you know it, "I can help the next person in line," he calls to me.
"I'd like to make some deposits," I say as confidently as possible. I had some other money to put back into the bank as well. I plug in the numbers for my account as his eyes scanned the screen.
"Ah, yes, the car account, I remember," he said knowingly.
"Yep, we're saving up for our next car."
"You know we can help you reach that goal in less than 24 hours. Have you seen our interest rates lately?"
"No I haven't," I answer politely.
"2.99% for any loans up to 3 years."
"We don't want a loan. We want to buy a car with cash," I answer with a smile.
He nods and doesn't press the issue. Surely he saw what I did. Only $100 in the bank...But isn't it just like God to bring about such a conversation with this particular teller so that He can be glorified in seeing what only God can do.
We have savings enough to cover expenses for at least three months if Ross were to lose his job. We are consumer debt-free and don't want to go back into debt to pay for a new car. So in October we decided to create an additional savings account for a vehicle.
So far there is just about $100 in the fund. It seemed almost embarrassing at first to have an account for a car with so little money in it. But God reminded me that no money will be saved if I do not open an account in the first place. So I did my job of opening it and I'll let God do his job of filling it up.
Today I went into the bank and saw the guy behind the counter working that had waited on me the last time I made my deposit into our "car fund", which is how it's labeled. I secretly hoped that he wouldn't be the one to wait on me again as I made my meager deposit of $20 into the account. But wouldn't you know it, "I can help the next person in line," he calls to me.
"I'd like to make some deposits," I say as confidently as possible. I had some other money to put back into the bank as well. I plug in the numbers for my account as his eyes scanned the screen.
"Ah, yes, the car account, I remember," he said knowingly.
"Yep, we're saving up for our next car."
"You know we can help you reach that goal in less than 24 hours. Have you seen our interest rates lately?"
"No I haven't," I answer politely.
"2.99% for any loans up to 3 years."
"We don't want a loan. We want to buy a car with cash," I answer with a smile.
He nods and doesn't press the issue. Surely he saw what I did. Only $100 in the bank...But isn't it just like God to bring about such a conversation with this particular teller so that He can be glorified in seeing what only God can do.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Bottom Line
For the past year I have been mentoring a woman in managing her personal finances.
I first met her during a talk that I gave to young adults. She is a middle-aged woman but was invited to the talk by a younger friend of hers. After I spoke, she asked if we could meet individually so that I could review her current situation and see if there was anything she could do differently. I have to admit that I was kind of intimidated. During my talk she interjected on several occasions to discuss tips that she was already implementing to save money. From what she shared, it seemed like she was doing plenty to cut back in spending. What did I possibly have to offer her?
We ended up meeting about three months later, about a month into the new year. She told me what her monthly expenses were, showed me what debt she owed, etc. Then she told me that she had just received her income tax return.
"That's great," I said after seeing that she had received a little over $3,000. "What do you have left?"
"Nothing," she replied. "I put it all towards the bills."
"What did you pay?" I asked.
"I paid off my rent for the next four months and paid off some of my debts."
My heart sank. I was thankful that she had a mind to pay bills, but how unfortunate that she had made paying her rent in advance a priority. Let me explain...
Rent does not have interest. When someone rents, that bill comes around every month. It doesn't go away unless the person moves. Debt (i.e. loans) do have interest and do go away once they are paid off. The interest on a debt can make paying it off cost more than the original debt itself. Therefore, when there is an opportunity to put a large chunk of money towards a debt, DO IT!
My friend equated security with having the roof over her head taken care of for a couple months. Also, it was her largest monthly bill. So in her mind she probably felt some peace in knowing that this big payment was taken care of for a while. She was thinking in the present rather than in the future.
Last month when she and I met, we discussed the upcoming income tax payment that she is expecting to receive. We did an exercise where each of her debts were listed on a piece of paper and she said which ones that she would pay with hypothetical amounts of money given as a refund. Before declaring what money would got towards debt and spending, we first made sure to calculate what the tithe would be.
It always amazes me the difference between what a person is saying about what they do with their money versus what they are actually doing with their money. I am not judging because I can be a culprit of this paradox as well. The bottom line is we all have lessons that we can learn about how to be better stewards of the money with which God entrusts us.
I first met her during a talk that I gave to young adults. She is a middle-aged woman but was invited to the talk by a younger friend of hers. After I spoke, she asked if we could meet individually so that I could review her current situation and see if there was anything she could do differently. I have to admit that I was kind of intimidated. During my talk she interjected on several occasions to discuss tips that she was already implementing to save money. From what she shared, it seemed like she was doing plenty to cut back in spending. What did I possibly have to offer her?
We ended up meeting about three months later, about a month into the new year. She told me what her monthly expenses were, showed me what debt she owed, etc. Then she told me that she had just received her income tax return.
"That's great," I said after seeing that she had received a little over $3,000. "What do you have left?"
"Nothing," she replied. "I put it all towards the bills."
"What did you pay?" I asked.
"I paid off my rent for the next four months and paid off some of my debts."
My heart sank. I was thankful that she had a mind to pay bills, but how unfortunate that she had made paying her rent in advance a priority. Let me explain...
Rent does not have interest. When someone rents, that bill comes around every month. It doesn't go away unless the person moves. Debt (i.e. loans) do have interest and do go away once they are paid off. The interest on a debt can make paying it off cost more than the original debt itself. Therefore, when there is an opportunity to put a large chunk of money towards a debt, DO IT!
My friend equated security with having the roof over her head taken care of for a couple months. Also, it was her largest monthly bill. So in her mind she probably felt some peace in knowing that this big payment was taken care of for a while. She was thinking in the present rather than in the future.
Last month when she and I met, we discussed the upcoming income tax payment that she is expecting to receive. We did an exercise where each of her debts were listed on a piece of paper and she said which ones that she would pay with hypothetical amounts of money given as a refund. Before declaring what money would got towards debt and spending, we first made sure to calculate what the tithe would be.
It always amazes me the difference between what a person is saying about what they do with their money versus what they are actually doing with their money. I am not judging because I can be a culprit of this paradox as well. The bottom line is we all have lessons that we can learn about how to be better stewards of the money with which God entrusts us.
Bus Stop
Coming in this morning from my second grader's bus stop, God reminded me of something I take for granted. All of the families who are regulars at are bus stop are believers in Jesus. It is not uncommon for us to have conversations about the goodness of God, share about what He has been teaching us in our lives, as well as pray for each other right there on that corner.
Including ours, their are a total of five families represented at the bus stop. Our kids play together in the afternoons and see our faith lived out as we encounter life's difficulties.
During our conversations while we wait for the bus, our kids are playing, laughing, but also listening. They hear the prayer requests, they know the struggles, they sense the problems. Then later down the road they hear of the triumphs, see the successes, and witness the miracles. They are getting it.
On more than one occasion I have lamented over the fact that I have not been consistent in training my children to read the Bible for themselves. But today I am reminded that actions can speak louder than words.
Including ours, their are a total of five families represented at the bus stop. Our kids play together in the afternoons and see our faith lived out as we encounter life's difficulties.
During our conversations while we wait for the bus, our kids are playing, laughing, but also listening. They hear the prayer requests, they know the struggles, they sense the problems. Then later down the road they hear of the triumphs, see the successes, and witness the miracles. They are getting it.
On more than one occasion I have lamented over the fact that I have not been consistent in training my children to read the Bible for themselves. But today I am reminded that actions can speak louder than words.
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