So this whole trusting God completely with our finances, has been amazing.
The goal right now is to get out of debt...completely and forever. We are on a great plan and should be completely debt-free (except for our mortgage) in about 26 months....maybe less!
I've been grocery shopping somewhere new....its not the nicest store nor is it in the nicest neighborhood. But, I like it nonetheless. I'm also finding amazing deals on groceries.
Like...free bread. Yep, free. They have this lovely "reduced to quick sale" rack of breads and such and every week I get 2-3 loaves of bread--free. And its GOOD bread. And its cool, because in Colorado it takes weeks, if not a month or more, for bread to go stale! So I just throw the bread in the freezer and I'm good to go. Or the week that eggs were down to $1 a dozen. Not because they were bad, but because they overstocked them. Same for yogurt and milk. Someone is messing up on ordering, but we sure are benefiting!
Or the referral thank you gift card to Williams-Sonoma that our realtor gave us a couple of days ago. Or the Starbucks card my mother-in-law sent as a "just because" present. Or the hostess giftcards we received to Lowe's and Target. All of these are places I LOVE, but are not places that are currently in our budget.
I even got a Free Panty gift card (Up to $7.50 value) from Victoria's Secret in the mail today! Hello? When was the last time I got new panties...let alone free?
Or the extra $100 I got from Delta as a "shared reward" for hitting all of our targets in March. I only worked 32 hours and yet I'm benefiting from what has been done all over the country! (Sadly due to taxes and what not, I really only saw about $47.)
I honestly can only see God in this. It is not coincidence or luck or karma or anything like that. God cares about the details in our lives. He longs to provide for us and to show us compassion.
We are becoming stewards of God's resources. We are actively attacking the debt that has pulled us away from what God wants for us. We are working hard to remove the obstacles that keep us from doing that which we want to do....like living out the generosity that is in our hearts.
It is exciting! And I can't wait to see what God will do next or how He will transform our hearts and our perspectives over the course of this time.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Ode to Delta
Well, we are enjoying our Delta flight benefits once again.
Last Thursday, John and Brooklyn flew to Long Beach for a 24-hour stint. John's Grandpa was staying with his mom for the week and John thought he'd take advantage of a day off and spend it with his Grandpa.
Brooklyn got to have her "alone" trip with Daddy....Kenna got one back in February, and had the time of her life!
And coming up on Friday,(April 25-May2) our whole family is flying out to Long Beach for the week! So fun! John actually has to work some (bummer!) so he'll only be out for a few days. But, then, my mom is so kind that she will be flying home with me and the kids so I don't have to do it all alone! (Thanks, Delta, again!)
I'm planning on having playdates with all my girlfriends and their kids since all the grandparents work during the day! And then we can love all over the fam at night. Should be a blast.
And for those of you wondering, yes, I still have a job with Delta. The merger won't officially go through until January. Until then, all is well. I have no idea what will happen then, but am grateful that God knows! We are enjoying this blessing immensely and will be thankful for it as long as it lasts!!!
So to my friends in the LBC, see ya next week!
Last Thursday, John and Brooklyn flew to Long Beach for a 24-hour stint. John's Grandpa was staying with his mom for the week and John thought he'd take advantage of a day off and spend it with his Grandpa.
Brooklyn got to have her "alone" trip with Daddy....Kenna got one back in February, and had the time of her life!
And coming up on Friday,(April 25-May2) our whole family is flying out to Long Beach for the week! So fun! John actually has to work some (bummer!) so he'll only be out for a few days. But, then, my mom is so kind that she will be flying home with me and the kids so I don't have to do it all alone! (Thanks, Delta, again!)
I'm planning on having playdates with all my girlfriends and their kids since all the grandparents work during the day! And then we can love all over the fam at night. Should be a blast.
And for those of you wondering, yes, I still have a job with Delta. The merger won't officially go through until January. Until then, all is well. I have no idea what will happen then, but am grateful that God knows! We are enjoying this blessing immensely and will be thankful for it as long as it lasts!!!
So to my friends in the LBC, see ya next week!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Free Date Night
So, another fun story for you. At MOPS we do a raffle every week. A ticket gets put in if you are on time and you can purchase one for $1. I always put in $! just to support the group. Well a month or so ago, I was the 2nd name picked!!! And I won 2 tickets to go see the Colorado Mammoth play. In case you don't know (ha!), the Mammoth are our local lacrosse team.
So John and I are going tonight courtesy of God. John looked our seats up online and they are REALLY good. So even though I know nothing of lacrosse, John and I will have a little outing free of charge. Thanks, God!
Oh, and since I've been watching the kids of my friends lately, I have about 16 hours of stored up FREE childcare. I'm learning how to live on a budget and watch and wait for God to provide.
So John and I are going tonight courtesy of God. John looked our seats up online and they are REALLY good. So even though I know nothing of lacrosse, John and I will have a little outing free of charge. Thanks, God!
Oh, and since I've been watching the kids of my friends lately, I have about 16 hours of stored up FREE childcare. I'm learning how to live on a budget and watch and wait for God to provide.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Spatula City--for all your spatula needs!
Ok, so here is a fun story of a TMMO (Total Money Makeover) miracle!
About a month ago, I attended our monthly MOPS group. We were a couple weeks into our TMMO.
One of Dave Ramsey's main principles...are you ready for it, is "don't spend money you don't have". Genius, I know. But, John and I have never really "understood" how to live on a budget.
I've owned one spatula (the soft kind used for scraping a mixing bowl) since we've been married. Somehow it has disintegrated due to dish washing and apparently children's teeth. Anyway, I've been wanting to buy a new one for some time.
Each time I'm out at a store, I have very firmly told myself no. Dave Ramsey says "live now like no one else so you can live later like no one else." Now, mind you, a spatula probably costs between $3 and $10, but we are learning that EVERY dollar counts and must be accounted for in our budget. A spatula is currently NOT in our budget.
Anyway, at one point at MOPS, my table leader says, "Oh, Katy, I forgot to tell you. You won the 'Suzy Homemaker' award at last month's MOPS for your potato dish. Here's your award." And she handed me 3 very cute orange spatulas in 3 different sizes tied with a cute ribbon.
Yes, 3.
Not only have I only owned one spatula in my life, but it was white and perhaps a bit boring. Now, I have 3 and they are ORANGE...which happens to be John's favorite color! :)
How fun is that?
And as I looked at my "award", I could only see God's affirmation and blessing on what John and I are trying to do. Just God's tender kindness towards me.
About a month ago, I attended our monthly MOPS group. We were a couple weeks into our TMMO.
One of Dave Ramsey's main principles...are you ready for it, is "don't spend money you don't have". Genius, I know. But, John and I have never really "understood" how to live on a budget.
I've owned one spatula (the soft kind used for scraping a mixing bowl) since we've been married. Somehow it has disintegrated due to dish washing and apparently children's teeth. Anyway, I've been wanting to buy a new one for some time.
Each time I'm out at a store, I have very firmly told myself no. Dave Ramsey says "live now like no one else so you can live later like no one else." Now, mind you, a spatula probably costs between $3 and $10, but we are learning that EVERY dollar counts and must be accounted for in our budget. A spatula is currently NOT in our budget.
Anyway, at one point at MOPS, my table leader says, "Oh, Katy, I forgot to tell you. You won the 'Suzy Homemaker' award at last month's MOPS for your potato dish. Here's your award." And she handed me 3 very cute orange spatulas in 3 different sizes tied with a cute ribbon.
Yes, 3.
Not only have I only owned one spatula in my life, but it was white and perhaps a bit boring. Now, I have 3 and they are ORANGE...which happens to be John's favorite color! :)
How fun is that?
And as I looked at my "award", I could only see God's affirmation and blessing on what John and I are trying to do. Just God's tender kindness towards me.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
DAVE RAMSEY!
Have you heard of Dave Ramsey??
Basically, he is a Christian financial guru.
Our church did a series on finances a couple months ago based on a lot of his principles and John and I are all fired up!
Seriously.
I am going to be posting a lot about this topic since it is in the forefront of our minds and hearts right now.
His books Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace are incredible!!! Over the course of the last 2 months, John and I have FULLY submitted our finances to God and are making radical changes in the way we view our money and our responsibilities toward it.
It is awesome. I am planning on being pretty brutally honest about my heart on this issue so be ready! And, the fun part is getting to see how God is blessing our commitment to honoring Him fully with our finances. Get ready for some fun stories!!!
Basically, he is a Christian financial guru.
Our church did a series on finances a couple months ago based on a lot of his principles and John and I are all fired up!
Seriously.
I am going to be posting a lot about this topic since it is in the forefront of our minds and hearts right now.
His books Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace are incredible!!! Over the course of the last 2 months, John and I have FULLY submitted our finances to God and are making radical changes in the way we view our money and our responsibilities toward it.
It is awesome. I am planning on being pretty brutally honest about my heart on this issue so be ready! And, the fun part is getting to see how God is blessing our commitment to honoring Him fully with our finances. Get ready for some fun stories!!!
Tia & Mrs. Dybas
a.k.a. Kathy Carey and Linda Dybas.
This past weekend we had very special visitors from Long Beach. Some of you know our history with them and there is no way to tell the whole story here.
Linda was McKenna's preschool teacher last year in Long Beach. I have known her since high school as I used to carpool with her children. She blessed me to no end as she brought McKenna home from preschool everyday since Josiah was a newborn and Brooklyn barely 2. Kathy is the mother of one of my best friends, Melissa, although we have developed our own relationship since John and I got married. Kathy has invested in me and our family in NUMEROUS ways, one being my cooking mentor! They are both godly women who share such a unique friendship with one another and with God. I am always blessed by their wisdom and love.
Anyway, they were here for 4 days and we had a blast. We hit up the Butterfly Pavillion, Casa Bonita, Barr Lake State Park and Nature Center and had lots of fun here at home. I had to work Saturday night and awoke to all of the kids laundry washed and folded!!! Wow!
They got to enjoy a drop by visit from our pastors, Keith and Julie, where we laughed and shared popcorn. They were able to go to church with us and meet many of our friends and see what a healthy and God-honoring church we are attending.
We had a LOVELY visit and I can't wait for them to come again!!!!
(Pictures to come as soon as I figure out iLife '08!)
This past weekend we had very special visitors from Long Beach. Some of you know our history with them and there is no way to tell the whole story here.
Linda was McKenna's preschool teacher last year in Long Beach. I have known her since high school as I used to carpool with her children. She blessed me to no end as she brought McKenna home from preschool everyday since Josiah was a newborn and Brooklyn barely 2. Kathy is the mother of one of my best friends, Melissa, although we have developed our own relationship since John and I got married. Kathy has invested in me and our family in NUMEROUS ways, one being my cooking mentor! They are both godly women who share such a unique friendship with one another and with God. I am always blessed by their wisdom and love.
Anyway, they were here for 4 days and we had a blast. We hit up the Butterfly Pavillion, Casa Bonita, Barr Lake State Park and Nature Center and had lots of fun here at home. I had to work Saturday night and awoke to all of the kids laundry washed and folded!!! Wow!
They got to enjoy a drop by visit from our pastors, Keith and Julie, where we laughed and shared popcorn. They were able to go to church with us and meet many of our friends and see what a healthy and God-honoring church we are attending.
We had a LOVELY visit and I can't wait for them to come again!!!!
(Pictures to come as soon as I figure out iLife '08!)
Where to start?
SORRY!
I'm going to take some time today to update my poor, sad little neglected blog!
I'm going to take some time today to update my poor, sad little neglected blog!
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