Depression Cooking
Monday, March 16, 2009

Posted in Financial Stewardship

I have been mesmerized by this 91 year old woman who tells HER story of The Great Depression while she teaches recipes they used back then to STRETCH meals on what they could afford.

Her stories are alot like my own grandmas and I continue to keep her recipes as well as her stories deep in my heart.  I miss Gram dearly, but I'm glad she's with the Lord.

As I pack to move this week, please enjoy this little glimpse of simplicity and NECESSITY from those who've endured hardship.

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Black Friday Deals II
Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Easy Spirit Coupon

Finish Line

Radio Shack Coupon

Sherwin Williams

I-Party Coupon

Crabtree-Evelyn ((look at the 10.00 off 50.00 purchase at the bottom of the page))

Dress Barn Coupon

Dicks Sporting ((sign up and save 10 0/0))

Bath & Body Works Coupon

Yankee Candle Coupon

The Childrens Place Coupon

Lane Bryant Coupon

Honey Baked Ham Co. Coupon...ends up around 42.00 for a family sized ham

Joann Fabric Black Friday Ad

Enjoy Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!!   Please don't forget to reflect on the blessings you have in your lives each day and remember those who have less than we do.  Donate your time, money and prayers. Help an elderly person, do something nice for a military family, save some leftovers for someone who has no family or better yet, invite them into your homes.  Nothing about this season is about gifting.  While it's a tradition to have Turkey, Ham, Family, Tree Trimmings and gifts, ultimately it's to reflect on what God has given us and what gifts we have to offer others in need. 

Blessed Love To Each Of You,

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Black Friday Deals Part I
Friday, November 14, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Over the next week I'll be posting some Black Friday deals that I find.  For those who aren't making their own gifts, this could be help to aid in the cost of "gifting" this year.  Remember, with tough times, we should set a budget and stick with it.  Buy only from stores that have HUGE deals and NEVER buy anything not on sale unless it's a necessity!

Here's my first find:

It's Holiday Offers from your local Primary Outlets Mall.

 The Holiday Offers are from Friday November 28th thru December 1, 2008

Lowes Home Improvement

Type In your zip code and look to the right. You'll find their Black Friday Add.

Ace Hardware

Flyer

Walgreens

Flyer

Rite Aid

Flyer

Sears

Flyer

Well, that's all for now.  I'll be back with more again soon.

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*** What Can I Do To Prepare Myself And My Family *** Part III
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

It is not going to be easy. I believe that the economy is going to get a lot worse. The 'experts' are telling us that we're headed towards at least 10% unemployment and a possible 10 year period of economic stagnation. I fear it could be much worse and so do many of the people that advise me on these matters.

What follows are the things that my family is doing to prepare for substantially tougher economic times.

Your Finances

I'm not a financial expert but even the 'experts' didn't know what our grandparents knew: unnecessary debt is something you have to avoid, it is not a good thing. In our version of the Roaring 20's, the financial elite had lawn parties in the Hamptons where invited guests arrived via helicopter. The parties we had didn't involve helicopters and other excesses but our job as responsible Americans will be to identify our 'helicopters.'

Soon, the Wall Street crowd will turn to the actual economy and the conversation and pressure will change to consumer spending. Remember, YOU are the engine of the US economy. Wall Street NEEDS you to spend. I pray that we hold fast to the 'storm clouds' that are still gathering and ignore the lures and lies that will attempt to hook you back into your old style 'lawn party.' We will continue to spend and consume. We just need to focus on a few out of fashion American values such as thrift, value and moderation.

You know what your family can afford and what it needs. Kids still need to go to college, broken cars still need to be repaired and worn-out appliances still have to be replaced. What needs to change is how we shop. We need to look for value and we MUST live within our means.

How do you know when you're getting something for a good value? Just imagine buying it (whatever it is) in front of dad. Can you imagine telling dad that you 'need' to spend an extra $3,000 so your car can come with that 'must have' automatic self-closing sunroof option? Or paying an extra $650 on a washing machine option so it can connect to the internet? I'm beginning to think that if dad won't spend the money on it, I probably don't need it. Dad is great at spotting value and it's his sense of values that makes him so good at it. I always try to think like my grandfather when I want to buy something, if in my head, he says, "Why, you've got a perfectly good one now," I know I don't need it.

The economy is in for a very rough landing. I think it's more and more probable that we hit a major long-term recession. That's not a reason to panic but if we know what's coming we can start to prepare now.

I don't know who you get your financial advice from (advisor, friend, on your own) but you need to ask these two questions:

First, what caused the current economic crisis?

If you can't answer this question or your financial planner can't give you an easily understandable answer, please get more information or think about replacing your financial planner. You need to know what got us here because that will help you understand what's coming.

Second, how bad will things get?

No one knows what's specifically coming our way but I do know that all possibilities are on the table. Whoever you're getting your financial advice from must be willing to admit that he or she doesn't have all the answers and that we are in relatively unchartered waters. If they don't think that this is a once in a lifetime event and just about anything could happen, move on.

Hyperinflation: Printing Money is Not the Answer

This is the real devil in our 'bailout' packages that seem to be coming every day. The same people that told me that there is no way we could go into a recession, let alone, a depression now tell me Wall Street and our politicians are too smart to create these doomsday conditions.

I don't know about you but I sure haven't been impressed with the Wall Street and Washington genius so far. After all, they weren't smart enough to figure out that 0% down on a 125% loans to individuals that were not required to present ID or a paycheck stubs was trouble.

I do know that if the answer was just to print more money our politicians would have solved this crisis $1.8 trillion dollars ago. But printing more money is not the answer, in fact, it's causing other problems and possibly setting us up for a long-term disaster. Every American must read up on and ponder what I believe is the real possibility of hyperinflation.

This past summer we had a $152 billion stimulus package, followed by a combined $123 billion bailout of AIG, which was followed by another $700 billion bailout bill. As I write this, politicians are promising swift action on yet anotherstimulus plan and the government has announced a direct injection of $250 billion into several large banks. No problem has ever been solved by just throwing money at it but plenty of problems have been caused by doing just that.

Countries that have tried to spend their way out of an economic crisis have always triggered inflation (i.e. Argentina, Israel and Iran). Hyperinflation is caused when people lose faith in the value of a currency, too much money is printed and there is no corresponding increase in productivity. So instead of printing $50 and $100 bills the government prints $300 and $500 bills but your $500 bill only buys $50 worth of goods. Soon the $500 bill is replaced by a $1000 bill.

One of the best examples of hyperinflation is the Weimar Republic where that government actually printed a one-trillion dollar bill and you still couldn't buy a newspaper with it.

Germany took its first inflationary steps when it decided to fight World War I onborrowed money. It didn't want to raise taxes and there was relatively little in national savings so it borrowed money to build and arm its war machine. Does this sound familiar? It should, it's what we're doing now.

The War which started in 1914 officially ended in 1919 and during that same period of time the prices of goods in Germany doubled. In other words, inflation was running about 20% a year.

Three years later, in 1922, those same goods doubled in price in just 5 months! The process continued to accelerate until menus in cafes had to be re-written throughout the day just to keep up with rising prices. When someone got paid they were met by their spouse who would literally run to spend the money as quickly as possible and no one saved money because the longer you held on to it the less you were able to buy. With no one saving and no countries lending any more money, the government did the only thing it could do, crank up the printing presses and print more money.

The same economic laws that applied to the Weimar Republic apply to America today.

Our government tells us that inflation was recently running at 5.4%. What they don't tell you is that in 1983 government changed the way they measure inflation. If the government used the same inflation measures that it used in 1983 inflation would be running between 10%-12%. Naturally, when the government altered the way it measured inflation it coincidently found that it wouldn't have to pay out as much money in Social Security and other benefits pegged to inflation.

We won't see a true spike in inflation until next fall. It's coming unless the government makes serious changes. If we continue to borrow billions of dollars a day from foreign countries while printing trillions more we are inviting, no begging, for hyperinflation to come and pay us a visit. Please consider this as you decide who to vote for in this upcoming election. Anyone, at any level, running for office who isn't talking about REAL and considerable cuts in government programs and avoiding new spending is either a fool or lying about what's coming.

You can prepare your family for economically tighter times. Our family has been preparing by buying food now that will last us for another 3 to 6 months. I want to be clear: we didn't run out and buy it all at once. Instead, when we went shopping and saw something on sale that we new we would be using in the next 3-6 months we bought a few more than we normally would. We're in the process of doing the same thing with our kids' clothes and shoes. They're growing-up and will need the next size-up in pants, shirts and shoes so Tania and I keep our eyes open for sales and when we see something that's a good value we buy it now knowing that in a year or two our kids will be able to use it and that prices could be substantially higher.

I think this is a good investment and a good way to spend money today that may be worth less tomorrow. Don't run out and liquidate your savings or assets to buy shoes and shirts for the next 10 years, plan and purchase with prudence and moderation.

Guns

You've asked me if you should go out and buy a gun. This is a very personal decision and I struggled for over 2 years trying to make this decision. I never wanted a gun in the house but after discussing it with Tania (and Adam) we decided it was the right decision for our family to have a gun in the home for self-defense.

Before we even thought of buying a gun and bringing it into our home, we spent countless hours at various gun shops asking lots of questions. We also reached out to the NRA (which, as you know, is one of the only organizations that I believe in and belong to) and took several courses in shooting and gun safety. If you're willing to make that kind of commitment then, and only then, can you start to consider whether or not you should purchase a gun.

If you decide to buy make sure you have a home safe that can be easily opened by you and your spouse. Also, when selecting a gun, make sure you ask your dealer for a gun that doesn't take exotic or hard to get ammunition.

The gun laws may DRAMATICALLY change with the election of the next President and a new Congress. Time may be of the essence on this issue so vote with that in mind.

Values

Why are we so different from grandma and grandpa? Remember how they made our clothes? They knitted sweaters and gloves, mended tears and placed patches over holes in our jeans and shirts. What do we do today? We go out and buy our kids clothes that are intentionally faded, frayed or torn. Our grandparents would think we were nuts for doing that.

How many times did we hear, "who left this light on" or "turn off the light when you're not using it." They didn't say this because they were swept up in the latest environmentally friendly fad; they said it because they hated waste. They didn't see themselves as conservationists but at their core they were the first truly 'green' generation.

It's their example that inspired me to re-discover the traditional American family eating plan in our home. This plan applies to mom, dad and all four kids. It's simple: if you don't finish your dinner, it's wrapped and put in the fridge and the next day you have to finish your leftovers.

What a great decision this has been because I'm more careful about what I put on my plate and have already had dinner table discussions with my kids about being grateful for what we've been blessed with and why it's important to avoid wasting food.

Gardening

Tania and I are planning on planting our very first garden next year (yes, I promise to send you pictures to prove it). We've already bought the fertilizer and seeds. In a way this is going to be our modern day Victory Garden our parents and grandparents planted during World War II.

A lot of people think we're planting the garden just for the food and although that's part of it, Tania and I really believe that our family will grow closer by all gardening together. Our hope is that our children will have a greater appreciation for the meals they eat when they experience the work in growing the food they will eat.

We've got so much to learn. I've already learned that there is a difference between heirloom seeds (not genetically modified) and those seeds which have been genetically modified. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type, so familiarize yourself with their respective pluses and minuses. Research what grows well in your area and what you will need to keep your plants healthy and growing.

I do want to share something I learned about seeds. Heirloom seeds are capable of producing viable seeds. So you will always have seeds to plant for the upcoming year. Several genetically modified seeds have 'terminator technology' (that's their phrase, not mine) which will prevent these seeds from reproducing viable seeds.

I'm for reasonable and safe genetically modified seeds and food. They allow people to grow crops where they normally wouldn't be able to and are more robust against disease and predators. Coming-up with all that technology is expensive so these seed producers recoup their costs by limiting the ability to reproduce. You need to have those seeds that are capable of reproducing.

Out of everything I have planned for next year, I can tell you that gardening ranks at the top. It is long term, it brings the family together on a project and it not only teaches my children science but the value of hard work. Does that make me a true sick freak?

Good Books

This is going to sound hokey but we all need to read the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Federalist Papers. We need to go to the original sources, not someone's interpretation of them. Reading these documents will remind us of what our Founding Fathers really intended for us. Their words will inspire us and renew our faith in America.

We need to familiarize ourselves with the founding principles our country and Constitution are built on. We need to better understand the Founding Fathers, what they believed and how they lived their lives.

The books we read should teach us about our heritage. They should inspire us and educate our children. We need books that tell us the greatness of America's past and the promise of her future. We need to read about the mistakes the government has made so we can avoid taking those same paths. The books that I think best capture these principles are:

• The 5000 Year Leap
• The Real George Washington
• The Real Benjamin Franklin
• The Real Thomas Jefferson

Each of these books dramatically demonstrates that America was built on the collective sacrifices of individuals who willingly gave their "lives, fortunes and sacred honor." They remind us that real power rests with "We the People," not Wall Street, Washington or Hollywood.

Also, read books on history that can help you see what may be coming based on our past. The parallels are truly frightening. We are going down the same path by making the same mistakes. These books include:

• The Forgotten Man (on the mistakes of the great depression)
• Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism (arguably the world's first fascist leader and one reason why our children are now taught in school that the Founding Fathers and the Constitution are irrelevant)
• Liberal Fascism (reveals the real danger and roots behind the nanny state mentality and what it means to America's future)

Family Time

As a country we've neglected our most important asset and resource: our children. We've become so busy trying to provide the best for 'things' and opportunities for them that we work longer hours, spend more time away from home and too often don't give them the attention they need and deserve. If the economy starts to sink, this situation will get worse.

One of the best things we can do now is to build stronger ties with our spouse and children. Our family gets together once a week for a 'family night.'

This past week Raphe had the lesson, "my favorite animal." I was in charge of the game, everyone had to imitate their favorite animal and Tania baked cupcakes for our snack. It's amazing what miracles have taken place in those short 30 minute 'family night' get-togethers. We may have forgotten this in our 'Roaring 20's' mentality but it remains true: simple things have real and lasting value.

Tania and I also set aside time for just the two of us. We have date nights where just the two of us go out. It's usually nothing fancy. Sometimes we go out for a walk or just window shopping. We've even gone on a 'date' to the grocery store to pick-up some groceries. It's not really what you actually do but the fact that we spend time together. It refreshes me. It brings us together. I love this time.

Finally, just continue to seek out those sources you trust and continue to ponder and think the unthinkable. While these things hopefully don't ever take place, they are certainly possible and unfortunately becoming more probable everyday.

The good news is that there's still time to prepare ourselves and our families. We created this problem and we can solve it but there won't be any shortcuts or an easy way out.

We must vote for those candidates of any party that reflect these values: hard work, self-determination, smaller government, fiscal responsibility and honesty. Look to the character of anyone you chose to support. Their past does matter if they haven't learned from it. Their personal life is as relevant as their public one. We must be able to trust those who will be advising and leading us on what our country must do next.

The problems we face in this country can be traced back to the lack of trust. Our whole system fails if we do not trust it and right now we do not have that trust. In the last 20 years we have lost trust in our presidents, congress and court system. It was lost when politicians argued over the definition of 'is,' the duplicity on our border security, during the OJ trial, by a renegade 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the 2006 Republican Mark Foley sex scandal and the 2008 Democrat Tim 'more moral future' Mahoney sex scandal and so many other hypocrisies and double-crosses. Our lost of trust was inevitable.

Our political system was not designed around the people in power or really even us. It began with the core belief that we were created and given rights by God. For America to truly fulfill its promise we must restore our faith in the only thing that is solid, unchanging and real: God.

As we find ourselves not trusting our leaders, institutions or even our currency, remember the secret is simple and found as close as your pocket or purse. How appropriate that on the symbol of our present troubles we find the answer: IN GOD WE TRUST.

Only those who are mentally, emotionally, spiritually and temporally prepared will be strong enough to help themselves and others. Many will be fearful if these things come to pass but if you prepare now, fear is the one thing you will not have to worry about. You are not a victim. You are not a survivor. You are a leader. You are an American.

We are all Americans. Let us recommit that, regardless of where we stand politically, we will do the tough things to save our nation because the task at hand requires no less.

The Americans of the past did not look for leadership to come from the politician in the White House for they knew American leadership only came from your house.

Fear not, stay strong and lead the way.

Glenn Beck

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What's Coming: An Explanation Of American Economics And What YOU Need To Know ( Part II )
Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

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Collapse Of America: How Did We Get Here? PART I
Monday, October 6, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

What you shouldn't do is panic. We'll get through this--don't pull all of your money out of the bank but have enough cash on-hand to meet any possible emergencies. 

First, you've got to get the stock market's ups-and-downs out of your mind. The recent drops and upticks are short-term. Our economic problems are much bigger and deeper. Too many people believe that if the stock market goes up our problems are behind us and that's simply not true.

Last week the market had big drops and big upswings. In the end, the market ended down more than 800 points and lots of 'experts' were shouting it was a time to buy. I don't see it that way.

Did you know that just two days after the stock market crashed in October 1929 the market actually gained ground the next two days? The New York Times reported that "the market quickly regained its poise and stability...." Today, Wall Street 'pros' are telling us it's a good time to invest because Warren Buffet is investing. A lot of people were probably using the same argument when the Rockefeller family was buying stocks right after the 1929 crash, what they didn't know was that it would take Wall Street ten more years to see those prices again.

Our current economic crisis was caused by politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, who perverted the American Dream by treating home ownership as an undeniable right rather than what it really is, a privilege. President Bush aggressively promoted the benefits of home ownership through various policy positions, including a reckless zero down-payment initiative for some homebuyers and praised Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac even after concerns about their accounting standards began to surface. 

Home ownership has always been part of the American Dream. It allows individuals and families to build wealth by having them pay themselves instead of a landlord or rental company and vests people in their communities by grounding them in local schools, stores and government. 

The concept that owning a home was a privilege and not a right began to change in 1992 following a flawed Boston Federal Reserve Board study whichallegedly found subtle discrimination in loan and mortgage lending by banks and mortgage lenders.

Politicians didn't care that the study was full of errors. The study found discrimination took place when five minority applicants were rejected for special low-income loans even though the applicants were rejected because they made too much money to qualify for a low-income loan, not because of their race. The report also classified as 'rejected' the applications of eight minority borrowers even though these borrowers voluntarily withdrew their mortgage applications. The study's sloppiness also went the other way.

The study reported that a white applicant was approved for a $3,115,000 loan in order to purchase a home valued at $445,000. It was later demonstrated that the actual loan was approved for $311,500, far less than $3 million reported and more importantly, less than the home's purchase price. When these and other errors were corrected no evidence of discrimination existed.

But politicians didn't care. They used this report as the basis to fix a problem which didn't exist. Leading the charge for change was President Clinton who immediately set-out to rework the Community Reinvestment Act to give federal officials the power to pressure banks to make loans they otherwise considered too risky or uneconomical.

Traditional lending requirements were labeled 'outdated' and discriminatory. What 'traditional lending requirements' were viewed as 'outdated' and 'discriminatory'? (1) banks were told that a "lack of credit history should not be seen as a negative factor" and that "past credit problems"  should be viewed and considered in light of any "extenuating circumstances" so loans could be extended when they otherwise would have been denied; (2) banks were encouraged to let borrowers without enough money for a down-payment make-up any deficiency with "gifts, grants, or loans from relatives, nonprofit organizations, or municipal agencies" even though banks considered this risky as the home buyer would have little or no equity in the house; (3) banks were also instructed that borrowers who received child support, welfare payments or unemployment benefits could count that as 'income' for borrowing purposes.

Call me crazy but if you need to count child support money that's intended for your child, or are in such bad economic shape that you're relying on welfare payments to make ends meet or are unemployed, maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't be buying a house. Too bad our politicians and the 'best and brightest' on Wall Street couldn't figure that out! 

Community groups like ACORN, threatened to cry racism if banks didn't increase their loans to subprime borrowers. Banks typically avoided subprime loans as they carried a greater risk of default, but with law on its side, ACORN and other groups intimidated lending institutions into making such loans.

Banks soon learned, however, that making subprime loans actually could increase their profits without increasing their risk. Once the banks extended a loan to a subprime borrower that loan could then be sold by the bank to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, two government sponsored entities charged with making home ownership affordable to all Americans.

Banks, Wall Street, and mortgage lenders were soon eager to extend mortgages to subprime borrowers because they could make lots of money without carrying any risk. Fannie and Freddie carried all the risk once the original lending agency sold the loan to them. And once Fannie and Freddie bought the loan this freed up the banks to make even more subprime loans.

So everyone was a winner. The subprime borrower got the money to buy a house. The banks generated mortgages and made a nice profit and Fannie and Freddie executives made tens-of-millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses by hitting their annual goals.

The problem was that in order to keep all of this going lending standards were continually lowered to help the next level of subprime borrowers qualify for mortgages and no one had an incentive to make sure that the new subprime borrowers would actually be capable of making regular mortgage payments. The banks which extended the loans really didn't care because they were just going to sell the loan off to Fannie or Freddie. Fannie and Freddie weren't too concerned because it wasn't their money-they knew that they were insured by the 'full faith and credit' of the federal government (that's government lingo for "you and me").

So when federal regulators began to warn the executives at Fannie and Freddie about the increasing risks of non-payment by subprime borrowers the companies did nothing and when the regulators took their concerns to congress their warnings were met with scorn and contempt. The politicians who received the most political contributions from Fannie and Freddie, by pure coincidence, just happened to be their biggest defenders: Chris Dodd (D-$133,900), John Kerry (D-$111,000) and Barack Obama (D-$105,189).

Representative Barney Frank, who has been a fierce defender of Fannie and Freddie, actually said, while arguing against more regulation, "I want to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidized housing.... " It's nice to know that he doesn't mind gambling with our money. Senator Chris Dodd, in praising Fannie and Freddie said, "I, just briefly will say, Mr. Chairman, obviously, like most of us here, this is one of the great success stories of all time. 
"While Senator Charles Schumer said, "And my worry is that we're using the recent safety and soundness concerns, particularly with Freddie, and with a poor regulator, as a straw man to curtail Fannie and Freddie's mission."

Barack Obama has received more money from Fannie and Freddie than any other senator, with the exception of Senator Dodd, in the last four years. Before entering the senate, Obama filed a class-action lawsuit against Citibank, alleging that the bank was red-lining, or not doing enough lending in certain areas. That lawsuit was eventually settled. Arguably, Barack Obama helped cause the problem he now wants to fix.

The Federal Reserve Board was doing its part by throwing huge piles of cash at would-be home buyers by keeping interest rates too low. With low interest rates speculators began to look at houses as business opportunities, while others began to look at their homes as a giant piggy bank rather than a place where you actually lived and raised a family. Alan Greenspan encouraged this type of behavior and proudly said, "American consumers might benefit if lenders provided greater mortgage product alternatives to the traditional fixed-rate mortgages..." President Bush, responding to September 11th unwisely encouraged us to "go shopping" rather than hunker down financially and contribute to the War on Terror in other ways (can you say home equity loans?).

The SEC also shares in the blame. It failed to do its job (failed to adequately regulate mortgage brokers, the credit rating companies, and naked short-sellers), acted only after the markets froze-up (finally addressed mark-to-market rules) and refused to examine how the credit-default-swap market could grow from $919 billion in 2001 to over $54 trillion by 2008 (which allowed companies to make wild financial bets with the false confidence that 'insurance' would be there if the deal went south).

So what happened? Home-ownership rates which had been relatively constant for 25 years began a 10 year upward climb beginning in 1995, around the same time that government began its push and pressure for banks to make more subprime loans. The politicians, banks, lenders and Wall Streeters were thrilled because they were all making gobs of money.

Today we are all paying the price for the decisions made long ago. I have spoken to people involved at the highest levels and they now are all saying the same thing, "it is worse than anyone knows" and "worse than I even thought." Political and business leaders who I respect have told me that the economy is on the edge of an abyss.

The bailout is an outrage and is designed only to buy time for the politicians. It will delay the real hard times from hitting until after the November elections. Not one politician has said that this bailout legislation will put us on a better financial footing or that our economic problems will be put behind us. In fact, we'll be worse off because our politicians, even in this crisis, can't stop themselves from spending. This bill includes an extension of the rum tax benefits for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands ($192 million), tax benefits for companies which manufacture wooden arrows for kids ($6 million), car racing tracks ($128 million), a provision which forces insurance companies to treat mental health problems like physical problems ($3.8 billion) and many, many more.

International markets don't offer any better alternative. Germany, England, theNetherlands, and Russia have all come out with their own government backed bailout plans. There are now calls for more international regulation (presumably led by the United Nations) and China has taken this opportunity to call for "a diversified currency and financial system and fair and just financial order that isnot dependent on the United States." Meanwhile, there is increasing international indications that the dollar will lose its place as the reserve currencyof the world.

The politicians from both political parties continue to lie to us. They promise us better healthcare and more government programs. The only thing either party will be able to deliver is higher, much higher, taxes as the debt swells and government revenues fall. The same politicians remain silent, while capitalism, which brought us the highest standard of living in the world, is increasingly attacked and discredited by its enemies. 

But it's not capitalism which has been discredited by our current crisis, it's greed that has been shown to be at the root of our present economic uncertainty, and greed is unfortunately a universal human trait and has demonstrated its reach in socialism, fascism, communism and capitalism. The greed of Wall Street is nothing compared to the greed of our politicians who have continued to expand their power and influence at the expense of their country.

Our children and grandchildren will ultimately pay the price for their failure to act prudently and in the best interest of our country because they will be the ones saddled with mountains of debt and diminished standard of living.

I hope that this summary gives you a better idea of how the people who caused this fire are the same ones who are now telling us that they know best how to put it out and a reason not to believe their current promises.

We have faced tough times before. We fought the Nazis in World War II, defeated communism in the Cold War and Americans fought each other to keep our country together in our own Civil War. These tough times require us to educate ourselves and help others understand what has brought us to this point and the grave consequences of what will happen if we let this continue-that is our fight.

In my next email letter I will answer the other question you asked, "what's coming?"

Source:  Glenn Beck

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America's Broke **Exposed**
Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

In case you haven't figured it out yet, America is broke!  There's no doubt about it.  Thing is, I've already shared we're in over 2 TRILLION dollars in debt.  But thats not all.  There's more.  Click the above "PLAY" button and find out how we could possibly be in much more debt by adding TWO more Big passed over issues not listed in Americas National debt. 

What can we do about it?  For individuals at home, you can make sure you get your own homefront prepared.  One way is to get rid of any debt you possibly can.  The less debt you have, the more likely you'll be to handle whatever comes your way.  It gives you freedom to breathe and I would say it also helps your physical and mental well-being.

Other ways, well, without trying to focus on "scare-tactics" to scare the heck outa ya to do something, I'm just going to give you some ideas. 

REASEARCH-  Research other alternatives to invest in some "safe money" in case of collapse.  Not so you say?  Many BIG governments who thought they wouldn't collapse did.  China, Russia, Germany, etc.  We can and in some cases, are on our way to collapsing.  While others are unprepared, it's best to get prepared by researching other alternatives like silver, gold, land, etc. to trade or sell in case the dollar becomes so low, you can't afford to buy anything with it. 

I would also research some economic sites, read some books like:

"Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse"
by Peter Schiff

"Empire of Debt" by Bill Bonner

"The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy--If We Let It Happen" by Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Peter Tanous

Daveramsey.com has been a great help in not only learning to budget, but get out of debt and stay there while empowers you to teach your children so they don't go through debt.

LEARN TO GARDEN-  Even if it's planting tomatoes and basic veggies in pots in an apartment area. (we did that and had an abundance of veggies and herbs)  This year we're STILL renting and have been blessed with a small garden to plant herbs, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce in.

The more you plant, the less you rely on those rising prices. You also are more aware of whats in your veggies.  They won't be loaded with hormones or pesticides.

Grow medicinal herbs like Echinacea, Goldenseal, and natural sugar substitutes like stevia.

Learn to can your foods for the year with water bath canners and pressure canners. Dry them and even freeze them.

Start buying in bulk and stocking up on staples like bags of oats, bags of flour or Wheat berries to use in your grain mills.  Salt, Pepper, Vitamin C which helps in case of outbreak of illnesses.

Learn about alternative medicines and stock up on basic supplies in case pharmaceutical companies raise those meds so high we can't get them.  (aren't they high enough for the average person?)

I'm not trying to scare the heck out of you by any means.  But I'm not going to pretend there isn't a chance of having another depression like our great grandparents had.  The more the government got in the way during that time, the longer the depression lasted.  We have big problems if thats the case, we should be prepared to care for our children and families.

Make do with what you have, but by any means, be sure to get your own debts in order, stop buying big purchases and start investing in the well-being of your families while there's still time.  Don't wait for the Government to do it, They're in debt to China, they can't help.

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U.S. Taxpayers pay 13,000 to bail out Corrupt Mortgage Banks
Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

pic of Enron Building by allposters.com

government bailout could cost taxpayers around $25 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.  Try 2.5 TRILLION Dollars.  That's how much it's going to cost  the United States because the Government has decided to save Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac and several big companies with bailouts.

Would you like to know what that means for YOU, the Tax Payer?  Each household will OWE the government 13,000 dollars due to that save. Governmental officials won't acknowledge that fact, because they don't want YOU, the taxpayer to worry.  Awww, isn't that nice of them!

You don't think it's free do you?  Someone has to pay for the Corruption of two mortgage buyers that basically did the same illegal thing that Kenneth Lay of ENRON did.  Only, Only........The CEO's of both mortgage companies get off scott free and actually get to KEEP their jobs without going straight to jail because they've been asked by OUR Government to handle the transition now that the U.S. Government has taken over. Yup...the same Government that's using OUR tax money to bail out this scandelous affair is keeping the CEO's of these mortgage companies still on the bankrolls working for those of us they....scuse the term, screwed.

I don't know about you, but we're just in the market for a home of our own.  We live on ONE income to keep me as homemaker, and learned the hard way early on in our marriage, how to budget and live WITHIN our means (and nobody bailed US out), yet those of us who are renting and waiting for our dream home, those of us who actually pay our mortgages each month and stay within what we can afford, are paying the debt for those who work minimum wage jobs that wanted a 400,000 mortgage from a company that was willing to illegally mishandle the documents in order to give them what they wanted.

I and those of you who ARE responsible, are footing the bill for CEO's who need to be put in prison like the other CEO's of companies who've been corrupted like Enron.   We're footing the bill for people who cannot afford to keep their homes anymore because THEY signed on the dotted lines for a home they couldn't afford with the income they were making.

I feel bad for those who lost their homes, but I do not feel like my husband and I should foot the bill for those mortgages they knew they couldn't afford.  While we sit in our rental saving money for our own home, KNOWING if we can't afford the payments, we can't afford the home.

The people of the United States are becoming a nation of Gluttony.  Many expect to be hand fed everything with golden spoons without actually WORKING for the American Dream (see my idea of it in the post below).  Things our Forefathers, our great grandparents and some of our parents did.  They did not make it to the top without hard work and dedication.  They did NOT buy things they couldn't afford.  NOTHING came for free.  Ask those who suffered during the "Great Depression".  Read about the suffering that came. NONE of them felt they were too good for any job they were offered. None of them who worked so hard and lost everything got bailouts either.

Yet we expect our country to continually bail out mortgage companies that knowingly made illegal deals to get ahead, American people who signed on the dotted line without reading the fine print and knowingly knew they couldn't afford the homes they were purchasing.

Better yet, lets keep bailing out more companies.  Bear Stearns on Wall Street, Companies like the three auto makers who aren't making ends meet who want 50 BILLION dollar handouts, again, from the taxpayers who by all rights should get the same auto discounts as their employees if they get bailed out. Lets not forget about who's next after them....the Airline industry.

We are headed down a Socialist path with no end in site. 

Before we go any further, let me define what Socialism is:

See anything familiar in the above definition?  Give you a slight hint.  The Soviet Union is a Socialistic Government.  Worse yet, Hitler led with his Socialist/Marxist views.  Scarey thought isn't it?

Back to my thoughts...

Who will pay for these bailouts?  YOU and me.  Nothing comes for free.  Who's going to fight for "We The People".  So when your thinking about voting for "change".  Remember that the change will cost you big bucks!  Obama wants a WHOLE lot of this, yet I'm not so sure about McCains plan either. So what can we do?  Will  those of us who work our heinies off to better our lives and make ends meet end up foregoing it because we're too busy paying for the mistakes of those who aren't responsible enough to deal with the consequences of their decisions?

I don't know about you, but every mistake I've ever made, personally, physically, financially or otherwise, I've ALWAYS had to deal with the consequences and seek God's will either for sin that may have caused the blooper in the first place, or just how He'd like us to deal with a learning experience with His strength and perseverance as well as learning to  trust solely in Him.

Whatever the outcome, In God I solely trust.  Nothing good can come of a government who bails out everyone when there's no money to actually do it.

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***Citizens For Affordable Energy***
Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Please take a look at THIS video from John D. Hofmeister President/Shell Oil Company. He's started Citizens for Affordable Energy and plans to advocate for Energy Independence, education, Good Stewardship and also alternative types good for the environment too.  Please check it out and think about joining the cause to STOP depending on other Countries for our Energy.  Check out His thoughts below:

our Vision is: "Establish national energy security strategy to deliver affordable short, medium and long-term environmentally conscious energy solutions for America."

Our Mission : 

Citizens for Affordable Energy will educate the public and its leaders about energy, its uses and implications, its basic contribution to American competitiveness, and its critical role in life style choices.  It will advocate increasing the supplies of all types of energy within the U.S.; supporting technology and innovation to improve the efficient use of energy; ensuring that the development and distribution of energy is done in environmentally sustainable ways; and promoting the development of the physical and regulatory infrastructure needed to deliver more energy to consumers.

 We are now working on how best to articulate and communicate more broadly what we will call simply our "four mores" in the coming months and years: more energy, more efficiency, more environmental stewardship and more infrastructure.

We will detail how we will operate, educate and advocate so that we offer non-partisan solutions instead of partisan paralysis, hope rather than cynicism, and action rather than argument.

John D. Hofmeister
Founder and CEO
Citizens for Affordable Energy

Sign up for more information as His "Not for Profit Incorporation" comes together in the next several months. 

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*** Drill, Drill, Drill!! Contact Your Local Congressman and Help Your Nation ***
Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Rep. Peterson: Congress needs to wake-up and Increase Domestic Energy Production! Find The article here

Drill Drill Drill!! We need to Stop Relying on other nations to give us what we Americans have on our own soil!  Contact YOUR local Congressman and let him know we're sick of Congress and the President of the United States playing games with OUR livelyhood.  This should cross party lines and become a PRIORITY for Americans who'll pay in their heat & electric this year, as well as food shortages from those high costs as the storms persist, high cost of food and products which depend upon our Truckers, etc.  Enough Ethynol production that drives UP the cost of the grains we need to feed our nation as a whole!!  Enough playing around between Republicans and Democrats on what, when, why, where, and HOW we'll fix our economy and this High cost of oil when we have it HERE...We The People make this country what it is!!  We the people need to STOP sitting and waiting, and start BECOMING members of this country by making our voices heard.  Contact your local state and governmental officials and Voice your right that our Founding Fathers have given you!! Yet again, Nancy Peloci and our president, have decided to play games with the bill that could help us drive the cost of oil at a hault and find other measures that over time, will help us find alternative ways to deal with this growing concern, yet our Government won't get outa the way!  Once again, Make your voices heard....get that bill off the "hold" and make them act on OUR behalf!

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*** Tell Your Senators to VOTE NO! On Hidden Taxes. Sign the Petition and Get Your Voice Heard!! ***
Friday, June 6, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Right now, the Senate is considering “cap-and-trade” energy legislation that will attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions, principally carbon dioxide, and establish a trading system for emissions allowances.  But in reality, this legislation will place severe regulatory burdens on domestic industry, impede trade, and harm our nation’s economy.

Introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.), the Climate Security Act is nothing more than a hidden tax that would raise costs on energy use by $1.2 trillion by 2018!  These higher costs would severely undermine the nation’s ability to attract business and capital, while at the same time draining household budgets by increasing gas and electric bills for American families.

The Climate Security Act will also create an army of new bureaucrats by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a greenhouse gas (GHG) registry, create a GHG emission allowance transfer system, and set emission allowances for 2012-2050.  New agencies that the legislation would create include the Climate Change Credit Corporation, which will auction emission allowances, and the Carbon Market Efficiency Board, which will observe and report on the national GHG emission market. 

This dramatic expansion of government will eventually dictate every aspect of commercial and individual energy use.  Ultimately, the cap-and-trade system will be open to manipulation and corruption, with politicians and bureaucrats picking winners and losers in the energy market.

Some argue that cap-and-trade is environmentalism.  But this kind of environmentalism is nothing more than an elite command-and-control system that will kill prosperity!

Say NO! To Hidden Taxes. Sign the Petition Here and tell YOUR Senators NOW!

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***A Pondering Heart Giveaway***
Thursday, May 29, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Jocelyn is having a Pondur me giveaway at her home blog A Pondering Heart. 

Pondur offers infant creepers and lap tees that are 100% Certified Organic cotton with low impact dyes and printed with water-based ink. The inside is tagless and the back says “pondür”. The creepers and tees come in four different prints and colours.

Check Out her blog for further details!

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*** Free Iced Coffee Day At Dunkin Donuts ***
Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Wanted to Announce the Free Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin Donuts.  Find a Participating location near you HERE

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***Furnishing Your Home Economically***
Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

The pictures you see are somewhat blurry, They don't do justice to what we've just seen.  These pieces are in EXCELLENT used condition.  Totally a gift from God.

Today we just traveled about an hour away to look at living area furniture that I found on Craigs List at a STEAL.  It is SO beautiful, comfy and so economical for what we're looking for.  They are almost in NEW condition and will fit nicely into our living room where guests will sit and be served when they come to visit us.

Can you believe that we bought the ensemble for 400.00?  By the time we rent a Ryder Van, we'll have paid 500.00 but the total will STILL be economical, as couches alone can be bought for at least 600.00.  We have purchased a couch, loveseat and a chair all for the price of 500.00 TOTAL.

I am SO excited with this find.  God really prepared us for the future during a time when we were struggling to make ends meet.  We learned how to budget, save, and find deals.  While we aren't living paycheck to paycheck anymore, I find that we are more aware of our purchases and strive to live below our means.

Some may think buying a slightly used piece of furniture is disgusting, but if we look at Gods will for our finances, we'll find that utilizing whats already here and being careful with the money He DOES give us is His teaching for good stewardship. 

I've contimplated splurging for a new dining set as well, we need a table for our  home, it was just the two of us, but now there will be wee little ones, and I really do believe we need to teach manners and have good communication as a family.  Anyways, I've decided to hold off on the purchase and save for awhile until something really hits me.  The thought of spending 1200.00 on furniture for only one room makes me cringe, who knows, maybe I'll find a beautiful farmhouse table and chairs on craigslist as I found our living room furniture and the crib/dresser set.

God is good, HIS hearts desire becomes OUR hearts desire. Psalm 37:4 Serving Him and taking care of our finances that He's blessed us with and that our husbands work so hard for,  is one way to give Glory to our Heavenly Father who takes care of us. 

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***High Yield Savings Accounts *** KNOW Your Options!
Friday, February 22, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

One of Dave Ramsey's big tips is to start an EMERGENCY fund Right away once you have paid your necessities and BEFORE you pay your debts.  You MUST have at least 500.00 to start your emergency fund if you make below 20k, and anything above a starting emergency fund of 1000.00. 

Once you have funded your basic emergency fund, you then follow through with His debt snowball plan.  Once your debt snowball plan is put into action and your paying your debts, you will fully fund your basic emergency savings into a 3-6 month emergency fund.

Why would you want to save that much you say?  Well, what happens if you find your husband has been laid off from work and your a stay at home mom with children to provide for?  How bout if something comes up with housing issues, or home repairs or what if your child or husband were to be sick and needed medical attention and tests that weren't covered?  Why, you would already have money set aside to cover and that Emergency Fund is a whole lot better and much relief when you have it, then when you don't know where the money is going to come from.  You'd be able to spend more time dealing with whats important, than worrying about money issues.

So, with that in mind, the next tip is, why bother leaving your 3-6 month emergency savings in your checking account or even your savings where there is low yield with interest?  Why not find a high yield savings account or money market account where you can get to your money?  Remembering you want that money to be LIQUID (meaning accessible in case of emergencies that you can take out without penalty) not stored away in a swiss bank account somewhere that you can't get to it in case of a real emergency.

So when most savings account only give you 2percent at most, you could find one that will give you 4.28 or more percent in interest making YOU money. 

E-MoneyCentral

Emoneycentral has the updated list of High Yielding savings accounts and much more to watch your money work for you instead of you work for it.

So far the following Companies seem to be quite good:

ING

Emigrantdirect.com ((highest, but takes a few days to get to your money))

CapitalOne

Check it out and work to be debt free! We are. If we can do it, you can too.  It takes time and patience, but having freedom is a blessing, learning how to use the money God has given you is even more of a blessing.  You will have the foundation to teach your children basic financial principals which will last a lifetime and may keep them out of debt just by watching how you deal with your own money skills.

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***Teaching Your Children Basic Financial Principals***
Saturday, February 16, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

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***Repost*** KNOW YOUR CREDIT REPORT!!!
Friday, February 15, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Repost from 2007 

I have just found 3 errors in dougs credit report. I praise God for providing us with wisdom.

ALL 3 are from hospital claims that were triple claimed. Basically fraudulant claims MANY times over. How do I know? Our insurance company sends claims to me and I have access to the claims 24/7 online. I've looked up the claims and have found what the insurance company has paid out and what I have left to pay....which isn't all that much. Lets say out of 2000.00 worth of medical procedures I've had, we've only had to pay 25.00 and somehow on dougs records he's being charges 3 times for each of the three bills adding to triple that amount.

I noticed this and called the Insurance company who is sending me the "Official" claims via snailmail and I am disputing dougs credit report as we speak.

This happens FAR too often....PLEASE make sure you check your credit reports. Credit reports are FREE through AnnualCreditReport One for each company. Thats right. One free credit report PER company.

The financial class I attended, teaches NOT to use each one at the same time period, but spreading them out within the year. Like every four months or so. That way you can see if anyones Tampering with your account, or if there are things on your account to dispute.

Don't forget to Opt Out of getting direct mail marketing for pre-approved credit card offers and unwanted telemarketers at 1-888-567-8688

You must also write the addresses below to continue not receiving the mails or you will be bombarded with mailings again:

For Direct mailings:
Mail Preferance Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012

For Telemarketing:
Telephone Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 1559, Carmel NY 15012

****Also, be aware that you can dispute wrongful reporting online and they MUST get back to you within 30days of reporting dispute or the Credit Companies MUST take that dispute off your credit report!!

National Do Not Call Registry:1-888-382-1222
or register online National DNCR

Other Useful Links:
OFFtelephone

OFFmailinglist

For future purpose or in case anyone may need this:

* Payment in Full does not remove your payment history. The length of time, information remains in the file is:

Credit & Collections accounts- 7 years, plus 180 days from the date of the origional delinquency.

Courthouse records- 7 years from the date filed,with exception
of Chapter 7 & 11 bankruptcies which
remain for 10 years from filed date.

**** NOTATE that the creditor WILL attempt to extend the 7 years by re-reporting the delinquency. However this violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act and can be challenged as an inaccuracy.

* New York State residents ONLY: Satisfied judgements five years from the date filed; paid collections five years from the date of last activity with origional creditor.

**There may be what appear to be duplicate accounts reported in your credit file. This could be because some credit grantors issue both revolving and installment accounts. Another reason is that when you move, some credit grantors transfer your account to a different location and issue another account number (or some could be like mine, which are truely duplicates from the same medical company...be sure to check your account numbers with your statements. do not take their word for it)

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***Repost*** Be Proactive With Your medical Bills
Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Over the next few weeks, I'll be reposting some important Financial tips we've learned from the past few years.  They were origionally posted on my old Blog and I find they will be of use to others who are now in the very spot we were in the past 5 years.  These tips can help you as you work towards good Financial Stewardship while also helping you deal with creditors, deep debt, and ways to get rid of it.  May our hard lessons help others and may our way towards financial freedom be a testimony to God!

I just felt the need to warn everyone.

You MUST check your medical bills when they come in.  EVEN the lab bills!  I mentioned several months ago how I caught an overcharge. 3Times the charge before and it was taken off and also several other hospital charges which were put on my husbands credit report as low as 50.00 for not paying (He holds the insurance for both of us) when that too was paid. (The medical establishment along with the credit agency for that are working to write letters to the credit companies to take it off completely.)

The latest medical issue I caught??  I went to my OBGYN had a yearly exam along with an ultrasound of my ovaries because I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, The dr. charged me for the visit, the yearly AND TWO ultrasounds.  I had only one.  The good thing about my Aetna insurance, is that I can look up a claim activity online any hour of any day to make sure it lines up with what I am billed for.

Needless to say, after going around and around with the billing manager who can only be located a couple days a week in a different LONG DISTANCE office, I decided to talk with the practice manager.  I told her I received a bill in the mail for 200.00, but my Aetna Insurance claimed they paid 100 percent and I would only owe 25.00 for the whole bill (my co-insurance).

Want to know what she told me?  You had your yearly, then in the middle of your ultrasound, He decided to go 3D.  I told her the dr. neither told me nor warned that he was doing the 3D instead, and that  it would be billed another 200.00 as if it were done over.  Needless to say, with my good skill of looking at my Claim Statements and checking them with what the bills usually state, I saved being overcharged for a procedure I never was told about nor did I approve.

Ladies and gentlemen, regardless of how nice your dr.'s are, YOU need to be pro-active in your own medical care.  If you aren't for you and your family, then who else will?  Dr.'s are there because it's a business practice, sometimes they throw things in without mentioning there's that added benefit for their own pockets.  It's times like those that you wish you had spoken up before you received a bill of over thousands of dollars of treatment that you still may be paying for!  Our medical treatment, no matter what we may have....a stomach cramp or something as bad as diabetes or other endochrine issues.  If you have an ailment, get on the internet, research treatments and know your body!  Know your claim activity as well so it keeps you from being overcharged for something you did not know about nor approved of having.  Find out what your insuarnce covers and make sure you have a statement at your dr.'s asking that all treatments be covered under your insurance or otherwise stated in writing  for you to approve before ANY treatment.  LAB BILLS, this can be critical if your like me and need labwork done every 3-6 months.  Don't trust the labs, again they are there to make money.  Often, majority of my issues are with Lab Claims that come out, it seems, each lab work comes separately.  I have been charged and charged and charged for the same bill....check the account numbers and make sure you staple like charges with the services and dates you had them together.  THEN check your Claim statements.

If you take a pro-active role in your healthcare AND your billing process (Remember it's OK to say NO to a dr., you hire them....be direct and also know what your insurance company pays for) then you will be on the road to good healthcare and also good stewardship with the money God has given you.  It all correlates together with stewardship if you take a pro-active role.

In the end, I prayed before I even picked up the phone to call.  Doug and I prayed last night, then I prayed again before I called the practice manager and by God and only God's grace, the bill was written off!  I by no means glorify myself with what I had done.  I wouldn't have thought to talk with the practice manager and would have kept getting the run around from someone who only worked part time at another office.  I also wouldn't have thought to compare my statement with the bill at this time.  As scripture says, " with God on our side, what can man do to us?"  TRUST in the Lord to help you through issues as little as a bill.  No matter what, He can handle ALL things!

Much love and many blessings to you all.

Rebekah

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Helpful Links to Budgeting and Living on a budget
Friday, February 1, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

Helpful Links to Budgeting and Living on a budget
 
 
Dave Ramsey's Monthly Cash Flow Plan (BUDGET) with Instructions
 
The Homestead Kitchen   MY FAVORITE site EVER!!  Crystal has helped me to budget, while making healthy whole grain breads, cookies and other fruits and veggies.  PLEASE take a look.  YOU'll NEED LOTSA TIME!!  Haha
 
Hillbilly Housewife THE BEST site to Help you feed your family on a budget!
 
Pinching your pennies Forum   HUGE HELP. Learn to coupon, about how to get things vertually free by learning to coupon, buy sales and get triple savings.
 
Restaurant.com   wanna eat out on a budget?  Take a look at local restaurant to save.
 
Money Dummy a Wealth of Information
 
Families.com Another money saving couponing site that can show you how to coupon, whats on sale, where to get deals on specific items, etc.
 
Bargain Share
 
Fat Wallet All kinds of freebies!!  LOVE this site!!
 
Marmee Dear She has a storefront with lots of learning primer books, however she has several children and has tips and recipes to help.  Check out her newest site to mentor other SAHM's and Homemakers called The Homemakers Mentor
 
Urban Homemaker - how to eat healthy on a budget.  This too is a home-store, however there are several AWESOME articles to teach you how to make things yourself.
 
Making It Home Just something with alot of this and that.  It's given me comfort
 
Debt Proof Living online

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Whoever can be trusted with little, can also be trusted with Much
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Posted in Financial Stewardship

This time last year my husband and I were in a "valley".  Believe it or not, it lasted quite awhile, but we learned more in 2006-07 that would eventually carry on during our time of Harvest in our "New Season".

I grew up not knowing how to balance a checkbook or save.  Our first year of marriage ended up in disaster as because of my medical bills and inability to budget, we ended up filing for bankruptcy. I bet your thinking I learned my lesson then eh?  Nope! You see, I had no idea about money management and spending had always been my way to cope.  Shortly after our bankruptcy I found we had more money to be free with and decided to get back into old spending habits and eventually I knew the associate in William Sonoma by name.  I learned to "keep up with the jonses" in church and kept wanting more.  The more I spent, the more excitement I felt. 2 years in and I went from spending to one day bouncing a series of checks I hadn't balanced which left us in the poor house for MONTHS. 

It was an eye-opener and an embarassment not just to my husband, but to those we needed to pay back.  I started to pray hard for God to help me AFTER the fact, and became sad and reclusive when He didn't answer right away.

We ended up utilizing a financial advisor through our church who ended up being my enabler and actually encouraging us to spend more money we couldn't afford by going out to lavishing dinners at our meetings.  NOT good when your addicted to spending!

Soon after, I felt a tug on my heart and decided to learn more about couponing and other ways to help us save income. I learned how to cut coupons (simple, but something I didn't often do), sought out grocery stores that doubled and tripled coupons, business who would give out coupons and freebies, free trials, and much more.  I was so excited when after a month, we started actually saving LOADS of money!  I mean I saved 75.00 in one grocery store with half of my groceries being free.  We started taking small rides out to our local restaurants who gave me free coupons and utilized the food pantries and Angel Food Ministries where we purchased 25.00 worth of groceries which fed the two of us for 3 months and a family of four for one month.  I learned to supplement brand names for off brands and got rid of high speed cable for the FREE Library. Not to mention the books and music as well as videos we could get there free.

I learned what JOY really was when we found other ways to enjoy fun with each other and excitement when we kept seeing our bank accounts get bigger and bigger.

Doug graduated last spring of 07' and now he makes double the income and we are well on our way to learning what freedom is and what Good Stewardship means to God. After taking the jump to learn responsibility, God gave us more and He FINALLY answered my prayer when He directed us to a course by Dave Ramsey which taught us basic financial principals.  While sometimes not everything can be conquered, we strive to be the best stewards we can.

In the upcoming weeks, I plan to share our tricks to saving money.  If YOU are in a place that we were last year, feeling depressed and helpless, KNOW that you CAN and WILL get out of debt if YOU take the steps to do so.  God will always be there every step of the way even though you may not feel Him there.  But WE must take the steps to better our lives and start making the good choices that sometimes we as humans resist. In the end, The valley we went through taught us what we know now so that we could make better choices with what God has given us.  He HAS Given us more now that we've taken care of what He's given us.

I leave you with the following Scripture that held me accountable during our sweet  "Valley":

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." ~Luke 16:10-13

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