My honey had always handled the money and when he paid the bills, I had to answer for every dollar I spent. He loves graphs and money software and kept track of every penny and what we spent in each category of his budget every month. I had to turn in every receipt with notes on what was spent and the categories in which they fit. Money was really the only thing about which we consistently had "strong conversations". Ok...we fought about money. It usually ended with him being frustrated because he felt out of control and me being in tears and feeling like another one of his children that he had to manage.
I've never met Dave Ramsey, but I love him! I went kicking and screaming to the video classes, but left the first class feeling like I would possibly learn something and my honey and I would find peace in this particularly tumultuous aspect of our marriage. I found out that I am, financially, a free spirit and my honey is a nerd (hahahahaha - I love it!). Dave taught us that both of us with our unique financial perspectives could successfully handle our money together.
The thing that has made the biggest impact on our marriage is that after we rewrote our budget, we decided to go to a cash basis for the purchases that I usually made. When the cash is gone, I am done shopping. I have learned to plan my purchases and really enjoy the freedom of handling money within a plan. And I get what Dave calls "blow money" each pay period that I can spend on whatever I want. When my honey pays the bills, he no longer has to wade through a pile of receipts to enter into the money software on the computer, which saves him hours of time.
Our only debt is our house note, which will be paid off in three years or sooner. We have invested in the stock market but are not rattled by stock market plunges, because Dave taught about investing as well. We do have a financial adviser who is certified and recognized by Dave Ramsey and he is great about answering any questions we have.
In this uncertain world, it's best to get your debts paid off. And spend money only on necessities - food, clothing and a roof over your head. Be a mature adult and tell yourself, "No!!" You can buy new "stuff" and really enjoy it when you are debt free. For more information you can buy Dave's book or check him out on the web.
Crafts
Because I have a monthly budget for gifts, I'm a little more creative than I used to be with gifts. One of my precious young friends just had a baby boy who will be sharing a room with his big brother. So, I looked for two Bible verses that would be appropriate to make some artwork for their room. I purchased two wooden plaques, painted them blue then started layering.
The next step was to add some scrapbook paper and, using an ink pad, I inked the edges of the boards and the paper. It gave the project some nice dimension.
I painted two wooden "L"s green, then used Mod Podge to glue green scrapbook paper that I had cut to fit on top of the "L"s. I also glued coordinating scrapbook paper onto chipboard stars.
The next step was to lay out all the elements on the plaques. I added coordinating strips of blue scrapbook paper and leather letter stickers for their names along with partial circles with the Bible verses.
The last two steps were inking all the elements and gluing everything down with Mod Podge. I will post pictures of the finished gifts tomorrow...
Today's Recipe - Blueberry Tea
This tea is so refreshing and is naturally sweet.
4 Celestial Seasonings True Blueberry tea bags
1 gallon of filtered water
Put 2 cups of the water in a small saucepan along with the tea bags. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. (Or you can put in a glass container and heat on high for 3 minutes in the microwave.) Pour the tea and the tea bags into a gallon pitcher and add the rest of the water. Serve over ice.
No comments:
Post a Comment