Time to get serious. Being in debt has hindered our ability to give and serve our community. Jeff and I are on a mission to get out of debt ASAP and begin serving more. We are over half way through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Each class has taught us common sense and we are starting to think and act differently. Becoming an adult is actually fun. :) Our marriage is getting stronger and in turn our kids are getting stronger. There is hope in this world full of sin!
We still suffer from a little bit of "stuffitis." But learning to say no more often has been the best treatment so far.
To learn more about getting out of debt, check out Dave Ramsey's web site. Click Here.
Let's Get Dutch!
My in-laws are a humbled Dutch heritage. They are such a joy to be around. They are a family that enjoys celebrating birthdays and holidays together. There is always good food, good wine and laughter. It really makes me feel blessed. When it comes to money they know about good deals. They are pro bargain shoppers. I admire that in them. I've begun my own ways of becoming a better bargain hunter. About a year and a half ago I joined a web site called Savings Angel. I began grocery shopping in a different way. Matching sales and coupons and building a stocked pantry is challenging yet rewarding. There are times when I get discouraged because of the work involved, but the savings usually encourage me to work harder. My old ways of shopping included making a shopping list of the items we needed. Then going to the store to purchase them. With a family of 5 our grocery bill was anywhere from $150- $200 a week!! Unacceptable in my book! =) I was only really buying store brand products and even shopping at stores like Save a Lot. Now I spend around $50-$100 a week at places like Meijer, Family Fare, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart, and Target. I buy brand name products and we have about 3 times as much food as we did with the old way of shopping. I listed all of those stores, because there are weeks when I shop at 4 different stores. As I said before there is some leg work in this program, but you can save some serious cash doing it. Most weeks I only visit 2 stores.
If you are interested in Savings Angel click this link:
If you're not quite ready to try Savings Angel, but are thinking about starting to use coupons read this blog post called Coupons 101
Living on Love!
What a blessing this life is. There are uncountable blessings in each day. Waking up from a world view on things makes life more pleasant. When you can really rejoice in your suffering and praise God through hard times it makes it easier to go through them. I find myself challenged in new ways whenever I learn something about being a follower of Jesus. It is incredible to hear bible stories that I've heard my whole life and I still get a fresh lesson as if it were the first time I've heard it. That tells you to never stop or give up learning. Especially when it comes to God. The most amazing thing I've learned recently is how to love. There is still lots to learn, but to actually LOVE everyone has made me realize how much work there is to be done in my own heart. I am beginning to recognize when my actions or words are not out of love. Something I would have ignored in the past. I think we all have that inner sense when someone truly loves us. It can even be someone you've never met before. It's like you can feel the truth and warmth in the way they interact or speak to you. I want to be that person. I want to be someone everyone feels welcomed around. I know there are a few things that need to continue to be worked on to get there.
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