What Do You Use To Manage Your Family's Finances?!

...is it a software program, spreadsheet in excel that you created or downloaded, on pen and paper, check register, etc?

I personally like a system that is simple, easy to follow...yet detailed for my family's purposes. I like something that isn't all over the place, hard for me to follow or my husband to follow, & included too much information.

Part of the success of creating and maintaining a budget is to have a system that is good & works for you and your personal situation.

How do you manage your family's finances each week, bi-week, month, and/or annually?

A New Way To Bring In Some Funds

With so many people losing jobs or seeing a decrease in their pay, more and more thrift stores/consignment shops are seeing an increase in shoppers and as a result their sales. Since we have so many of our daughter's clothes, shoes, etc. just taking up space and collecting dust, I'd thought I would give the whole consignment sale a shot.

I was fortunate to find a church in my neck of the woods that is having one. I had to register a few weeks ago and they sent me tags, an inventory sheet, and other registration materials. The sale starts this Friday and Saturday. It actually was kinda fun being able to price items and writing up an inventory sheet, but it's a lot of work.

Being that this is my first time selling clothes through a consignment, I wanted to start small. I will be selling some of her baby clothes such as shirts, skirts, dresses, shoes, onesies, etc. I have to say that it was bittersweet going through the her old clothing. I was thinking, "gosh, my baby is growing up so fast"! I remember someone telling me when I first had her to cherish these times because they grow up fast, and boy was that person right. I can remember when she was born, exactly! Now, she's going to be 3 years old in a couple months! Man, time sure does go by fast!

The only thing I DON'T like about consignment sales is that you only get 50% profit of your items that's sold. I kept that in mind as I was pricing the items because I do want to make some kind of profit on those things, but not over charge at the same time.

I guess we'll see how my first experience goes. I will drop off my things on Friday evening and whatever doesn't sale, I will pick up Saturday evening. To be honest, I'm hoping not to pick up anything because that means all my items sold!

I'll let you all know how it turns out. Wish us luck!

Enjoy your evening!

Thinking of taking on another bill/expense.....

Update: We will NOT be enrolling her in the class. We found another group that is free and they are also in a great neighborhood. Free sounds a whole lot better than $71...LOL!

....well maybe. I am a stickler for trying to save anyway I can; my husband actually calls me a cheapskate sometimes...lol.

Anyhoo.....My husband and I have talked about different teaching methods for our only child. Since I stay home with her, I do play and read to her; we count, say our ABC's, say sentences, and other things....but after a while..she gets bored with me. How can I blame her. Children feel better and more free when around other children their age and they even learn more. And with the weather being so cold, we cannot go to the park until the weather gets warmer.

We decided that a play group or class would be a great option. This is NOT a daycare!
Rather, it's with a place/company called Gymboree ( the same company with the children's clothing store).

After thinking over it we found a couple of pros and cons.............

Pros:
~ Allows daughter interaction with other children
~Meet once a week
~Held in a church located in a GREAT neighborhood only 7min away.
~Time will be on Fridays; 11:30am-12:15pm (so NO driving in Friday rush hour traffic!)
~If we miss a class, we can reschedule for another class
~They have play gyms where she can play anytime or day FREE of charge since she attends class

Now the Cons:
~$71.00 a month; so that $17.75 a week for one 45 min class.
~Don't want her picking up bad habits from other children!
~To sign her up for more than 1 class at a time is another $78, but they'll give you a discount
~They bill your credit card automatically each month; unless you give them a written notice 2 weeks before hand.
~$35.00 initial registration fee

So..after going over both the good and the bad; we figure that it would be worth it to enroll her in a class, at least for a month and I love that it's just 1 class per week, which will allow me to teach her other things and take her to educational places.

I also LOVE that fact that parents can be in the class too but NOT participate!

I like being present but not involved, so my baby can learn to play and resolve conflict with children her own age by herself. But if she needs me or something happens, mommy is there to come to the rescue!

With this extra expense/bill, I would need to tweak my budget sheet a little but not too much. Besides, we don't mind paying for something if it will be useful, but that's with anything you pay for!

BUT First, they have a FREE Class pass for us to see if it's something good for our daughter. We'll try it FREE first and take it from there!

Any tips/advice/suggestions are welcomed!

Februrary was costly BUT it could've been worse..........

Sometimes we cannot see unforeseen events. Sometimes we just have to roll with the punches. But sometimes (with planning) these "surprises" can be almost done away instantly. February was such a month.

We bought a house, had to renew car insurances on BOTH cars, have homeowners insurance, get BOTH cars inspected, and a host of other things. What we didn't plan on was the battery dying in one of the cars. I guess we could see why since it was the original battery and the car is 11 years old! We had to get a battery from an auto store which cost about $100 including installation. Then a couple of days ago, the same car wouldn't start; we knew it wasn't the battery this time because we'd just replaced it. So my hubby said it could be the starter and he was right. Cost: $435 for part and labor & $55 to tow the car to the auto shop!!! Yes, that's almost $500! But this is another reason why I am a TRUE believer in saving money. Having a savings account allowed us to take care of this issue right then and there. It felt good not having to worry or wait to fix the car. Since we had some extra money coming in this month; we only used $150 of our Emergency Fund and we still have over 4 months of living expenses saved up!!

Also, the same car got inspected and passed but the mechanic "suggested" that we get the filters changed and fix something regarding the fuel injection; needless to say, we didn't want any problems with the car so they were able to fix it for $222 included the inspection, parts, and labor. We took this from our regular savings account the but the money will be replaced by the end of March.

So now we have our homeowners insurance paid up until next year, our car insurance on BOTH cars paid for six months, both cars inspected, we have moved into our new home and are settled, and both cars are up and running. Thank GOD for Jesus!

I'm looking forward to March...warmer weather, no more gigantic bills, hubby's gets a bonus, a promotion at hubby's job is in the works, he will be going to Europe again but just for a week! (we went last year for a month; so we are grateful for a week this time!), and might have to travel to SLC, Utah. I look at this as good news because with so many people losing their jobs, hubby's company trusts & depends on him enough to pay for him to travel to other states/countries to train their staff for them. Thank GOD!

So March/April should be interesting! Am I ready? Is my hubby ready? I guess we'll see!

Enjoy your day!

Ahhh...It's Nice To Be Back!!!!

It's good to be back blogging since my hubby's accident and finally moving all of our stuff to our new home. We gave the keys back to the landlords and the rest is history.

My hubby is feeling great and is back at work. He gets the staple taken out of his head Monday.

I am so behind on a lot of things....making my grocery list/matching coupons, laundry, updating our budget, even cooking...sometimes I just found it easier to get take out....

Since then, I updated the budget, cooked dinner and I am now doing laundry and will start my grocery list soon; I don't like going to the market unprepared. I am also in the process of unpacking all our stuff..I'm hoping to have that done by Tuesday, Lord's will...

As for the last post in my financial series (Investments/Retirement), that will be coming this weekend....I had to put that on the back burner because of everything that's going on at the moment.

Enjoy your day!

Eliminating Bills/Debt....contiuned series...

Now that my baby is taking her nap, I'd thought this would be a good time to post the next topic in this financial series regarding SAHMs and money...enjoy!

Some debt quotes to get us started and to lighten the mood a bit.......

"The only man who sticks closer to you in adversity than a friend is a creditor." ~Author Unknown

"In God we trust; all others must pay cash." ~American Saying

"There are plenty of ways to get ahead. The first is so basic I'm almost embarrassed to say it: spend less than you earn." ~Paul Clitheroe

"Today, there are three kinds of people: the have's, the have-not's, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-have's". ~Earl Wilson

I selected each of these quotes for 2 reasons: 1. it brought a smile to my face and 2. they are true in every sense of the word.
We all have debt. We all have bills. However, there is a HUGE difference between the 2, from my perspective. Bills are things we NEED and that are on-going. Examples would be Mortgage/Rent, car payment, insurance, savings (yes, think of it as a bill), misc (cause something ALWAYS will come up), food, gas, utilities (water, phone, heat, electricity), and household (daycare, toiletries, diapers, etc) . These bills will probably be around for most of our lives and will be money that we'll have to pay out matter what.

Now, let's move on to Debts. Debts are NOT things we need but are created by things we want. For example, having a house isn't a debt, BUT having a house that is too big for you and your family and that require more upkeep and money than what you bring in every month is debt; because if you don't bring in the money, where's the rest coming from?...credit cards!

We remember, at least I do, going into Macy's or our favorite stores and seeing an outfit or pair of shoes we love. They just seem to have kept calling our name, begging us to purchase them and take them home with us. Sound familiar, doesn't it?! I made bad decisions like this on the whim, just figuring I would worry about it later. I thought I was young enough where I could bounce back...but boy was I WRONG!

Debt is also create when we WANT, yes, I said WANT things that costs too much but for appearance purposes we stretch ourselves and our wallets to full capacity. We don't need an Cadillac Escalade when a Toyota Corolla will serve our NEEDS, but we just have to have the Escalade because we like SUV's, or it's nice looking, or we want to keep up with the Joneses. I have to admit, I was like that. I didn't care that it was too much for me or that I couldn't afford it; I just wanted what I wanted. As a result, it take years to pay off, leaves you broke in the meantime, and with more than your fair share of grey hairs.

Now, don't get me wrong not all debt is bad...Mortgages, Student Loans, Car Loan (on a car you NEED); these are good debts and wont harm your credit score too much.

But, then we have those bad debts...like credit cards/unnecessary personal loans....(all types of credit cards, i.e. store cards, gas cards, etc.) I remember someone saying, 'if I don't have the cash or money in the back to purchase an item, even if it's a good sale, I don't buy it because it's not a sale for me." How true is that statement! If we all thought about every single item before we bought it to make sure we really needed it, we wouldn't be in this economic mess to begin with. But the fact of the matter is, we as Americans feel as if we can't go without. That we want what we want NOW!! No Exceptions!! We don't want to wait and save and work for it, so we will charge it and worry about it later...OR we'll just pay the minimum balance on the credit card, refi our house, take out a loan, or something else.

In order to become free of these bad habits, we must admit we have a problem, find a solution, and then carry that solution out. I knew if I wanted to have money tucked away for my family that first I'd have to put a stop to buying stuff I didn't need, especially when I would never even use it. It would just sit in my closet or I'd give it away or throw it in the trash. I knew I needed to confront and get rid of any debt we had, then start saving some money..seriously. When something happened with the car, we'd have no savings and all the credit cards would be maxed out; so we'd have no solution; nope none at all!

I hated living like that and so did my husband...if we wanted to buy a t.v. or go to dinner we couldn't because we had no money and all our bills weren't even paid yet. He would work and work and work and couldn't enjoy the fruits of his labor because of my bad habits. I'm so glad we made a turn around. I really am...we sleep better, arguments are much rarer, we have a peace of mind, and our relationship is better. Like I mentioned before....all the student loans are current, both of our credit cards have $0 balances, no car payments (we just keep driving our 10 and 14 year old cars), nicely funded savings account, and over 4 months of our living expenses saved in another account..along with a Christmas and Vacation funds.......and now we are moving towards investments; all with 1 income!

Keep in mind we still have bills just like everyone else, but we choose to limit our bills and put that money away. We have wants; don't think for a minute we don't. This gives us so much more fulfillment than shoes, dresses, and even going to our favorite restaurants.

If you see yourself in the same boat we were in...start by looking at your bank statements and taking note of where all of your money is going to. If you see that you have more bills/debt than what your bringing in..find ways to reduce and put that money aside in a savings account. Trust me, you'll thank yourself for it later.

Tune in tommrow for the last post of this series....Investments/Retirement.

Savings & Emergency Fund....contiuned series....

Look familiar?:

"Financial Bank..........Account Number....00001"

Transactions Amount
ck #100 $ -50.00
overdraft fee $-35.00
phone bill $-100.00
overdraft fee $-35.00
car payment $-200.00
overdraft fee $35.00

Total Balance $-455.00!!!!

Early in our relationship, my husband and I were used to seeing our account in red. We didn't like but we felt as if we couldn't come up from there considering our situation. We always wanted to save money but never got around to it. Either something would come up, we'd buy something we didn't need, we'd go out to eat, or spend it on something else. Before we knew it, we were saying, " I wish we coulda, woulda, shoulda". Before long weeks, months, and even years would go by and we'd still have nothing but constantly owing others. One day we decided that enough was enough! If we wanted to provide a good future for ourselves and our daughter, we needed to have a savings account with money in it!..lol

Since we had 1 income and loans, credit cards, and our regular bills, we needed to create a budget that fitted our needs and stick to it. No if, and, or buts! We also decided to put something towards savings each time their was a paycheck even if it was just $25...kinda like tithes..taking it from off the top. One night after seeing I had spent over $100 in a week and a half on just eating out, my hubby and I printed out our account statements from the past couple months and got a pen and calculator. We wanted to see exactly how much went to just eating out in 3 months. Can you believe that it was almost $1,500 in just 3 months! $1,500! That is a lot of money to waste on eating out, when it could've been saved.

That was the final straw. We created a budget, stayed on top of our money and bills, and started saving. Our first goal was $500.00. It was an good starting point for us and we were able to achieve this goal in a couple months. Then we increased it to $1,000...and once we were able to meet that goal it made us feel good; really good and saving money started to replace the urges of buying clothes, shoes, bags, etc.

Once we saved a $1,000 we knew we could and wanted to save more. So we set a goal for ourselves to have 3 months of living expenses saved, and we not only achieved that goal but we have over 4 months saved, working on 5 months! This is our Emergency Fund! It's there in case hubby loses his job or something happens. We also have other savings accounts such as a Vacation Fund, Christmas Fund, Regular savings, a soon to be Car Fund, and now we are starting to go down the investments path. This is what I think about when I see an outfit or a pair of shoes I want. Or if I want to stop at Burger King or order takeout because I don't want to cook. It motivates us to not waste money but find different ways to save.

Now, I realize every situation is different but we really have to ask ourselves if we are truly being good with what the Lord has given us, including wives, especially SAHMs. Our hubby's count on us to use the hard earn money wisely. When we don't care and spend, spend, spend; then we are showing ourselves to be lazy and selfish..at least that's what I thought I was. I wasn't being considerate to the fact that my husband has to work hard for that money, I wasn't keeping in mind our bills, getting diapers, etc for our daughter, or even trying to save a little bit. I was feeding a bad hunger that needed to be removed and replaced with a good one.

God forbid the car breaks down, a pipe breaks, gotta buy a new bed, or someone you know may need something....how will you handle the situation with nothing saved? Of coarse GOD will be with us but sometimes we get ourselves in a jam and GOD will allow us to suffer in it a little while so we learn better the next time. That's certainly what happened to me. I felt trapped. I felt like I couldn't get under from the debt. It was truly a stressful time in my life, but I thank GOD for allowing me to stay in the fire a little bit so I can truly learn to do right by everything.

So..today my hubby and I have 2 credit cards with no balances....current on all my student loans (which is considered good debt, like mortgages), over 4 months of living expenses saved, funded regular savings, no car loans, and able to give to others. It can be done in any situation, just take the first step and never try to live up to others. Each situation is different and just as good in GOD eyes.

Do you want to be free from bad financial habits like me? Pray and ask GOD to help and guide you to be a better steward today. Just trust him!

The Savings & Emergency Fund, Elimanating Debt/Bills, and Investments/Retirement Series from a SAHM's Perspective

This has been a post that I have been planning on writing for some time and since I am up early this morning, I'd thought this would be the perfect time. It comes from a christian, 1 income point of view.

Saving money is VERY important to me and my family. It gives us a sense of calmness whenever something unexpected happens. There's never a need to fret because we have what we need to get by. But it hasn't always been like this. There was a time when I would be so afraid of looking at the account. It made my stomach hurts to have to see a negative red number. We'd have to rob Peter to pay Paul because things were bad. Now, with the recent downturn of the economy, it has been even more important to be wiser regarding our money. People are losing jobs, their 401ks, IRA'S, and other investments due to the wall street collapse. As a result people turn to their credit cards to help them get by until they find another job or a way to bring in some more funds; which in turn increases their debt.

Being a young couple (I'm 24 & hubby is 29) and living on 1 income, it is even more important that we use what money we have the best way we can. We have to save more, be wiser, and more frugal than a 2 income household. We have the same bills, students loans, and now a mortgage to pay for. Yes, their are times when money gets tight and that's why I strongly encourage budgeting. It not only allows you and your mate to know exactly where every single penny is going but it also prevents unnecessary arguments, which can lead to an unhappy marriage and household. And statistics shows that money is the #1 cause of divorce nowadays, even among Christians.

Being a saved couple, we strive to be good stewards of what the Lord has given us. That includes giving without expecting anything in return, not wasting money, and saving some for those times when it's truly needed. We believe that GOD gives his people a little to see how they treat it; if they do good by it, then he knows that they will do right by a lot. Besides, if we can't be responsible with our own, then how do we expect GOD to allow us to be responsible over others. Like I mentioned before, would I want someone to run my company's finances if their own finances are not good.

Now, when we got married, both me and hubby was working. We were that example of having 2 incomes and NEVER saved a dime. We always spent, spent, spent. Never put nothing away or gave to others. I used credit cards, paid bills late, always wanted to eat out somewhere. We were irresponsible with our money. God knew and saw this. When I was 6 months or so pregnant, my hubby and I decided that I would quit my job and become a SAHM. I mean, we couldn't complain because we were already in the red and at rock bottom so going to 1 income wouldn't be much different we thought. We knew that even on 1 income, if we did our best with our money and be responsible stewards, the Lord would not only make the 1 income work, but possibly add on to it or stretch it a long way ( and we all know that no one can stretch a dollar like GOD can!).

When we finally sat down and reviewed our finances, we realized that we wanted to have a stable financial future for ourselves as well as our daughter. We knew GOD would be with us but we also knew GOD expected us to do right by what he had given us. We understood that if we weren't doing right by the money that GOD would see us through any situation but not without suffering for a little while first. And trust me nothing can cause you heartburn like getting a financial whipping from GOD.

To get on the right track We had 3 basic steps we wanted to concur: Savings & Emergency Fund, Eliminating Debt/Bills, and Investments/Retirement. We finally reached this point and it took us years but it doesn't have to take others the same amount of time. We did it and so can you!

Now, each of these topics needs a separate post of it's own because they are quite lengthy. Today, I will post about Savings/Emergency Fund, and will continue tomorrow and Saturday (Lord's will) with Eliminating debt/bills and Investments/Retirement. I hope you get something out of this series and any feedback/responses would be great!

ING: Here we are!

We finally opened the ING account. Yep, we are opening 3 accounts, General Savings/Christmas Fund/Vacation Fund.

We also have a savings account with my hubby's credit union.

I'm Back!

Note: I decided to put up a new post since I had tidy up the house, did one load of laundry, folded clothes, fed daughter, prayed and read the bible, and ate breakfast myself and it's only 9:21am!

Boy, what a past couple days; preparing to move, moving, getting unpacked, bringing misc items to new home, going shopping for new items for new home and all the while trying to keep life normal for hubby and our daughter.

Even with all that, I still can't complain. The Lord had his hand on this process the whole time! This was the easiest move I ever experienced and hubby agreed it was pretty good.

Here's how our last couple days went:

Thrusday:

We finished up the painting and cleaning at the new home. I got home around 8:30pm, hubby and family member stayed until about 1am (yep, we have a great family).

Friday:

Hubby off from work! I woke up about 6am and started to get boxes, bags, and other items ready for the movers. I was severely behind schedule and ask hubby to help me, which he did without complaint. Movers came around 8:30am and got started. I remembered when I called to make the appointment, the guy told me that the move would take 6-8 hours to complete. So if you do the math $100 an hour would equal $600-$800 plus $100 travel charge.

Now I know some of you may say this sounds like a lot of money and it is! However myself and my hubby made it an requirement that we get movers; especially for my husband. He has moved many people over the years and every time he comes home all broken up, has the stay in bed and heal, and still has to go to work. We budgeted for movers and decided that it was worth the costs to keep hubby in good shape. We knew it wouldn't take 6-8 hours to move our things but maybe 3 or 4 hours; so we set aside $500 max. The costs of the movers included 3 guys, a truck, equipment, insurance, and a peace of mind.

I have to say that our experience was really good! When they first came, these guys were clearly mid to late 40s and I ask hubby, would they be a little slow because I was expecting younger guys. That was a lesson in it's self for me. Never judge outward appearances. Never judge at all! These guys were fantastic. They were moving dressers and beds like it was nothing. They had the whole house (furniture/bags/boxes) in the truck in 1hr! Yep, these guys were good. My hubby and I were looking at each other in amazement.

When we got to the new house, they unpacked the truck and took each item to the rooms we wanted. They even set up the bed frame, put the bed on it, had the drawers in the dresser and night stand, put the t.v. on the stand and everything. The only thing we had to do was make the bed and put our clothes on the drawer!

They finished the entire move in 2 hours! Yes, 2 hours and the move was done! So instead of $500 it was $300 (included $100 travel fee). We were so impressed we gave them each a $30 tip! And even with the tip the budget came to $390 instead of $500! It was the best $390 we spent; I mean we were done the move in 2 hours!

Saturday:

Our battery died in one of the cars. Hubby planned on taking it Sunday to get it replaced. Also, We went to Delaware with my bro-in law to search for a t.v.. Since we are 20 minutes from Delaware and they have NO sales tax, we thought we'd go there to find a good deal. We were un successful though, they ran out of the televisions. Yes, Best Buy ran our of 3 different Samsung T.V.s.

Sunday:

Hubby got the battery replaced and I went to the market to go food shopping, since we needed food badly. We also unpacked more of our stuff and some of our family came by to visit.

Monday:

Hubby was off today as well. We unpacked more stuff and went out to some stores to get some items for our home. We were out for hours and before we came home, we stopped at the old house to get some more stuff to bring here. We capped off the family time by playing Guitar Hero on the WII. I did poorly, LOL....Hubby did GREAT!

So there you have it; we were tired, happy, excited, and frustrated; but we are VERY grateful to GOD for his many blessings.

Have a Great Day!!

Bibile Money Matters

Article taken from biblemoneymatters.com.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - Matthew 19:26

Israel was losing the war against the Syrians. God’s prophet Elisha was dying. All seemed bleak.

King Joash visits the dying Elisha. Joash begins to weep. He knows Elisha’s death will prove a great loss to Israel.

“Get a bow and some arrows,” Elisha tells Joash.

“Put your hand on the bow,” Elisha says. The king does this and then feels the prophet’s own wrinkled hands wrapped around his.

“Open the window eastward.” Joash does.

“Now shoot!” Joash shoots.

“The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance.” Elijah tells him. The arrows represented the Lord’s deliverance in Israel’s battle against Syria.

“Take your arrows and smite upon the ground,” Elisha tells the king. The king smites the ground three times.

Elisha becomes angry. “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” (2 Kings 13:19).

Do you limit God’s blessings like Joash did? Do you smite the ground a measly three times when a whole quiver full of arrows is available to you?

God has made us joint heirs with Christ. He offers us innumerable blessings and promises. Yet we are content to live on crumbs when a banquet table full of spiritual delicacies is spread for us.

We wallow in despair when God offers us joy. We live in anxiety when prayer can bring us peace. We feel lonely even though God is always with us. We tremble in fear when faith could help us stand. We struggle to endure when Christ offers the gift of long suffering.

God’s promises are exceedingly great and precious. Grab them. Claim them for your life.

Don’t limit God. The Lord of the impossible is waiting for you to call on His name. Will you call on Him now?

My Reflections on this reading.......

When we make an honest effort, then GOD will step in and do the rest.

We all have our own personal situations regarding our finances. There was a time when I HATED to look in our account; I HATED seeing the account in red. I didn't want to see the results of my constant spending because I then would feel ashamed. I couldn't see how I was failing so much. I just figured GOD would get us out of whatever situation I got us in. I would just pray and then hope he would act.

I didn't realize how being responsible with money corresponded to being responsible with all other matters within the church. Isn't finances apart of running a church successfully? Wouldn't I want someone who was responsible with their OWN money to run a company I owned or was an investor in? Of coarse I would! Wouldn't anyone! Bills would need to get paid; up keep to the church would need to be managed; taxes paid; supplies for the church such as fans, chairs, books, toiletries (tissue, towels, etc), and other things. Being responsible is a vital part of being a leader; in fact it's a job requirement.

I then understood what Jesus meant by his parable of giving out the talents to the men. When one of the men didn't do anything but bury his, he got nothing because he did nothing. The others went and made more (responsibly) of what the Lord gave and as a result, the Lord increased their talents. I realized that is what I needed to do. I needed to be responsible and find ways to increase what the Lord has given me. Now that didn't mean I should go out and get a job, but rather DECREASE our bills and spending! Yep, DECREASE bills and spending. This was done by turning out lights in rooms I wasn't in, turning off the t.v./computer when it's not is use, having limited cable or no cable instead of premiun cable, etc.

I soon started picking out items in the store with care and then right before I got to checkout, I go through my cart and go through EVERYTHING. I ask myself":"Do I need this item?"; then I ask " Do I need this now or can it wait?"; then I ask " can I get this cheaper somewhere else?". Once I ask myself that, then I determine whether to purchase it or not. And trust me I have put back many items that I really wanted to buy. I mean some really nice stuff.

So in all, it took me a long time to get where I am regarding money. It took a lot to become responsible. Looking back I'm glad that the LORD took me through the pit, so I could learn to be a good steward of my family's finanacies. Besides, It's nice to be able to offer help to others, when they have a need.
Remember " To Get A Blessing, First, Be A Blessing" ( Uncle Bill-my pastor)