I was praying about going to Africa this summer with James and the youth group. If you read my account of the Mexico trip you may be laughing at me. I am a spoiled brat. I do have a very easy life. But - since I was a child I have dreamed about Afica. So, my heart is drawn to this trip (even thouh my food preferences and my pale skin are a little worried!).
The cost is the big factor. Do we take a time out from the dave ramsey plan? Is it worth it? ...
James and I decided I should go to Africa! There is alot to be said in the book of James about not scurrying around being worried about money. That being said - someone has got to make the green stuff to make life run smoothly.
I was readng moneysaving mom's blog and just so happened to be on there the day she was giving away her new audio book to bloggers - God blessed me with a free copy! Her book was very helpful in giving me ideas to save money for my upcoming missions trip.
I have read Dave Ramsey Books and have listened to his radio show. He helped our family realize that we wanted to "live like no one else now so eventually we could live like no one else!" We will forever be thankful to him for helping us climb out of debt. What I loved about moneysaving mom's book is that... well, she's a mom! She thinks and talks like a mom. Dave does not talk that way :0)So - if you want to sit down and hear from a sweet friend, this lady is the one to shed some light on your finances. She starts out having you dream up some goals. Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years? Break your goals down into bite size pieces. She talks about you cleaning your house so you can think straight! Some of you may not like that but it is a proven fact that if your house is messy then inside your pretty little head is messy ;) After those two things she has you tackle your food budget and so on.
Another thing I appreciate about her is she mentions a few times that you are going to mess up. Give yourself three months to conquer a certain area. Ahhh, that is so freeing to me. I have three months to get it right! Thank you! That's what gets me about coupons. I want to have it all figured out in the first shopping trip. That wasnt happening and it was bugging me. I will sort some other areas out but when the time is right, i just may give the coupon thing a try again... and hang on for three months. Another freeing thing she says in her book is to allow 40 dollars per person in your family for your grocery bill,toiletries etc. I don't know about you but that is way more than I spend a week. She is not saying you can only spend 50 dollars a week. Mind you - before children, 50 dollars was our budget. Kids are expensive!
So what have I learned in this book and how will it help me get to Africa?
1. Set a goal - Africa
2. Bite size pieces - figure out how much money I need per month to get there. (done that!)
3. Come up with ideas to make the money. (yep!) shave off money from the grocery bill, make short term sacrifices.
Listening to her book was a blessing and helped me remember that I can reach pretty amazing goals if I work at it.
If you are struggling financially or if your a mom and would like some positive reinforcement into your budget, then this is the book for you. I looove Dave Ramsey but I have to say Moneysaving mom says the same stuff in a nice kind friend to friend way. I have never met her but after listening to her audio book a few times, i consider her a friend :0) ... and thanks for the free audio book!
No comments:
Post a Comment