Summer Bucket List Bingo Update #3

We're slowly making our way through our bucket list!

Over the past week or so we've crossed off:

Dinner at Five Guys! This was Nate's biggest wish for the bucket list this summer, so it made perfect sense to have it double as his birthday dinner! The kids absolutely loved it and are begging to go back.

Pretending to be sleepy :-P

Dewitt Park and walk to Blondie's for ice cream with our friends! It was a great afternoon hanging out with our friends Jess and Aaron. We don't get to see them outside of church that often, and we really enjoyed catching up with them. We haven't really explored this park before, and I can definitely see us coming back to explore more, especially now that we know the secret path to Blondie's!!!!

Proof that Ry will talk to Jess!!! He loves pretending to be shy around her.

Aaron playing with the kids

Family baseball! Okay, so I wasn't feeling well and while I technically didn't play, but I was umpire, so that counts for something, right? Pete and Ryan were on a team against Paige and Nate, and while we didn't officially keep score, it was a really close game. We're really looking forward to our bigger yard so we're not playing around our vehicles anymore :)

While we probably won't be crossing everything off of our list this summer (yet again), I have to remember to cut us some slack. We've been so busy with house things, but I'm loving how intentional we've been about taking time to fit in some fun things along with the chaos as well!!!

What fun things have you been up to lately?

Financial Friday: A Book Review

Okay okay okay, I know. It's Thursday.

But I'm too excited to wait until tomorrow to post this, so bear with me.

For the past couple years, I've been following a blog called Words of Williams. If you remember, I did my very first guest post over there last year. Eric and Kelsey write about topics on marriage, parenting, and finances, and I'm really enjoying seeing all the cute pictures of their daughter, Rooney, as she grows.

Today, Eric's first book, It's Your Money, released in hard copy and ebook on Amazon, and it's amazing.

I was able to get an advanced copy of it (thanks, Eric!), and I was a little skeptical. I'm familiar with the Williamses' financial story from their blog, and as I've taken Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (FPU), how much more would I get out of the book? Would the book really speak to me if I wasn't brand new to the budgeting process? I had my doubts, but I gave it a try.

Let's just say I sat down in my recliner one night with the book on my tablet, and next thing I know, it's an hour later and the book was finished. I couldn't put it down!

And you know what? I got so much out of it!

It's Your Money is based upon the same principles as FPU, but it spoke to me and encouraged me in ways FPU couldn't:

•  Eric and Kelsey are the same ages as Pete and I, and we got married around the same time; no offense to Dave Ramsey, but he's...umm...well, older. We're at different stages in life, and that plays a huge part in your monthly budget.
• In case you haven't noticed, the economic situation today is not what it was years ago. Hearing Dave talk about 12% interest for savings accounts is not easy to find these days; knowing that Eric and Kelsey are achieving their goals in relatively the same financial market that we are is encouraging. If they can do it, why can't we?
• They made similar mistakes to what Pete and I have made. We haven't been on the brink of bankruptcy like Dave and his wife were, but we still had finances out of control for awhile. And we're still making mistakes today, even while we're making progress on our goals. 

I think my favorite part of the book was when Eric was talking about when he wanted an iPhone while they were still making progress on their goals. He talked about how important it is to celebrate milestones and progress. Those aren't always words I hear when talking about finances, but for a free spirit like me, it was so encouraging! I do better with goals if I get to celebrate often; it keeps me motivated to keep up with the hard work. Having him say that and knowing that they have their six months of living expenses saved up (the goal Pete and I are working on) and are now on their next goal, just made me feel like it is okay to splurge sometimes, and that it's not going to deter from us still making progress. Wanting to celebrate milestones is hard wh
en you're married to a financial nerd...but sometimes he lets me do it anyway :)

This book would be great if you have never attempted a budget, if you're struggling sticking to a budget, or are a seasoned budgeter and are on to other steps. If you're familiar with the Williamses' financial story or FPU, you will still find something new and exciting to apply to your financial situation. 

To get your own copy, head over to Amazon to grab it for Kindle or get a hard copy! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

You can read my other Financial Friday posts here.

Financial Goals Update...and a Splurge

Back in August, we set some financial goals in hopes to have them completed by July 1st; we base our goals around the school year as that's when our money comes in as Pete's a teacher and I babysit during the school months.

We met all of our goals in February and set some new ones.

Here's where we stand as of today:

#1: When the rest of our tax refund came in, take part of it and buy Shawna a new laptop

I got a laptop! It's pretty, and Pete was able to get an awesome deal on it. The screen doesn't shut off whenever I tilt it like the old one did, and although it also has some overheating issues, we got a cooling pad for it and that helps immensely.

#2: Have $17,000 in our savings account by July 1st.

This one is a no go.

If you remember back in March, we had some van issues and had to get a new one. This took our savings from about $12,000 down to just above $1,000. We were pretty depressed seeing all our money fly out the window, but knowing that we had a safer vehicle and we were able to pay cash for it was reassuring. We decided to change our goal from $17,000 to $5,000, figuring that was about how far we had to go to get to the $17,000 goal.

We met that $5,000 goal on Tuesday, almost 4 weeks away from our deadline.

We are in complete disbelief...with all the things we've had to buy or replace this year (a brand new water system for the house, dishwasher, mattress, heater for the basement, furnace repairs, and a van) and the debt we've had to pay off, we shouldn't be here financially. Seriously. The numbers don't add up.

All the credit goes to God. We could not have done this without Him.

Me, being the spender (or as Dave Ramsey says, the Free Spirit) is depressed with all this saving and responsibility. Yes, we've bought a lot of important things, but Pete and I have worked so hard this year and I feel like we have nothing to show for it. So totally not even close to being true, but I wanna see something fun and shiny and feel like the hard work was worth it. I want to CELEBRATE!!!! I feel so selfish thinking that, but if you're a spender, you probably know what I mean.

Pete, being the saver (or Nerd, according to Dave), is totally fine and content with what we've done.

So when we met our goal, I asked him what we should do next. He thought we could try for $6,000 by July 1st. I thought that was impossible, but hey, the rest of the year had been pretty impossible and surprising so far, so who was I to question it?

However, I asked if we could buy something fun. Pete was really hesitant, but he told me I could make a list of things I had in mind and we could discuss it.

I only put two things on my list. First thing on my list was patio furniture. If you know me, you know how badly I want patio furniture! I also put a new TV on the list. We had a really old TV (okay, so maybe not really old, but we've had it for almost 7 years, and it had been used when it was given to us), and it was starting to have issues with connections, so the screen wasn't always clear and the sound was getting muffled.

Pete told me I had to choose which one I wanted.

It was hard.

I really really really really really wanted patio furniture, but we'd use a TV more.

And he found a TV with a great deal: 37% off, plus an additional $50 rebate (a total savings of $270!). Because the sale ends tomorrow (Saturday), he ordered it Wednesday night.

And it got here this afternoon:

It's fun AND shiny!!!!

We were naughty and borrowed from the babysitting money I was earning the remainder of the week as well as the first couple days of next week. We really don't recommend putting big purchases on the credit card like that, but we knew we'd have the money and as we pay off our credit card in full on time every month, we decided to go for it.

It's also awesome because it makes our living room feel bigger. Having a big entertainment center took up a lot of space:

...I think I like the after better...

Watching a movie with the kids on the big TV was so much fun! It was nice having the TV on the wall because kids could stand in front of it and there was no yelling to get out of the way. It's the simple things in life :)

We've started talking about new goals for next year, but our list isn't complete yet. Here's what we have so far:

#1: Have a fully funded emergency fund by July 1st, 2014
We could probably get away with a $15,000 fund, but we'd feel better having $18,000.

#2: We'd like to not have to buy a vehicle in 2014
We've bought a vehicle every year since we got married. We're hoping that just for one year we can keep the car and van we have without accidents or major catastrophes that cause us to have to purchase new ones.

#3: Have our mortgage paid off by the time we turn 45
Okay, so this isn't for next year. But we really want to start chipping away at it. We're giving ourselves 15 years to do $92,000 of work.

Yikes.


What financial goals do you have right now?

Book List Update: February

Where in the world did February go?

Okay, I know that it's a short month, but seriously, that was way too fast for me.

I didn't meet my goal this month for my book list. Between Paigey's birthday prep and celebrations and sick kids, I barely had time to sit, let alone read.

Here's what I read in February:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - I liked this book; I don't think it's one of my favorites, but I can see myself reading it again in a couple years. I loved the character development and growth, especially in Mary. It really made me want winter to be over so I can go out and work in my gardens, though!!!

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber - Debbie is one of my favorite authors, and this book started off a new series, but is set in a town with characters from one of her series that she just finished a year or so ago. Even though this series is based on new characters, it felt like coming home when familiar characters popped in to the story. Loved this book, and can't wait for the next one to get to the library!

The Survivor, Families of Honor Book #3 by Shelley Shepard Gray - Shelley is a somewhat new author that I discovered, and she's quickly becoming one of my favorites. I haven't read book one or two in the series, so I'm going to have to find them. Although I read out of order, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on. This one is definitely a keeper (thanks, Mom!).

Unashamed by Francine Rivers - This book was recommended to me my my mother-in-law. It is part of a five book series, all based on women in the Bible, that according to the cover, "changed eternity." This one was about Rahab, and although it's historical fiction, it helps paint a picture of what may have happened during the time when the wall around Jericho fell. It was very inspirational, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - Oh man oh man. This book took me three weeks to read. It was so random and nonsensical, and I can't decide if I liked it or not. There were definitely times where I wanted to throw the book across the room, yet others I was laughing hysterically. It was strange. Jury's still out on this one if I'm going to read the rest of the series or not.

This brings my current total up to 14 books read in 2013!

I am currently reading:
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkein
Unshaken by Francine Rivers


Have you read any good books lately?

Financial Friday: How We Met Our Goal

After my post last Saturday about meeting our financial goals, I had a couple people ask how we did it.

The easy answer? Lots and lots of work.

But there was more to it than that working our butts off each and every day. Yes, you have to work in order to bring in money to achieve your goals, but what you do when the money is in your hand or account is important as well.

We made a budget and stuck to it.
At the end of every month, I make up the next month's budget. Ever Monday night when Pete has guy's night, I update it, pay bills, and make sure we're staying on track. One thing I do is I cheat with my budget. For example, if we're bringing in $2500 a month, I set my budget up for a smaller number, like $2000. It forces us to really pinch the pennies, and with me being a spender, if I see that money is tight, I'm less likely to make impulse purchases. That leaves us money left over each month to save. There are definitely months we go over that smaller amount, but we have a cushion. If I made the budget to the amount we're actually bringing in, I'd be putting money in categories and spending left and right. When emergencies come up (like having to buy a new heater for our basement), we wouldn't have that cushion and would have to either take out a loan or tap into our savings, depending on the situation.

We have an emergency fund...but rarely use it.
I got into a discussion with my mom a few weeks ago about this. Our heater in the basement had just died and I spent two hours trying to find room in our budget to pay for it. It was one of those months that our cushion was really small for the month (gotta love having to buy car tires unexpectedly!), so it was stressful finding the few hundred dollars to get a new heater. My mom's point was that we had an emergency fund, just go to the bank and get the money; she had a great point! My thought was that if I could find the money in our budget, I would do that instead. I'm afraid if we get in the habit of getting into the emergency account for things that can be considered emergencies but can swing in our budget, we'll (okay okay, it's definitely me not Pete) stop trying to use our budget and just rely on the emergency fund for things. It's happened to me before, so this is me trying to not repeat the past.

We gave more than ever before.
How this works, I don't know. God definitely tells us in the Bible to test him when it comes to giving. We've continued to tithe with Pete's paychecks, and for the first time ever we've been tithing at the end of every month on how much I brought in from babysitting and teaching preschool. We've given to charities, community members going through tough times, missionaries, and continue to support our radio station and our Compassion child every month. I will admit, there are definitely times where we would like to keep that money for things we need or would like. But seeing it impact other people is so rewarding!

We are cheap.
Okay, not in the sense like we don't tip our waiter as much as we should. But more in the sense that we don't need to go to the mall to buy new clothes; thrift stores have awesome clothes for a fraction of the price. Yes, if you're searching for something specific, it might not be the best option. For furniture, we shop Craigslist (who needs new furniture when you have little kids who will ruin it just by looking at it?). We still have a tiny non-flat screen TV. It's starting to die, but hey, it still works for what we need. We buy off brand items most of the time. We make the choice to live a simple life and only buy what we need and make do with what we have. We do still make some purchases that are brand name (I'm very picky about my tissues and toilet paper...), so there are things we still could be better at. I've heard stories about people who cut back so much they don't buy rolls for their hot dogs....yes, we could do that, but I like my carbs too much :)

And last but not least, we couldn't do it without God
I know some of my readers might not agree with this, but we truly feel like God has blessed us. We're trying to manage our money in a biblical fashion, and I hope God's pleased with what we're doing.

In the grand scheme of things, there is no formula, no tried and true steps for making and saving lots of money. There are definitely things that help, but not all things work for every person/family/situation. If we could choose, we wouldn't be working like this; Pete would be working at one school full time, and I wouldn't be babysitting this much. It's stressful and the sacrifices we're making are not easy. We're tired. We're getting burned out. But this is a short term thing for long term gain. We want our kids to be able to go to college with as little debt as possible, preferably no debt. We don't want to be swamped with debt payments each month. And we feel like these are the steps to take to get there.


What do you do to achieve your financial goals?

Financial Goals Update

I've been debating whether or not to write this post. I know a lot of people, including some of my readers, are struggling financially right now. The last thing I want is for someone to think I'm rubbing it in as to our financial situation, that I'm bragging about where we are. If it comes across that way, I am so sorry, I don't mean for it to. I've had a couple people who read the blog ask how we're doing on our goals, and that's what prompted me to write this after all.

Here are the goals we set back in August, and where we stand with them:

#1: Have our car loan paid off by Thanksgiving
We accomplished this one with a week or so to spare. For awhile it wasn't looking like we'd be able to as we had to replace our whole water softener system. We weren't expecting that, so we had to take out a loan for about $3,000 in order to get one. We paid off both loans, and were debt free (minus the mortgage) by Thanksgiving.

#2: Save up and purchase (in cash) a new camera by December 31st
In November I wrote a post on why we weren't buying the camera. The need for a new mattress was a much higher priority, and we thought we'd push the camera purchase back until January. However, we were blessed and received our camera as a Christmas gift instead. So technically we didn't complete this one, but can still cross it off.

#3: Have $10,000 in our savings account by July 1st.
This was a huge goal that we were nervous about even trying to achieve. With all the things listed above that we had to purchase unexpectedly, then our dishwasher was dying and needed replacing, and then the space heater in the finished portion of our basement died, we were losing hope.

On Wednesday of this past week, not only were we able to complete this goal, but we surpassed it. Four and a half months early.

We are feeling completely and utterly blessed right now. When we look at our budget and how much money we've really brought in, the numbers do not make sense at all.

Wednesday night I was feeling a little lost; we've been working so hard to get these goals accomplished, that now that they were finished, I told Pete we had to set new goals. Here they are:

#1: When the rest of our tax refund came in, take part of it and buy Shawna a new laptop
My laptop has suffered a lot of abuse over the past 5 years by children. It overheats and shuts down every time to you try to upload, download, or watch a video. The screen blacks out every few minutes, it doesn't charge well, and when it does, it won't hold it longer than 10 minutes, and half of the USB ports no longer work.

We set this goal Wednesday, and the rest of our taxes came in this week. We just happened to find a great sale on a laptop this morning, ordered it, and it will be here in the next week or so.

#2: Have $17,000 in our savings account by July 1st.
I have little faith that this one can get accomplished; Pete thinks we can have it done early. He's so optimistic :)

The reason we want this amount is because our van is going to need to be replaced soon. It passed inspection just fine, but it's starting to rust/rot on the bottom, and it's getting very sluggish. We're planning on trading it in and getting a newer one (still used, not brand new!) this summer. Having that amount in our savings will allow us to pay cash for a nicer vehicle that will last us quite a few years, and still have a nice amount in our account.

Our ultimate goal is to have $15,000 in the account as an emergency fund; that amount is the approximate equivalent to 6 months living expenses for our family. Once that goal is accomplished, we'll move on to saving for retirement and the kids' college education.

For a refresher, check out my original post on the importance of having financial goals and how to stay on track with them here.


Have you accomplished any of your financial goals lately?

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Our year is starting out not as expected, but in the grand scheme of things, we are so blessed. We all woke up tired and fairly cranky, then went out to run errands, and either the stores we wanted to go to were closed, or we forgot the gift card we needed to purchase things at the stores. We were able to get some things, and I'll go back tomorrow to get the big item (a new living room light) with the gift card. The kids refused to nap, so the crankiness has gotten worse.

But we have a warm house, food cooking for dinner, running water, clothes on our backs, and love to spare. I was also able to work on some projects today: cleaning up the basement, putting together an organizational system for the kids' school papers, and I made two American Girl sized silky blankets for Paige's best friend's birthday gift (they match the twin sized one I made her).

A lot of people make resolutions this time of year, and in years past, I've done that. I've fallen short every time, and all I do is get depressed. Last year we did something different and made a Family Bucket List. It worked pretty well; we crossed off about 80% of the things on our list, and we were okay with the ones we were unable to do.

So here's my bucket list for 2013:

- Tackle my book list. I started The Hobbit today and have finished the first paragraph. Not bad for a busy day!

- Hug more, yell less. When my kids are cranky and disobeying, it usually means something is bothering them. I tend to yell, only to find out later that they're not feeling well, they're tired, their best friend was mean, etc. After I give them a hug, they feel better and are ready to start listening again. Wouldn't life be easier if I just hugged in the first place?

- Date my husband. With our busy lives and trying to stick to a strict budget, going out on dates weekly or even monthly is difficult. In December we started implementing Date Night, where we would take turns planning one date night a week. It's been just movie nights so far as December was busy, but even just sitting next to each other on the couch with the phones and computers off was a great way for us to connect. Best part? It's free! I would still like to have at least six nights out with just Pete this year. Birthday/anniversary dinners can count towards this number :)

- Have family night once a month. We put this on our bucket list last year, and it worked pretty well. We tried to have game night once a month, and it didn't always work out. Some months were just crazier than others, so we'd have a movie night with a picnic dinner on the living room floor. Movie nights or game nights count towards this; any ideas of other things we can do?

- Finish The Magician's Nephew with Nate. We started this last summer and made it through the first three or four chapters. He's been asking me to read it again, so I'd like to finish it with him this year.

- Overcome one fear. I don't know which one yet; it might be touch a fish after I've caught it, remove a snake from my garden, or fly on an airplane. I really want to go visit my best friend in Florida, but I'm afraid to fly....I can't let that stand in my way!

- Redecorate our basement. The plan is set, now just have to tackle it! I'm thinking it'll be a summer project. We'll be repainting, finishing the stairs, hanging new curtains, putting up new art work, and making lots of new pillows.

- Launch my Etsy site, SEA Creations! I think this will also happen later in the year; I don't have time to fully devote to it right now.

- Teach Paigey how to ride a bike without training wheels. We were going to do this last summer, but never made the time. This year will be the year!!!!

- Exercise more...but more for health instead of weight loss. I tend to get frustrated after I've been exercising for a few weeks and quit because I'm not losing weight. I forget that having a healthy body is more important, and the weight loss is just an added bonus. Maybe changing my focus will help :)

- Be silly more often! I love being silly with my kids. I don't do it often enough, and laughter is the best medicine!


What are your goals for the year? May it be a blessed year for you and your family!

My Book List

I love books: I love to read, I love their smell, the way they sit so nicely in your hand. I'm not usually picky about what I read. Granted, I have my favorite authors and subjects, but I'll give almost everything a chance.

Lately I've been in a reading rut. I'm reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for a second time, and am loving it more this time than when I read it last year. Part of that is because I'm addicted to The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a modern day adaptation of the book done in a video blog style. It's fantastic, and even though they've changed things a bit, it's helping me understand what's happening in the book better. If you're interested in becoming addicted like me watching them, start with the first vlog here. Other than P&P, I'm kind of stuck as what to read next. I've read all the books I own and most that are at our library that my author's have written or are in the genres I like, and don't know where to go from here.

Along the same lines, I'm thinking about what I want to do in 2013...almost like I'm making a bucket list for next year. Then it hit me:

Why don't I figure out a list of books to read for next year?

And so my Book List was born!

My goal is to read 100 books next year that I've never read before. I'll read other books as well, because there are some I just have to read over and over again. I'm not going to write out a full 100 book list, because I want to leave room for my favorite author's putting out new books, new finds at the library, or my mom sending me books (cause she's awesome like that). The list I'm working on now is just to help me get started, and actually find time to read some that I've been meaning to read but have never gotten a chance to.

Here's what I have so far:

1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - I promised Pete that this would be the first book I read next year. He and his brother nag (in a loving way!) me all the time that I haven't read the series...I'm finally giving in! 
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - Okay, so I was going to count this as three books, but then got lectured by my dear husband that it is actually one book in six parts. I learn something new every day :) 
3. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
4.  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - I won't forget my towel. Why, you ask? 42 :)
5. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
6. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - It's the next one in my Sherlock Holmes collection to read, and I think this will be the first thing to read after Tolkien!
7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - I read Dracula, so on to the next monster! And apparently there's a rumor that I'm actually related to Shelley...
8. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - Only because it's a prequel to #9 on my list....
9. The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - "A must read!" says my hubby
10. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
11. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - I first heard about Dorian in a movie, and am fascinated by his story!
14. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells - Same thing with Dorian Gray, I find the idea fascinating!
15. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - Nate has a copy of this. Maybe we can read it together :)
16. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
17. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
18. Emma by Jane Austen
19. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
20. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine - Paigey will be getting this for her birthday, and she likes it when we can discuss the books she's reading/has read
21. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Another one Paige will get for her birthday. How have I not read this one???


Do you have any recommendations for what I should read? It doesn't have to be the classics!