Audio book: Fields of Gold

I have finished listening to an audio book called Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley. 

This is a short book with a great message about sowing and reaping.  So many times we feel fearful about giving and give out of what is left at the end of the month instead of giving at the beginning.  This is not how we should look at our giving.  This book reminds the listener that everything is really God's anyway.  If we can realize and accept this fact, we can develop a cheerful heart.  God wants us to be cheerful in our giving, not givers because it is something on a list to check off when we have done it.  If you give for the right reasons, it really can be a joyful time for you. 

I am glad for the opportunity to listen to this book.  It has been a positive reminder to me of why we give and to think about changes I need to make in giving. 

It is read by Lloyd James.  I thought he did a good job with this reading. 

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers program for providing this audio book for my review.
Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday: Money

Our topic on Marriage Monday today is money. One of the topics was: In Eden, God assigned Adam the role of "master gardener," and to Eve he gave the role of “helper.” In the matter of bread-winning, how do you and your husband fulfill these roles in your marriage? (Gen 2:15-23)

My thoughts:
I taught school for the first three years of our marriage, and then became a stay at home Mom in 2004 when our son was born.   This was always a dream of mine, and I am thankful beyond words that my husband is so supportive of me.  He had always hoped we would be able to make this dream of mine come true.  Thankfully we have, and it is a blessing that he understands my heart and supports me as he does.  I feel blessed that he works so hard to provide for our family.

My husband led a FPU (Financial Peace University) class at our church several years ago.  After attending this class and reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, we made it our goal to be out of debt.  At the time we had a car and truck loan plus school loans.  It was a great feeling to be able to pay off these debts in 2009 (except our home).  We had a bank account where we started putting money back so we could get a replacement car one day.  We made that purchase in March 2011.  We did not have enough for the full amount so we did have some debt with that purchase.  It was very hard for me as we looked because I'd wanted to be able to do it all with cash.  After praying though and thinking things through, I knew it was the right decision.  If we waited we knew we'd have expenses with our old car that would prevent us from putting more money back to savings for the new one.  I'm happy to say that the new car will be paid off in the next month or so.  Now we will be saving towards my husband's truck replacement. 

I have always been very careful with money.  When we did FPU, we started keeping a budget and started using the envelope system.  It was amazing to me to put a dollar amount to our spending and watch where our money goes.  I have some envelopes I keep with me in my purse that I use on a more regular basis (they are kept in a little plastic coupon binder type thing with dividers) and other envelopes that stay at home.  I have a lot of envelopes, but it is so nice to have the money there to go to when something comes up.  I have envelopes for Christmas, vacation, gifts, and birthdays that I add to year round. 

As my husband is the provider for our family, I like to help in any way I can to save us money.  I try to conserve gas on my trips to town.  I look for discounts and  use coupons when shopping.  It makes me feel good to find products on sale that we frequently use.  I get excited when I find a bargain at Goodwill or a consignment store.
For someone engaged or just starting out in their married life, I would encourage them to talk openly regarding their feelings about money.  Don't assume it will all work out and won't be a big deal.  This is something that needs to be discussed honestly so it won't turn into a big problem down the road. 

Have a day of blessings!

Another birthday weekend and new car

We had another birthday weekend! Sunday was my husband's birthday. He took off work on Friday. It was the 2nd anniversary of his Mammaw passing away, and he didn't really want to be at work that day so he took off. So on Friday we went car shopping.

We have been looking for a new car. We have had the Buick for nearly 7 years now. It's been a great car, very reliable with few problems for us. It was getting on up there in mileage so my husband was looking to replace it.

We had paid it off a couple years ago when we went through Dave Ramsey's FPU. Once we paid off the truck as well as the student loans we started a car savings fund. My husband found a couple Nissan's online that would be in our price range, but when we got to the dealership they had already been sold. We went over to another dealership in town. They showed us some used models and then we drove a new Toyota Camry. We both really liked it and talked about it over lunch and then went to talk to our bank to find out about financing because our car savings fund wouldn't cover it. We went back to the dealership after we picked up Caleb from school so they could tell us how much they'd give us for the Buick. They let us take the Camry home for the night too because we weren't going to just sign the papers right then. I needed to process all the numbers in my head first.

I don't like making decisions, especially big ones! I went back and forth in my head about it....I'd really wanted to use cash for our next car purchase. The money we have saved plus some from our income taxes would not pay for a new car. But I also knew if we used the cash on one that cost less it would already have a bunch of miles and we'd be back to needing another one in a shorter time period. If we saved for another few months or year, the car prices will just go up and we still wouldn't haven't enough. I shared all my feelings with my husband. Saturday morning we prayed together before leaving. I needed some peace that it was the right thing to do because I felt like it was okay...but I wanted to be sure. The phone rang before we were leaving. It was another dealership returning a call for an inquiry I'd done online. They couldn't match the deal we were getting locally. Then my husband talked to our dealership here and asked if they'd go up a little on our trade. They agreed to that. After both these things I felt ready to go!

Here is a picture of the car. I'm very thankful!! We've never had a new car before. We will have it paid off shortly, and I'm already working on the plan to begin saving again for a truck replacement for my husband.

Sunday was my husband's 32nd birthday. Caleb woke me up and blew up balloons and we hung a birthday banner. I made a breakfast casserole. It was so easy to make and very yummy! I'd never made one before. I'll have to share the recipe here sometime. We let him open his presents before church. We went out for lunch and had an afternoon at home. In the evening we went out for supper with a couple from our new church.

This week is spring break. Hooray!!

Have a day of blessings!

My post Super Bowl thoughts

We are not NFL football fans in our house. The boys will watch an occasional game on Sunday afternoons, but we aren't huge fans of any particular team. When Super Bowl comes around it's just not a big deal for us. We had the game on for a little bit last night (we didn't have church because we had a fellowship lunch or we probably would have been there!), but then it got turned off about half-time as Caleb got ready for bed and then asked to watch an episode of "Dick Van Dyke" with Daddy.

I was thinking about how ridiculous it all is. I heard the prices of the seats and the parking spots and the money paid for a 30 second commercial among other things. Numerous stories that came out of DFW this week with our ice storm seem to say that it is simply all about the money!

I wonder if anyone else sees it all as a waste. I wonder how many millions of dollars were spent on this event. Are Americans really that selfish? How many better ways could that money have been spent? I'm thinking of the hungry and homeless around the world. What about research for those dying of diseases that don't have a cure? Or something special done for our military for their service to our country?

Another thing was the commercials. So many people I hear say they don't watch the game, they just watch for the commercials. Well I was disgusted by the few I saw....they were so violent, mean-spirited or full of sexual innuendos. I find that ridiculous as well. We covered Caleb's eyes when the commercials came on because we didn't know what was going to be next. I may be considered overprotective about this, but I cannot stand allowing such garbage into his mind and heart. We are supposed to guard our hearts. There is no sense in putting these evil thoughts in, especially for little children. Some of these things are downright scary! No one needs to have these images before them, especially before they go to bed!

I wonder if anyone feels the same way. I know the Super Bowl is an American tradition, but I think it is getting a little out of hand.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: Money

Our flashback this week is about money.

My flashback:
My Mom always handled the finances, paid the bills, etc. I knew they were careful and wise with money. They instilled in me the importance of giving. I saw them giving at church, and I knew it was important to them. They gave to missionaries and other charities as well.

I received a $2 allowance. I don't know what I ever really did with my money. I've always been a saver. I'd give some at church and save the rest. When I got into middle school, I was given $10 a week for lunch. I got to keep whatever was left at the end of the week. I remember choosing meals that would total $1.75 most days, which was a main item (pizza, frito pie, or burrito are the ones I remember that cost $1), a candy or ice cream ($.50), and tea($.25). If I had extra, some weeks I would splurge one day on a baked potato or hot ham and cheese because they both cost more than $1.00. I don't remember if the $10 continued in high school or if it was more.

I have had a savings account as long as I can remember. When I went to college I got a checking account. I loved picking out the checks. I had Precious Moments checks for a long time and also Pillsbury Dough Boy. I had a credit card too but did not use it really use it regularly. It was for big expenses that would be paid off at the end of the month. That is how we started out our marriage too. We always had a zero balance on our credit card. When we did Financial Peace we got rid of our credit cards. We have used a debit card for years, and I like it for its convenience.

My Mom was always careful in how she handled the money and she has told me before I do our accounts similar to what she used to do.

Have a day of blessings!