God Likes Pizza

Dan had an appointment in the city for getting his motorbike worked on, and we hadn't budgeted for it.  I'll need to use some of the debt repayment money in his next paycheck to pay that off.  And because I just finished working out our "pie chart", I'll now be saving for bigger ticket things I hadn't before, that come once a year (or so); property tax, heat (pellets), house insurance, savings, gas for motorbike, vehicle repairs, tires and bike insurances.  

My goal for today was to have our flexible expense budget set up, complete with jars to stick the cash in.  It's done, and now I have a very clear picture of where our money will be going.  

But, to begin the jars, I needed to pay off this motorbike repair with debt-reduction money.  Bummer.

So as I sat here this afternoon, and again, felt a little spirit of defeat knocking, I determined again in my heart to refuse to delve into line of credit (increasing debt), to give us some breathing space--false breathing space.

Two things happened, yesterday and today.  Neighbour 'A' dropped by to pay me for mowing her lawn a couple weeks ago.  That paid for our babysitter for a church meeting last night.  A friend phoned today, asking if we needed anything from Costco.  We've been out of Nutella for a few weeks (a staple in our home) and I have just enough cash in my wallet to pay for that.  I'm making pizza for supper with the neighbours tonight, and I wanted a special kind, but would have had to buy ingredients.  So instead I checked my fridge and pantry.  Pizza sauce, mushrooms, bacon and red pepper with mozza cheese.  All in stock.  Not too shabby a pizza!  :)

And to top it off,  the boys and I were wandering around outside, and neighbour 'B' drove up and asked me to mow their lawn too.  Cash.  Up front.

It'll buy milk and bread for the next few days.

The moral of the story?  Sometimes things don't go as planned, and things don't get fixed as soon as we'd like them to be.

But God is faithful.  He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.  And He's promised to meet our needs.

What a rich journey I'm on.  Sure, I'd like more money in the bank, and debt gone, but I'll tell ya, when I see the Hand of God moving in our lives--I mean really, personally moving, I wouldn't trade that for a million bucks!

Not-So-Little Blessings...and Homework.

Our vacation was fabulous.  And the biggest highlight for me, beside brushing my knuckles against the whiskers of our resident seal, was finishing in the black!  Yup, we managed to enjoy ourselves, eat out occasionally, and buy a souvenir or two without going into debt.

I'm so deeply grateful to the Lord, for providing above-and-beyond, in very creative ways and at the hands of a few wonderful people.  Yeah, it was tight.  And it continues to be a daily challenge to say no to every want that tempts us.  When we get right down to it, there aren't many needs that bombard us on a daily basis.

We're into our ninth month of a five-ish year challenge to become debt-free.  It amazes me how the Lord is using what we're going through to be able to help others too.  I mean, goodness, we all have to deal with money right?  So why not share what's working for us :)

Let me challenge you with some homework in the next few blogs, if you wanna experience what it's like to be able to breathe financially.

Homework #1:  Find out where you're at.  If I gave you five minutes, could you compile the information needed to tell me exactly how much money you have, or don't have?  Could you tell me, to the cent, how much money you owe, and how much actual cash you have to spend until your next paycheck?  Do you know what your monthly income really is?  If not, you're not alone.  Over 40% of Americans don't have any kind of budget (bankrate.com).  Take a few minutes to find out.  The end result is worth it.

The Best Laid Plans...and Grace.

My hubby turns 40 in two weeks.  I don't have grandiose plans for a party, but his phenomenal gift arrived this morning, thanks to UPS.  My Dan leaned over me in bed, kissed me yummily on the mouth, and somewhere between my groans of "morning sucks" and "mmmm, youuuu", he informed me that he had good news and bad news.  What do I want to hear first?  My sleep-fogged brain didn't care about the order, so he proceeded.  "My motorbike saddle-bags are here!  And, um, I had to give the UPS driver our Mastercard number to pay for the Canada/US border duties."

Yup, morning sucks.  The price of my budgeted gift just jumped by over 30%.  But hey, the boys will enjoy the new cardboard box.

The other day I was lamenting to our financial advisor that I wasn't paying down our debt as quickly as I'd hoped.  He took the condemnation out of my sails when he said, "Don't be a slave to your plan."  As wicked as debt is, it is just as wicked to fret and bemoan and stew over unplanned setbacks that keep me from wiping out that debt.  

But it's not all about Dan's gift.  He gets one day off a week.  And sometimes I need a little escape while he's home with the kids.  So I seized an opportunity to mosey over to our neighbouring town.  A chain store is going out of business, and they're giving stuff away.  Well, for a price.  The boys are set for underwear (70% off) , toques and mitts (10 cents each), winter boots ($2.50!) and Crayola crayons for the next few years.  And if you get a card in the mail from me, the stamp cost over six times what the card did!  So yeah, I got some fantastic deals.  But all that stuff added up to $175 bucks.  Kinda knocked the wind outta me at the till.  It was stuff I would need to buy eventually, so in the long run, yes, I did save money.  It's just that I spent that money before I had it.  

So I've wrestled.  Planning ahead?  A good thing.  Spending way more than I intended to?  A bad thing.  

But I'm reminded of Grace.  Getting what I don't deserve.  My next breath.  A husband who kisses me even if that next breath is full of morning.  A regular pay check.  Sunshine.  Underwear.  Yup, I have it good.  So when my plans cost me something Lord, thank You for Your grace.  Your forgiveness.  And for smashing legalism with each pounding of the nails through Your hands.  I am not a slave to my debt-repayment plan.  I am forgiven.     

Teeter Totter

That's what my financial life feels like right now.  One side carries the weighty butt of frustration.  The other side has the legs of blessing that keep straining their muscles to counteract the negative.  And my brain is the apex in the middle, working and praying feverishly to keep some balance.

Money Butts                                           Money Blessings
I'm not paying down debt quickly.           All the bills are paid without going into more debt.
                                                           And we are paying debt down.
There's only just enough.                       There is some at all!  Hubby gets a regular pay check
                                                                      and we benefit from government programs.
The extra bills came in.                          So did extra money, from a craft fair and anonymous giver!
We can't afford a date in a restaurant.     We have food in the fridge and sex is free!
What about tomorrow?                           We have what we need for today.  Plus there's a free magic
                                                                       show at the school at 1:00.
                                                            We have our health and we like each other
                                                                      (most of the time).
                                                            We have more financial resources than most
                                                                      of earth's inhabitants!

Lord, help me focus on those money legs.  We are so blessed.
"We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch, as it slips through our fingers like sand.  Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come.  But we have this moment today." --Gaithers.
Thanks Lord.

Money, Money, Money....Must Be Funny...In A Rich Man's World

I was encouraged today to write about money. Particularly because we're trying not to spend any. We've had a few big expenses over the last decade. And to be honest, we've also spent beyond our means. So now it's time to stop. Stop using those necessary expenses as excuses to stay in debt. Stop wasting God's money on stuff we want.

See, that's where the process of money management begins--recognizing that our loot is not our loot. It's God's. And we need to be asking Him how we should manage the resources He's given us. And to forgive us for wasting it in the past. Man I'm glad He forgives. Like our brilliant financial planner friend said, "The past is under the Blood." I love fresh starts.

So, let's start:

1. It all belongs to God. Is what I'm doing with His stuff honouring Him? Do people see how we live and recognize that our plans and habits are different than theirs? Different because we've been called to be stewards of Someone else's stuff. Or do our spending habits mimic the world's? Sadly, the world's view of money often doesn't look radically different than those who claim to follow Christ.

I hear so often, "I worked hard for what I have. I can spend it however I want to." God help me, I don't wanna be heard saying that.

I'm excited about the next 6 years. Debt free in 6 years. As the Lord wills it. With hard work, accountability, stick-to-it-ive-ness, and self-denial. Hooo, doesn't look like a cake walk. Stick around and watch.

Here goes......