Saving Money

Did you notice? My header photo has been changed to a spring photo and makes the place looks ever so much springier! sorry, couldn't resist. The flower bed is full of daffs, tulips and hyacinths that are all marvelously beautiful! 

Some one might remember, last autumn I took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only did I enjoy it, I learned a lot and the class filled in what Dave, my husband, and I didn't get around to because death is pretty dang inconvenient! During the months of April and May, I'm coordinating the class and, again, am enjoying myself and learning a lot. Each week, our small group brings what they've learned, their tips, hints and suggestions and we all learn from each other. 

Dave's advice is how I was raised; in other words, nothing new under the sun but there are so many people who weren't raised with Godly parents who taught right from wrong, how to manage money, how to save money and so on. Dave's time has come but not without cost. Before he was 30 years old, he'd made a million dollars and declared bankruptcy. He's been on the receiving end of nasty phone calls from bill collectors who, I'm fairly sure, were raised by coyotes, and people cursing him, threatening him, etc. When Dave talks, I listen and no, I don't agree with every word that comes out of his mouth but an overwhelming percentage of them find me in agreement.

There are a ton of places to learn good habits regarding money management and Robyn, at Simply Me, has been asking some really good questions and receiving equally good answers  that have been helpful.  (YIKES! I just realized she's lived one year more as I've been out of high school! Oh my. Now I feel like her Granny; and I was feeling really good about this post. sigh.)

The Christian Dollar has some really good advice on a variety of topics,  all dealing with Christians and finances. 

Christian Personal Finance was begun by a Ramsey fan and their Archive page has a huge list of well written articles on a variety of subjects all gear toward money management. 

White Fence is a good place to shop and compare prices on utilities, television suppliers, internet suppliers, etc. It's better for urban dwellers but I did find out Direct TV is offering a one year $39.99 special which is 2/3 less what I'm paying now. Oh yeah, I'm calling them on Monday.

A word to the wise...when you're negotiating with suppliers, you want to call their 1.800 number and say, "I'd like to speak with Customer Retention, please." Now, the person who answers your call is going to hem and haw because they don't want you to talk to Customer Retention; they know you're going to get a deal and their job is to put YOUR money in THEIR pockets! Those two words are worth money in the bank...CUSTOMER RETENTION. Then, explain how you've been a good and loyal customer for X number of years. It really helps if you've signed up for their auto-pay on either your credit card (hush, Dave Ramsey!) or checking account. Dave Ramsey despises credit cards while I find having one a convenience. Anyway, tell them you've found a special or gasp! you're thinking of getting rid of their service because you can no longer afford them. Trust me, they'll find a way for you to stick with them and at a lower cost. 

Mary and I are opening an Etsy site, details forthcoming, and Laurie, at Indulge Your Shelf, has been instrumental in my decision. She has a delightful blog and Etsy site and has taught me a lot. Just about every time I visit her blog I see "my" stuff she's found at antique and thrift shops! When Dave and I married, he brought 25 years of household goods, I brought 23 years of household goods and when his mother moved in, she brought 50 years of household goods. I'm beginning to think I'm sitting on a mini-gold mine! Laurie also sent a copy of Etsy 101 by Steve Weber in which she's featured.  For what it's worth, the information in this book may be found free on Etsy, but I've found the book to be easier to navigate. I'm old school and would far rather have a book in one hand, the mouse in the other.

One problem I've run into...definitions of antique, vintage, mature, retro. Any ideas? As soon as the site is open, you'll be the first to know. There have been so many huge life changes for me since Dave died; this is the beginning of the Next Step. Prayers appreciated and love you all, dearly, for your kindness toward me.

Blessings ~ Mary ~ Robyn ~ Laurie ~ 

YOU need to know...

~ Grow Your Blog party ~

Are you familiar with HomeGoods store? It's part of the TJMaxx and Marshall's chain and focuses strictly on goods for the home. It's a fun store and their website has a fun design personality test. I'm The Traveler with a Touch of Country. It says "The Traveler is curious about all the corners of the world, whether she's visited them or dreams of going. She welcomes stories into her home through the finds of hidden bazaars and curio counters the world over. She doesn't just look forward to her next trip; she lives abroad in her own home everyday." Click here to start your Stylescope design personality test.
Yep, that's how it is here on the farm; each room is filled with things Dave and I picked up all over the world. We didn't start traveling until 2008 but, since then, I've managed to visit twenty-nine or thirty countries. When the traveling bug bit, it bit hard smile.  

His Word is a Lamp Unto my Feet, Glenda Hancock's Pinterest page is a blessing. I don't know Glenda but appreciate the work of her hands and heart. 

Susan Branch, my, almost, daily dose of happy is found here. A visit with Susan always leaves me feeling happier and more cheerful.

A Bowl Full of Lemons is a site I recently found and the author is doing a incredible 8-week study on Emergency Preparedness. I don't live in an earthquake, tsunami, tornado or hurricane alley but I like being prepared. Lists interest me, being prepared interests me more and I highly suggest you check out her site for Emergency Preparedness as well as Home Organization, Budget and other fine articles. She's an advocate of a cash life and did an interview with 

Dave Ramsey. Dave was a millionaire before his 30th birthday and lost it all before his 30th birthday. He and his wife had two of their three children when he declared bankruptcy and since then, have built a multi-million dollar company. Late last year, I took Dave's Financial Peace University and those classes taught me so much. Some of you know Dave, my husband, died suddenly and unexpectedly, in November 2011. We knew he was sick but thought he had another six months to year to live so we thought we had time to prepare. We were going to sit down on a Monday, me with my three-ring binder and he was going to tell me where everything was, what I needed to know, etc. He died on Saturday morning and I spent 2012 learning about finances, budgeting, buying property, taking care of vehicles, animals, the farm, the house...doing it all! Without the good advice and wise counsel of people like my lawyer, CPA, financial consultant, friends and family, I surely would have sunk. I've been working on a book, compiling all those hard won lessons learned since and started a blog here. That first year, grief ruled my life and the blog wasn't kept up but the information is still good and can help save you time and money. "Death comes to us or for us; it's best to be prepared." My goal is to have the book ready by April and, I think, will e-publish first then see what happens.

For a free download of Dave's Guide to Budgeting, click here.
I cannot suggest strongly enough that you find and take a Financial Peace University series of classes; it will be one of the best things you could ever do for yourself and your family!

St. Paul's Church in Auckland, New Zealand has some fabulous videos that tell the Christmas story in a fresh new way. Click here for an Unexpected Christmas.

Women Reaching Women is a Gospel for Asia program. It sends women to minister to women in areas like South Asia where 50,000 female children are aborted each month!

Click here to visit the Innkeeper by John Piper.

Last, but certainly not least, please don't forget Vicki's Grow Your Blog Party which is happening 19 January. She's been working on this party since June...amazing!...and it promises to be the biggest thing this winter. 

Today's Miracles ~ great weather ~ strength to do the work God has set before me ~ a great night's sleep ~ healthy animals ~ Vicki at 2 Bags Full ~ Financial Peace University ~ A Bowl Full of Lemons ~ Pinterest ~

Dream LARGE or PDS Part 2

~ Sadie and Sandra ~

I'm not much on New Year's Resolutions as I believe what Daddy always says, "If you're living the way you're supposed to live, you don't need to make resolutions." 
I do believe in writing goals, making plans and lists, and dreaming large...make that LARGE. Perhaps you read my first goal oriented post, PDS - Pretty Darn Smart! Part 1 but I suggest you click on the link and re-read before reading this second part; it will help put it all into perspective.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish" so says Proverbs 29:18 and how true a statement! Do you want to have an etsy or eBay account or own your own business? Do you want to sell at a brick and mortar store or be published in a magazine, book or even, publish your own book?! Do you want to be on a television show or have your own program? Do you want to find a wonderful person and be married?  
I truly believe God delights in answering dreams that are LARGE and that will, ultimately, show His goodness, grace and mercy. He is able; it's we who are small thinkers, planners, dreamers and goal makers.
My six year old self wanted to live on a farm with horses, sheep, goats, cows, dogs and cats. Now, my almost sixty year old self lives on a farm with horses, sheep, dogs, cats and I used to have goats and calves. God answered the desire of my young heart!
As life changes, as dreams and goals are met, it's a good idea to revise dreams, plans and goals. I don't make resolutions but try and live the way I should daily, so, if the first day of the New Year allows, I schedule time to tweak my dreams, plans and goals. If the first day doesn't have time for that activity, I do it as soon as possible.

Your goals should be                      SMART GOALS
"Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it" says James 1:5 and most of my three ring notebooks have a front page with this verse. I want to see it Every Single Day; I want it engraved on my brain and, most importantly, I want God to give me wisdom so I ask Him for it, Every Single Day.
S - you should make specific goals in detail; as focused as possibly but knowing you'll have to be flexible. Make sure your goals are what you want and not what someone else wants for you...easy mistake to make! Also, write your goals in the positive, affirming what you want, "I choose to _____". 
M - you should make measurable goals and be able to measure your goals and success or lack thereof. Your goals should not contradict your other goals; they should all be in accordance, one with another.
A - your goals should be attainable. Yes, you should make challenging goals but they should also be within your reach. Start by making smaller goals that will enable you to reach larger goals; stepping stones, as it were to ensure success.
R - your goals should be rewarding or realistic goals. Your goals and priorities should align and, most importantly, you must be willing to work toward their successful completion. As you reach your smaller goals, your larger goals will shrink because you grow toward them.
T - goals should be timely and have a time line and deadline. If you don't have a time line and dead line, how will you ever know when you've achieved your goal?
I'm repeating myself but it's that important...every day, ask yourself, "is what I'm doing taking me closer, or further away, from my goal?" Then, adjust accordingly.
Finally, is there                            BALANCE?
Dave, my husband, died in 2011, and I've, pretty much, spent this last year trying to attain balance again. It's so easy to become overwhelmed with all the work load of animals, farm, house, finances, writing, studio, physical, spiritual and all the rest. I've found when I have balance in my life, I tend to accomplish more and with much less stress, both mental and physical. There are five main areas I focus upon and write goals:
~ spiritual - each morning I have devotions where I read uplifting books, including the Bible, and listen to sound Biblical preachers such as Begg, Youceff, Sproul, Swindoll, Meyer and others. I'm going to start taping Osteen who isn't theologically deep but he's a great motivator. Someone asked me, "Do you really listen to all those preachers?" The answer is, "Yes, I do." Perhaps not all of the daily but I do listen to a minimum of two each day and, most days, more. You may be a truly nice person but, I hate to tell you this, I'm naturally cranky. There's a lot of fallen man in me and I struggle with practicing Christianity but, bless His name, God is faithful, merciful and gracious toward me.
~ home, family and friends - Dave and I lived contemplative lives and that's not going to change now that he's gone. If anything, it's going to become more so because I don't like noise, stress, craziness, busyness and the like and strive mightily to eliminate those things from my life. No one can control my schedule but me and I'm perfectly comfortable using the word "no" when necessary. There's no room for guilt in my life nor is there room for continually cranky, mean, unkind or downright nasty people. It's not allowed and when such a person enters my life, I weed them out rather quickly with no feelings of regret on my part. Christ died on the cross knowing not all would accept him so I'm comfortable not being all things to all people. Who protects you in your life?
~ health - the hardest area for me as I sincerely hate to sweat unless I'm doing physical labor. I don't mind hoeing or shoveling or working a horse in the round pen but I despise to exercise and sweat! The days I do put in a Zumba or yoga tape, the dogs and cats think it's play time and it's rather difficult working out when three dogs are either jumping on me or sitting on me when I'm on the mat.
~ financial - this past year has been such a steep learning curve for me and I'm still finding paperwork that needs letters written, telephone calls made, etc. in order for me to reach a closing point. God, please give me wisdom!
~ community and volunteer - My volunteer work is done in my community and, there's a possibility, I'll do some church volunteer work later this new year. 
You're going to end up somewhere, why not somewhere of your own choice? I've read most people plan their vacations with more thought than they plan their lives but that doesn't have to be the case. You'll reach your goals when you follow and plan PDS - Pray, Dream, SMART goals and that makes you Pretty Darn Smart!
In closing, I'd like to suggest some other folks to help you on your path...Dave Ramsey is a great financial guy and late last year, I took his Financial Peace University and it helped me enormously! Dr. Kirk Elliott is an economic analyst and his paper, 10 Ways to Survive the Economic Tsunami That is Coming, is the best I've read.
Susan Branch is my (almost) daily dose of happy and she has a lovely post on The Care and Feeding of Dreams; reading it will do your heart and your life a lot of good. Yes, you're busy and have a lot on your plate but what can you let go of and not miss? I'm betting there's more than you think. If you're a Christian, a practicing Christian and not just one of those people who attend church occasionally, put and keep your life in perspective. God first, family second and your life, and the lives of those who depend upon you, will be much better.

Today's Miracles ~ a deep breath ~ rain for a thirsty earth ~ lunch with friends ~ contented beasts ~ electricity ~ a warm house ~