Last week Steve and I started a class offered at our church, Financial Peace University. It is offered by Dave Ramsey. The one place Steve & I have struggled in is a budget. We have never been able to complete one so we have never had one. Well, we will now.
It feels good to know we are on the same page and want to work our way out of the hole we have created for ourselves. I know for a young family we have a small amount of debt. But for us it is HUGE hurdle. So now we are getting the tools we need to make our life as uncomplicated as possible.
I had a friend say to me, how can you do that when society dictates that you should shop at the mall for your clothes? He had a boss that he labeled as a "knucklehead" and the only good piece of advise that he had given him was this, if you shop at the mall you have 15 stores with what you want and several choices in color. If you shop at a "bargain" store it has one in your size, no color choice and is ill fitting.
I told him that my kids think it is fun to go shopping at the thrift store and to get a good price. Since they are spending some of their money now, they realize how much longer their money will last if we buy at yard sales and thrift stores.
Than he mentioned pride, I told him I am proud of my family. We don't need designer labels to define who we are. He gave up after that. I have furnished my home from yard sales and newspaper ads. No one would know it unless I tell them. The things we have are high quality and look nice. I just didn't pay full price for them.
It will be nice in a couple of years to say "WE ARE DEBT FREE!!" I am excited about and scared all at the same time. But I know we can do anything short term. We have in the past we can again. I just hate living pay check to pay check. It will be nice to have wiggle room.
Our first step is an emergency fund. We are 1/3 of the way there. Hopefully by this time next month we will have all of our fund in place.
It feels good to know we are on the same page and want to work our way out of the hole we have created for ourselves. I know for a young family we have a small amount of debt. But for us it is HUGE hurdle. So now we are getting the tools we need to make our life as uncomplicated as possible.
I had a friend say to me, how can you do that when society dictates that you should shop at the mall for your clothes? He had a boss that he labeled as a "knucklehead" and the only good piece of advise that he had given him was this, if you shop at the mall you have 15 stores with what you want and several choices in color. If you shop at a "bargain" store it has one in your size, no color choice and is ill fitting.
I told him that my kids think it is fun to go shopping at the thrift store and to get a good price. Since they are spending some of their money now, they realize how much longer their money will last if we buy at yard sales and thrift stores.
Than he mentioned pride, I told him I am proud of my family. We don't need designer labels to define who we are. He gave up after that. I have furnished my home from yard sales and newspaper ads. No one would know it unless I tell them. The things we have are high quality and look nice. I just didn't pay full price for them.
It will be nice in a couple of years to say "WE ARE DEBT FREE!!" I am excited about and scared all at the same time. But I know we can do anything short term. We have in the past we can again. I just hate living pay check to pay check. It will be nice to have wiggle room.
Our first step is an emergency fund. We are 1/3 of the way there. Hopefully by this time next month we will have all of our fund in place.
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