{52-Week Challenge} Update & Weekly Mission

Weekly Mission

You may recall that I'm participating in the 52-Week Challenge to create a habit of saving money. Occasionally the participants receive an email with an extra challenge. One week the challenge was to read this post and then list 3-5 things that make me wealthy besides money. 

Here's what I came up with for my wealth list:

1. Jesus
2. Family, Church & Friends
3. Health
4. Job
5. Writing

I'm very thankful to God for the wealth He has provided me. I don't think I say, "Thank you, God," enough though. I think the next challenge should be to thank God more!

52-Week Update

So far I've been able to keep up with the weekly deposits of the 52-Week Challenge. I believe this challenge has promoted a culture of saving in my daily life, and I'm grateful. Not only do I have a savings account for this challenge, but I also have two other savings accounts (funds) with monthly contributions. Each month a set amount is automatically deposited into these funds - my travel fund and my miscellaneous/car repair fund.

Side note: I use CapitalOne360 which is an easy-to-use online bank. They let you set up as many savings accounts/funds as you need! As I look to the future of my savings culture, I get excited about the possibility of additional savings accounts/funds. 

Along with these savings accounts, I've been contributing to a Roth IRA account (also at CapitalOne360). My initial intention for the Roth account is for it to be my emergency fund with 6 months of expenses saved up. I opened the Roth at the end of 2013 with a small chunk from my year-end bonus which was a great start. Now automated monthly contributions are set with what I thought I could afford. My ultimate goal is to max out my contributions each year ($5,500 for 2014). $5,500 is a lot of money for a previous non-saver. As I'm now almost half-way through 2014 I am eager to reach this goal, but I realize the goal may have to be met through year-end bonus money. (just keep swimming, just keep swimming comes to mind...)

I know I haven't finished this year yet, but I plan to do the 52-week challenge next year, too!

One More Thing

So awhile back I read about this rewards site called SaveUp. SaveUp is a program that rewards you for saving money and paying down debt (think Facebook meets Mint.com but with prizes!).

Well, I've been busy so I just signed up, but never add my accounts until a couple of weeks ago. And that's when I found out why I like the site - it encourages me to save! Just today it gave me a challenge to save $100 into my miscellaneous car fund. Wouldn't you know, I could actually accept that challenge and did so right away.

Now, I'm not sure that I'll spend a great deal of time on this site, but the few minutes I have spent are already worth it because it's encouraging me to save. Since "creating a culture of saving" seems to be my theme this year, it fits. Anyway, just wanted to mention the site here and if you want, give it a try! (Yes, I get points if you sign up with my link www.saveup.com/s/beflaming!)

{We, the Savers} March Post

Remember January's We, the Savers' post, when I won $100?! I was one of four grand prize winners! I recently saw that my article was posted on the official site. They did a wee bit of editing, but it's generally the same...

I started to write the below post back in March, but never finished it. I took a few minutes to finalize it, but I guess it's a little bit late to submit. Enjoy!

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Let's time travel, Savers. What's saving & personal banking going to be like in 100 years?

Thinking about 100 years in the future makes me think...What was it like 100 years ago? In 2114 will anyone care what banking was like in 2014?

When I Googled to do some research about 1914 the first thing that I found was that the Federal Reserve was created 100 years ago. I don't know much about the Federal Reserve or even 100 years ago. I do know 100 years ago they didn't have online banking or bill pay. Did they have free checking?

One banker wrote about his grandfather who opened a bank in 1913: "He wanted to help people save money to purchase their first home, send their kids to college, launch a small business or simply save for a rainy day." 100 years later I think those are the same reasons people use a bank today, and I think that will be the same in another 100 years.

My grandpa was born in 1916 so he would have 100 in another two years. My grandpa passed away in 1995, but he was a saver. I wish he here now for me to ask him about banking back just 80 years ago when he was starting out. When did you open your first bank account? When did you start your first savings account? How much did you open the account with? How big was your first paycheck? What was your biggest paycheck ever? When did you start saving for retirement? Would you do it anything different? Did you give my dad an allowance? 

My grandparents weren't necessarily rich, but I always considered them wealthy for more reasons than just money. I'm very thankful for the Christian heritage they gave me. The values they taught to their children have been passed down to multiple generations.

Speaking of family...I'm looking forward to a family reunion in just a few weeks. Even though my grandparents are no longer with us, I look forward to getting together with my aunts, uncles, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd cousins! We're meeting up in Kansas City. It's going to be fun!

But back to the 100 years in the future topic...Looking forward 100 years is tough to do, but I don't think you can do it without looking backwards. Now looking back (and re-reading this post) I see it leaves me with more questions than answers: What am I saving for? Or maybe, WHO am I saving for? What is my legacy?

Bekah was born in Kansas, raised in Wisconsin, and lived three years on Guam. Her Midwest roots go deep though, since she has been a Minnesota resident for almost seven years. Bekah commits daily to serve God, to be healthy, and strives to be financially fit.

This post was originally written in order to participate in CapitalOne 360s WE the SAVERS's blog contest, but was never submitted.

{We, the Savers} February Question

Before I get to the actual post, I have to share a piece of exciting news! For last month's We, the Savers' post, I won $100! I can hardly believe it, but it's true!! I was one of four grand prize winners! I think that was my first paid writing gig! What blessing! I am thrilled! So here's hoping for another $100! Enjoy! :-)

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Winter's been rough. Let’s hear about your spring/summer vacay plans & how you're saving up to make them happen.

To say "winter's been rough" is an understatement for most of us around the country this year. From subzero temps for days on end, to piles and piles of snow, we've had more than our fair share of winter. But what can we do? It's not like complaining will help. Neither will posting the daily temp on Facebook - um, not that I've been guilty of that...gulp!

So what *can* we do about the rough winter? We make plans for spring, of course! Well, in Minnesota, we plan for a few weeks of summer more than spring, because, let's face it, this part of the country doesn't really get much spring. And it certainly doesn't come on March 20th! More like May 20th - ha!!

But since other parts of the country get spring, we Minnesotans still like to talk about spring and plan for Spring Break Vacations. In fact, I'm planning a vacation of my own this year.

It so happens that my brother lives near a balmy beach in North Carolina. It also so happens that mid-January I booked a flight to visit him during his Spring Break. He's a teacher so he still gets one of those, you see. And you can trust me when I say, the countdown has begun!

I'm very blessed to have been able to pay cash for my ticket due to a very nice bonus that I received at the end of 2013. However, there are more expenses for a vacation than just airfare, as you know. To pay for the extra expenses, I plan to also use funds from one of my three CapitalOne 360 Savings account, my Travel Fund.

My Travel Fund could also be labeled my "Go see Lily and Ella" fund. My two nieces are the main reason for my trip and I couldn't be happier to spend the money! I get to see them once, maybe twice a year, so I'm very excited about this upcoming trip to see them (and my brother and sister-in-law).

So how do I build my Travel Fund? Very easily: I have set up automatic transfers each month from my checking account. This is really the only way to go. If something is this easy, then it's much more likely that you'll do it!

What are you saving for this spring? What's getting you through this rough winter? For me it's Spring Break, don't-cha know?!

Bekah was born in Kansas, raised in Wisconsin, and lived three years on Guam. Her Midwest roots go deep though, since she has been a Minnesota resident for almost seven years. Bekah commits daily to serve God, to be healthy, and strives to be financially fit.

This post was originally written in order to participate in CapitalOne 360s WE the SAVERS's blog contest.

{We, the Savers} January Question

Let’s make 2014 the year of the Saver. What’s in your “planner” to get there?

A few weeks ago I began participating in a "52 Week Money Challenge" in order to to save at least $1,378 over the next year. Sounds easy enough - put aside $26.50 every week, and there you have it. The set up is a little different than a one amount per week. There's a chart to follow on the website.

Up until a month ago I had never really saved that much money in my life. (Ok, that's not completely accurate because I have a 401k that is definitely worth more than $1,378 since I've been faithfully contributing to a retirement plan for about 14 years. It is worth noting that "faithfulness" was the only redeeming quality for 9 of those 14 years since my income was pretty low AND I was working on paying off school loan debt. I've been trying to make up for that over the past 6 years.)

So back to my savings accounts. I've been meaning to save and have even set up multiple savings accounts, but there was always something needed that any extra money would go toward. Usually extra money would go toward reducing my student loan debt, car repairs, or occasionally a trip to see family or friends. Oh, and this "extra" money was usually from my annual bonus at the end of the year or my tax refund.

This year I'm starting the year with only a small debt: my car, a 2011 Mazda2 that I purchased in 2012. Since I paid off my student loan last year, I was able to open a Roth IRA and purchase a few things on my wish list when I received my bonus at the end of the year.

So now I'm ready to create the saving habit and that's why I'm participating in the 52 Week Money Challenge. I want to cultivate a saving mentality since I'm no longer in "survive my debt" mode. What's in my "planner" to make 2014 the year of the Saver? My new habit is scheduled weekly on my calendar with reminders set so I don't forget to transfer the money to my CapitalOne 360 account. 

Bekah was born in Kansas, raised in Wisconsin, and lived three years on Guam. Her Midwest roots go deep though, since she has been a Minnesota resident for almost seven years. Bekah commits daily to serve God, to be healthy, and strives to be financially fit.

This post was originally written in order to participate in CapitalOne 360s WE the SAVERS's blog contest.

{Giving} Thankul to God for His Provision

I don't know if any of my readers do not already give 10% to their local church as a tithe of their increase, and don't need a reminder, but maybe you need some encouragement about your giving.

Today's sermon from I Corinthians 16 got me thinking about giving and it was a good encouragement. The sermon was mainly about the Corinthian church giving to Jewish believers (purpose) because out of solidarity and indebtedness they wanted to give back. Pastor reviewed some principles of giving and pointed out that if you think giving a tithe (10%) is legalistic, then you should compare Jesus' teaching on giving - to give all you have.

I had a hard time catching the rest of Pastor's main points because I started thinking and reflecting again over the past 14 1/2 years of paying off my student loan. Once the topic of tithe came up in the message, I thought about how I believe I had been most successful in paying down my loan when I was regularly giving to God.

I do believe my paying off my student loan (as of Monday!!) is a direct result of God's faithfulness to me. And I think that is the point - that I would recognize God's role and give him the glory. It's not about me and how much I make, or even about when this debt gets paid off, but it's about God and God working in and through me.

I'm grateful for my godly heritage - grandparents, parents, church leaders, bosses, friends... - who set a good example for me to follow in this area, but I had to come to the decision/practice on my own as an adult. I don't recall when I determined how much I would give, but I'm thankful for God providing for me and enabling me to give money back to him.

There's a lot to be said about Biblical giving and I'm pretty sure that I'll touch this topic again and again here on my blog. I think a future topic to discuss would be generosity. One of my favorite people in the world is also the most generous person you will meet - and by generous I don't just mean with money, but time, kindness, and much more.

For some reason God seems to use money to teach me things about Himself and about living Christ-like...I sure hope I've learned my lesson about debt. I'm ready to work on lessons about saving!

What is God using to teach you about Himself?

 

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  –Jeremiah 29:11

 

 

{simply Write 20thirteen} 3500 Pennies

 

One of my goals for the past few years has been to blog, or write, more. With that goal in mind I've come up with a theme for this year: Simply Write 20Thirteen. In honor of that theme, I'm attempting to have some writing sessions where I just write for a set time. I hope to share some of these sessions with you here on the ol' blog.

NOTE: This happens to be a personal topic, but I think I need to record this for my own sake, and with humility I hope my sharing will be of some benefit to others.

4/3/13 @ 6:40 pm

Ever get the sinking feeling that you over-extended your checkbook? You know – the pit in your stomach when you realized you weren't going to make it to your next paycheck. And now that you're on guard, and reality is hitting, your thoughts go back about a week or more a month ago when you must have stopped subtracting and just threw caution to the wind.

You’re spend, spend, spend- attitude of days gone by was back. Why didn't you take stock last week or the week before?! Where was the line? You crossed it so far back, you are now grasping backwards – you know, when you reach so far back that you pull you’re your neck muscle…oh, it hurts so bad you know you’re going to feel it for a couple of hours, or days…

Well, this pulled neck muscle, is your bank account. That pit in your stomach? It’s not going away for another 12 days – until payday.

Last weekend I scheduled my last few student loan payments and was feeling pretty good about myself. I started this week off kind of bad though. I took a few minutes to review my accounts and got slammed with the reality of having spent almost the last penny in my checkbook. At this point there are still 3,500 pennies, but if I hadn't caught it when I did, there would have been more like negative 13,500 pennies.

This is where I’m thankful that I have two checking accounts plus three savings accounts. Now before you get all “ooh…she has multiple savings accounts…” on me...

My main checking account where my paychecks are deposited is where most of my bill paying occurs.

My second checking account is through INGDirect and is also where I set up my initial savings account. They have this cool feature where you can add accounts to use for designated funds. My designated savings accounts have changed names a couple of times in the past year (mostly because I took a couple of trips and purchased a car). The current names are Emergency Fund (I hope to start to grow this when I finish paying off my student loan and move it to a Roth IRA), Travel Fund, and Unplanned Expenses.

Thankfully, I had some funds at ING. Unfortunately the funds weren't as high as I would have preferred. With a little shuffling around to cover scheduled billpay items and no additional spending, I figured I would survive until my next paycheck.

4/3/2013 @ 9:33pm

I've been thinking about this since I stepped away for a couple of hours, and I know what happened last month. I got busy and my focus got a little skewed. This affected my decisions to not spend. Yes, some day-after-day-after-day decisions to just drive to work and pay for parking was costly: two and a half times my monthly budget for bus riding.

These decisions of convenience led to other convenience decisions. Can I blame the lack of focus on my busy-ness at work? I don’t think so.

Bottom line is that I had a plan, but I didn’t work the plan.

The next two weeks I will be on a strict, budget freeze. You could call it my personal sequester...


- - - - - - - UPDATE - - - - - - -


I realized today that I never posted this. Probably because it was my own mini-crisis and I didn't want to tell anyone, but you should know I survived to payday. I should not be so impressed with myself, but my non-use of a credit card during this time was a victory. I hope to remember this lesson for many, many months in the future.

Putting back the funds into my savings accounts is going to take some time. Oh, and that sinking feeling? yeah, that lasted right up until payday. I'm thankful to be working the plan once again.


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“A budget tells us what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it.” –William Feather

Little Black Car (or Car Shopping, Part 3)

If you've been waiting all week for this, you can now all breath a sigh of relief! If you have no clue then you can read Part 1 and Part 2 of my car shopping venture. My intention was to type this up earlier in the week, but I guess I wanted to let it all sink in a bit before sharing with the world...OK, that was a bit melodramatic and not the reason at all - ha!

So we left of with me having a good deal in my hand for a 2011 Ford Focus and me wanting to sleep on it (or so I said to the Ford dealer - who was really a nice guy and I feel like I know too much about...). I drove away from the dealer with not a true plan in hand except that I wanted to check out more of the 6 options I had emailed myself during my previous evening online search.

Since I really had such a good feeling while driving the Focus and it reminded me of my sister's Mazda3, I decided to check out a Mazda2 that I saw online the night before. I got to the Mazda dealership and had to wait a couple of minutes for a salesman to be available. When he came he greeted me in a hurried fashion and told me that he was finishing working with another customer who was finalizing their sale and then he would be with me soon.

As I sat and waited I realized all the texting and calling I had done earlier in the day had worn down my phone's battery. Ugh...I had really liked all the encouragement that my family had been to me and I was not looking forward to feeling disconnected...

The salesman whizzed by me a couple of times to let me know he would be with me shortly and finally he was. He got on his computer and we discussed what I was looking for. I immediately told him about what I wanted my payments to be and we set to find a Mazda3 that I could test drive along with the Mazda2.

Also, after my experience with the Focus and manual transmission, I was eager to find something automatic. That proved to be a bit of a challenge with the M3s. There were plenty of options in manual, but the only automatic was actually at a different dealer.

I ended up deciding to test drive the M2 as I really wanted to see how different it would be from an M3 and if it would work for me.  As we went out to the car I assumed the salesman would be going with me as the Ford guy had, but instead he asked if I was familiar with the area and when I said I was, he said he needed to finish up with the customers he had been working with.

So off I went on my solo test drive and I immediately liked the car. There was really only one negative and I already knew that for about $400 I could have it added - cruise control. What's a road trip with no cruise control, right?!

I took the car to Jen's and everyone there took a good, long look. The kids were all over it like it was the coolest car ever - in fact they said it was a cool car. I think they knew more about the workings of the car than I did by the time they were done climbing all over it :) Eric helped with some research and gave his approval as well.

I was pretty comfortable with the M2 as an option so I headed back to the dealer to see what kind of deal I could wheel.

From the moment I returned they assumed I wanted to the car and acted like I had already told them I would purchase it. It was a bit crazy in the dealership and my salesman still didn't really have time for me and had the business manager take me into her office. He told her I had questions about financing. I'm not sure what questions he thought I had but she took that as if I was buying the car. She started filling out paperwork and starting a file for me.

When I was finally able to let her know that I wasn't sure if I was actually buying the car, she screeched to a halt and her attitude changed. She no longer seemed to have time for me and whisked me back to the salesman to continue with him as he was now free.

At some point someone else took my Sebring keys to take a look at the car and see what they could get me for a trade in. Once they had the trade in value it was time to talk turkey. And by turkey, I mean monthly payments. And by monthly payments, I mean under $200. The salesman knew this, the business manager knew this, and now the numbers guy who did the trade-in value knew this.

There was a catch though. Someone else was in the dealership and wanted to look at the car. At this point I had a slight moment of panic because I was so determined not to buy a car on my first day out. Oh, and sure enough, it was while I was waiting again that my phone completely shut down. I felt very disconnected from my lifeline. Anna's last text was "if they say $189, say you'll take it!"

The numbers guy came back a couple of times with a number above $200 and each time I asked them to try again (again, picture me pushing the little piece of paper back toward them and saying, "try again, please"). Sound familiar? By now I felt very comfortable with this process and knowing my credit was excellent, I was looking for a really low APR and made sure they knew it.

As the guy left to run the numbers yet again, I mentioned to the salesman about the $189. I also was praying during the wait. Since I had no way to text, God was the only one I could turn to. I knew He was there all a long, and I knew many were also praying for me during the day. These things were a great comfort to me, and I had peace while I waited.

Wouldn't you know it, but the guy came back with $194!

What?! Maybe I am going to buy a car on my first day looking!

And, yes, in fact, I told the guy that I would take it. I was excited. I felt like I had won! I really was beaming - a grin from ear to ear.

By this time it was almost 6. The dealership was closing and there was a line up of deals that the finance folks were trying to finish before they could head home. While I was waiting for them to finalize their offer, I went to my Sebring to charge my phone and let people know the latest. I was supposed to take Jess out for a birthday dinner, but we were going to be seriously delayed if I was actually going through with this.

Oh, and I wouldn't be able to take the car with me because I wasn't fully insured. My '96 Sebring didn't have full coverage so I would have to establish that before I could take car home.

While I was making phone calls the salesman came out and said the finance folks would be at least another 1/2 and hour and would I be open to leaving a deposit and finishing the deal on Monday after I established full coverage on my insurance. Ah, yes. This was a great plan!

So there. I didn't in fact buy a car on my first day out shopping. I did pick up this yummy, black 2011 Mazda2 with 22,422 miles on Monday evening at about 6pm.

{newsy notes} Part 2

As you may have read I've been feeling a little mailman-neglected and decided I need to start writing more letters. Here's more, enjoy!

Dear Credit Card Debt, Just 3 more slightly chunky payments and you’re all gone! I’m excited, not gonna lie! Then I'm on to the ol’ school loan--you’re going down!!

Dear Hair, It's been 3 looong months since your last cut. Please be mindful to stay smooth and manageable as there are a few more months before you will see scissors! Oh, and would you mind not growing any more gray? Thanks.

Dear Future Car, No, I’m not talking about a futuristic car. I mean the future car I’m going to own in the near, near future. Yes, You! (I’m really hoping Future Car is not, You!) Anywhoo, hope you’re resting up for some road trips!!

Dear Slaves Interns, Only a few more weeks and then you are ours--for 3 months! Hope you’re ready to learn all about the financial planning industry by reviewing client documents (a.k.a. scanning!). Don’t worry, Boss has many other projects to throw in the mix!

Dear Mo’gen, Thanks for spending last weekend with me. It was fun hanging out with you and doing whatever you wanted -- including a trip to Target where you asked for everything you saw! Can’t believe you’re about to turn 7!! Didn’t I tell you not to grow up?!

Dear Lily Bug, You're soooo cute - I could eat you up!! When you come to visit me, I'll be sure to make you a strawberry and banana smoothie (your cousins looove them and practically demand that I make them!). We'll also work on you saying my name ;-) Lots of love, Auntie beK <3
 

Got a stamp?!

Oh, and I think I'll post some pics soon so stay tuned!

{newsy notes} Part 1

Lately I haven’t had much from the USPS mailman, and it got me to thinking: maybe I should write more letters...hmmm...

Well, that's not likely so I hope these notes put a smile on your face and make you want to run home, pull out the ol’ paper and pen and send me lots o’ letters!

Dear Sebring, Thank you for getting me to and from work each day and all the other places you take me. At ~148,000 miles in 15 years (that’s ~68,000 miles in 6 years with yours truly), I believe your almost ready for retirement -- we’ll have a party soon, I promise! Party date and location: TBA.

Dear Anti-lock Brake Light, Thanks for going off today as the streets were wet and there was a chance I might actually need the anti-lock brake system. Normally I do enjoy how you and Check Engine Light brighten up my dash!!

Dear Traffic, Thank you for getting out of my way when I needed to merge. I didn’t want to bring out my south-of-Chicago-learned driving skills, but I would of, if I had to...Yo, Westside!!

Dear Vincent A Restaurant (French - oui, oui! ...or si, si!, according to the English to French dictionary), yesterday your $14, The Vincent Burger was delicious and filling: so delicious and filling I didn't finish the fries! Not sure I would have chosen you on the menu description alone (Ground Beef, Braised Short Ribs, Smoked Gouda), but two fist pumps for the assist (a.k.a. recommendation) by compliance branch manager, Cindy!! So glad I didn't have to pay the $14!

Dear Camera, Wow! I haven’t pulled you out since, well, I’m not sure when...Christmas?! My phone has been an acceptable replacement with it’s easy Facebook sharing features and, well, I just am too lazy to make sure you, Camera, have charged batteries, too! But I did pull out last Sunday for the kids' choirs at church last Sunday, so thanks for standing by!

Part 2 coming up soon!

{Book Review} Your Money God’s Way by Aime Streater

For the past 10 years I have been trying to get out of debt. Realistically, I have been seriously trying for the past four years. I am very close to reaching one specific financial goal and I think the fact that I’m so close that goal has given me a little inspiration.

Several months back I chose to review the book Your Money God’s Way by Aime Streater through BookSneeze.com, but only got through the first chapter before it was laid aside and kind of forgotten about. Recently I picked it up again in hopes that I could finish a review and get another book and I was surprised (in a good way) to find lots of things to help me reach the finish line of the specific financial goal I mentioned above.

I’m going to post this review in two sections because 1) I've finished reading half of the book and 2) since this has turned into more of a Bible study for me rather than a normal Book Review, it's going to be a little longer than unusual...

Book Description

“Amie Streater…delivers a powerful message of common sense and biblical wisdom that today’s churchgoers desperately need.” - Dave Ramsey

Readers discover the seven "counterfeit convictions" that keep them broke and encounter proven plans for getting out of debt, building wealth, and finding financial peace.

Money habits. Where do they come from? Can you pinpoint when you started shopping to feel better, why you can’t usher grown children into financial independence, or why saving for the future is a priority in theory but not in practice?

Amie Streater, associate pastor of financial stewardship for the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, has been there. From her own experience, she knows what it’s like to look at an impossible pile of bills and a pile of toddlers wrestling in the next room. In Your Money God's Way, empowered by her own incredible journey to financial freedom, she leads readers to the dream of mastering their finances. She also expertly uncovers seven “counterfeit convictions” Christians believe that hinder their personal finance success.

Book Review

From the start I think the author is harsh in her analysis of what Christians should do to be good financial stewards, but I think it’s necessary. She found “that it takes more than just teaching steps to get out of debt—it takes confrontation of the wrong thinking that got them there to begin with.”

Counterfeit Convictions is first chapter and the book concludes with Conviction Clean-Up Plan. The middle chapters describe the author’s view of “seven key spiritual conditions most often cause Christians to fail in meeting personal financial goals”:

1. The Fix-It Fantasy: Unrealistic, unbiblical beliefs about the power money has to improve our lives
2. Saviors or Enablers?: A habit of trying be a savior by continually bailing reckless people out of their messes, and waiting our own resources in the process
3. Self-Righteous Slackers: Polluted theology, which we use to mask laziness and justify not working or failing to work up to our full potential
4. You Must Be Here to Help Me!: Naïveté about the intentions of others.
5. God Is an ATM: Failure to give, or a tendency to give with the wrong intentions
6. The Scarlette Syndrome: Denial about our current circumstances of the consequences of our actions
7. The Cliff Jumpers: A tendency to blame God for our own impulsive behavior

Introduction

One thing that stuck out in her introduction was “Your wealth—or lack thereof—is a direct result of the decisions you have made regarding every dollar that has passed through your hands.” Uhh…she said “every dollar”!

I was encouraged by this prayer and intend to pray it often:

Daily Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me, for staying beside me, for holding me up when I fall. Please give me an open mind and an open heart. Let me see things as You see them. Show me what’s truth. Show me where I am wrong. Open the doors You want me to walk through, and close the ones that lead to places You don’t want me to be.

Please bless my efforts to improve my finances. Multiply my resources, and bless me so I may be a blessing to others. Most important, line up my thoughts with Your thoughts. Help me forgive myself for the mistakes of my pat, and forgive others for mistakes against me, just as You forgive me for all my sins as soon as I ask. I release the mistakes of yesterday, and I receive the blessing You have for me today.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Chapter 1 – Counterfeit Convictions

In this chapter I was challenged to highlight the scriptures used so that they will provide a quick reference for me to do as the Berean Christians did in Acts 17:11.

The author explained counterfeit convictions as “beliefs that started out as biblical truths but that we absorb into our hearts incorrectly.”

Here’s the first one she mentions:

Counterfeit Conviction: “I can’t really afford this, but I’ll just put it on my credit card. When the bill comes, God will provide!”

Timeless truth: Proverbs 21:17 tells us, “HE who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.”

A daily prayer:

Father God, I acknowledge that my current financial habits may be inconsistent with what Your Word teaches because my current financial condition does not line up with the promise of the Bible. God, open my heart and my mind to new ideas and fresh thinking. Help me to see what You want me to see, when You want me to see it. Father, bless my efforts to become financially healthy, and let my decisions bless my family and honor You.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Chapter 2 – The Fix-It Fantasy

While Chapter 1 set the stage for the next 7 chapters, Chapter 2 jumped right in to the main idea from this chapter to me was the power of negative words in your life, and replacing negative thinking with Scripture truths is the key to reversing the effects of those negative words.

A couple of quotes I pulled from the chapter:

·         “If you’re not grateful for what you have now, you won’t be grateful with more.” Contentment is happiness, not more stuff.

·         “See your setback as a temporary circumstance and not a permanent condition.” It’s easy to get into the “permanent condition” mindset. But by reversing your thinking, you will be more positive. To be more positive, you will need to add Scripture to your thinking.

·         “The only thing that can truly change you is the power of God.” Again, more Scripture in your life is key!

A daily prayer:

Dear God, please help me see money the way You see it. And show me that You value me right now for who I am and for who You created me to be. Give me the wisdom and the patience to multiply my resources so that I can be a blessing to others. Let me value my life in terms of the amount of love I give and receive, and not by the number of dollars I have in the bank. Show me what money can do, and just as important, what it cannot do. Help me to find peace and my safety in You, and only You.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Chapter 3 - Saviors or Enablers?

Counterfeit Conviction: It is my Christian duty to be at the beck and call of everyone who wants me to help them out of a jam.

Timeless Truth: You have to take care of yourself if you’re going to be in a position to help anyone else. And the world is full of people who live to take advantage of generous souls. Generosity and a desire to be helpful to others must be coupled with wisdom and discernment.

While I like to think of myself as a generous person, I know don’t have anyone in my life taking advantage of my generosity and I also don’t believe I generally give more than I can afford so this chapter was somewhat not applicable to me. However, she did raise some good points for when you are in these types of situations and there were two things that stuck out to me:

·         Establish a budget in which your tithe and your most immediate needs (food, clothing, shelter, [and] transportation) are covered first, followed by your secondary goals and obligations (retirement savings, debt elimination, mortgage payoff acceleration, [and] vacation savings). You cannot give away money that you do not have.

·         Set aside a monthly amount to use for “spontaneous” giving or helping others. If after making your budget you don’t have money left over, then you are about to get a crash course in saying no.

Chapter 4 - Self-Righteous Slackers

Counterfeit Conviction: God didn’t want me to go to work…My responsibilities will be met somehow.

Timeless Truth: Laziness does not honor God; neither is it His plan for your life. However, God always blesses hard work and dedication.

Some themes of the chapter included:

• The author was certainly passionate about telling those she has counseled that it was a privilege for women to be stay at home moms/wives, not a right. If one chose to get in debt (i.e. for education – student loans) then one should contribute to the effort to pay those debts off.
• Caution against get-rich-quick schemes. Proverbs 21:5
• Encouragement to “work up to our full potential”- maybe even sacrifice a little now to ultimately get to do a job that we desire.
• Using more than just one of our talents if God closes the door to the one we’ve always done (be the tweezers or pliers in the Swiss army knife instead of just a knife).

Pray for my work life:

Father God, I thank You for the gifts and talents with which You have blessed me. Please help me use these gifts to make a living for myself and for my family, to bless others, and to honor and glorify You. Break off any barriers in my hear that keep me from working up to my fullest potential. Give me a strong work ethic, energy for the day, patience for the tasks before me, and grace to handle my job with a smile. Bless the work of my hands, Lord, and please bless the job searches of everyone who is out of work right now.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Bottom line: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Colossians 3:23

I hope to post the conclusion of this review in the next week or so.

{Dear Jesus} my prayer this week

 Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me...

for staying beside me, for holding me up when I fall. Please give me an open mind and an open heart. Let me see things as You see them. Show me what’s truth. Show me where I am wrong. Open the doors You want me to walk through, and close the ones that lead to places You don’t want me to be.

Please bless my efforts to improve my finances. Multiply my resources, and bless me so I may be a blessing to others. Most important, line up my thoughts with Your thoughts. Help me forgive myself for the mistakes of my pat, and forgive others for mistakes against me, just as You forgive me for all my sins as soon as I ask. I release the mistakes of yesterday, and I receive the blessing You have for me today.
 In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

I'm reading "Your Money God's Plan" by Amie Streater and hope to post a book review about it when I'm done! It started out as just a book review, but its turning into a Bible Study - lots of Scripture to look up! It's great!!!

“Amie Streater…delivers a powerful message of common sense and biblical wisdom that today’s churchgoers desperately need.” - Dave Ramsey

Christmas / Birthday Lunch

Our firm had its annual Christmas lunch at The Cheesecake Factory today.
I also happened to mention to the waitress that we were celebrating my birthday, early...what?! Hey, wait until I'm 85, then see how much I tell people it's my birthday! :) 

We had a delicious lunch with fun conversation and, of course, cheesecake!

Then...

they handed out our bonus checks.

Our bonuses are based on whether or not we reached a certain managed investment dollar amount.
I won't bore you the ALL of the particulars, but they did tell us that on the day they did the calculation we were short of our goal by approximately 10%. The funny thing is that the markets gained about 2% the next day. Regardless of our shortfall though, they decided to give us our full bonus. What a blessing!! We really did work hard this year and if you played with the numbers more, we might have been able to make it to our goal. One reason (out of several possible) that we may not have reached our goal is because 17 of our clients died this year. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that their money leaves us too, but depending on who the beneficiaries are, the money may leave our firm.

Anyway, it's been a good, hard year at work and we were glad to be out celebrating!!



*We got our bonus checks, but I haven't had my review yet...that's scheduled for next week! Talk about anti-climatic! Hopefully I get a big raise!

more ways to save money

Yesterday I posted how I'm doing with Part 1 so here's my take on Part 2 of Pocketyourdollars.com's 25 ways to save money. 

14. Use coupons.  1/2 Check!
I'm not the best at this, but I do try. The sad part is I often throw out coupons because they expired! But..wait for it...yep, today I used 3 coupons at Target! Oh, and the bonus is that I also used a gift card!

15. As long as you’re in a coupon mood, use virtual coupons too. 1/2 Check!
Ah, yes, coupon codes. I try to search for these whenever I'm buying anything online, but sometimes I forget...

16. Save on health costs. Check!
My normal M.O. is not to go to the doctor. That saves me tons of money!!

17. If you can’t eliminate something, just reduce it by half. N/A
Most of the suggestions here didn't apply to me. The biggest one is that I don't have cable.

18. Make what you have already work better. N/A
Again, most of the suggestions here didn't apply to me.

19. Swap services with friends and family. Check!
I do babysitting for my sister, but not really for anything in exchange. Also, I've offered assistance to many friends and family in need of resume help. Again, nothing really exchanged. 

20. Maximize the money you already have. Work in progress!
I'm not so sure this advice is that great since savings accounts aren't really offering much in the way of interest...I'd love to save more though.

21. Hold a swap meet. X
Ah, not gonna happen.

22. Have some real money with a mortgage overhaul. N/A
No house for me!

23. Avoid fees and save postage. Check!
I don't write checks any more! My bank has free bill pay. The last two checks that I was writing regularly were my rent and my tithe, but a couple of months ago I ditched the checkbook (ok, not literally. It's still in my drawer, but I don't think I'll get new checks anytime soon, hopefully never.)

24. Have it delivered and save. N/AI don't get the paper, even for the coupons...I think with a one-person household there would be too many coupons!! (I'm saving trees by not getting the paper, right?!)

25. When you can’t buy…borrow. Check!
See #11 from yesterday.

So, did you get any new money saving ideas?! I'd love to hear about how you save money!

ways to save money

Sure, in theory I'm always interested in saving money. But practically speaking sometimes I just don't try because of the effort it will take. A recent blog post on pocketyourdollars.com had 13 ways to save and I think they have some good ideas (read their post first--the list below is my version...).

I especially like the ones I'm already doing or have done!

1. Save money by saving gas. CHECK!

The article suggested checking tire pressure and getting oil changes regularly. I hope that it's enough that they check my tires when I get my oil changed, which happens regularly.

2. Collect all of the change in jars, pockets, drawers and purses and put it to work. CHECK!
I don't carry a lot of cash so I don't really have much change. But when I do, I definitely put it to work - doing my laundry!

3. Use what you have before you buy more. 1/2-CHECK!
I'm generally good with this one too, but with only one person in the house, I get tired of using the same shampoo for 3-6 months, so I don't always do this recommendation.

4. You’ve heard it before…switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. CHECK!
I started switching when I moved into my apartment. It seems like I changed almost every bulb in the first 6 months.

5. Use rechargeable batteries. TO DO!
Don't have much use for batteries until my niece and nephews come over. Then I wish I had rechargeable batteries!

6. Bottle your own water. CHECK!
Sometime this summer I got a faucet filter for home and a pitcher filter for work. This is a great way to help me drink more water and not spend money on the bottled stuff.

7. While you’re at it, make your own coffee. N/A
Nope, still not a coffee drinker.

8. Hang your laundry. TO DO!
I do this only when I run out of quarters!

9. Quit smoking. N/A
Ok, I don't smoke, but I have quit drinking diet pop at work. That saves money!!

10. Cancel your gym membership. N/A
I've actually contemplated joining a gym many times in the last year or so, but opted not to just to save money!

11. Buy stuff used. CHECK!
My car is used. My computer is used. My TV and couch are on loan from sisters.

12. Sell used stuff. CHECK!
I'm pretty good about using things until they are not usable any longer...:) But if I do have stuff that I don't use, I usually give it away or sell it.

13. Call and ask for discounts. TO DO!
I've actually been thinking about calling my credit card company for a while now. I used to call frequently to make sure I was getting the lowest interest rate. It's been a while since I last called. It's going on my list today!
If I remember, I'll post the rest of the list after they post Part 2.

How did you do? What ways are you saving money? Could you be saving more money?



changed plans

This weekend I had planned to be in Watertown for a nice weekend away. I had my last 1/2 day Friday to use for the summer and was very excited about leaving town. It just happens that it was also Maranatha's Alumni Weekend and being in Watertown for the event would have been fun! I say would have because I didn't make it to Watertown.

I left work around 11:45 about 15 min later than I would have preferred. I was hungry. I hadn't eaten anything that morning, not even my regular breakfast smoothie! Well, I hit the road and knew I needed fuel for my car as well, so I only drove out of the Mpls traffic before I stopped to get gas and grab a sandwich. I started down the road again and got another 15 min down the road when I heard a strange noise. As soon as I realized it was my car, I started to pull over. The noise was getting louder and louder too! When I stopped, I opened my door and looked back. This is what I saw:

I had pulled over as far as I could, but I could still "feel" the heavy traffic as they whizzed by me. I didn't even get out of my car. I started to making phone calls and sending texts to my sisters (I know, I know...). My knowledge of changing a tire is limited, to say the least, and it would have been best for me to have assistance while endeavoring to get my car back on the road.

Here are the some of the many reasons I didn't want to get out of my car...

When the sisterhood didn't produce immediate results, I began to look up nearby car repair shops/towing companies using my handy-dandy phone (HTC Hero). I found two: one exit up and one exit back. The first place wanted $85 to change my tire. The second place wanted $65. I went with the second place. They did state that they would not change the tire on the side of the interstate, but would tow it to the next exit and then change the tire.

While I waited for the tow truck, my brother-in-law, Luke, called to say he was on his way. Since there wasn't a whole lot he could do for me at this point, I was very relieved to know that he was coming and my spirits were lifted. It really was too dangerous for anyone to change the tire on the side of the interstate, and I knew I would need to be towed regardless of who was coming and when.

I was still on the phone with my brother-in-law when a State Trooper arrived to check out the situation. By this time I had been there about 30 minutes. Basically, he wasn't any help...

...but he did leave me a nice orange sticker on the back of the car to note that he had been there.

Help finally arrived in the form of a tow truck and my car & I got a short ride to the next exit which happened to be a weigh station about a mile away.

So $98 later, I had a changed tire. Luke arrived a few minutes after the tow truck drove off. We then spent the rest of the afternoon searching for new tires in the town of Hudson (exit 2). Three tire stores later (Tires Plus, Fleet Farm, Tire Proz), we settled on the "deal" of the day for four new tires. Two of the

While we waited for the new tires, we went to Wal-mart for some miscellaneous car items for Luke's car and then McDonald's for some ice cream. I found out that Luke had gotten out of work for me! It was very nice of his soon to be ex-manager to let him come help me! Of course, he only has two days left there before he starts his new job (praise the Lord!) so he didn't feel like he would be missing much, I guess.

Lesson of the day:

bright business

Updated 7/31/09

7/30/09 Well, the end of July is almost here and as promised here's an update on how I did in my first month in PartyLite.

I started off really well since my first Show ended up being my highest Show: sales = $369. This was really an overflow of my starter Show, but I'm thankful that even though there many couldn't come to the Starter Show they were still able to help me get started on this new venture.

My second show was also a catalog show with my mom as the hostess. I brought my FREE kit down to my mom & dad's and had a little mini-show for my dad, mom and two sisters. My mom then worked all month to sell candles for me. The totals of that Show are not yet finalized. Stay tuned for those results!

Update: The results are in!! Mom's Show sales were $299. It was so exciting to see this number grow throughout the deadline day. I had to submit the show on the 31st by 11 pm. I posted the original blog entry on Thursday and on Friday morning I let everyone know on Facebook how much I needed. It was so exciting to see the numbers go up and by 3pm I had reached my goal!!! My mom's Show did have a little help from two of my co-workers and my lil sis, Anna; their orders helped me go OVER the goal amount! I also had many words of encouragement from friends via Facebook. Thank you, family, friends and co-workers! Most of all, thanks to God for allowing me to earn extra money and for giving me encouraging family, friends and co-workers!

My third Show was with a gal from church. With only 3 in attendance we managed to squeak out $231 in Show sales, plus two future bookings.

My fourth Show was with my sister, Jen. Again, we only had three guests in attendance, but I did get a booking! That Show totaled $190.

My fifth Show included a trip to Watertown, WI. I had fun seeing old friends and the Show went well with about 8 in attendance and one booking. The Show totaled $313.

My sixth Show was actually a Fundraiser for Metro Women's Center. There was really only one seller and she was only able to sell for about 2 weeks. Her Show total was $140 and 1/2 of that goes directly to Metro Women's Center. The remaining $70 goes towards my sale totals. I hope we can do a larger scale Fundraiser for this organization in the near future.

So now I'm doing the math, and it looks like $227 is the magic number. I have to turn in that much by tomorrow by 11pm to qualify for PartyLite's BriteStart Month 1. My sale totals would then be $1400 and my team leader would really like me to reach that goal. Anyone interested in helping me reach this goal go to www.partylite.biz/bekahflaming. Only 148 shopping days until Christmas!

I'm really excited to go to our next team meeting (Aug 4th) with my "qualifying" numbers. You know, of course, that I get more FREE candles if I meet my goal this month! And if I meet the BrightStart goal the next two months, I also get more compensation. You might remember that one of my main reasons for joining PartyLite was to use the extra income to pay off a little debt and I'd really enjoy taking more trips to see family & friends!

This month was a success in my book. I met many new friends and enjoyed fellowship with many long-time (and many newer) friends. I hope I was a reflection of the Light to those I interacted with along the way.