“Our first child was born nine months (and fifteen minutes) after the ceremony. I set aside my career in graphic design to be a Mom. It was during this time that I discovered daytime talk shows and first heard commonly held myths expounded by intelligent audience members.
“Nowadays, a family has to have two incomes to make ends meet.”
“Nowadays, it is impossible for a young couple to get into the housing market.”
“Nowadays, families cannot afford to raise more than two children.”
As if the message could magically be shot back through the television tube, I raised my fist and shouted, “It is not true, it can be done!” And so began my quest to prove that it could be done – that it was still possible to raise a large family and buy a house without two full-time incomes….
Over the years our average income has been less than $30,000. In less than seven years we saved $49,000, made significant investment purchases (vehicles, appliances, furniture) of $38,000, and were completely debt free! That is an annual savings/investment rate of over $12,500 per year, or 43% of our gross income.”
So we got a wood-burning stove. Our power bill has always been through the roof so a while back I suggested we get a stove, though my first suggestion had more to do with the economy collapsing and leaving us with no power…but mostly I’m optimistic.
I’ve had an epiphany through our short life with our wood heater: the world is crazier now because everyone was too busy keeping the fire going to get into trouble before. (That and milking the cow–a project I’m so grateful my daughter happens to love as I am not even tempted–though I love the milk–to head out in the cold at dusk to milk–“my sympathies, dear Buttercup“.)
And while my epiphany is a little in jest, mostly it’s not. Before technology made our lives so much easier, think of all that merely surviving entailed…
This one little fire has taken center stage in our home and all the children feel equally responsible for keeping it hot enough to heat the house. It’s a full-time job! And boy does it eat wood! (Of course we’re experiencing our lowest temps of the year.) My husband is going to have to come up with some extra time in his day to cut it. (Or I suppose he could calculate the money we should save on the electric bill and subtract that many hours from his work week )
So I cooked a pot of soup on it last night. (The kids got excited when I told them they’d have to get the fire hotter to cook the pasta.) I’m very excited about this because now I can save more money not using the stove to cook beans for hours. My neighbor brilliantly suggested that we cook beans and rice on it frequently, saving them in the freezer just to utilize the heat. Good thinking, Jane!
But I do seriously ponder the irony of our “improved” lives due to technology. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology. I love hot showers when I want them, indoor toilets and all the ease of a dishwasher. But I wonder if, on a large scale, the comforts outweigh all the repercussions of a life with so much more time on its hands; that time snowballing into a monstrous lot of negative consequences.
If we were busier–as a society–just trying to survive, I just think it would be better. We have it all backwards so often. *Shrug*
There is little more humbling than hearing one’s self recorded (especially when one’s self is from the South ). Nevertheless, I was grateful to spend some time yesterday talking to Kevin Swanson on his radio program Generations With Vision, about family economics, sharing a little about our home business and how it all started. (There was so much of I thought of later that I would have liked to talk about, but it was a very spontaneous interview.)
I think you’ll enjoy Kevin’s dynamic passion for family enterprise.
You can listen to it at Generations With Vision, if you promise to remember that my gift is writing, not speaking
It’s no coincidence that the approach of a new year finds us making resolutions, new goals and priorities. There is just something so motivating about coming out of December–with all the stress behind you but the mess still with you. You’re still suffering from a sugar high and you know this is the time to move toward health again. The house has taken the back burner to your overbooked calendar and now it begs your attention. You notice that the lack of routine and schedule has your kids a little out of whack and you’re eager to return to normalcy. Perhaps your spiritual food has been displaced with holiday food. Your finances need an overhaul too.
And you’re up for the challenge. So before I go tackle my ginormous to-do list, I thought I’d offer you the same encouragement and tips I’m trying to give myself (some of these came from my husband):
Regarding the house:
Drink your coffee first (unless you’re trying to give it up, in which case, I have no idea how to encourage you there.)
Tackle one room or area at a time. THIS is a hard one. You know the routine. You pick up an item from the kitchen and take it where it belongs and alas, that room is a disaster too, so you busily begin cleaning there. Resist the urge. My husband suggested that I take the stray item to the room it belongs and wait to put it up until I get to that room. Another tip is to have a box for stray items and just place them in that as you go through a room.
Create a place for everything.
If you have children, delegate. But be specific, because it is overwhelming to them too. Let the littlest ones be your “go-fers” taking trash and stray objects to their place. Give one a trash bag and make it their job to collect all the trash, or a basket to collect stray items, etc.
Purge, purge like never before. This is the time to get rid of things you know just take up space. I try to remind myself that as soon as I toss it, I won’t remember it anymore.
If you homeschool…give yourself a “reorganizing vacation”. Don’t feel the pressure to rush back to school until you’ve gotten everything under control. School time will be far more productive and pleasant if you’ll allow yourself that time. If you still feel pressure, maintain your daily reading and wait on the more stressful subjects.
Regarding your health:
Change in baby steps. Add an extra glass of water to your diet (maybe switching at meal time).
Find a good multi-vitamin. Research on line and ask around. Getting the proper nutrition is important to having the energy to accomplish all we must do in a day!
Find some kind of exercise you will do. More than ever, at my “older” age, I’m realizing how important it is to exercise. For Christmas I asked for a mini-trampoline. Read about the benefits of rebounding to see why I was so excited to get it. Not only does exercise do the obvious for your health, but it improves your mood and sense of well-being. Who of us couldn’t use that?
Just adding fruits, nuts and vegetables to your current diet is a great step. Make a glass of fruit juice or vitamin-enriched drink part of your morning routine.
Regarding your finances:
Despite how painful it can be, a written budget is really the only way to stay on top of finances. We have found too, that the more variable your income, the more important it is to write out a yearly budget. For us, the bulk of our income comes in the summer. So unless we plan to spread it out over the year, we find ourselves lacking in the winter months. Dave Ramsey has the best resources I know of and I would encourage you to check out The Total Money Makeover–it was a life-changing book for us…truly.
Actually use your budget Ramsey suggests the practical method of an envelope system. Whatever you have allotted for a certain category (food, clothing, entertainment), spend that and no more.
Start a change jar. This is a very simple, painless way to save a little extra money for a rainy day. We’ve done this for years–sticking our spare change in a jar, and it adds up in a hurry. Think of something to save for and write it on the jar and get everybody involved!
Learn to sell on eBay or Amazon. With a little forethought, extra cash throughout the year can be earned by selling items around the house. You could designate a specific savings goal for your eBay selling.
Regarding your spiritual life:
Make a sermon part of your day. Or at least, every few days. With the convenience of Sermon Audio and similar sites, getting spiritually fed has never been easier. A few of my favorites: Voddie Baucham, John Piper, David Platt, Paul Washer, Ravi Zacharias, Alistair Begg, Joe Morecraft, Mark Driscoll…to name a few.
Make Bible reading a priority. Even if you don’t get up early enough for quiet time, gathering the children around to read a portion of Scripture daily is not only a great spiritual benefit, but it paves the groundwork for habits in their own lives for years to come.
Other random tips:
Commit to reading a spiritually-challenging book once a month.
Make a list of character traits you would like to improve, and begin praying, being deliberate and working toward those. (For me, cultivating a gentle spirit is at the top of my list.)
Engage your children in more thoughtful discussion. Remind yourself that discussion is a primary means of education–and it can happen anywhere!
Determine to be a blessing to your husband. So often this gets overlooked. But it should be a priority!!!! A family where the husband and wife are a team, where they cultivate friendship–that’s a family that will thrive. Just a sincere word of gratitude can go a long way toward being a “crown” to your husband. You are the one person given to him to be his cheerleader. Encourage his strengths, and do not focus on his weaknesses. (It helps me, when I tend to want to dwell on his weaknesses, to redirect my thoughts to my own weaknesses. Wow. Changes perspective quickly.)
Add laughter. This has been on my mind a lot lately. Life can really squelch out the fun if we let it. Adding a bit of laughter can change the quality of everyone’s life! Find something to laugh about…make jokes with each other, smile at your children’s antics. Nothing is so important that it has to squash our joy!
What are your tips or words of encouragement as we begin the new year? What are some things you are purposing to change?
You’ll love the great, easy, homemade gifts Kathy, at Teaching Good Things, has posted with the instructions. We’ve both made these and been the recipient of these great homemade goodies. If you need some last minute gifts but the cash is running low, consider some of these!
If you still have a gift or two to buy, I wanted you to be aware of our new, *for Christmas only* gift sets.
And just as important, we have a new scent that is scrumptious!!! White Citrus is the perfect blend for anyone–it’s not too sweet, strong, fruity or flowery. We are very excited about it
This gift set includes our homemade favorites: Goat’s Milk Lotion in White Citrus, our peppermint Body Parfait, our new Honey Buttermilk Soap (see the pic. below), our soothing peppermint lip balm and a shower scrubby, all nestled in a beautiful, silver organza bag! The set is just $17 plus shipping and we still have plenty of time to get it to you for Christmas!
Get the 6-part series, The Enterprising Family, FREE!
Get the free, 6-part series about how your family can become a productive enterprise. Plus, continue to receive important information and updates from Generation Cedar.
(Must disable Adblock Plus to view form with Firefox.)
Uncategorized, frugal living/saving money | adminnv | 
February 16, 2010 11:01 am | 
Comments (14) 
)
). Nevertheless, I was grateful to spend some time yesterday talking to Kevin Swanson on his radio program Generations With Vision, about family economics, sharing a little about our home business and how it all started. (There was so much of I thought of later that I would have liked to talk about, but it was a very spontaneous interview.)
It’s no coincidence that the approach of a new year finds us making resolutions, new goals and priorities. There is just something so motivating about coming out of December–with all the stress behind you but the mess still with you. You’re still suffering from a sugar high and you know this is the time to move toward health again. The house has taken the back burner to your overbooked calendar and now it begs your attention. You notice that the lack of routine and schedule has your kids a little out of whack and you’re eager to return to normalcy. Perhaps your spiritual food has been displaced with holiday food. Your finances need an overhaul too.
–it was a life-changing book for us…truly.
Subscribe
