Review - 66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb

The publisher's description:
The story of God written in intimate love letters just for you.

Dr. Larry Crabb knows that if we could see the larger story of God and humanity, our world would never be the same. That story is found in large part in the sixty-six letters of the Bible

Written in a conversational first person, as if God is speaking directly to us, Dr. Crabb looks at each individual book in scripture and boils it down to a one- or two-sentence message to us from that particular book. He then unpacks each sentence in a short chapter answering the question, What does God want me to hear from this love letter? The book's epilogue then fits all sixty-six pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together into one coherent paragraph and reveals the beautiful picture of what God has been about since the creation of the world. Far from being comprehensive, this is a personal approach to helping readers know God and his great love for them, his message for all mankind, and how their lives fit into His larger story.


My thoughts:
I really just could not get into this book. I was really excited with what Dr. Crabb was doing with this book, but as I read it I just could not feel myself in his place. It honestly felt very much like I was eavesdropping on a private conversation between a child of God and his King. It was refreshingly honest, and I saw the Word of God relate in ways I have never imagined it could. But it still just seemed a bit distant and detached for me.

I truly wish I could relate better to this book, as I think it was a wonderful idea. However, I struggled to get through it as if I was reading an assignment from a literature class that I was not interested in, yet had to read for the test material.

Summary:
I would not definitely tell you not to read this one. I can see its potential. I would pray that it would touch you in your time of need—when you need to hear a word from God. Dr. Crabb is a gifted writer and obviously very close with God through much study and meditation on His Word. I hope you find within this work a Word from God directly to your heart.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Weekend Round-Up #29

There is seriously no time to chat today. Too many links for you to visit.

Let's get rolling!

FINANCIAL:

• New Credit Card Rules Take Effect at Free From Broke offers an overview of the guidelines imposed by the government on credit card companies starting earlier this week.
• The New Credit Card Rules and You at Money Under 30 is a great follow-up read to the Free From Broke post above. Now that you know what the changes are, this post will tell you how you can be prepared.
• Lifetime cost of bad credit: $201,712 by Liz Pulliam Weston at MSN Money might really open your eyes when you see actual dollar figures associated with bad credit.
• Confession: I love my tax refund too much to correct my withholdings at Living Well on Less was something I totally could relate to. I know it is lending the government money, but I love getting a check in the early spring! This year, I have bitten the bullet though and changed my withholdings. Sigh...I'll miss you super large check.
• 5 tax myths that can cost you money by Jeff Schnepper at MSN Money are for us everyday kind of folks. Read it just to make sure you haven't been fooled by these myths.
• The 2nd Dumbest Financial Move I’ve Ever Made at Personal Finance Journey--I love personal stories of how people are actually living out life in ways that we too often hear as just scenarios. Right or wrong, it's good to know that these people are REAL and have been there too!
• Unemployed? Are You Rocking or Are You Rolling? at Personal Finance by the Book offers some tips of how to really take advantage of this time while you are unemployed. There are so many people who could use the tips in this post right now.
• Teaching Your Children About Money Lesson #1: Money is not Free at Gather Little by Little looks to be the beginning of a great series of how to teach your kids about money. Make sure you teach them...the world will probably have a different set of values than you do.
• 10 Ways to Secure Your Kids Against Debt at Live Real, Now is another article about how to successfully teach your children appropriate ways to handle money.
• Good Debt, Bad Debt... All Debt Sucks at Eliminate the Muda reveals what we have come to believe as well as we have become disciples of Dave Ramsey. Forget what our society is telling us, there is no "good" debt.
• What is a Debt “Snowball”? at Debt Kid gives a great explanation of a term that you'll often hear in personal finance discussions these days.
• How NOT to Pay Off Debt at Living Richly on a Budget offers tips that will ensure that you will not crawl out from under your debt.
• 5 Reasons people don’t like free or discounted goods at Rabbit Funds was an interesting read to me. I LOVE free and discounted stuff, so it was enlightening to read from another point of view.
• Improve Marriage And Money Problems By Setting Spending Limits at Bible Money Matters is really a cross post for "Financial" and "Family" but I'm putting it here. If you want to assure some peace in your household regarding the budget, this is some good advice.
• The Art Of Saying No at Frugal Dad can apply to life as much as to finances. I know some people who have a real problem saying "no" and have reaped a world of hurts because of this. It is a valuable ability to have.
• 10 investing basics from Buffett By Michael Brush at MSN Money was intriguing. I can't imagine having enough to really be able to follow some of these, but it is interesting to see how someone who has "made it big" financially did it.
• 5 Situations Where You Should Leave Your Credit Card in Your Wallet is a guest post by Fred at Credit Card Finder and is posted at Poorer Than You. If you are going to carry a credit card, Fred warns against times that you should not be tempted to use it.
• I can’t wait to take on more debt….sike!!!! at Punch Debt in the Face is a post where Ninja looks at how a credit agency suggests he improve his already great credit score.
• The Key To Living Frugally is a guest post at Lazy Man and Money from The Digerati Life and it looks at some great ways to maintain a frugal lifestyle and take contorl of your finances.
• How Jenny Earned $15,000 on eBay is a story about Jenny from LobotoME (which I LOVE and subscribe to) posted at DailyWorth. It's the story of how she finally determined to (and succeeded at) pay off her student loans. What a great success story!
• How Much Does Canceling Credit Cards Affect Your Credit Score? at Get Rich Slowly is a must-read. You will (likely) be shocked.

FAMILY/LIFE:

• Future Men by Mrs. Fussypants is an exercise in examining the types of men she wants to raise...and she's got several to raise.... A great read for any mom of boy(s).
• A Lesson in Contentment… is a guest post at Christian PF by Rob Kuban who writes at DollarsAndDoctrine.com. He takes a step back and re-examines how blessed he truly is. What an eye opener. Thank you for this one. I think we all need it.
• Are We All Asking to Be Robbed? at Mashable examines some of the dangers that we open ourselves up to with the addition of more and more social media.
• 19 Tips for Making Your Home Paperless at Simplemom offers some tips that are really do-able.
• Three uncluttering activities you can complete in five minutes or less at Unclutterer is my kind of post! Organization doesn't have to take a lot of work...just a little maintenance.

FAITH:

• Mercy at Thoughts about Nothing really gave me a lot to think about it.
• Ministry and Grocery Carts at Bring the Rain-The Story of Audrey Caroline was wonderful. I don't know how Angie consistently conveys God's message to me through everyday activities, but God is really speaking through her. If you want to hear Him, go read this.
• Mice in our couches. at Stuff Christians Like speaks to the heart. Do you have any vermin in your furniture? I do.

FUN:

• Ohno Yawns at The Eleventy Million Dollar Blog cracked me up. I know many of you are enthralled by the Olympics, but I'm just not feeling it. Never really have. I yawn too, Apolo.
• Christian Strangers who ask you awkwardly intimate questions. at Stuff Christians Like was lots of fun. Please follow these tips if you are around me.
• The Weird Things People Google at Because I Said So always makes me smile. In these posts, Dawn examines the strange things that people search for and end up landing on her site.
• Wrong Side Of Town: Leg-al Dispute at Photoshop Disasters cracked me up. Too often I don't "get" the postings on this site because I'm not very well educated in graphic design, but this one made me smile...especially the caption.

FAVORITE NEW SITE OF THE WEEK:

• The blog at CESI Debt Solutions. I am not recommending them as a business to work with, as I personally would avoid companies to help you unless you are totally out of control...and I know nothing about this one. But their blog has some FABULOUS resources. These two links should provide a wealth of information to us all. I can't wait to peruse all through these suggestions! 100 Ways to Save $1000 in 1 Day! and The Best 101 Debt Busting Posts of 2009 (from 101 Frugal Bloggers) I also hope to find some more good bloggers to read (like I need more!).

Photo credit: halcyonell

Friday Faves - Elderly Couple Impromptu Piano

An elderly couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano. They've been married for 62 years and he'll be 90 this year.

Check out this impromptu performance. We are only as old as we feel. Enjoy! They certainly do.

Peer to peer lending. What is it?

There has been a lot of buzz across the financial blogosphere lately about peer-to-peer lending. After looking into it, I found a number of financial blogs that I trust giving it their “thumbs up.” So I wanted to know more. What is it? Why would anyone be interested?

With the crises that the banking industry has experienced lately along with the shady methodologies that credit cards have been using to get more and more of your money, fewer and fewer people want to deal with them.

We’re in the number who are tired of the financial chaos and feeling ripped off by credit card companies when we have been good customers (both in giving them our money as well as being reliable in payments). What other options were there?

Peer to peer lending is one of those options.

What is peer to peer lending?
It’s just what it sounds like. Regular people offer their money up to borrow. Regular people apply for a loan. The rates are lower than many bank loans and certainly lower than credit card rates. So that is definitely a plus for the borrower. The rates are higher than CDs, savings accounts and other short-term investment options, so that is a huge plus for the lender. Everyone wins!

Lending Club is one of the prominent names in this business of putting lenders and borrowers in touch with one another. And the site is growing by leaps and bounds as more people realize the benefits to participating in this community of people who are all personally involved in getting the most for their money without abusing the other party.

Only people with good credit history are allowed, so this is definitely not a shady place for people who have no where else to go. This is for people who are honest, dependable, and trustworthy and can prove it with their track record.

Borrowers:
So do you have a credit card with an outrageous balance that you want to get rid of within three years? You can consolidate your cards here with a loan (up to $25,000) at a rate lower than you will be able to find with another card. And you won’t be a slave to a bank.

Do you want to take out a private student loan? These guys might can help you. Practically any legitimate reason for taking out a loan can be done with these guys.

Lenders:
What about the lenders? Well, they can invest as little as $25 and the lender choose the level of risk they are willing to take. You can invest all of your money into one loan, you can appropriate your funds into as many different borrowers as you can stretch your money to diversify your portfolio. You can choose higher risk borrowers for larger interest collection or more stable borrowers for safety. It’s all about how you want to invest, but with returns greater than any other short-term method of investment. In fact, they boast an average 9.6% return on your money. Try that with a bank.

So if you are interested in getting more for your money as an investor, or getting a loan that you are willing to pay off in 3 years or less for an interest rate lower than most lenders can offer you, Lending Club might be worth a few minutes of your time. The best part to me? Knowing that there are real people behind the money and not big-business bankers who are taking all-expense paid vacations on government bail-out money.

Have I used them?
No. But I seriously considered it for loan consolidations before I fully got on board with Dave Ramsey. I have realized that we will be able to pay off all of our credit card debt without a consolidation in about 12 months. So although I could go through Lending Club and get a better rate than my cards offer for that 12 months, I am just going to stay where I am and stick it to the banks by paying off the cards and closing the accounts in an insanely quick amount of time.

However, I am considering using this as a short-term investment option once we are free to make those decisions with our money (aka—after our debts are gone and we have a good savings padding). I like what they do (which is why I am referring you to them now) and would like to have a part in it once we get to use our money the way WE want to.

So go give it a look-see and let me know what you think.

The links and banners on this article and on my sidebar are paid affiliate links/banners. Regardless of the pay, I firmly believe in Lending Club and its methods (or I would not be affiliated with them). All of the above opinions above are my own and are not affected by the affiliation in any way.

The Secrets of the Rich...

Chip and I are undergoing Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover at the moment and we are PUMPED about paying off all our debts and being free to live as we want to.

Of course Dave Ramsey has a lingo that you hear him repeatedly use, but I wanted to share some quotes out of the book that really stuck with me. If he was quoting someone else within his book, those people are credited by their quote below:

• Don’t take financial advice from broke people.
  
• A man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an opinion. –Dave Ramsey’s pastor
  
• Your ways of handling money have to work in good times and in bad.
  
• When the tide goes out, you can tell who was skinny-dipping. –Warren Buffett
  
• 90% of people in our culture buy things they can’t afford.
  
• Savings without a mission is garbage. Your money needs to work for you, not lie around.
  
• When it comes to money, we can be like the toddler in a soiled diaper. “I know it smells bad, but it’s warm and it’s mine.”
  
• It is human nature to want it and want it now; it is also a sign of immaturity.
  
• Whole life insurance is a horrible product. Why would you pay someone interest on your own savings? That’s backward, and it does not make you smart.
  
• The FICO score is an “I Love Debt” score.
  
• A price has to be paid, and there are no shortcuts.
  
• The secrets of the rich don’t exist, because the principles aren’t a secret.
  
• Living right is not complicated; it may be difficult, but it is not complicated.
  
• Please don’t be under the illusion that this government, one that is so inept and dim-witted with money, is going to take great care of you in your golden years.
  
• A budget is people telling their money where to go instead of wondering where it went. –John Maxwell
  
• Don’t even consider keeping up with the Joneses. THEY’RE BROKE!
  
• I fly a lot, and I never get on a plane and think to myself, I wonder where this plane is heading?
  
• I had to quit telling myself that I had innate discipline and fabulous natural self-control. That is a lie.
  
• Who cares what broke people think?

Do you have another money quote that sticks with you? Which of these really hits home or makes you smile?

WFMW - Weighing pre-bagged produce

My Works for Me Wednesday entry this week is a trick I just recently learned. I felt like a totally moron for not realizing this myself, but now that I have learned, I think you should too!

When at the grocery store, you can often buy pre-bagged produce...such as a 10 lb bag of potatoes or a 3-lb bag of apples and you buy them by the bag (for instance, this week our Food Lion has a 3-lb bag of tangerines for $2.99).

Well, they probably do their best to weigh and get each bag as close to the predetermined weight as they can, but you just can't be spot on every time. So I weigh the bags now.

Yep...if I'm going to pay $2.99 for a bag of tangerines, I would rather pay $2.99 for a bag that weighs 3.01 lbs than one that weighs 2.86 lbs. I get more for my money that way.

So it seems silly and maybe a bit picky, but I think it is smart use of my money, so I'm doing it.

What about you?

Visit We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

Tuesday Free For All

Another Tuesday, another list of freebies, sweepstakes, & giveaways from around the blogosphere.

Enjoy and be sure to thank the ones who provided these links with some click-thru love (their links are at the bottom of the post).

FREEBIES:

• Free taco: Get a free taco at California Tortilla.
• Click here to get a printable coupon for a free Medium Coffee at Quick Check. Coupon expires 3/1/10. Click here for a location near you.
• Pediasure is offering a free sample when you call 1-800-227-5767 and speak with an operator during business hours. Allow the automated voice to connect you with the operator then request your sample. You will also receive $2 coupons.
• Bring in this printable coupon to Walgreens on February 25 to get a free 8×10 print. This coupon is valid in-store only.
• Free Sample of Axe Shower Gel Dark Temptation
• Free Sample of Snuggle Fabric Softener HERE
• Free Sample of UnderJams
• Heads up on a great Facebook Freebie! Starting March 1st and every first Monday of the month Nabisco Cookies will be giving away Cookies! FREE Cookies, again! Love it! This is a Facebook Freebie so make sure you go HERE to become a fan so you are ready for the giveaway!
• Grab a free sample of Tide with Febreeze Freshness plus a $1 off coupon compliments of P&G.
• It’s back—Free Sample of Burt’s Bees Natural Toothpaste
• Free Hallmark Kids Card through 3/19
• Try Free Bumboosa Baby Wipes!!! This freebie must be requested by email. Email your name and shipping info to infobumboosa@verizon.netGrab a free sample of Castiva
• Arthritis Pain Relief with Capsaicin. Fill in your info on their form and submit.
• Free candy: Get a free sample of Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends candy.
• Fave Diets is offering a free 22 Quick and Easy Healthy Chicken Recipes eCookbook featuring over 30 healthy chicken recipes.
• Go HERE to sign in or sign up for Pink Nation and get a coupon for a FREE Deluxe Fragrance Sampler and For New Members a coupon for $10.00 off a $35.00 purchase!! Now through March 8th!
• Free flashlight: Print this coupon good for a free LED flashlight at Harbor Freight USA.
• Sign up to receive a free South Beach Living Fiber Fit S’mores Bar sample. This offer is available to U.S. residents only.
• Free keychain: Get a free keychain from the American Lung Association.
• Receive a free 10 day sample of Estee Lauder foundation when you bring in this printable certificate to an Estee Lauder counter at Saks Fifth Avenue. This offer is available while supplies last for a limited time. No purchase necessary.
• Get a coupon via email around your birthday for a free birthday dessert from Jack in the Box when you join their club. To receive this offer click “sign up” on the left hand side of the page.
• Free tampons: Get a free sample of Playtex Gentle Glide tampons.
• The first 100 people each day get a free waterproof tote bag with a carrying case from Nursery Water.
• Free Excedrin: Get a free sample of Excedrin headache medicine.
• Sign up to receive a free 2010 calendar from Pillsbury here.
• Go here to request a free sample of Carefree Ultra Protection liners.
• Sign up for the Natural Parenting Tips newsletter here and you’ll receive a free download of the ebook 100 Activities to Keep Your Children Happy.
• Bahama Breeze will send you a free $10 gift card by mail when you sign up here. Click here to find a location near you.
• Mercury Magazines is offering a free subscription to The Ladies Home Journal. This offer is available to qualifying U.S. residents.
• Need a little help with your taxes... for FREE? TaxACT helps you prepare and file your Federal tax returns for FREE!
• Make a free 20 page photo book to send to your family or friends in the military
• Amazon has this Classical Music Sampler (.mp3 downloads) for FREE! Download all the songs HERE!
• Become a iTunes Facebook fan and click on the "Featured" tab to get a FREE Album download!

SWEEPSTAKES:

• IMIXID Mix’d Tape USB Hub Sweepstakes: Indulge your ’80s nostalgia with this retro gadget; it’s as witty as it is useful
• TITAN Luxury Luggage Sweepstakes: Enter to win a set of durable and versatile polycarbonate luggage
• Miss Jessie’s Curly Hair Prize Package Giveaway: Enter to win a prize package of Miss Jessie’s curly hair products Number of prizes: 10 Expires: Wednesday February 24 2010 ARV: $68.00
• Aruba Marriott & Stellaris Casino Hotel Getaway Giveaway: Enter to win a four-day, three-night stay at the Tradewinds Club in the Aruba Marriott & Stellaris Casino Hotel Number of prizes: 1 Expires: Thursday February 25 2010 ARV: $3,500.00
• Kerasal Winter Feet Package Giveaway: Enter to win a foot care package from Kerasal Number of prizes: 8 Expires: Sunday February 28 2010 ARV: $200.00
• Mavea Water Filter Giveaway: Enter to win a premium, eco-friendly water filter system from Mavea Number of prizes: 15 Expires: Monday March 01 2010 ARV: $34.00
• Kusmi Tea of Paris Prize Package Giveaway: Enter to win three delicious varieties of teas and a colorful tote bag from Kusmi Tea Number of prizes: 20 Expires: Monday March 01 2010 ARV: $73.20
• V-MODA Vibe II Headphone and Microphone Giveaway: Enter to win a headphone and microphone combo from V-MODA Number of prizes: 10 Expires: Monday March 01 2010 ARV: $199.99
• Breezes Grand Resort & Spa, Negril, Jamaica, Giveaway Getaway: Enter to win a four-day, three-night romantic stay for two at Breezes Grand Resort & Spa in Negril, Jamaica Number of prizes: 1 Expires: Monday March 01 2010 ARV: $1,260.00
• Perfect Project Sweepstakes: Enter to win Steven Alan’s limited-edition perfect travel bag plus an Australian getaway to Sydney and Hamilton Island Number of prizes: 1 Expires: February 25, 2010 12:00 a.m. ARV: $ 9,461.00
• Le Mystère Sweepstakes: Enter to win the Isabella All Over Lace Lingerie Set Number of prizes: 2 Expires: February 26, 2010 12:00 a.m. ARV: $ 116.00
• Guinot Paris Sweepstakes: Enter to win the Time Logic Age Serum Number of prizes: 1 Expires: March 01, 2010 12:00 a.m. ARV: $ 160.00
• Get Hip Get Green Sweepstakes: Enter to win 5 graphic eco-friendly totes Number of prizes: 1 Expires: March 04, 2010 12:00 a.m. ARV: $ 80.00
• ReadyMade Aloha from Maui Sweepstakes: One (1) winner will receive a 5-night prize package for two to Maui, Hawaii worth over $5,000! One entry allowed per day It ends: March 23, 2010
• Birthday Bash Sweepstakes: One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive a $2,500 gift certificate to Excitations.com. Three (3) first-place winners will each receive a $100 gift certificate to Excitations.com. One entry allowed per household It ends: April 30, 2010

GIVEAWAYS:




*Huge thanks to my sources: Thunder Fap, PointClickHome, Elle, Woman’s Day Magazine, The Freebie Blogger, Money Saving Mom, Couponing 101, Centsible Sawyer, Free Sample Freak ,The Good Deal Gal, & "Deal"icious Mom

Photo credit: Vidiot

Coupon Giveaway - CLOSED

Last September, I published this post to tell you how to get high value coupons for products that your family uses. Well, we don't use ALL of the coupons sent by the companies, because we often got a FAMILY of coupons when we only use specific products from the manufacturer.

I have hung onto them anyway in case we needed them. We haven't. And now that the 3/31/10 expiration date on these coupons is approaching, I would hate for them to go to waste, so I am posting them here to give away so someone else can benefit!

Here are the ones I'll be giving away:

I got these two coupon booklets after writing to tell the Bayer company how much I liked Aleve. Along with an Aleve coupon, I got these as well and now you can have them!

Each booklet contains the following ($50.00 worth!):

• Free Breeze 2 Glucose Meter - up to $20.00
• Free Contour Glucose Meter - up to $20.00
• -$1/1 Citracal
• -$1/1 Phillips proudct
• -$1/1 Midol product
• -$1/1 Flintstones or One-A-Day Kids vitamins
• -$1/1 One-A-Day vitamins
• -$1/1 Alka Seltzer Plus
• -$1/1 Alka Seltzer
• -$1/1 Aleve-D
• -$1/1 Aleve
• -$1/1 Bayer

And yes...there are TWO to be given away. So there will be two winners.

Required:


1.) Post a comment telling me that you want to win (really...that's all).


Other ways to enter (separate comment for each entry, please):

2.) Follow this blog via Reader. (tell me if you already follow me) OR Put me in your blogroll. (tell me if you already have me on your list) OR become a follower via Blogger.
3.) Blog about this giveaway or post it on your site (leave me a link please)
4.) Email someone about this giveaway and Bcc me - one entry per email address sent to although it can be one mass email if you'd like.


Multiple entries of the same variety will be deleted. Giveaway is open to US residents only. The giveaway ends 02/28/10 at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be announced (and emailed) on 03/01 and have 48 hours from time of email to reply with shipping address before new drawing is held. Winners will be chosen by random number generator. Coupons will be shipped USPS as soon as shipping info is received.

Note: Bayer has not asked me to do a giveaway or provided these coupons for this purpose. As noted above and in the previous post (referenced), they sent them to me in appreciation for my brand loyalty. No compensation has been received in any way for this post.

8 Items Your Baby Really Doesn’t Need

To everyone who has joined me here today via the Festival of Frugality, the Silver Edition, hosted by Frugal for Life, please feel free to pull up a seat, kick back, and enjoy your stay. I'll offer you some ice-cold sweet tea while you visit, if you would like.

For my regular visitors, go check out the 223rd edition of the Festival and check out some other great posts there.

1. Nursing pillow—I love our Boppy. I truly do. It’s great for feeding the kids when you don’t have a regular pillow around, for cuddling them, for tummy time when they are tiny, and for lounging for them (although not unattended). But you could seriously use a regular pillow or the arm of the sofa for the same purpose in nursing.
2. Expensive High Chair—We never owned a high chair for Patrick. We will not be buying one for Abigail. For the time that she could not sit up for herself, we put her carrier in a chair at our dinner table so she could be with us while we eat. This continued to be the method to sit her upright for feeding until she could sit upright by herself. Now that she does sit upright by herself, she uses a booster seat that adjusts in height and has a tray for her that just attaches on to our regular dinner chair. We put a towel under it to prevent huge messes on our upholstery, but otherwise, there is no need to have a “high chair.” Yep. $20 is all we need to sit her at our table. Since it was handed down from Patrick, this $20 purchase lasted through two children. And since it is all plastic, it will clean up nicely for resell or consignment.
3. Changing Table—You have other options here. You can use a dresser for the tabletop and the drawers to store the supplies. Or you can just use a changing pad and a bed or the floor. Seriously…why is there a piece of furniture for this purpose?
4. Diaper Genie—Yes, we have one. Yes, we pay for those refills. It’s dumb. A trashcan (and all of those plastic shopping bags we have acquired) emptied regularly works just as well. And if you get a seriously bad diaper that requires you to don a hazmat suit, take it outside to the garbage can.
5. Hooded Towel/Tiny Washcloths—You know what these are? Tiny versions of the real thing. I bet you already own the real thing. The extra fabric in the full size version will not inhibit its use with baby in any way. Use a real one. The hooded ones are cute and all, but if you want your child to wear a hood, make it out of that extra towel that they are wrapped in.
6. Bottle Warmer—You know what really, really works? Running hot water. Or if you want to be greener, a pot of hot water. For even less water waste, a slow cooker turned on warm with water in it. You don’t need something named “bottle warmer” to warm a bottle.
7. Nursing Chair/Stool—I typically cross one leg over another or sit with them crossed together. I would use a stool if it were there, but it’s not. So I don’t. And I’m okay with that.
8. Wipe Warmer—My mom bought one of these for Patrick when he was little. We used it because it was cute and he did like a warm bum in the winter months. But we had to buy refills. And we had to keep water in it to prevent it from being a fire hazard, and it burned electricity 24/7. And that cold bum? They get over it quickly.

And just so I can go on a tirade...here are some honorable mentions:

• Bumbo—seriously…children all over the world have learned to sit upright all by themselves for centuries. I don’t think your child will be advanced in their educational development because they sat upright 4 weeks before they would have anyway.
• Baby lotion/Soap—a natural soap gets the cleaning done and is good for sensitive skin and many babies have naturally moist skin and don’t need to moisturizer. Although it does smell really good.
• Expensive Bedding—They wet it. They spit up on it. They cannot use the comforter until they are much older. Some people argue that a bumper is not safe. So why are you buying this for them? Get a mattress cover and a couple of fitted sheets to meet the baby’s needs. (Yes, if you look in our nursery, you see a bedding set. We splurged. If we didn't have the money for it though, this is definitely not a necessity)
• Infant shoes—They cannot walk. They do not need shoes. Some argue that shoes are actually BAD for them at a young age. Yes, it is cute, but so are their socks.
• Stuffed animals—They cannot sleep with them. They cannot play with them for a while.
• Baby detergent—Any dye/fragrance free detergent will do. All Free & Clear or Arm & Hammer are great. And you will not have to take out a second mortgage to buy them.
• Bottle sterilizer—It’s called a dish washer. You probably already have one. Or you can boil them occasionally. Don’t buy another unnecessary gadget.

A few photos

Abigail helps me with my couponing:









Irony defined in our household:

In Chip's defense...he hasn't read the book yet.

Weekend Round-Up #28

Another list (although shorter than typical) of great posts from the week.

Enjoy!

FINANCIAL:

• Extreme Ways to Save Money by CleverDude offers some great suggestions for those trying to save some. It's all about how serious you are about it.
• 10 Frugal Things To Do When You’re Snowed In at Frugal Hacks is a great read for ALL of us this year, since last Friday 49 US states reported snow (yeah, Hawaii, we don't expect you to play along).
• Top 10 Tax Credits To Take Advantage Of at Bible Money Matters: if you haven't already filed your taxes, make sure to check out this list to see if you are missing out on some credits!
• Tips for Cheaper Household Cleaning at Money Crashers is definitely worth a look!
• 42 Ways To Radically Simplify Your Financial Life at Man vs. Debt offers a list that ALL of us can gain something from.
• Frugal Living is Not a Sprint. It’s a Marathon. at Being Frugal demonstrates why frugal living is often difficult in our impatient society. Unfortunately too many people attempt it with the wrong attitude and therefore fail at it.
• A debt payoff plan that works by Liz Pulliam Weston at MSN Money examines how to successfully pay off debt.
• Why you need $500 in the bank by Liz Pulliam Weston at MSN Money supports Dave Ramsey's idea of having $1000 in the bank to get you started, although she does take it in a different direction.
• How To Teach Teens About Money is a guest post over at Frugal Dad by Ryan, a high school senior who recently began blogging at The Financial Student over at Frugal Dad. It's awesome to see how much Ryan already gets and to hear it from his point of view. Great post!

FAMILY/LIFE:

• “Move Over, Mama…” and Other Photo Titles at Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. I love her captions. I love her photography. I love the way she captures life. Beautiful.

FAITH:

• When people apologize for swearing around you. at Stuff Christians Like: Oh, Jon, how I love that you make me laugh so hard and tackle real issues at the same time.
• I meet with Poverty on Tuesdays. by Jamie the Very Worst Missionary is stunning and thought-provoking, and a reminder of just how blessed I am.
• dear joyce meyer (a blog post) at Jesus Needs New PR had me laughing. I actually had to pull my husband away from the book he was reading to read it outloud to him. Thanks for the laughs laced with truth, Matthew!

FUN:

• Was Gonna Say Stupid, But She Already Called It at Not Always Right was one of many that had me laughing this week. What a great site!

FAVORITE NEW SITE OF THE WEEK:

• PleaseFireMe.com--Huge thanks to Tyler Stanton for recommending this one!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Faves - How Long Could You Survive?

Created by Oatmeal

How about you?

Some Personal Finance Stuff

Middle of the month and I'm excited at home this month is panning out so far. I'm hoping that I don't blow it at the end!

Chip bought Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (and workbook) for me for Valentine's Day. You may think that is totally un-romantic or even a slap in the face, but my man knows what I like...and right now this gift is right up my alley. As I've been discussing on this blog recently we are determined to get out of debt. And with some information that I've acquired recently, it can happen much sooner than I could have hoped if this current job opportunity that Chip is pursing works out. I'm so very excited! I will update more on this when we are certain that he is officially employed. =)

Just today I was looking into our net worth and GUESS WHAT?! We have increased our net worth by $8931.37 since October 14, 2009...and that is all within the window of Chip's unemployment. I'm excited to see what we can do once we have another paycheck coming in!

We completed our taxes last night, and we'll be able to make a huge dent in our debt with our refund. I know some people will likely fuss at me for getting such a large refund, but we didn't know how to adjust for this year with the stimulus addition as well as the addition of another baby and her childcare. So we benefited greatly and now we can adjust better for 2010.

I will give more specific updates as they arise, but I wanted to share that we had some good stuff going on in the meantime. I am thinking of posting our actual debt amounts although I have hesitated to do that up until this point. I think it would make it easier to discuss once it is all out in the open and encourage me to get rid of it, as I have to look at it when I get here each day. We'll see.

What about you...any headway made on your finances lately?

WFMW - Trying to Straighten Out My Priorities

So today's Works for Me Wednesday is something that I've been doing over the last month or so in an effort to make sure something I want to do daily gets done.

It is important to me to read my Bible daily. I feel miserable and thoughtless and selfish when I don't. However, so many mornings due to any number of circumstances, I have neglected to do so. Some times I planned on doing it and ended up just not having time before it was time to leave for work. Some times I completely forgot about it (talk about feeling thoughtless).

Regardless I started looking for a way to make sure it gets done. This method could work for any task that you wanted to do, but I am applying it to my daily devotional time.

I get up. I shower, I put on deodorant, I brush my teeth, I put on my robe. And then I read. I plop down on the floor in our walk-in closet and read. I do this before I put on make up, before I express milk, before I get the kids up, before I fix lunches, before I dress, before I dry my hair, before any other morning task.

My thinking is this...the rest of that stuff WILL GET DONE. It has to. Daily. If I do the other stuff first, the Bible reading gets pushed out until I am pushing MYSELF out the door trying to make it to work on time.

So now it seems that I was previously wasting time, because it all gets done before time to leave...even with making sure I am doing a thorough job reading. Maybe I don't take as much time deciding what to do about lunch. Maybe I don't pluck my eyebrows as particularly. Maybe my hair is slightly damp when I leave the house.

But I feel more complete. More accomplished. More ready to take on the day.

I'm working to better prioritize my life and this trick is currently working for me.

What about you? Head on over to We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

Tuesday Free For All

Once again, it's time for the Free for All! Give some click-over love to the links at the bottom to thank them for notifying us of these great freebies and sweeps in the first place!

FREEBIES:

• Free mouthwash: Get a free sample of Scope Outlast mouthwash.
• Free Excedrin: Get a free sample of Excedrin headache medicine.
• Free shampoo: Get a free sample of Fekkai shampoo.
• Free sample of Restful Legs: Get a free sample of Hyland's Homeopathic Restful Legs.
• Free sample of Bodi Heat: Get a free sample of Bodi Heat pain relief patch.
• Free chili dog: Get a free Chili dog at Wienerschnitzel.
• More free shampoo: Get a free sample of Pureology shampoo.
• Free Breathe Right Strips: Get 2 free Breathe Right Strips.
• Free Bagel Poppers @ Einstein Bros.: Print this coupon good for a free sample of Bagel Poppers at Einstein Bros. bagels.
• Free panty liners: Get a free sample of Poise pantyliners.
• Free potty training DVD: Get a free potty training success DVD.
• Free hair care products: Get a free sample of Redken hair care products.
• Free face cream: Get a free sample of Perricone MD face cream.
• Free vitamin supplement: Get a free sample of Emergen-C vitamin supplement.
• Sign up for a free Poise sample kit here.
• You can download a free Federal Tax Edition of Turbo Tax here right now.
• Lifescript is giving out free samples of Snuggle.
• Sign up for a free sample of iS Clinical Youth Eye Complex here.
• Free full-size bottle of Aveeno Stress Relief Body Lotion here.
• Free Pretzel at Auntie Anne's February 20th from 10am to 3pm! See all the details HERE! Limit 1 per customer. Original or Cinnamon Sugar.
• Get a FREE sample of Tide plus Febreeze Freshness Sport when you go HERE and create n outfit for Venus Williams. You'll also be entering to win the grand prize of $5,000.
• Join the Sweet Libertine Mineral Cosmetics Free Sample Program! You’ll get two samples of their hottest colors of eye shadow! After you fill out and submit, you will receive a small package containing two FREE samples of Sweet Libertine’s most popular colors, a business card, and a short note explaining what the program is and why they were sent the samples. The colors sent in the sample packs will be completely random but they will be Sweet Libertine’s most popular colors.
• FREE “Go Red for Women” Pin
• FREE PowerBar Gel Blasts Sample
• FREE iTunes Country Music Sampler
• Quick Chek is offering a printable coupon for a free 3 oz. Oreo Brownie. Coupon is good through 2/22/10. Click here for a location near you.
• The Diamond Crystal Salt Team is offering a free water test kit to find out what issues may be present in your home’s water supply. US and Canada only.

SWEEPSTAKES:

• Free Colorado vacation: Enter to win a free trip to Colorado.
• Win a free golf club: 20,000 people will get a free Burner club from Taylor Made Golf.
• Malin + Goetz Sweepstakes: Enter to win a gift box including body moisturizer, detox face mask, and intensive hair mask Number of prizes: 2 Expires: Wednesday February 24 2010 ARV: $103.00
• Miele Stainless-Steel Coffee System Sweepstakes: Forgo the trips to Starbucks and make any coffee drink at home with this deluxe espresso machine
• Jet-Scent Inspirations Giveaway: Enter to win a Febreeze deluxe gift-bag with must-have items inspired by the culture of Thailand!
• Delta Pilar Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet Sweepstakes: Enter to win a sleek, touch-activated kitchen faucet
• miBook Player and miBook Sweepstakes: Master your home projects with this small-screen video playing device
• Waterworks Towel Sweepstakes: Enter to win a set of these luxurious and eco-friendly towels
• Titan Luggage Giveaway: Travel in style with a Titan 360° Four Diamond Edition International Carry On Number of prizes: 2 Expires: Wednesday February 17 2010 ARV: $550.00
• Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey, CA, Getaway Giveaway: Enter to win a four-day, three-night stay for two at the Portola Hotel & Spa in northern California Number of prizes: 1 Expires: Thursday February 18 2010 ARV: $1,050.00
• Pier One Pompom Throw Giveaway: Enter to win a comfy throw from Pier 1 Imports Number of prizes: 10 Expires: Sunday February 21 2010 ARV: $44.95
• Naumes Gourmet Fruit Box Giveaway: Enter to win a delicious box of premium pears from Naumes Fruit Gifts Number of prizes: 20 Expires: Monday February 22 2010 ARV: $29.95
• Viva Paper Towels Prize Package Giveaway: Enter to win a year’s supply of Viva Paper Towels, appliances and so much more! Number of prizes: 2 Expires: Tuesday February 23 2010 ARV: $560.00
• Miss Jessie’s Curly Hair Prize Package Giveaway: Enter to win a prize package of Miss Jessie’s curly hair products Number of prizes: 10 Expires: Wednesday February 24 2010 ARV: $68.00

GIVEAWAYS:

*Huge thanks to my sources: Thunder Fap, PointClickHome, Woman’s Day Magazine, The Freebie Blogger, Money Saving Mom, Couponing 101, Centsible Sawyer, Free Sample Freak ,The Good Deal Gal, Sisterly Savings, & "Deal"icious Mom

Photo credit: Vidiot

8 Items to Carry in Your Vehicle

1. Jack—Preferably for your particular car. Cars have different points on them where the manufacturer recommends you lift it for changing a tire. Make sure your jack is suitable for this task.
2. Flashlight—In your glove compartment is best. You never know when you might need to read a map in the dark, look under the hood, or just search for your keys after they have fallen under your seat.
3. Atlas/GPS—This is a must in our house. We are “fancy” enough to own a GPS, but a relatively updated atlas is always in the car with me. That way, on long trips, I don’t have to remember to pack it! This has helped us find new routes to avoid major traffic delays, find scenic routes, find ourselves when we were lost, and honestly provided entertainment for me while Chip drove (read through some of the names of towns in the index…some are hilarious). The time we had a rental car with a GPS on it, we found a totally different scenic route that I never would have mapped out myself!
4. Jumper Cables—Maybe they are for other stranded motorists because you are a good Samaritan and are willing to help others. Maybe they are for your car in case you leave your lights on in the parking lot at the mall. Regardless, these are great to have on hand. For an alternative, you can carry chargeable battery packs made to plug into your outlet for a jump start, but these don’t stay charged indefinitely, so you might still find yourself stranded with this one.
5. First Aid Kit—You never know when you might need it. For yourself or someone else. Just a good item to have while using a major piece of machinery at high speeds.
6. Spare Fuses—Step 1—locate your fuse panel (often on the dashboard side on the passenger side). Step 2—buy fuses for your major components. Or just get a multi-pack. They aren’t expensive and very easy to replace yourself.
7. Tire Gauge—Great for knowing if you need to add air (or bleed some out if they are overfilled for some reason. Know your tire manufaturer’s optimum pressure for proper use of this tool
8. Fire Extinguisher—Many an auto fire could be quickly doused and major catastrophes avoided if more people had one in their cars. Of course, most people don’t, so if a fire ever starts, there is no way to stop it before a fire department arrives. By that point, you may have lost the entire car. More importantly, you could save someone’s life.

Also noteworthy—your owner’s manual. In the glovebox. At all times. So many questions could be quickly answered just by referencing this tool that your car’s manufacturer provided for you.

Weekend Round-Up #27

There was a LOT of great reading this week, so be prepared to get comfy and hunker down (probably in the snow regardless of where in the country you live today!) for some good reading!

FINANCIAL:

• The Worst Financial Advice I’ve Ever Seen From a Major Publication at Money Crashers offers a look at what some financial "experts" are trying to tell the less educated public.
• 5 Ways to Build an Emergency Fund over at Saving and Giving gives some stress-less ways to build up your emergency fund without making a huge dent in the family budget.
• I'm loving my shorter grocery list! at It Feels Like Chaos notes 13 things that she no longer has to buy!
• Miserable millionaire donating all to charity by Karen Datko at MSN Money supports the idea that money can't buy happiness...even for this millionaire.
• This week A Few Short Cuts had a Guest Post from Kirstin from Couponing to Disney explaining some of how they are funding a trip to Disney without touching their household budget. Kirstin was my inspiration to get top value coupons from manufacturers a while back. Go visit both of their sites!
• 9 Ways to Cut Costs on Non-Food Grocery Items at $5 Dinners reminded me of some great tips!
• Itemized Deductions: A Beginner’s Guide at Money Under 30 might help you out this tax season!
• Share your secret at Punch Debt in the Face was inspired by PostSecret. Go and make your financial confession...or just read others in the comments.
• Tell Them To Support Your Financial Wishes at Frugal Dad addresses how to maintain friendships with spenders when you have limited finances (regardless of why they are limited).
• Should You Use Savings to Pay Off Debt? at My Dollar Plan addresses a question that a lot of people struggle with.
• 5 smart credit moves before Feb. 22 at MSN Money reminds us that credit card companies will be making some big changes soon. Do you need to make a move before they do?
• Money Saving Tips – Automotive Edition at Million Dollar Journey gives some great money saving tips for you and your car!
• The best new tool I have found on the internet? This Free Debt Snowball Calculator Program from Trees Full of Money. I am SO excited about our results! What about you?

FAMILY/LIFE:

• WFMW: Eggshell Tip at We Are THAT Family is a great tip that Kristen offered as her part of Works for Me Wednesday. Fabulous item that I didn't know!
• Keeping Your Santity: The Doctor's Office by Tracey at Cheese and Whine offers a GREAT parent hack! Check it out!
• Lesssons From Hugging Random People at Walmart at The Secret Life of Kat offers the reminder that we can often learn so much from our kids!
• Fix Your Faucet Aerator: Chores You Didn’t Know Existed at Home Ec 101 is a great reminder or education (depending on your prior knowledge of this task)
• Love Month: The Marriage Doctor is In at The Church of No People made me laugh at the silly ideas that we have (mostly) all had about marriage at some time or another (if you've been married more than about 2-3 years, you'll totally get these).
• 8 Foods That Will Hide Your Bad Breath at Dumb Little Man offered some really great practical advice!
• Using Charts To Help Kids Behavior Part 2 at Impress Your Kids offers a great twist on an idea that we already use. Great tip, Amanda!

FAITH:

• BE BLOWN AWAY at People of the Second Chance reminds me just how big my God is.
• Fear of the Unknown at Flowerdust is another example of the wisdom and inspiration that pours forth from Anne's pen so often. She is truly inspired by God.
• what a childlike faith doesn't have... at Jesus Needs New PR is short, simple, and oh so sweet.
• A huge thanks to Danny J Bixby for this video. Please watch. Like Danny, I'll guarantee that you'll be caught up in it before you get halfway through. Seriously eye-opening (and a bit convicting, I must say).

Lumen 1.31 - Andrew Marin from mariners church on Vimeo.

FUN:

• These Are the Things That Keep Me Up At Night at Rocks in My Dryer made me laugh as I remembered similar conversations between Chip and me.

FAVORITE NEW SITE OF THE WEEK:

• Oddly Specific: I won't tell you that this is completely family-friendly, but most of it isn't bad. And it is terribly funny.

Isn't that just the most appropriate image for this weekend?!
Photo credit: sundesigns

Friday Faves - A Really Bad Day at Work

Maybe this doesn't amaze/entertain you as much as it does me, since safety is a huge part of my job, but still...you can't deny that it is impressive! Sent to me via email.

What we have here is a fire sprinkler test at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota.

The "plan" was to deploy the system for just a "short burst" to insure its operational capabilities and then "clean up" the minimal spill. For those of you here who are NOT familiar with defense department fire fighting systems, this is a AFFF (Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam) system that produces foam to smother fires. Seemingly they experienced some sort of major anomaly wherein once the system was "lit off," the capability to shut her down "left the building", as the old saying goes! What then happens is your worst nightmare.

You'll have to click through to see the slide show. I had it embedded, but it was really clogging up my blog, so I will STRONGLY encourage you to click on over and choose "start presentation"...it is worth the wait!

Potpourri

No, I'm not writing a post about those dead leaves and petals and whatnot that people buy to add their favorite scent to their home.

This is random conglomeration of thoughts. It's what Jeopardy categorizes as "Potpourri" in their category selections.

1.) I am pondering starting a new section to my blog about organization. I'm an organizing junky who has fallen off the wagon. Seriously...I was raised in a sterile environment by a woman who I'm convinced has undiagnosed OCD and that became the norm for me. I once religiously cleaned. Working full time while having two children and trying to do family things, all while worrying about something called sleep, has really let the cleaning and organizing go. There are still flits of it in my vision from time to time, but I am almost to the point of embarrassment about how the house looks at this point. It drives me insane.

I think creating this portion of my blog will help others while forcing me to get my stuff together. What'd'ya' think?

2.) I'm STOKED (seriously can't believe I used that word) that I just found a calculator that determined that if Chip gets the job he's currently hoping for (and it looks very promising) that we could be consumer debt free in 1 year. Yep. That's it. Just. one. year. We talked and I can seriously put up with living more meagerly than necessary for that amount of time (more) if we can have everything but the house paid off at that point. Now I'm antsy to see those balances dropping. I'll discuss it more on my next monthly financial update as well as give you the aforementioned calculator link in my Weekend Round Up this Saturday.

3.) Our computer monitor has died. It seems that whenever a month looks like it will be good for staying on budget that another surprise comes up to throw us off again. Don't get me wrong...we'll swing it by pulling the money out of savings, but I HATE that I just hit my $1000 mark (goal) for savings and will have to pull from it and later (soon) replace it. I know that is what it is for, but it makes me feel like I'm falling behind again.

Oh well...

4.) As I mentioned above, Chip should hear TODAY whether he will have a new job starting as early as tomorrow. =) He's so very excited. He's felt pretty "worthless" being unemployed. And as much as he's been able to do for the family because he's been at home, I know he feels like he is contributing more when he is working. It's (mainly) a man thing. We will have to mix up our schedules when we figure out what he will specifically be doing and when, but that's okay... we'll work it out. I'm not going to discuss it too much at this point because I don't want to jinx it. =)

5.) We're planning to do our taxes this weekend. I'm anxious/excited to see what our result will be. I'm sure it will be a refund, as we typically get one, but our situation has changed so much from just one year ago, I have no idea what to expect. Not surprisingly, I'm excited at the idea that it might be enough to put a (relatively) big dent in our debt.

6.) We will be changing insurance coverage at work. I did the math and decided to take on a lesser plan this year (don't get me wrong...it's still a good plan). Doing the math of the known costs, we will save $562.00 over staying with the existing plan. That's guaranteed. Between premiums and co-pays, we will save that amount over the 19 paychecks that will be affected. Not a bad return assuming no major catastrophes.


I think that is it. I've got a great weekend round up coming up this Saturday. I hope you join me for it, as I've come across some great posts this week to share with you.