An epidemic

We've been doing something pretty odd over the last year and a half.   It may be unheard of.  Few people do it anymore.  We must be pretty strange. 



What you ask?  We've been saving up to buy something. We'd like new furniture for our living room to replace the 1980s hand me downs we have.  They're wonderfully comfortable but have seen better days.  But, really, we don't NEED new furniture.  So it was an easy thing to say..."in the next few years we'll get new couches".  No, we didn't put it on a credit card.  We didn't do the "NO interest for a year!" or whatever the stores advertise these days.  That's because that "old" concept of not buying something if you don't have money for it really does pay off when you want to live debt free.

Perhaps my favorite pod casts to listen to are from Andy Stanley, a Christian pastor at Northpoint Community Church.  A recent series I listened to was called Recovery Road.  Part 5 was called The Spending Crisis.  It was fascinating to hear how our nation's thoughts about debt have changed over the decades.  Debt used to be a bad thing.  Now it's a sadly normal thing.  America used to do layaway.  Now it does loans and credit cards. I highly recommend the pod cast series (and any of his pod casts for that matter!) They can be downloaded on their site or on a podcast app. A friend of Andy once told him...

"There are two kinds of people in the world.  There are people who make interest and there are people who pay interest.  You need to decide which kind you want to be and reorder your finances around it."

It was reassuring to know that we aren't the only "crazy" people who do perhaps "extreme" things in order to live debt free, honor God with our finances, be generous, and not carry the weight and burden of debt on our shoulder.  The four main points in the pod cast were:

1. "You can't have everything you want."

2. "You can't even have anything you can afford."

3. "You have to live on a budget."

4. "When the money runs out, you have to quit spending."  

Definitely download the pod cast!  I devour them.  They are like my equivalent to soap operas and bon bons as a SAHM.  Naps, drives in the car, etc.  I sneak them in when I can!

The saddest part is that the new generation (and my generation) is growing up thinking that debt is normal.  You want to go to college, you get a loan.  You want a car, you get a loan.  You want a house, you get a 100% loan on a house that you really can't afford.  You want those shoes, put it on a card.  You want to take a trip to Hawaii, credit card. How did it become such a mind shift?

Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if our youth were taught about money management and living within their means?  About being content with things they have, not putting hope in things but putting hope in Jesus. About treasures in heaven. About alternative ways to paying for higher education. That living within your means is not just possible but a virtuous and freeing thing? That less can really be more?

Now I know there is stuff that comes up in life that sometimes requires us to take on debt.  Surgeries, emergencies, unemployment, unexpected hospital bills, etc.  I'm not talking about those things.  I'm talking about the intentional debts that we take on.

The hardest debt (besides home loans) I've seen is something disguised as "FINANCIAL AID".   I know college is expensive.  Really, I do.  BUT...is it worth getting a degree at a school you can't afford just so you can drown in debt while you want to get married or raise a family? I've had several moms tell me they could never stay at home with their kids for a season b/c they have too many school loans to pay off.  How can we encourage our kids to have a different financial future?

For our own boys, I would NOT encourage them to go to a private college if the degree was available elsewhere because I see that as a waste of money.  I would encourage them to save up for college.   Mateo and Alex already have savings accounts for the occasion.  Maybe start at a community college and transfer. Scholarships and grants help.  Having a part time job helps.  If you have to get financial aid...using it to pay ONLY for tuition seems like a given, but it isn't.  Many go shopping for clothes, shoes, and other "non academic" items without thinking about the implications of interest they will be paying on those items.  Above all the micro decisions made about money, I want this verse to resonate in our hearts as a family....so much to learn from this still.. 

"Honor the Lord with your wealth,
  with the firstfruits of all your crops; 

 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
    and your vats will brim over with new wine."

Psalms 3:9-10 

Andy Stanley's motto of "Give. Save. Live." is one we love for how to use our money.  Give (tithe, donate) first, Save (put money away) second, and Live (off the rest).  Love it.  



I'm done now.  I don't know why, but I feel the burden of other people's debt and I want to fix it.  Not sure what that means, but maybe in a former life I'd have been a Dave Ramsey wanna be. 

Spend less to work less....

So dinner is in the crockpot, laundry is in the washer, and my tot is napping...so that means I get a few minutes to sit down at the computer! Yipee!!

My heart continues to ache for people that want to stay home with their babies but don't think they can. Like I've said before, there are plenty of people who don't have that desire. But for those that do- and who aren't the only bread winner of the family- this is what I have to say:
YOU CAN STAY HOME WITH YOUR BABY IF YOU WANT IT BADLY ENOUGH!

Pray pray pray!!

But I'm NOT the type of person who would tell you to pray for a lump of money to fall from the sky so you could continue your current lifestyle. No, I'm the kind of person that would tell you to pray to God and ask for his wisdom on how to manage your money differently. All knowledge and wisdom come from our great God and He is ultimately the one who will give you the discernment and self discipline to make the cuts you'll need to. Yes, lots of self disciple needed.

Now maybe your husband (or wife... plenty of SAHDs now ;) is a brain surgeon and you quitting your job isn't the biggest deal. But for most of us- our spouse probably has a regular job.

I decided to check out a couponing book from the library and the author, Stephanie Nelson, wrote this on the first page (that's as far as I've gotten, hehe):

"In 1995, my husband and I made the decision to downsize our lifestyle so that I could stay home with our boys, a two year old and a new baby. My quitting the corporate world meant our income would be cut in half, so I knew I was actually taking on two new roles: stay-at-home mom and CEO of our family budget...."

Boy could I relate! Since Aaron and I had very similar incomes, me quitting my job would literally mean cutting our income in half. Fortunately for us, we had been planning on this for a while- so it wasn't quite as harsh a transition as it could have been.

So what I'm saying in all of this- is....how bad do you want to be at home with your kids and what are you willing to give up? Are you willing to live in an apartment instead of a house? Are you willing to go to Goodwill?
For some reason the idea of being a professional budget advisor person appeals to me, but I don't think I'd land a job in that area b/c I would be a little tough on people. If they were buried in money problems, I'd probably tell them to sell their house b/c living in their current house would not allow them to leave within their means. I'd probably advise them to stop buying coffee at Starbucks (b/c I believe the little things do add up). Maybe I'd tell them to consider buying used clothing, mow their own lawns, buy a bag of potatoes instead of buying boxed potatoes, etc.

Take heart! There are books galore and websites galore on ways to manage your money. God is big. Read the book of Proverbs. We are to be discerning and prudent in how we utilize our resources....realizing that all of our money and resources are from God anyways. Though 2% of me misses having a "career", the other 98% of me is so glad to be at home managing the household and taking care of my boys (the big one and the little one ;)

Here are some things I've written about in past blogs to sum up. It really all comes down to spend less...in order to work less!

1. Try coupons to save money with toiletries, food, and entertainment.
2. Shop second hand.
3. Don't keep up with the Jones'.
4. Lower your standard of living.
5. Do more things yourself instead of paying others (food prep, yard work, etc.)
6. Make a budget with your spouse and stick to it.
7. Pay off debt and stay out of debt....only spend money that you have!


You can do it!