January 31

Well we made it through the first month of our new budget.  I'm really pleased with the results so far. I think we are making much better decisions about when to spend and when not to spend.  I feel like I know what I'm doing with money now.  In the past, I didn't worry about money, but I didn't know if I was making the right decisions or not.  Now I have confidence that I'm making the right decisions.  I've already made up the new budget for next month figuring in the deductions for retirement that will begin soon.  I also figured in 5% for savings.  We have to do better about saving each month.  I'm really pleased we're getting back on the right track with retirement and savings.

There are rumors flying around at my work that my job could be affected by budget cuts.  I really hope I can keep my job and stay on the same pay scale but whatever happens, I think we would be able to budget the income and make do.  I feel like we have the tools to do that now.

January 16

Yesterday, I did it.  I filled out and put in the mail the paperwork to start up deferred compensation retirement deductions.  Although I'm a little nervous about what this will do to my take home pay, I'm confident that it is the right thing to do right now.  We bought a couch yesterday.  I have hated the couch in our lower level for the longest time.  It was dirty, ugly, held together with tape and very uncomfortable.  It was a great source of embarassment.  The kids and I never wanted anyone to see it.  So yesterday morning,  Dan and I were sitting on it and I said that I would like to redo the room someday and we should begin to think about what we would want it to look like.  I was thinking like two years down the road because we are in money saving mode and would only pay for a new couch with cash.  Later, when we were on our way to Aldi, we stopped at a thrift store to look for a twin bed frame.  There we saw a couch perfect for our room.  We wanted a double recliner but those are so heavy and would be hard to transport home and get through our hallway, around the corners, down the stairs, etc.  This couch is a long, double recliner in 4 pieces.  We paid $270 for it.  Dan brought it home, one piece at a time, in the back of the Rav 4.  It was easy to get into the room.  It looks great.  It's a green and burgundy plaid which adds some much needed color to the room.  It's very comfortable.  Today after church, Hannah, Sean, Rachel and I were all stretched out on it together and had plenty of room.  God lead us to the perfect couch for us.  We are blessed.

January 12

I found the address and sent a check to the missionary couple I had been thinking of.  Later on today, I called the financial aid office at Hannah's college.  Hannah had an academic scholarship her freshman year but ended up with a cum. GPA of 3.13 and didn't get it for this year.  She got a letter yesterday saying she made the Dean's list for Fall semester (3.76).  Her cum. GPA came up to 3.33.  Financial aid told me they would give her half of the scholarship for the rest of this year.  She wouldn't have gotten it if we hadn't asked.  That really helps us out.

Day Nine

Today, Hannah's friend, Rachel, was baptized.  I had a party for her afterward.  I'm so glad I did it.  The girls and their friends, including a young couple and their 3 small children, were in the dining room.  Dan, and I and the older people were sitting in the living room.  I think there were about 15 total.  We had a great time.  If I hadn't had the party, the girls probably would have gone out for lunch to a restaurant.  The young couple probably wouldn't have been able to go.  For a fraction of what it would have cost them at a restaurant, 15 of us had a great party.

Day Eight

Dan bought some things for the house today, like salt for the water softener, but also an electric drill he needs to do a repair.  We're counting it as a household item.  He does get a $25 rebate on it.  I made iced peach tea for Sean today.  When I was at the grocery store yesterday I noticed the bottles of flavored tea Sean likes was 10 for $10.  I would have bought that in the past.  Instead I looked for peach juice.  I found a bottle that was over $4, it was the only one in the juice aisle.  I contemplated buying it but decided it just doesn't fit in the budget.  Then when I was in the international food aisle, I saw a carton of peach nectar for $1.42.  I bought it and used about a third of it to make a large pitcher of iced peach tea.

Day Seven

Returned the cake stand I bought to Pier One Imports.  Now I feel back on track.  I called my deferred compensation place today to start up contributions for retirement again.  When I worked for Dayton Public Schools, I had the maximum allowed taken out of my paycheck each pay.  Then I took a pay cut to go work in Xenia so I let it go.  I've been meaning to start it back up for years but with paying Hannah's college tuition I just didn't think we could take a deduction to my take home pay.  It's definitely time.  Clark Howard and Dave Ramesy both say saving for retirement comes before paying for tuition.  I think we can do a good job of budgeting and live on less and still keep up with tuition payments.  Tonight Dan texted from work and said he wanted to take the family out to dinner.  I was worried we'd go over our budget and knew I could easily cook dinner, but Dan works hard every day and I thought that if he wants to go out with his family he should be able to.  So we went to Palermo's.  We got there at 5:15 and Hannah happened to notice on the back of the menu it said the early bird, buy one get one half price, goes until 5:30.  What a blessing!  That definitely helped with the budget and we enjoyed being out together.

Day Six

Today after running errands, I returned a Christmas gift I received to Pier One Imports.  They gave me in store credit.  Since I never go in there, I figured I better use it today.  I told them I was looking for a three tiered server that I could use for mini-cupcakes.  The sales lady showed me three cake stands that you stack.  Since I already have a large cake stand, I decided to get the medium one and small one.  The credit covered the small one, so I only had to pay for the medium one.  I was kicking myself all the way home because I had made a commitment to not buy anything new this year.  I felt really bad at how quickly I bought it without any thought.  When I got home I realized the medium one was the exact same size as my cake stand and looked really stupid on top of it.  The small one looks great though and is exactly what I wanted.  The medium one is going back to the store tomorrow and I'm getting the money back.  The small one was a gift so I'm still true to my commitment of nothing new in 2011.

Hannah and Sean went back to Plato's Closet today.  Sean got khaki pants that he needs for school for $10.  He also got two shirts for $12.  Hannah got a pair of brown flat shoes for $8.  They're fine with buying used.

Day Five

Sean told me he saw some flannel shirts at Plato's Closet that he wanted to get.  I told him he had enough flannel shirts and that if he wanted to buy one, he would have to pay for it himself.  He said he didn't have any money and I reminded him I gave him $10 on Monday.  He said, "that's my lunch money".  I told him to pack his lunch and use that money for a shirt.  So today I packed him a lunch.  I think this was a good lesson for him.

Dan told me today he will only be getting paid once-a-month now that he has a new employer.  That should be interesting.  Good thing we're on a budget now.

Day Four

I've been cooking oatmeal and then putting it into single serving microwaveable bowls to have for breakfasts.  No more packets of instant oatmeal.  I bought a jar of applesauce and a can of peaches at Aldi to make my own chunky peach applesauce.  It's good on the oatmeal.  Sean came home from the One Thing conference saying he wanted a certain winter coat.  He needs a coat and normally I would have taken him to the store to look for one, but instead I told him he had to either get a used one or buy a new one himself.  Today, he and Hannah went to Plato's Closet and he found a great coat for $18.  It's perfect and looks great on him.  I gladly paid for it.

Sean and I went and got haircuts today.  I did not pay with the credit card as I've always done in the past.  Everyone at the salon was talking about the mega million lottery drawing tonight.  I did something stupid on the way home, I went through the drive thru and got 4 tickets.  I realize I'm on a journey this year and need to go through the journey and not look for an easy way out.

This morning I increased the amount we give monthly to missionaries from our church.  I need to find an address for another couple to whom I would like to send a gift.  God blesses us to bless others.

Day Three

This morning I picked up a book Hannah and Sean brought back from the One Thing conference, 7 Commitments of a Forerunner by Mike Bickle.  I read chapter 6 "Give Extravagantly".  It gives God pleasure when his people give, "His eyes look to and fro across the earth for people who will trust Him enough with their money that they give extravagantly as a lifestyle".  That reminded me of a part of the booklet I read yesterday where it talked about the gentile Centurion in Acts chapter 10.  God was pleased with his alms giving and sent an angel and an apostle to his house to share the gospel and the whole household was saved.  I want to decrease my lifestyle so I can increase my giving. 

Today I made homemade enchilada sauce and then bean and cheese enchiladas for dinner.  They were great.  All the ingredients came from Aldi.  Aldi doesn't have canned enchilada sauce, so I went to allrecipes.com and learned how to make my own.  Easy and delicious.

Day Two

Today, Dan and I made the effort to go to the grocery store together.  Our plan is to go together once-a-week.  Nor more random trips and no random stuff.  From now on, we will stay within our budget, pay for groceries with cash, and only buy the things we need for planned meals.  On our way to the store, we stopped at Crestview so Dan could do a PRN evaluation.  While I waited for him, I sat in the therapy room and read the booklet The Divine Economy by Wendell Smith.  It's interesting that God brought his people out of Egypt - the land of not enough (Deuteronomy 26:7) where they were in bondage, to the wilderness where he provided for everything they needed - the land of just enough (Deuteronomy 29:5), to the promised land - the land of more than enough.  That's symbolic of our own spiritual journey, from bondage to sin, to walking with and depending on the Lord, to blessing and prosperity.  The Lord always intended His people to have more than they needed to share with others, as a sign of the Father's blessing on His children.  The blessing was always for the purpose of blessing others.  God made a covenant with Abraham to bless him and bless all nations through him.  The blessing was tangible resources to do the work of God.  Through faith in Christ, we become the seed of Abraham and inherit everything the Lord promised him.  "If you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29).  I am Abraham's seed.  God will prosper me to help the poor and to help spread the Gospel.

Day One

Day one of the Total Money Makeover.  I gave Dan the book by Dave Ramsey for Christmas and read it in just a couple days.  I learned so much.  Dan and I have decided we will not buy anything new in 2011.  It will be interesting to see how that goes this year.  I have figured out a budget and we will work through the "baby steps" from the book.

So yesterday, Dec. 31, I paid off our credit card bill.  The bill goes from mid-Nov. to mid-Dec.. We get the bill at the end of December and normally I would wait until it's due in mid-Jan. to pay it.  From now on, I will pay the bill as soon as it arrives.  No more paying for last month's stuff with this month's money.  Today I had to run to the store to get the communion elements for church.  Normally, I would pay with the credit card and shop around for other things to buy too.  Today, I bought only what I needed and paid in cash. 

I am excited about becoming purposeful with money.  I look forward to seeing God's hand at work in our finances.  "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19