Asia & Chocolate

A sign of marital times ...

Couponing.

It seems like it's taken the place of blogging in my life ... well at least for tonight. :)

Josh & I celebrated our 3 month anniversary by getting up early this morning, working out, Josh making breakfast for me, going to church, and playing golf. Whew! What a day. So, I told Josh I was going to relax tonight and spend time blogging.

But, instead of writing a lot of blogs, I spent the evening cutting coupons, making grocery lists and organizing my food life. :)

The joy of couponing, has come to me over the past year after learning from my friend Patti that you can save a LOT of money on staples from the grocery store/drug store, etc.

If you're not already doing this, then you need to be - if you want to save some money. I typically save about 50% on my grocery bill, but a lot of people save even more. (I'm still learning.)

I love these two Web sites: southernsavers.com and moneysavingmom.com. Check them out to find out how to save tons of money at the store.

Testimony.

I want to share something that is somewhat culturally taboo in this culture (regarding finances), but nonetheless illustrates the grace, goodness and favor of God.

Take a look at some of the prayer requests I had coming home:

1. Find a job, but even moreso that the perfect job would fall in my lap. God doesn't always work this way, but I prayed it and waited.
2. One of the main, yet one of many deciding factors in coming home this year was to use my salary for the next few years to pay off my debts. I totally believe that God doesn't want us to have debt and I jumped on the Dave Ramsey train.
3. I would be able to be debt free in two years or less.

I had NO idea how this would all be done and I knew to a human it might seem like a huge task (knowing how much debt I had and how much I made when I left for Jakarta two years ago). But I truly did not worry about getting the right job or how it would all work out, I just trusted.

Well, let me just say that God has knocked my socks off. I am now working at the job I wanted, with people I know and enjoy working with, making  salary I didn't think was possible, and to top it off, if I stay on the budget as I am determined to do, I will be debt free in less than two years!!!!!!

How amazing is that? I cannot stop smiling.

And one of the coolest parts of it all, to me, is that they gave me an offer a few weeks ago. I counter offered and they accepted my offer. This may not seem like a big deal, but it took a lot of boldness in me to sell myself at a higher price than what they were offering. It was such a step of faith for me and it showed me how much God had taught me about boldness and faith during these past two years. I am not who I was before I left in 2005, and I just love how God works.

Thank you Jesus for your perfect and bountiful gifts.

Dave and financial peace ...

There are very few people or movements that I get excited about, and even fewer change my life. But this guy has changed my life and my family's life. If you live in the Nashville area, then I'm sure you've heard of Dave Ramsey. He's funny, blunt, yet compassionate and has the debt problem beat. His financial philosophy has seen thousands of people all over the country (and probably the world) get out of debt and build wealth. His plan works, not just for me, but for the hundreds of people who call into his radio show every day.

I heard about Dave Ramsey many years ago from friends and through his advertising. I even listened to his radio program every now and then. But while I was in Indonesia and living on a strict budget, I began to listen to his free iTunes podcast every day and also began to follow his plan. I was able to build my baby emergency fund ($1,000) and pay cash for my trip to Bali. I can say with confidence that if you follow his plan you will get out of debt quicker than if you didn't use it, AND you'll feel financial freedom in the process.

I talked to my mom about Dave Ramsey off and on while I was in Indonesia, and mentioned wanting to go to a live event or one of his classes when I got home. I couldn't have asked for better timing, though, because right now we're in the middle of a two weeks special event where Dave is teaching his 13-week training course LIVE (at our church). It's a special thing for his new videos and it's been life-changing. My parents have been able to come together on their finances in a way they haven't been able to in the past 20 years. Listening to them sit down and apply his principles to their own finances has seriously changed our lives. My mom said it was the happiest day of her life and my dad said it felt like a burden had been lifted off of his back.

Why do I tell you all of this? Because I want everyone to experience financial freedom and to feel the relief and excitement that we are experiencing as a family. And I believe that financial freedom is just the tip of the iceberg. Along with this will come freedom in other areas of our lives and much blessing.

Check out Dave's Web site and start slow. Read his books. Listen to his free podcast every day, or tune in to his radio show from 1-4 p.m. CST. I promise that it will change your life.

P.S. Personally I'm on baby step #2, the dumping debt step. I can't wait until I can call Dave on the radio and scream, I'M DEBT FREE!!!!!!!!