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Cost Cutting: 22 Easy, Medium, and Hardcore Tips
If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly watching for ways to save a dollar. Also if you’re anything like me, you’re hoping this article is full of easy ways to magically save money with little to no effort. Hopefully by reading this you’ll save money by osmosis. That’s my goal when I click on articles like this one. Truly, I hope you find some osmosis-like savings here. Even more truly, I hope you find some fantastic ways to cut costs that make your life simpler. We have done most, if not all, of these things. In fact, we do most of these things on the regular, and it doesn’t even…
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Psalm 119: Falling in Love with the Word
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,Who walk in the law of the Lord.How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,Who seek Him with all their heart.Psalm 119:1-2 This has been one of the most difficult posts to wrap my tiny brain around. I used to think of Psalm 119 as a really long chapter of poetry that pretty much just said the same thing over and over, as if David just couldn’t get enough of the sound of his own dreamy voice. Now, having spent 22 weeks camped here, I realize how rich it is. The reason I couldn’t get a grip and write the dang thing for so long is because I couldn’t choose…
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Living that Debt-Free Life
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. Proverbs 6:5 I’ve told you this before, but when Mason and I got married, we had negative dollars to our names. Student loans and credit cards- ya’ll know this song. We made our payments, trudged along, hoping to pay off Wells Fargo sometime in our 40s. And then our friends bullied us into taking Financial Peace University (thank you, friends; readers- consider yourselves bullied) and decided to get Gazelle Intense about living that debt-free life. We made a lot of sacrifices, worked a few jobs we hated, said no to some fun things…
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Sinning Like David: Prevention
We’ve talked about the progression of sin, and the beautiful picture of repentance that Jesus gives us, but the third leg of this bar stool is prevention. Wouldn’t it be better to avoid the spiral and just not do the thing? Obviously we’re not going to get it right every time, but let’s bulk up on some tools that can tighten the screws for us a bit. Psalm 119 doesn’t identify it’s author, but it’s generally believed among Bible scholars that David wrote it. It’s the longest chapter in the Bible (176 verses) and the whole thing is dedicated to describing the value of God’s words. David’s Thoughts Here are…
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Sinning Like David: Repentance
David was a shepherd boy turned celebrity king. His life was huge. He killed a giant, battled violent armies, hid behind enemy lines and faked insanity out of self preservation, recruited renegades and turned them into a military force, and ruled Israel for decades. David also sinned outrageously. We can learn a lot by watching the progression of his biggest mistake. He knocked up a military officer’s wife (Bathsheba), and had him killed in the line of duty to cover it up. BUT (and it’s a big but), he repented wholeheartedly. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of confession for his sin with Bathsheba. It’s an incredible example of what brokenhearted…
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Budget 301: Maintain Me
If this were Netflix you could skip the recap (which was a fantastic idea by the way), but since this isn’t Netflix let’s just do a quick review: in Part One of this three-part series we defined what the Budget is and why it matters. Part Two helps you analyze your financial situation and actually create a first budget. See, wasn’t that so fast? In the final piece of this budget trilogy, you’re going to establish that budget habit and get into maintenance mode. It’s amazing how quickly you can make financial progress when executing a solid plan. You’ve got this.
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Budget 201: Get in Gear
Quick recap: In Part One of this three-part series we did an overview of why The Budget is so important (answer: stewardship), dispelled The Budget’s nasty reputation, and identified what The Budget actually is. We also laid out a few action steps. I’d love to know if any of you decided to track your spending and expenses, took a hard look at any debt, or defined some goals! Assuming that you did one or more of those things, now is the time to put your newfound information to good use. This month is the first month of the rest of your financial life! This month you’re going to bring a…
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Meal Planning: Taking the Angst Out of Dinner
You stare hopelessly into the refrigerator’s abyss. Mustard, pizza from last week, milk of questionable character. Close the door. Look around. Open the door again- nothing’s changed. No miraculous discovery to answer tonight’s question: What’s for dinner? Fifteen minutes of rummaging through cupboards and the freezer…and the winner is…takeout. Again. Sound familiar?
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Budget 101: Yes You Should
Let’s talk about The Budget. No, I did not just swear at you. It’s going to be fine. In so many households, “budget” is a dirty word. It denotes deprivation, poverty, and Ramen noodles. Friends, it does not have to be this way! The Budget is a valuable and frequently misunderstood tool in your belt. Today we’re going to lay the groundwork for an effective, long-lasting budgeting habit. We’ll talk about why The Budget is so important, what The Budget is not, and what The Budget is. At the end I’ll give you some clear, boots-on-the-ground action steps.
