Monday, December 31, 2012
Month 1 Intro: Spending
This month is all about the benjamin's.
...or lack thereof.
I shudder to think of all the money we've wasted over the years, truly. I can't even fathom it.
We go out to eat more than I care to put in writing, we spend money carelessly on things we really didn't even need in the first place, and we waste/break/misplace so much food/toys/belongings that I can't imagine how much we spend replacing it all. And then we have the nerve to cry the blues at the end of every month when we have to scrimp and save to pay our bills. Woe is us.
And before I go on, I know that we are pretty tame compared to most people in the US. I read somewhere that the average American household of 2.5 individuals (how can you have .5 of an individual anyway?) spends about 4K a month on expenses. We spend about 3K give or take. We don't always follow a strict budget, but we DO think about bills before anything else, it's just that we give the bills our last penny instead of giving them our first. Our consumerism takes ahold of us and it shows in our bank accounts, which could definitely be a lot larger than they are now. We have the means, but lack a lot of the know-how and motivation to get everything where it needs to be.
Richie and I often talk about how tired we are of worrying about how we're going to pay for XYZ and how depressing it is to take any extra income we receive and put it towards overdue bills. Just once, I would like to walk into a store and walk out with a few things we don't need and NOT feel guilty about it. I would like to take that random, unplanned day trip with the kids. Heck, I would even settle for a planned day trip at this point, but even that seems out of the question.
And you know what the most frustrating part about all this is? We are not poor. At all really. We are extremely blessed even. Richie has a great job that pays him well and has allowed us to buy a home, raise three kids, and have me home everyday to take care of it all. That's practically unheard of in a world where both parents HAVE to work in order to make ends meet. I know so many moms would do anything for the opportunities I have, and I am truly grateful. That's why it's so frustrating to struggle when I KNOW God gave me every means to keep my household running smoothly. At the end of every month, when we look at our pitiful savings, it almost seems like a spit in God's face. Like "Hey God, thanks for keeping our car running another month. You know as well as I do that we couldn't afford to fix it if it broke down on us right? How 'bout, instead of us setting up an emergency savings fund, you just promise us you'll keep the car running for a little while yet while we celebrate over here at Red Lobster and the mall. Sound alright with you?"
Obviously that isn't our true mindset, but it might as well be. As a Christian, I know my family is supposed to set an example. If we are struggling in an area that we have every opportunity to excel at, than that is a reflection of our Christianity, pure and simple. We'll never have it all together, but we can surely be doing better than we are now. This first month, spending, will hopefully help us cut back in areas that we tend to waste money on. We chose spending to be out first month because we know how important it is that we set up a REAL budget. A budget that only allows for spending on the important things first and foremost, and THEN if we have a little extra, it is ours to do with as we see fit.
But what exactly WILL we see fit? I hope to elaborate on that later in the month...
Anyway, we aren't going to follow Jen Hatmaker's rules in 7 to a T. For example, she listed gas as one of her seven choices for the month and restricted her spending to one specific gas station. That's really not possible for us since Richie works so far from home, and to rely on one gas station as the only source of fuel is kind of reckless. Especially since towing expenses won't be one of our seven choices for the month and that's bound to come up if we adhere to that rule. So here is our list of seven "vendors" for the month.
Shop Rite
Gas
Bills
Church
Target
Emergency fund
1 Family activity
Now I realize some of those are broad, like you can buy any and everything in Target so really, what are you giving up? And family activity, isn't the whole point to save this month and not go out? Well, yes and no.
When Jen Hatmaker wrote her chapter on spending, she realized that her family averaged about 66 vendors a month. That's a lot. A whole lot more than us, and I still think we spend a lot in many places we don't need to. So while the purpose of her month was to cut back on their consumerism in a huge way, I want our focus to be on creating more of a family budget we can stick to. I still think we can cut back in a lot of places, like fast food, and we will. But I don't want to cut back on absolutely EVERYTHING, because well, we have three kids...one of which has a birthday this month. And if we want to take them somewhere special and spend a SMALL amount of money spoiling them for a little, then I think that's OK.
Jen Hatmaker cheated a lot in the book too! So there!
As far as Target goes, again, we will be setting some ground rules. We can only go there after we have exhausted every other means of purchasing "whatever it is" and we can only get that particular item(s) that we need and nothing else. Which is super hard because, as you know, Target has a little bit of everything. I don't think I've ever gone in there and came out with less than 15 things. Do they even have a speedy checkout line for ten items or less? If they do I've never seen it, let alone needed to use it.
There's a lot more I'd like to expand on and explore throughout this month, so stick with me. I know this won't be the hardest month we will go though, but it is still going to be pretty tough. I will miss you take out food, I will miss you random trips to CVS to get another tube of lipstick that I don't need, I will miss you mall, I will miss you children's clothing stores, and I will REALLY miss you Barnes and Noble. I will see you in 31 days. Hopefully then we can foster a better relationship between us, one in which I need you less and you miss me more.
Here's to month one!
Friday, December 28, 2012
It's almost time...
...am I ready?
I don't know that I am. I keep thinking that maybe we should have started in February so that we had all of January to mentally prep but Richie seems to think that it's the best way to start the year off. I do agree, however, because I want this to be a life change and not a temporary one, I need to have my mind in the right place or else I will never be able to make it through all 7 months. Lord, please give me the strength and fortitude to make it to the end...
January is money month. I'll elaborate more on that in a couple days time, but suffice it to say that I think this month is going to be a tough one. Not necessarily because of the restrictions, though it will be hard to avoid fast food on the nights when I don't want to cook and even harder to avoid any and all mindless shopping for an entire month. Though maybe a month isn't long enough...I rarely ever get to shop anymore. Hmm.
Anyway, I think it will be tough only because we don't really spend money in any "extra" places except at restaurants and fast food places. We usually only shop at places like wal mart and target and Giant anyway, we just tend to buy a lot of random stuff while we're there. Now that I think about it, we should set a limit for each location (except bills, those suckers are a surprise every month) and only spend within that limit for the month of January. Or at least commit to only going to the store to buy what is ABSOLUTELY necessary, and any extra stuff will have to be avoided or else terrible punishment shall await. It just will.
We have our seven locations more or less picked out, and I'm looking forward to officially beginning and getting everything underway. I just want this lifestyle change to be permanent in a way I cannot even explain. Think of it this way: on a scale of 1-10 determining the wasteful and excessive lifestyle we're living, we probably rate about an 8 or 8.5. I kid you not. I want to "fast" down to a 2 or 3. Probably closer to 3. When this is all over, I want to bounce back to a 5 at the most. Maybe 5.5. I know I won't be able to restrict myself of everything defined in 7, but I obviously don't want to go right back to our wasteful and excessive ways. 5 is a good balance I think, and I would be happy with that for now. Perhaps I can do some more pruning and streamlining as time goes on.
I want this to take our hearts and minds and break them down to their bare basics, and when we feel like we don't have enough/want more/need more/ can't live without more, I want to have nowhere to turn but Jesus. I think so often I feel a burning desire for something and have practically every opportunity to turn to the thing itself for comfort. If I want to buy something, it's online or at the store. If I want to eat something, it's there in the fridge. If I want to play on the computer or phone instead of doing work, it's here at my disposal. The list is endless when it comes to all the things I have. Things I do lack are patience, will power, the ability to go without...I don't want that to be me. I don't want to be the person that has everything and always wants more. I want to be satisfied with Jesus, and everything that comes after that is something extra, something more than I deserve. I want that to be my mindset every morning when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep. Anything else is just unacceptable to me.
I know I won't always be perfect at all this. I can guarantee I won't be anywhere near perfect. But I want to give this my all. I want to look back on these 7 months as monumental to our life history. I don't want to ever forget that I went without and came out BETTER, STRONGER, HAPPIER. That's all I want. Please Lord, let it be so.
It's almost time. I believe I am ready.
I don't know that I am. I keep thinking that maybe we should have started in February so that we had all of January to mentally prep but Richie seems to think that it's the best way to start the year off. I do agree, however, because I want this to be a life change and not a temporary one, I need to have my mind in the right place or else I will never be able to make it through all 7 months. Lord, please give me the strength and fortitude to make it to the end...
January is money month. I'll elaborate more on that in a couple days time, but suffice it to say that I think this month is going to be a tough one. Not necessarily because of the restrictions, though it will be hard to avoid fast food on the nights when I don't want to cook and even harder to avoid any and all mindless shopping for an entire month. Though maybe a month isn't long enough...I rarely ever get to shop anymore. Hmm.
Anyway, I think it will be tough only because we don't really spend money in any "extra" places except at restaurants and fast food places. We usually only shop at places like wal mart and target and Giant anyway, we just tend to buy a lot of random stuff while we're there. Now that I think about it, we should set a limit for each location (except bills, those suckers are a surprise every month) and only spend within that limit for the month of January. Or at least commit to only going to the store to buy what is ABSOLUTELY necessary, and any extra stuff will have to be avoided or else terrible punishment shall await. It just will.
We have our seven locations more or less picked out, and I'm looking forward to officially beginning and getting everything underway. I just want this lifestyle change to be permanent in a way I cannot even explain. Think of it this way: on a scale of 1-10 determining the wasteful and excessive lifestyle we're living, we probably rate about an 8 or 8.5. I kid you not. I want to "fast" down to a 2 or 3. Probably closer to 3. When this is all over, I want to bounce back to a 5 at the most. Maybe 5.5. I know I won't be able to restrict myself of everything defined in 7, but I obviously don't want to go right back to our wasteful and excessive ways. 5 is a good balance I think, and I would be happy with that for now. Perhaps I can do some more pruning and streamlining as time goes on.
I want this to take our hearts and minds and break them down to their bare basics, and when we feel like we don't have enough/want more/need more/ can't live without more, I want to have nowhere to turn but Jesus. I think so often I feel a burning desire for something and have practically every opportunity to turn to the thing itself for comfort. If I want to buy something, it's online or at the store. If I want to eat something, it's there in the fridge. If I want to play on the computer or phone instead of doing work, it's here at my disposal. The list is endless when it comes to all the things I have. Things I do lack are patience, will power, the ability to go without...I don't want that to be me. I don't want to be the person that has everything and always wants more. I want to be satisfied with Jesus, and everything that comes after that is something extra, something more than I deserve. I want that to be my mindset every morning when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep. Anything else is just unacceptable to me.
I know I won't always be perfect at all this. I can guarantee I won't be anywhere near perfect. But I want to give this my all. I want to look back on these 7 months as monumental to our life history. I don't want to ever forget that I went without and came out BETTER, STRONGER, HAPPIER. That's all I want. Please Lord, let it be so.
It's almost time. I believe I am ready.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Welcome!
Disclaimer: The blog itself is a work in progress. Just wanted something "bloggy" looking to start out with and I have to reintroduce myself to graphics and templates and such in order to make this more streamlined and visually appealing. To me at least :)
Anyway...Hi!
If you are joining me through Facebook, then you probably know me. If you don't know me, I'm very easy to get to know. I am a Christian wife and mother of three. I am a stay at home mom with a house in the sticks and I wouldn't want it any other way. This blog isn't going to be my personal diary or a journal of the thrilling stories of my housewife life, it is going to be my family's journey through the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker. I am not a professional at blogging or writing by any means, in fact I don't even think I'm any good at either. I don't know that anyone except my close friends and family will care to follow along. I want this to be a journal of "7" only. I have a personal blog that I may or may not share later, we shall see. (I don't keep the stinkin' thing updated enough anyway lol.)
I just want to be able to look back at the end of all this and see how far we have come and what changes we may have made/still need to make. If I don't write it all down I will forget. And I already know I don't want that to happen.
So first off, let me introduce you to 7.
This is the Amazon description of the book. I encourage you to watch the related media video towards the bottom of the page.
As for the "Jess" description of the book....it's amazing. That's all that needs to be said.
No but really though...read it.
You'll get a better description of it as I go through it, but at its basics, it's about a family (the Hatmakers) and more specifically a woman (Jen Hatmaker) and her life that is boggled down with stress and excess to the max. Too much stuff, not enough God, and the debilitation and overwhelmed feelings that go along with it. I am weak, I struggle with over indulgence, and I NEED more Jesus in the way that I need to breathe, in the way that I need a nap in the afternoon, in the way that my house needs to be scrubbed from top to bottom....it's a serious need. So her description of cutting back on the excess and gaining more of the Jesus appealed to me in a big way. I mean really though this (from the Amazon description): "So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? It’s the discovery of a greatly increased God—a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence" resonated through me so loudly that I heard ringing for days afterward. I want that with all of my heart.
It's a 7 month long process, all centered around the number 7. Each month you identify a different area of excess and cut back on it in 7 different ways. We didn't have to (and won't) follow her exact rules in the book, but we did identify with the same areas of excess that she did and we want to approach them in basically the same way. They are as follows:
Money- spend money only in 7 places
Media- eliminate use of 7 media types
Food- only eat 7 whole foods
Waste- adopt 7 green habits
Possessions-give away 7 possessions a day
Clothes-only wear 7 articles of clothing
Stress-partake of 7 daily sacred pauses
So each month is devoted to one area of excess. When I do my introductory post of each month I will explain them more in detail. The order I have them listed is the order we are going to be following them. We start in less than 3 weeks! And I am so excited, even though I know this is going to be insanely hard. We need a radical change around here and I hope this will be the jump start we need.
And I should add, this is mainly for me and Richie, I am not going to serve my kids only 7 foods and force them to give away 7 toys a day lol. They will participate in media month and they basically already wear the same couple outfits in rotation (they have their favorites, what can I say.) So although this is a family project, the main participators will be my husband and I.
For the next few weeks I may or may not jot down some pre-7 thoughts down here, but the meat of this whole experiment will start on Jan 1st. Or probably December 31st, so I can make my intro to Jan post :)
Hopefully you'll stick around for the ride! If you will, say a prayer for us! We will need all the encouragement we can get! (bye bye potato chips, I loved you well....)
Anyway...Hi!
If you are joining me through Facebook, then you probably know me. If you don't know me, I'm very easy to get to know. I am a Christian wife and mother of three. I am a stay at home mom with a house in the sticks and I wouldn't want it any other way. This blog isn't going to be my personal diary or a journal of the thrilling stories of my housewife life, it is going to be my family's journey through the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker. I am not a professional at blogging or writing by any means, in fact I don't even think I'm any good at either. I don't know that anyone except my close friends and family will care to follow along. I want this to be a journal of "7" only. I have a personal blog that I may or may not share later, we shall see. (I don't keep the stinkin' thing updated enough anyway lol.)
I just want to be able to look back at the end of all this and see how far we have come and what changes we may have made/still need to make. If I don't write it all down I will forget. And I already know I don't want that to happen.
So first off, let me introduce you to 7.
This is the Amazon description of the book. I encourage you to watch the related media video towards the bottom of the page.
As for the "Jess" description of the book....it's amazing. That's all that needs to be said.
No but really though...read it.
You'll get a better description of it as I go through it, but at its basics, it's about a family (the Hatmakers) and more specifically a woman (Jen Hatmaker) and her life that is boggled down with stress and excess to the max. Too much stuff, not enough God, and the debilitation and overwhelmed feelings that go along with it. I am weak, I struggle with over indulgence, and I NEED more Jesus in the way that I need to breathe, in the way that I need a nap in the afternoon, in the way that my house needs to be scrubbed from top to bottom....it's a serious need. So her description of cutting back on the excess and gaining more of the Jesus appealed to me in a big way. I mean really though this (from the Amazon description): "So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? It’s the discovery of a greatly increased God—a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence" resonated through me so loudly that I heard ringing for days afterward. I want that with all of my heart.
It's a 7 month long process, all centered around the number 7. Each month you identify a different area of excess and cut back on it in 7 different ways. We didn't have to (and won't) follow her exact rules in the book, but we did identify with the same areas of excess that she did and we want to approach them in basically the same way. They are as follows:
Money- spend money only in 7 places
Media- eliminate use of 7 media types
Food- only eat 7 whole foods
Waste- adopt 7 green habits
Possessions-give away 7 possessions a day
Clothes-only wear 7 articles of clothing
Stress-partake of 7 daily sacred pauses
So each month is devoted to one area of excess. When I do my introductory post of each month I will explain them more in detail. The order I have them listed is the order we are going to be following them. We start in less than 3 weeks! And I am so excited, even though I know this is going to be insanely hard. We need a radical change around here and I hope this will be the jump start we need.
And I should add, this is mainly for me and Richie, I am not going to serve my kids only 7 foods and force them to give away 7 toys a day lol. They will participate in media month and they basically already wear the same couple outfits in rotation (they have their favorites, what can I say.) So although this is a family project, the main participators will be my husband and I.
For the next few weeks I may or may not jot down some pre-7 thoughts down here, but the meat of this whole experiment will start on Jan 1st. Or probably December 31st, so I can make my intro to Jan post :)
Hopefully you'll stick around for the ride! If you will, say a prayer for us! We will need all the encouragement we can get! (bye bye potato chips, I loved you well....)
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