Money Matters

Let’s talk about money.  Many people say money is the root of all evil, but others argue it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.  I think it is a bit of both.  I understand the need for money in a modern world (the barter system just wouldn't work too well nowadays after all) but money does seem to make things complicated.

I wouldn't say I love money or that I need expensive things, although who wouldn't like to have a bit extra in their pocketbook at the end of the month?  I am just striving to make ends meet and keep from sinking.  And I praise the Lord that we are not worse off than we are (which isn't really that bad in the grand scheme of things).  My children may not always have name-brand clothing, but they have good, sturdy, clean clothes.  We may not always be able to eat out at fancy restaurants, but we always have food on the table and extra in the cabinets and fridge.  We might not have the nicest things, but we do have more things than we could ever possibly use and all of our needs are met.  We are incredibly blessed!  Fresh clean water, electricity, heat, air conditioning, our own house…way more than millions of others have.

Still, like most families, money can be a struggle.  In our case, it is paying for daycare for two kids that is taking a large chunk out of our paychecks each month.  So last year when I found out I was pregnant with Frog Face I began seriously buckling down in anticipation of the daycare payments to come and focusing on getting rid of our debt and figuring out how we could cut corners. 

First of all, I started listening to Dave Ramsey.  He is a religious financial adviser who is pretty famous, has a daily radio show, several books, and is the founder of Financial Peace University (FPU).  I have always wanted to attend FPU but could never justify spending $100 on a course to save money.  How is spending $100 helping me save money?  So I just checked out his book from the library and read it instead.  His basic idea says to make a budget, save up a $1,000 emergency fund, then look at your debt and start paying it off with what he calls the “debt snowball”.  Start with the smallest debt and pay as much as you can on that and the minimum balance on the other debts.  Once the first debit is paid off, attack the next using the money you were putting toward the first, and so on.  Thankfully, the only debt we have (aside from the house) are two credit cards and a car payment.  So last December we stopped using credit cards and really went to work!  If we are able to stay on track, we will be completely debt free (except for the house) in 12-18 more months! 

But it is taking a lot of sacrifice for this.  We do have a budget and try to stick to it, but don’t do a very good job of staying to it to-the-penny.  We got rid of cable and just have internet and a Netflix subscription (we did buy a Roku – a streaming device – that we LOVE), we only eat fast food once a week and try to eat as cheap as we can (re: dollar menu), before we spend money, we try and decide if we really need it or if we can do without.  For instance, our older car needed a new starter so we decided to become a one car family until my father, who is awesome at mechanics (but lives 7 hours away) could make a trip out here to fix it for us (which he did a wonderful job!  Thanks daddy!).  We even made the tough decision not to travel back to visit family after Frog Face was born because we couldn't afford it.  And now that the weather is cooler Frog Face is sporting a pink infant car seat cover because I really can’t justify buying a new one when the only thing wrong with the one we have (which I got at a thrift store for $2) is that it is pink! 

I also love thrift store shopping and get most of the kids clothing from there.  You can find some amazing deals if you have the patience to look for them!  I got a Moby wrap baby carrier for Frog Face for $2 (retail for $40), a miracle swaddle blanket for $3 (retails for $30), breathable bumpers for the crib for $3 (retails for around $25) and every season I go shopping for shoes, jackets, and other clothing for both Goober and now Frog Face.  I also visit consignment sales when they are available and purchase items of our local Facebook trading site (we got our deep freezer off of there for $85 and a battery powered car for Goober’s birthday for $10 that runs great but just needs repainting and cleaned up). 

I have gotten creative and try to think outside the box before I make a purchase.  I wanted black out curtains for Goobers room but taped aluminum foil over the windows instead and it worked great (her bedroom is in the back of the house so no one sees the foil from the outside)!  We moved the glider from Goober’s room over to Frog Face’s and instead of getting a new chair for her room we put an old recliner in there.  Frog Face also got the Weatherman’s dresser that he never used instead of us buying a new one for the nursery.  And now that Halloween is near, I am trying to think of costumes that are cute and fun but won’t break our budget.

I also have become quite good at couponing.  I am not nearly as good as those crazy people you see on TV, but I can usually save a pretty penny by cutting coupons and matching them to items that are on sale (or better yet…on clearance!).  Walgreens and Dillons are both excellent places to shop while couponing and I will stock up when an item goes on sale if the item is non-perishable (soap, shampoo, cereal, can goods, boxed juices, diapers, wipes, etc.).  I have a coworker who brings me extra coupons every week and I have been known to raid the recycling bin for coupons as well.  We have also become a generic-brand family and only get certain things name brand now (although this is a bit harder now that I am dairy free: we have discovered many generic items contain milk).  Although it has become difficult to find time to cut coupons or go shopping now that Frog Face is here. 

The thought of being debt free in as little as 12-18 months is amazing.  It hasn't been easy, and I am sure it won’t be as we continue our budgeting in the future, but I know it will be worth it.  We are spending somewhere around $650 a month just on paying off our debt.  To have that money in our pocket every month is a goal I know we can achieve.  I look forward to when that day comes!

Frog Face asleep in his crib.  The breathable bumper you can see at the top has a pink edge too it, but I got it at the thrift store for just a couple bucks so it was worth it!  He is also sleeping in thrift store jammies, but they are still cute!

Goober's room: The curtains are hand made and the recliner is old, but it is still pretty cozy!