A Wish List Worth Saving For

I'm thankful for what we have. I know that we are blessed beyond measure. Really we are. 

All of our needs are met. We have never gone without...

Ever. 

But, just like everyone else...there are a few things that I'd really love to have that don't qualify in the "I need" department. 

I'm not in a rush to get these things...but someday, when I've saved up for them...I'm going to splurge!!! What a fun shopping rush that will be for me!!!!

1.) a new bedspread. 
Our current bedspread is 10+ years old. We've had it since a little before we were married. It's the perfect weight, and it's super comfy,  but it's looking pretty dingy. So, when I've saved enough, I'm going to get one at Anthropologie! I, of course, already have one picked out! 








2.) a neat receipts scanner
This will make my life easier. I know it. I will be able to scan all of our receipts and keep all of our tax records in order throughout the year instead of just when I'm working on our taxes. Honestly, this may come before the bedspread. I reeeealllllyyyyy want one of these things!!






3.) a family vacation
We haven't really been on a true family vacation since Bella was about 18 months old...and she's almost 5. We've been able to visit family and have fun with them...but I want our family to go to Disney World or the beach...experience sand...and have wonderful memories. 




I'm thankful that we are debt-free...(I've written about being Better Money Managers) and we will continue to be. There's something about delayed gratification...experiencing it with no regrets...no remorse...no having to pay for it later. It may take us a little while (or a long while) to save up for these things, but it will be completely worth it!!!

This Is Who I Am

I can get so easily overwhelmed with my blog.

I want it to be something that I enjoy...an outlet to express what I'm passionate about...what I'm interested in...

But I know that there is a lot of potential in blogs.

For instance, I could make money off of my blog. And there are so many ways to do it!

Google Ads (which I have on the side but am not really making anything from yet)...
Sponsoring posts (which I haven't really done yet)...
Letting people advertise on my blog (which hasn't happened yet either)...

There are so many more ways to go about it too! And I would get paid to do something that I love...writing...expressing myself...and staying at home with my kids.

I know that there are a lot of professional bloggers out there. People who are making a lot of money - huge incomes - through this field of blogging.

And I'm not there yet. At all...

And there is so much that I don't understand about graphic design and layout...and I get sooooo frustrated with...

And I don't know if it's worth it to try to learn...to try to understand. I mean I know it is...I just know that it will take me more time than a lot of other things that come so easily to me...and I don't exactly have a lot of free time with 2 little ones and one coming any time now.

I have made the decision that I don't want to change my blog just to make money. I don't want to start talking about fashion and style...that's just not me. I mean, if I come up with a cute outfit and want to share, fine...but I'm not going to go out of my way to talk about it. And I am NOT a crafts kind of person...so I won't even pretend to go there...

My blog is personal...it's about me...my life...my relationship with Christ...my relationship with my husband...how I feel about being a wife, a mom, a daughter of God.

This is who I am. If I happen to make money off of this blog, great. If I don't, I will still keep writing. It's a way for me to share my life...what God is doing in me and through me...with hopes of inspiring someone else in their journey of life...

A Better Money Manager

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail..."

I've heard this for years now. Years. I've heard it applied to all kinds of areas of my life.

Spiritually - if you don't have a designated time to spend alone with God, you aren't going to do it. It doesn't just happen. *True

Working out. Eating right. *True

Time/Scheduling. *True

Spending money - making a budget - *True. True. True.

We don't really have a lot of flexibility in our personal budget. When people hear how much money we lived on 4 years ago - like what our grocery budget was, they have a hard time believing us...and although our budget has increased some, so has the size of our family!

Lee and I have been challenged to become better stewards of the resources God has given us. A steward is another word for a manager. We want to become better managers of what God has given to us. Especially in the area of our finances.

We don't have any debt. We paid off the student loans, credit cards, and other debts that we had. We don't own a single credit card, and we haven't for almost 6 years now. We have a credit score of zero. If we wanted to get a loan, we would have to have a huge down-payment to get it.

People ask us, "What will you do if you have an emergency?"

Our answer is that God has always provided for us. Always. We have paid for our vehicles (and we have been extremely blessed by people who have given us over time a car and 2 trucks - even though we no longer own all of those vehicles), medical bills, and everything else cash. And it has always been there when we needed it. Always. It is quite amazing to look back over the past 6 years and see how God has provided for us.

I would almost throw up at the beginning of every month - especially on the 5th - because our rent was due and our check wasn't in yet. Still God provided.

We even got a reimbursement check from the hospital. We had to pay for Bella, but all of my expenses were taken care of. And we received huge discounts on Bella's bills.

It really is living by faith. I have faith that God is going to provide what we need when we need it. And I know that He will because He's done it before, and He doesn't change.

It doesn't always come in the way I think it will, or even when I think it will, but God provides for us. And we are being able to keep money in our emergency fund/savings account, which is a huge blessing. We don't have everything we want, but we certainly have everything we need.

Yes, I want to own a house, but right now, I'm sitting in a beautiful 3 bedroom house in which our rent just went DOWN...yes, that is right, the price has been reduced because we've lived here for a year. It will stay at this lowered price for the remainder of our time here. The brand new A/C is blowing cold air...the brand new dishwasher gets my dishes clean, and the brand new refrigerator is keeping our food cold...and all of these new things were at no extra expense to me. We are very blessed.

I want to be careful with how we use the money that He provides. So, I'm jumping on the bandwagon of couponing. I've clipped. I'm going to organize the coupons as well as our budget and our meals. I'm going to shop with my coupons. I'm going to save our family money. I'm ready for the challenge to be a better manager of the money God has given us.