Taking Out a Loan with Lending Club

So – we bit the bullet last Friday and signed up for a Lending Club loan.

What is Lending Club?
Lending Club is a peer to peer lending network that allows people like me who have made stupid financial decisions regarding debt (and other people who have legitimate debt, but I’m focusing on my own stupidity right now) and are working to get out of our mess.

It allows borrowers to acquire loans at lower interest rates than banks can offer because there is no middle man to be paid. Just you and some investors.



It also allows people who want to invest to get high returns on their money. In fact, I signed up a while back and got $25 free to invest just for signing up (you can too). I invested that plus another $25 into two different loans that I got to hand select. I chose one mid-range “rate” (indicating their credit rating) and one lower-range rate. I figured it was only $25 each, right? Well, both have always been on time with all payments and I am averaging a 17.91% return right now.Yippee! The average return at Lending Club is 9.61%. Compare THAT to your typical CD.

You can gauge for yourself what you are comfortable with and shop around through the loans with whatever criteria you feel is important. You can see what the loan is for and ask a myriad of questions about the borrower’s financial situation before deciding whether or not to invest.

Why Did We Need on a Loan?
We have a timeshare that we owe around $10,000 on (I talk more about that here). The interest rate is currently at 17.90% and we’re going nowhere fast on it. I applied for a 3 year loan with Lending Club at 9.99% to save us money and knock this thing out.

Why the Timeshare Rather Than Other Debts?
First of all, it has the highest interest rate, so it makes the most math sense.

Secondly, we are going to take Dave Ramsey’s advice and once we send this check to the finance company currently holding the loan, we will have the deed in hand. We will then attempt to sell it back to the vacation resort business we bought it from at a loss to ourselves and a profit for them. They will be able to resell it for far more than we could, so they’ll make money on it. We’ll be out from under it and its maintenance fees. We hope they agree to this. If they are willing to buy it back from us (even at half of what they can sell it for), we will use that money to pay down our next highest interest rate (our Chase credit card).

So we hope to both get out from under this burden and get a little bit out of it to apply to our other debts.

Why Lending Club?
Well, as a (small) investor, I’ve seen that it works.  And I would rather give my payments to people who are making responsible choices with their money by investing rather than some big banks that are more and more the bane of my existence.

And the lower interest rate doesn’t hurt either.




So, if you decide to invest, check out our loan (#548511 or under the name Kaye_T - or do a keyword search for "Timeshare") and help us out. Of course, you are not obligated to do so, but I just had to throw that in there.

The links and banners on this article and on my sidebar are paid affiliate links/banners. I am taking out a loan, and I do have an investment with them. I have seen it work and these opinions, which I am sharing with you, are purely my own.

Healthy School Lunch Ideas for the Picky Eater

Our son is a picky eater. It would be totally frustrating except I remember that I used to be just like him. Scratch that – I used to be much worse. Back to him – he doesn’t eat any veggies. He doesn’t eat deli meats. He doesn’t eat potato products (except chips). Everything else is a hit or miss depending on his mood for the day.

He just started kindergarten this week and the school he is attending is very, very big on health and wellness and there are certain foods that we cannot send. There is no juice allowed. No chocolate. No processed meats or cheeses. No potato/cheese/corn chips. No cookies, no fast food, no pudding. No squeezable yogurt, applesauce only if “no sugar added” type. Okay – I agree that these aren’t healthy and we’ve got to work within these guidelines.

To find a happy medium that will please both our son and the criteria that our school is laying out, we have had to do some searching in order to find some good lunch options for him. So far, this is what we’ve sent so far this week:

Monday:
PB&J Sandwich
Goldfish (only original color are ok with the school)
Peach yogurt
Strawberries
Mandarin Oranges

Tuesday:
Tomato Soup
Grilled Cheese
Grapes
Blueberry infused craisins

Wednesday:
Blueberry bagel
Whole wheat crackers
Key Lime Yogurt
Peaches

Thursday:
Chicken Nuggets (white meat)
Ketchup
Cubed Cheddar and Colby Jack Cheese
Peaches
Strawberries

Other ideas:
Soft taco wraps
Nachos (meat, cheese and tortilla chips for scooping)
PB&J wrap
Peanut Butter Crackers
Meatballs
Spaghetti
English Muffin/Bagel Pizzas
Pizza Wraps
Lasagna
Beefaroni
Macaroni and Cheese
Other fruit (pineapple, whole banana, raisins, etc)
Air popped pop corn
Tortilla chips
Pita chips
Garden vegetable chips
String cheese
Granola Bars (without chocolate)
Apple sauce
Rice Cakes

Some other ideas for your (not as picky) child:
Tuna
Peanut Butter and honey
Pretzels
Deli meats as sandwich or wrap
Raw veggies
Other fruit (apples, oranges, kiwi, melons, etc)
Pasta salad (sans mayonnaise)
Salad

In less than a week I have found that he is eating better (more) at school than he did at home. I think it is because all of the other kids around him are eating. The result? He comes home happier and in a much better mood than when he was in PreK and refusing to eat what they served.

Also, I have found that he is eating what we put in his lunch because he is choosing it the night before. We give him a few choices and he picks – and so far, an empty lunch box each afternoon! Hooray!

Any other ideas that you can think of or that has worked for your child? I’m all ears and I’m sure we are not the only parents looking for help on this one!

Cash Spending - How Do You Do It?

A few days ago at work, some coworkers called to see if I wanted to go to lunch with them. Sometimes I do go just to get out of the office, but try to keep these occurrences to a minimum.

This particular day I wanted to leave, but knew that financially it would be much better if I stayed and ate something I had in my fridge at work.

Then I found $5 in my wallet and immediately called one of them back and said, “Hey…I can go! I just found some cash in my wallet.”

She and I proceeded to talk about how amazingly we seem to feel no guilt about spending cash. Somehow spending $5 in cash is “ok” for lunch while spending $5 on lunch from my debit card is a more difficult decision.

I wonder why that is.

I’m not trying to hide any spending. Nothing of the sort, really. Just somehow it seems like “real” money if it comes directly out of my bank account rather than from my wallet.

This is a big reason why I try not to carry cash – it seems to disappear without me knowing what in the world I’ve done with it.

To add to this madness, if I am using cash only at the grocery store or while shopping, I spend less because I don’t want to have to pull out my debit card while I have cash specifically for a purchase. I know that is totally contrary to what I just told you, but the big purchases seem to make me think differently than the small ones.

What about you? Do you view cash the same way as a debit card purchase when deciding what to buy/how much to spend?

Photo credit: foxumon

The Great Budget Deal

I received this as an email on Monday. I haven't verified the actual numbers to be correct, but they don't look completely out of line. Even if they are close, this is a great piece.

To Put It All In Perspective ....

The U.S. Congress sets a federal budget every year in the trillions of dollars. Few people know how much money that is so we created a breakdown of federal spending in simple terms. Let's put the 2011 federal budget into perspective:

U.S. income: $2,170,000,000,000
Federal budget: $3,820,000,000,000
New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
Recent budget cut: $ 38,500,000,000 (about 1 percent of the budget)

It helps to think about these numbers in terms that we can relate to. Let's remove eight zeros from these numbers and pretend this is the household budget for the fictitious Jones family.

Total annual income for the Jones family: $21,700
Amount of money the Jones family spent: $38,200
Amount of new debt added to the credit card: $16,500
Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
Amount cut from the budget: $385

Whew! I'm glad they got that all worked out to our benefit, aren't you? I feel better already.

What Can Harry Potter Teach Us About Money?

Here on the eve of the release of one of the most highly anticipated movies of a series (a 10-year series, might I add), I wanted to examine what in the world that The Boy Who Lived and his friends can teach us about money.

A stretch? Maybe. But it should at least be fun.

By the way...this post containers no direct spoilers (I'm not going to ruin the last movie for you), but does contain information that indicates some plot lines. If you are avoiding information about the series because you want to discover it yourself, I would suggest reading this some other time.

Smart People Avoid Spending Sprees

One of the most surprising parts of this series is Harry’s management of the fortune he discovered he had at 11 years old. What kid at 11 understands that the money will not last forever – especially when discovering that a bank vault full of gold is his alone? Obviously Harry did. Although an unrealistic maturity for a tween, this act indicates that Harry is smarter than the average kid.

Money Does Not Prevent Trouble in Life

Sure, money can buy you out of sticky situations, but it seems that those types of situations never really go away until the problem is truly solved. Regardless of Harry’s fortune, he was tracked for 7 years by Voldemort and no amount of money would have bought safety for him, his friends or his family. He had to address that one head on.

Money Does Not Buy Happiness

The best (and most obvious) example of this is the large and fun Weasley family. With seven children, a stay at home mom and a dad who has a job with a mediocre paygrade, this family could have easily found themselves feeling destitute and complaining. Although Ron did his share of complaining about lack of money that would be typical for a kid his age, the Weasley family as a whole was content. They had large gatherings with family and friends and always, even through horrible times, had an optimistic view of life.

Wealth is Not An Indication of Character

Draco Malfoy was raised in wealth and splendor and could have bought anything the world had to offer, but none of the money his family had could provide him with the character and courage it took to do what was right. In fact, throughout all 7 books he proves to be nothing but a loud mouthed coward unable to save or think for himself.

You Are Not Defined by Your Upbringing

This can be seen in a number of instances. Harry was one of the best wizards the world had ever seen but was raised in an emotional and psychologically abusive situation where his guardians did nothing but berate him. He excelled anyway.

Voldemort grew up in an orphanage with no knowledge of his family for a long time. Although he chose an evil path in life, there is no doubt that he because one of the most powerful of his kind in history.

Sirius Black was raised in a snooty, pureblood family who had evil tendencies, but he turned out quite down to earth and shook off the notion of superiority.

And getting back to finances: Fred and George Weasley became quite successful businessmen who could afford lavish items despite their humble childhood.

Hard Work Pays Off

Despite her Muggle upbringing, Hermione Granger was one of the most thoroughly read and informed witches that Hogwarts had ever seen. She did not learn magic from her family, as many of the students had (and had taken for granted) but studied hard to become great. Late nights of studying, obsessive reading, and taking huge course loads of classes along with her desire to learn made her one of Harry’s most valuable assets.

Side Hustle

Fred and George spent most of their time at Hogwarts creating new tricks and pranks, doing market research by the way of paying underclassmen to let them experiment on, and selling items on the side. This would eventually lead to them doing what they truly loved.

Gambling is Not a Good Source of Income

During the 4th book we see crowds of people heading to the Quidditch World Cup. During the festivities, the Weasley twins bet on the outcome of the games using their life savings. Although they predict the end of the game perfectly, they are never paid their winnings, as the swindler of a “bookie” chastises them for being too young to gamble and refuses to pay out.

Giving Lifts Your Spirits

After the TriWizard tournament was over and Harry had been awarded the prize of 1000 Galleons, he did not feel right about taking it. He tried to offer it to Cedric’s parents, but they refused it. So he ended up giving it to the Weasley twins to use for their business venture. Later, when Harry saw how that investment had helped then (and yes, they did thank him for it), he felt good about giving it to them to help them out.

You Can’t Take it With You

The final war between good and evil leaves a wake of carnage behind. In the end young and old, rich and poor, wise and foolish – so many don’t make it out alive. All of the wealth in this world could not save them from the certainty of death. Make sure the legacy you leave behind is more than a bank account balance.

What else can you throw in? I'd love to hear more!

Our Family - Unplugged

So we had a wonderful three-day weekend. We went to a first-birthday party of a neighbor, spent time at the community pool, watched movies, grilled out, played outside, and colored inside, among other things.

What did we not do?

Well, since the internet went out sometime Friday evening for the entire community (and is still out), I haven't checked my personal email, my Facebook page, wasted time online or even blogged. In fact, the interent still isn't up as I write this on Tuesday afternoon from work (during my break, mind you).

Additionally, our TV went out on Sunday afternoon. The dish connection, this is. So we watched some DVDs that have been collecting dust on the shelf, rented a couple of new ones for $1 each (for when it was too hot to go outside), and enjoyed the silence.

Yesterday was the kids' first day at home with Chip (no more daycare until further notice). What did they do? They went to the library, played at the park, and enjoyed time together.

Lots of children's laughter has occurred and has been noticed more in the last few days because we haven't been filling our lives with other noise.

What would you do with a few days of diminished technology offerings?

The Winds of Change are Blowing

So almost 3 weeks ago Chip left for OCS after re-enlisting in the National Guard. After 4 days of torture, he returned home – the 10th person sent home in those 4 days. He wasn’t prepared. He wasn’t prepared physically and didn’t have the procedures down in his head that he should have. Add lack of sleep to that mix and you have a recipe for disaster.

But not all hope is lost. He can go back…and he is going to. I know he is perfectly capable of graduating from OCS, but just didn’t have the time to prepare. For goodness sake, he just got his military ID two weeks before leaving!

So the next round of OCS starts in January, but now Chip is considering a different option. Instead of an accelerated 8-week program, he is considering a 1 year plan that basically follows the 2-weeks a year and one weekend a month plan that the National Guard uses. His drills would just consist of OCS training rather than a traditional drill. He would start January 2012 and finish January 2013. The slower pace would allow for more time to study in between, no extra time away from our family, and postpone any chance of deployment for a year. This is not yet set in stone, but is a big consideration for him right now.

So we had to readjust our financial plan as well. As you know if you’ve been reading here for a while, our plan included using the commissioning bonus that Chip would receive upon graduating to repay a large chunk of our debt. That will still come, but not as soon as we initially hoped. So here are the changes that will take effect immediately:

• We are pulling the kids out of daycare. They will stay at home with Chip during the day. This will last for Patrick until he starts kindergarten at the end of August. For Abigail, it will last until either January (if Chip does the accelerated OCS again then) or until next Fall when we have considered starting her in the 3K program at the Montessori program that Patrick will be attending. We will further evaluate that as the time draws near.
  
  Anyway…since we have been paying for Patrick and Abigail to both be in “summer camp” at the daycare this summer, this will saver us $1040.00 a month. Increased will be our food costs at home since they will be eating lunch and snacks at home, but decreased will be our gasoline costs of taking them daily.
  


• We have dropped Chip’s private life insurance policy. He has one through the National Guard now that costs $45/month less and guarantees more coverage. Win-win.
  


• We have dropped some excess subscription TV channels to the tune of $10/month.
  


• We have registered his military status with Verizon, dropping our mobile phone costs $15/month.
  


• We will be receiving a few hundred dollars a month now in drill pay from the National Guard. I’m not sure exactly how much yet, as Chip has not yet had a regular drill pay period yet. I will estimate $300.

So these changes will net us about $1410/month that will now be focused at debt repayment. So it won’t be as quick as we had anticipated, but these changes should move it quicker than it was moving before!

What would you do with an extra $1400 a month?

How to Keep Children's Birthday Party Costs Low

We just had a big birthday blowout event for our daughter’s 2nd birthday (I'll do pictures later this week). It was full of food, friends, and fun. And since we’re on a tight budget these days, we wanted to be able to pull it off without the expenses that typically come with a bash. Here are some suggestions that could help you do the same!

Bake the Cake Yourself
I know that not everyone is Betty Crocker, but the directions on the side of a boxed cake mix could not be any easier. Whether you want to do a layer cake, a sheet cake, or cupcakes, the instructions are all right there in front of you. There’s really nothing to it.

And if you want to get “fancy” and make something to go along with a theme, there are SO MANY tutorials and photo blogs on the web that surely you can find something that matches your ability level. Trust me…I’m no expert but over the years I’ve been able to pull off a Baby Einstein caterpillar, a train cupcake cake, a tank, some ninjas, a butterfly and a giant cupcake. I just look for something that is fun but has a skill level of easy. So far my kids have loved every cake they’ve had!

Don’t Serve a Meal
If you are hosting a party, pick times that will not overlap with meal time. For instance, we like to do 2:00 – 4:00 or 3:00 – 5:00. These times allow for all of the little ones to finish naps (we’re still at that age) but not require me to feed actual food to the guests. Cake, ice cream, chips, and snacks will do it. I promise...you are not obligated to feed these people!

Pick a free location
You can host it at your house, a public park, or anywhere that doesn’t cost money. We have done 4 at our house and 2 at public parks and all were absolutely free to use. The ones at the park didn’t even require me to do party games, as we had cake and then just let the children loose!

Keep the décor simple!
If you want to do a theme, that’s fine. But you don’t have to buy all matching partyware. For instance, we did a ninja theme for Patrick’s 5th birthday. The cupcake ninjas were black and white with some red accents. So the plates? They were black “dinner” plates for food and red “dessert” plates for the cake and ice cream. There was no reason to pay top dollar to have ninjas actually ON the plates. For Abigail’s party that we just had this past weekend, we did buy dinner plates with cupcakes on them but the napkins, cups, and dessert plates were all solid colors that matched the colors on the themed plates. Way cheaper than the coordinating pieces that I could have bought.

Accept Help
If you have a good friend that you don’t mind asking, request that their gift to the child be to do something special for the party. Maybe they bake the best brownies or are an awesome photographer. Maybe they can make balloon animals or can make crafty decorations. The child will likely get so many gifts that they won’t “miss” one from this friendly neighbor and you’ll keep your cost low!

Forego the Goody Bags
I know…in this day and age this seems a big outlandish, but why are we thanking children for celebrating our child? It’s not like they need to be bribed to come to a party or anything! Most of the items we get in goody bags are cheap paper and plastic crap that goes into the garbage within a week of the party’s end. If you want to send the child home with something, include a craft as part of the party activities. For instance, at Abigail’s cupcake themed party last weekend, at the end of the party, the kids got to decorate a cupcake all by themselves. Yes it was messy, but boy did they love it! I taped a plastic tablecloth to our garage floor and pulled out every tub of frosting and every type of sprinkle that we had in the house. You should have seen their creations! They had so much fun, as most of them (ages 3-6) aren’t used to that much independence with their snacks.

So there are some tips on keeping children’s birthday parties on the cheap.

What have you done to keep costs low for your festivities?

Photo credit: mzacha

Sometimes You Have to Reboot...

So what do you do when life just doesn’t turn out the way you expected?

I mean, we had a good plan to pay off our debt. By August we had planned that Chip would be through OCS and be an officer in the National Guard and his commissioning bonus would pay off my largest headache of a credit card. In the meantime, the money he would make would knock a large chunk out of our other card. We would be well on our way to being debt free.

But sometimes…you know where the road to good intentions leads…

Chip was not ready for OCS. He was dismissed early and will not get to complete it at this time. He does get to go back if he so chooses. And I’ve let him know that I fully support him and believe him to be capable. The problem this time? He wasn’t prepared. No one else there just cleared MEPS three weeks ago. No one else there just got their (new) military ID two weeks ago. No, the others there have been regularly drilling with a real unit for months…many of them years. They had time to study their manual. Chip has spent the last three weeks putting together paperwork and running around trying to gather all of the uniforms and gear he would need for OCS.

He just wasn’t ready this time.

And so much happened just before he left that tried to keep him from going. He pushed through it all and made it (against seemingly all odds).

This makes me believe that maybe this was not his time to be at OCS. Maybe there is a reason he needs to be at home right now. Maybe that is why so many roadblocks came up in the first place. Maybe God was trying to keep him home. And once he got there, maybe God said something to the effect of, “Holy cow, what will it take to get through to him?!” and made sure he came home.

Maybe not.

But we’ve got to make a new plan now.

We’ve got to re-evaluate our plan.

While Chip has been unemployed over the last few months, all of our monthly overages have been coming out of our accelerated emergency fund that was built out of our tax refund. That money is almost gone now. And I was okay with that because soon we were going to be a dual income family again and our debt was going to be drastically reduced, making it easier to knock out those finals bills.

But now that can’t happen.

So what do you do?

What do you do when you go to get an oil change and end up dropping $400 on other repairs that are needed (and totally legitimate)?

What do you do when he spends $1000 buying items that are necessary to go to OCS and then doesn’t get the chance to get that money back in salary?

You re-plan.

And that’s what we’re doing.

Wish us luck!

Have you ever had to back up and start again things just didn’t go as planned?

Photo credit: allenp

Wordless Wednesday - Packing Up

Tuesday evening this is what our den looked like.





I know it's only for 2 months, but I'm going to miss him.

WFMW - Mom...I'm BORED!

Now that summer has arrived, many households that were once full of kids so excited for the end of school will be filled with the sounds of “I’m bored.” There are plenty of toys and activities about that you could use to fill their time that would also empty your pockets, but in keeping with the theme of my blog, I’m going to suggest a few ideas for some money-savings boredom busters!

1. Library – You see it time and time again on frugal blogs – the library. But seriously…you wouldn’t see it if it didn’t work for so many people! Our library provides books, story time, summer activities like camps and story times with dogs, videos, magazines, and even study material. That’s right…at our library you can borrow for up to 3 weeks a package of “science” or “math” or “spelling” (and others) material for a particular age range. It may not sound fun to the kids, but it will keep them on their toes during the summer and they might discover some fun games!
2. Bring out the hose – You might waste some water, so this isn’t the most frugal idea, but a great way to keep cool if you don’t have a pool. Better yet – get the kids to wash your car and pay them for it. They get to earn some summer money, you get a (semi-) clean car, they get to play with the hose, and you get an hour or so without hearing “I’m bored!”
3. Geocaching and Letterboxing – What a great way to spend time together as a family. It only costs you whatever gasoline you need (although most of this will be walking). Most people either have a GPS for their car or on their phones these days, so this would be a great opportunity to explore your local landscape and teach your children about GPS/compass reading. Also you could do the “nature walk” thing while your hunting down your treasures!
4. Volunteering – This will only cost you your time and energy but the rewards will be priceless. Spend time together as a family working with some local organization that needs your help. You and your children will learn more about giving and serving as well as get to help out others in need. Contact your local Habitat for Humanity, shelters, soup kitchens, churches, or animal shelters.
5. Cards/Board Games – One of my all time favorites – we are a board game family! I grew up playing various card games (there are dozens of versions of solitaire and you don’t even need a computer to play them!) as well as board games. I was so “deprived” that I played Sorry, Monopoly, Life, etc by myself. I know…sounds pitiful, but there is a lot to be said for a child learning to entertain themselves rather than depending on someone else to do so!
6. Puzzles – Whether it is the jigsaw variety or the crossword type, puzzles can pass hours, keep your brain working, and sometimes give kids something to do together!
7. Lemonade Stand – This age-old first business is a great way to keep kids occupied while teaching them some business sense. One great twist here in the deep south is sweet tea stands. Children in our neighborhood sell sweet tea right about the time neighbors are arriving home from work. The tea isn’t always very good, but it is a great way to support the kids and it puts a smile on my face when I am getting home in the afternoon.

So none of these are original, but all pass the time, teach kids something, and/or get them out of your hair (at least for a little while!).

What boredom busters do you have?

If you want to see other people’s great ideas, hop over to We Are THAT Family and check out Works for Me Wednesday!

Photo credit: matchstick

Pause to Remember

Like many others in the US today I will be enjoying a day off work spent with my family. But I want to ask you to take a moment of your time and remember the price that was paid for your freedom.

Emotional Decision? Not This Time!

I think I made a smart decision.

Looking back, it seems like it was an obviously smart decision – on paper at least. But it was so hard to say no at the time.

Last Thursday night, a gentleman came by our house (Chip knew he was coming but had forgotten to tell me) to do some water testing and try to sell up a water filter system. He went through the chemistry of what he was selling. He tested our water and told us horror stories about the water we were consuming through ingestion as well as inhalation and absorption through our skin. It was enough to make you cringe.

And I’m not saying the guy was lying. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. I know that if he was not lying, it gives me the heebie-jeebies to think that we live in the middle of the toxic mess that he was claiming we do. It’s enough to make you fear for what type of environment you are raising your children in.

And you know, now that I think about it, I’m not sure if his sales pitch was full of truth or fear. Maybe both.

I didn’t get to listen to the entire sales pitch because you know, there are children to bathe and put to bed and they were not interested in hearing this guy tell us about all of the chlorine we have living in the top three feet of each of the rooms in our house.

So I left the sales presentation and did mommy-type stuff. After the kids were in bed, Chip came upstairs and wanted me to sign the paperwork to finance this system. He had already signed his part. Luckily (I think), this was a joint venture because I wasn’t willing to sign it.

I tell myself it was a number of reasons that I didn’t sign it, but I’m not really sure what the real reason is.

First of all, I know us. I know that we have bought a timeshare after hearing a convincing sales pitch. I know we previously bought a vacation club package that we never used (and got out of) after hearing a convincing sales pitch. I know we have spent a lot of money in the past because we’re obviously gullible. Part of me doesn’t want to buy anything else in those conditions – even if it legitimate – because I am tired of realizing that I have been taken advantage of.

Secondly, I don’t like buying out of fear. Maybe I have every reason to be afraid for myself and my family (although I certainly hope not). Maybe this guy was not trying to use fear as a motivation to make us sign those papers. But I don’t like having that suggestion in the back of my mind that maybe I bought out of fear. Out of a “the sky is falling” mentality.

Thirdly, and what it the reasoning that I gave at the time, it was yet another bill to add to the mix when we don’t have it. You see, the system was $6000 paid over 72 months, which really came up to just over $8500 after what must have been an astronomical interest rate. The sales guy claimed that it would save us the money that we would be putting into it ($119/month) in electric and water bills (no time to go into the “hows” of it here) as well as in cleaning products. But I had no proof. Maybe it would. Maybe it wouldn’t. But in the end, without proof, I wasn’t willing to sign up for another bill. I told Chip that when we are out of debt we can re-examine when we can pay in cash and not pay 140% of the actual cost of the system due to interest rates.

But you know what was hard? Telling Chip “no.”

You see, I have a problem telling him no. I don’t know why. I feel like I am dictating to him what he can and cannot have when he wants something. I feel like I am treating him like a child. I feel like I am making decisions for him. I don’t like feeling like this (for the record, he says he doesn’t feel this way at all – it’s all obviously in my head).

Looking back, I think it was the right decision. But it was an emotionally tough decision to make all because I don’t like telling my husband “no.”

But somewhere inside, I'm proud of myself for telling him no. Because I believe it was the right thing although it wasn't the easy thing.

Have you ever felt this way? How did you cope with it?

Things My 21-Year Old Self Didn't Know

Ten years ago at this time, I was wrapping up my last term in college. At this point I had no job although I had interviewed for many. I would be getting one soon, but at this time, the pressure was still on.

I had worked part time during school but had only ever held down a full time job in my life during two different summers that I had internships. They paid, but only slightly above minimum wage. The experience was the key payment here.

I was finally a "real" adult. I was 21 years old and about to go into the real world. I knew it would be hard, but I was ready...or so I thought.

Over the last 10 years I have learned a lot about finances...mostly through the school of hard knocks although over the last 1-1/2 years, I've been trying to actually educate myself more. Here are a list of the things I would tell myself if I could travel back in time 10 years:

1. Just because you can handle a little money does not mean you can handle a lot. Logic would tell you that if you can handle a little you can handle a lot. Even the Bible teaches us that (remember that parable?). However, I was GREAT at handling tiny bills with my tiny paychecks. Once I was getting bigger paychecks, I thought I was rich. I had no idea. Lottery winners prove this again and again, but even on smaller checks than the lottery offers, money can be tempting to just spend if you haven't learned better. With more money comes more responsibility.
2. Just because you don't like to shop at the mall, does not mean you don't like to shop. You can still easily blow money without going shopping all of the time. Most of the money we have blown in the past has been wrapped up in eating out, vacations, decor for the home, and upgrading/repairing our home. I'm not a mall rat, but I still know how to blow through some cash. Fast.
3. You REALLY need to talk more about money in your marriage. From the beginning. I know...it's not sexy. It's not fun. It is CRITICAL though. I will not go into how many fights, tensions, and anxieties have resulted in our marriage because we just didn't talk about money. Spending. Saving. Plans. Habits. None of it. Trust me...talk about it and save yourself the heartache. Compromises are ALWAYS better than fights.
4. Stuff is really just stuff. It's amazing how much stuff I wanted once I had a paycheck. Stuff I didn't need. Newer stuff. Nicer stuff. Different stuff. Just stuff. Now I'm trying to get rid of some of that same stuff because it just clutters my life. I would have saved myself a lot of money and hassle by not buying it in the first place. If it doesn't serve a direct purpose and fulfill a real NEED in your life, don't buy it.
5. Believe it or not, smart spending/saving practices will one day be more impressive than a new ______. Although some people will always be caught up in material things, those are not the people I want to impress. I now know that. I would rather be labeled as frugal than as materialistic.
6. Don't buy something based on the monthly payment. Buy it based on the cost. This was a huge practice for long time. We have an extra $200/month, why not buy it? Forget that at $200/month it would take 7 years and thousands in interest...I could afford the monthly bill, so why not, right? Wrong. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
7. Make sure you love your job. I know money is enticing, but if you have loads of money but are unhappy, that money will not make you happier. It will just give you the ability to buy more stuff...which will not make you happier. You must love what you do every. single. day or you will be miserable no matter how many zeros are on your paycheck.
8. Children truly will enjoy the box more than the expensive toy that came in it. Children are truly easy to please until you teach them otherwise. They have fun with cardboard boxes and an imagination. They love flying a $1 kite. They love playing at a public park. They love running around playing in the yard with their friends. They love books that you can get from the library for free. They love playing the in hose on a hot summer day. A $1.00 bottle of bubbles can provide hours of entertainment. Some of my best childhood memories didn't cost a nickel. You don't have to buy their love or their fun.
9. You still have a lot to learn. I think most of us are cocky at this age. We haven't grown out of that aggressiveness that we needed to get through adolescence. We feel that we have come this far and now life is just to be enjoyed. Wrong. I have learned more in the last 10 years that I ever thought possible. About my career. About my life. About my husband. About other people. About myself. There is a world out there full of possibilities that your brain has not yet wrapped itself around. Be aware that changes are coming and you have giant opportunities to learn ahead of you. Embrace them rather than resisting.

One thing I did do right:

1. Save for retirement from Day 1. Or at least as soon as your employer allows you to get into the retirement plan. At my one-year work anniversary, I signed up for our company's 401k. I was 22 years old and although I didn't see the effects immediately I was told it was the smart thing to do. Boy am I glad I listened. I have just over $100,000 already waiting across a couple different accounts...and I'm still contributing. Those will continue to grow as time goes on. Do you think I would have saved that on my own in this time? Obviously not...our savings account has $3000 in it current and some of that is earmarked for other uses.

So, the time is drawing near that some will be graduating college soon. Some will be graduating high school soon and embarking on a bigger life. Hopefully my lessons will be able to help someone else grasp the bigger picture more easily.

I can't wait to see what the next 10 years teach me.

What about you? What lessons have you learned in the last 10 years that you'd love to pass along?

Photo credit: marygober

WFMW - Photographing Your Kids for Safety

Go ahead and call me a bad mom, but I typically do not have photos of my children on my person. That's right...not even in my purse. In fact, I only have my purse with me approximately 50% of the time. If you were to ask me for a photo of my child, I would probably have to go home, pull the memory card out of our camera, open it on the computer and either email it to you or print it out. I just don't carry them with me.

So when I saw this idea for how to have a photo of your children handy, I thought it was brilliant, so not we do it too.

Whenever you are in a public place and have a fear of losing sight of your children (you know, park on a busy day, festival, fair, theme park, busy street, tourist venue, whatever), use your cell phone to take a photo of your children BEFORE you get to the venue. This way, in the event your child gets lost, you have not only a recent photo of them, but even the exact outfit they were wearing when they disappeared.

Now I know this is not a pleasant thought to consider, but it is reality and as a parent, is something we must think about.

So use this tip to always have a handy current photo of your child on hand in case you ever need it.

And afterwards, you have a cute wallpaper for your phone on a day-to-day basis.

To provide peace of mind, this works for me. Visit We Are THAT Family to see what works for others!

Photo credit: sans5

8 Great Quotes About Money

It's amazing the wise things that come out of the mouths of such a variety of people!

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. ~Frank Hubbard

It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach. ~Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The only reason a great many American families don't own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments. ~Mad Magazine

"Your money, or your life." We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it. ~Bob Hope

Money is neither my god nor my devil. It is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it's greedy or loving. ~Dan Millman

Never spend your money before you have earned it. ~Thomas Jefferson

Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need. ~Will Rogers

Find something in life that you love doing. If you make a lot of money, that's a bonus, and if you don't, you still won't hate going to work. ~Jeff Foxworthy

Great Side Income for College Students

Photo credit: mmagallan

"Broke College Student" isn't just a cliche...it's usually fact. Sometimes it is due to lack of income. Sometimes it is due to overspending. Always there is need for more money though (either to pay rent or to buy another pizza). Here are some gigs that can get you a little more jingle in your pocket while training for your career.

1. Tutoring - That's right. It's obvious but such a great option it cannot go by without mentioning it. You can either get paid by the school to do it through them or you can advertise personally and set your own rates (be cautious though and don't find yourself alone with someone you don't know).
2. Musician - That's right...there are plenty of restaurants and such looking for talented musicians. Just make sure these late nights don't get in the way of your studies so you can one day make more than what that night-time gig will bring in. Nighttime not your thing? I got paid $100/week over 10 years ago to play the organ for a church. It required me to be there 2 hours on Sunday morning and 2 hours on Wednesday night. Yep...$25 an hour to be somewhere I would have been anyway. WIN! You can also get gigs doing weddings and parties as well.
3. Jailbreaking an iPhone - completely legal and if you know how, you can really make a lot of money at this. If you don't know how to do it, you know there are plenty of tutorials online!
4. Babysitting - Sure a lot of people consider it a school-girl job, but as a parent, I know it can be quite lucrative. Parents are certain to pay a college student more than a high schooler and you can probably get some work done after the kids are in bed! You can extend this into petsitting and housesitting as well!
5. Graphic design - If this is your specialty, whip up some website graphics or banners and market them. Something that might take you a short while to create could pay your rent for the month.
6. Turn your hobby into income - If you love to dance, play piano, play tennis, or any number of other things, you can likely make money teaching other people (or their children) how to do the same. And since you aren't a professional, if you can do it independently, you can reach out to clients by charging less than pros.
7. Become a mystery shopper - I have done this a few times and it is actually kinda' fun. You get to do a task to check out a business and get fully reimbursed for the entire thing, and usually get a little extra in addition. This way you could not only make money, but get a free meal or two also! Win-win.
8. Car Washing/Detailing - Great for getting some fresh air and using up some daytime hours that you aren't in class. You could really get this to take off during the spring while everyone is fighting pollen on their cars. If you have an eye for detail you can really make good money this way.
9. DJing - If you have an iPod full of great music and access to a decent sound system, you could use those two items to really thicken your wallet. Look for parties, weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah's, birthdays, or even picnics and such for businesses. The good news? You just set up, take any requests you can, and tear down. Otherwise you get to sit and enjoy the music.

Best of luck and remember, don't get too caught up in making side money that you forget why you're paying to be at school in the first place!

Confessions of THIS Working Mom

Photo credit: ks

There is often found some animosity between moms who stay at home with their children full time and others who work outside of the home. Each seems to think the other attacks them...and some actually do. Regardless of which side of the fence you (or your wife) sit on today, know that these confessions are my heartfelt feelings. They are not personal. They may not even be truth. But they are how I feel at this moment in my life.

1. I always wanted a career. Growing up I probably wanted a career more than children. I excelled academically and felt this was my obvious path.
2. I entered a male-dominated field because engineering is something that I'm good at. It makes sense to me. If I had to choose a career over again, I would choose this one again a hundred times over.
3. I realized how much I wanted to have a child when I suspected I was pregnant and miscarrying due to some major trauma in my life. I was heartbroken over the loss of this possible child and knew then that I wanted to be a mom.
4. Becoming a mom has changed my entire perspective on my life. It gave me new purpose. It gave me new focus. It gave me new goals.
5. I am the breadwinner of our family. It is due to the fact that I chose a field that allows financial growth when promotions arise. Being pretty good at what I do, I have received promotions and that has allowed a growing paycheck.
6. I care only about my career at this point in my life because it provides a livelihood for my family.
7. I THINK I would love to stay at home with the children. I would love to interact with them more frequently on a daily basis. I dream of things I would do with them and ways I would teach them about the world we live in.
8. I also know that I might not be that great of a stay at home mom. There are plenty of times that I feel I lose my patience too easily, and I would hate to impart that on my children so frequently.
9. I wish I could give it a try just to see. And I could work on my patience and grow with my children.
10. I probably will never get that wish.
11. I hate thinking of all of the class trips I won't be able to chaperone.
12. I hate all of the bake sales I will miss working because I'll be at work.
13. I hate thinking of the before school and after school hours my children will have to endure because I have a career.
14. I hate feeling like I am letting my children down because they will not truly have a "summer break" from school like I did.
15. I think I would volunteer more often if I stayed at home with my children. It seems like I would be able to do more in the evenings or even once they were both in school that would benefit the greater good. Now my evenings are spent making sure I spend time with them so I am not completely absent from their lives.
16. I get frustrated when I read about stay at home moms who complain that they have too much housework in addition to their mom duties. I feel like I have to also fill the role of mom in addition to the same amount of housework WHILE juggling a career.
17. Then I feel guilty knowing that I haven't walked a mile in their shoes.
18. But then I feel that way again when I read it from another.
19. I get jealous that my son wants to spend more time with his dad because he's the fun one. I agree...he is the fun one. But I still get jealous.
20. I love when I come home to two children who light up when I walk in the door. They often run over to hug me and say "Mom!" It also breaks my heart that they have had reason to miss me.

So. There it is laid on the table for all to see.

Like I said...it is not to offend. It is simply how I feel. And I just felt like I needed to release it today.

Thanks for listening.

Is there anything you need to get off of your chest?

10 Bloggers I Would Like to Meet

I have a HUGE list of blogs I read. Seriously...it's crazy. Thank goodness for a reader service or I would be clicking all day long. I love all of the blogs I subscribe to, but there are some bloggers that I truly would love to meet in person one day. This is a list of those people. It started as a list of 8 for my "Monday 8s" theme, but I just couldn't trim it down any further, so you'll just have to accept this Monday 10 in its place.

1. Angie Smith from Bring the Rain: This lady is amazing. Such faith. Such inspiration. So real. So honest. So awesome. I'm sure you are already subscribed. If not, do it now.


2. Joy from When Does Daddy Get Home: Joy has become a personal bloggy friend of mine. I would love to actually meet her in person one day. =)


3. Jon Acuff from Stuff Christians Like: Jon cracks me up on a regular basis and really moves me at least once a week (on serious Wednesdays). He has a real gift for inspiring through humor as well as through thought-provoking posts.


4. J Money from Budgest Are Sexy: J has some great insight into the world of personal finance and now with Love Drop fully underway, he has impressed me even more!


5. Ninja from Punch Debt in the Face: Ninja is so honest and open on his blog it feels like I already know him even though I have no idea what he looks like. He blogs life as he lives it and draws great little stick figures.


6. Jamie from Jamie the Very Worst Missionary: I love that she is so anti-what I grew up believing a missionary was "supposed" to look/sound/act like. And she is being used by God to do awesome work. And she blogs about it honestly and openly without mincing words. And she moves people, including me. Brilliant.


7. Dan from Single Dad Laughing: I have just recently been introduced to Dan's blog and am moved by each and every post. This man has a gift. He's a bit long-winded, but never while reading has he lost my interest.


8. Abraham and Molly Piper from 22 Words and Molly Piper respectively: Okay, I'm cheating on this one, but since they are husband and wife, I thought it might be allowed. Abraham posts the most crazy and amazing things on his post. And often, some really moving ones too. Molly has a gift for sharing the trials and joys of motherhood while showing off their adorable children. Yep...I'm cheating and using them both on this one.


9. Shaun Groves: Shaun is an awesome musician, amazing writer, outspoken advocate for Compassion International and seems to be a pretty cool husband and dad as well. I think he'd be really interesting to spend some time with.


10. Courtney from Women Living Well: Courtney's writing snagged me up and wouldn't let me go from the first post I read of hers. I really don't remember how I came across her blog, but I know I've been hooked ever since.

There are tons of others that I would love to meet, but these would make my day.

What about you? Who would you just be thrilled to meet in person?

Time for Spring Cleaning - Your Finances

So many of us are familiar with the idea of spring rolling around and picking up the feather duster (really? does anyone really own one of those?) and getting those nooks and crannies taken care of. You may do the windows or flip the mattress, or just other minor details that are not part of the regular cleaning schedule. What about other areas of your life? Let's look at a few ways you can spring clean your finances.

1. Re-evaluate your budget. This is something that needs to be done from time to time anyway, so why not sit down with your spouse and seriously plow through it. Talk about what is working and what is not. See if there are any changes you can make from the last time it was modified. Make sure you are massaging it to work for you the best possible way.


2. Check out your insurance policies. Can you drop your full coverage (we just did!)? Have you lost weight and might benefit from letting your life insurance carrier know this? Do you need to add life insurance now that you've added a new baby to the family?


3. Revisit your beneficiaries. Make sure all of your insurance policies, 401k, etc have the correct beneficiary info on them in the event your unexpected demise (isn't that a happy thought?)


4. Do you need those subscriptions? Are you using Netflix? Do you find yourself always returning those Featured Movies because you forgot to decline it? Do you actually read that magazine? Can you downgrade from a daily paper to Sundays only? Take a look at all of those things you get charged for monthly without a thought.


5. Can you close any accounts? A lot of people only accounts with online banks that offer $25 FREE UPON SIGNUP and never use that account. Take the money out and close the account. You aren't using it and it's just something else cluttering up your life even when you give it no thought.


6. Re-evaluate your financial goals. Will you pay off your debt sooner than expected? Make sure there is a plan to make that happen. Are you now debt-free and need to start saving? Make that change NOW.


7. Clean out your personal finance records. I'm not saying trash everything, but make sure everything you are keeping is all relevant and stored together in some order that someone other than just you can decipher. Keep tax documents. Throw out ATM receipts. Shred any documents that are going to be trashed.


8. Automate OR Unautomate your bills. What?! I know...sounds crazy. For those of you who are always paying your bills late, set up automatic bill payment with your bank. Of course, you'll have to make sure the money is in there when the bill is due, but you won't ever pay it late again. I would be shocked if your bank does not offer this. For those of you who cannot keep track of your money because it is automated, unautomate it and return to writing and mailing checks, or just manually paying bills online. This sounds crazy I know, but different strokes for different folks, you know. Make sure your system is working for you. Also--automate some money into your savings and/or retirement accounts while you are at it. You'll get to where you don't even miss it and your older self with thank you!


9. Start your Christmas/birthday fund. I know it is hard to think about it now, but if you start saving for those special events now, you'll find that you are not stressed about where the money will come from when the big day arrives.


10. Run one of your credit reports. I do this every 4 months so that annually I have check all three reports throughout the year for free as I'm entitled to. I discuss that more here if you want/need details.


11. Close open accounts. Do you have store credit card accounts that are empty and need to be closed? I know, you'll reduce your available credit but you'll also reduce your chances of having your identity stolen. Since I wouldn't recommend closing them all down at once if you are concerned about your FICO score, go ahead and close all of the small ones now. The others can be closed as you pay them off if you desire.


12. Shop for better service. Whether it be for your technology package, your garbage, your cell phone or your lawn service, call around and see if your provider still has the best price for the service. Do the same with your banking service.


13. Check out your investments. Look at your IRA or 401k and make sure you are invested where you need to be. If you still need to throw some money into your IRA to claim it for 2010 taxes you have until April 15th, so make sure that happens.


14. Evaluate your tax withholdings. By now you've probably done your taxes (if not, just do this step as soon as they are done) and you know how your withholdings compared to what you owed. Make any adjustments needed to make sure you don't owe next year or don't get as huge of a refund (unless that's just your thing).


15. Look for things to sell. Look! This one cleans up your house and your finances! Find things around your house that are glorified paperweights. If you use your treadmill as a clothes hanger, put it up on Craigslist. If you have baby gear and no more babies, take them to consignment. If you have clothes that you just cannot or will not wear, take them to consignment or even donate them (get a donation receipt if you can). If you have a baseball card collection sitting in the spare bedroom in boxes and it hasn't seen the sunlight in 15 years, put that sucker up on ebay. This will free up some physical space in your house as well as give you some cash to apply toward your financial goals.

So take advantage of the warmer weather and breathe some fresh air into your finances!

Do you have any other suggestions?