$1000 Emergency Fund

Our first priority for getting out of debt isn't actually touching any of the debt at all.  This may seem counterintuitive to some, but having this emergency fund in place will keep your debt from growing in that, when an emergency happens you won't have to put it on a credit card.

At the same time, you can continue using some of these ideas for building your fund to put extra money on your debt.

Stop using credit cards.  We are now on a spending freeze.  It's time to decide what is a want and what is a need.  For needs, try to use cash and coupons whenever possible.  Don't use the credit card.

Find all the cash in your home.  This one might surprise you.  Get all the change from your "bucket", pockets, seat cushions, coat pockets, old purses, ashtray in the car, etc.  It all adds up really fast and you'll be surprised at how much you find.  Once you have found it all, never leaving it laying around again, have a central spot to put all loose change.

Find other hidden money.  Gift cards you haven't used...use them or sell them on websites like gift card granny.  Or, if you haven't used any on them at all, regift them, and put the money you would have spent on a gift into your fund.  What about any points you have on your credit cards or other reward programs?  Figure out how they can be used for bill credits or again for gifts and then "save" the money you would have spent.  What about your taxes?  It's worth it to get a company like H&R Block to check your taxes to see if you could get more from last year.

Get some extra income from more hours at work or get a part time job.  This may seem like a step backwards or something you just don't want to do, but keep in mind, it is only temporary until you are on your feet and have learned how to stay there.

I would love to hear from any of you about how much you find and/or save.  I love hearing your stories.  I, myself found $20 in a jacket pocket I don't ever remember putting there!

Chicken Stir Fry

1 lb white meat chicken cut into bite size pieces
1/2 C each of snow peas, broccoli florets, julienned carrots and red pepper
   (I sometimes use a bag of stir fry veggies from the produce section)
1/2 C stir fry sauce or more to taste

optional: serve over rice or lo mien noodles


brown chicken
add vegetables and cook until crisp tender
stir in sauce and warm through

Triceps Stability Ball Push Up

Rest the top of your feel/ankle area on top of a stability ball and be in a plank position....body completely straight in line.  Place your hands a little closer than shoulder width apart flat on the floor.  Bend your arms slowly and lower your body until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle then push back up.  Repeat 12 times.

Holy crap! I am seriously out of shape! I couldn't keep on the stability ball past one push up.  I had to modify this to where my feet were touching a door or wall to help me hold still so I could do the push ups.  Even with this little help your abs are still seriously engaged to keep your core steady on the ball.  Another two for one exercise!  I hope to get to the point quickly where I don't have to use the door to hold me steady.

This week you should do your one arm push ups and these.  Next week we will add another move.  For next week you will need either 5 pound or 8 pound set of hand weights and the stability ball again.

Don't give up!!

Made to Crave Week 2

From Desperation to Determination

We do a lot of bad things out of desperation.  Out goal is to avoid it, obviously.  In terms of healthy eating, that means we need to determine what we are going to eat each day and have those things with us to avoid any desperate situations such as I forgot my lunch or my snack, so I'll head to the buffet down the street or the vending machines in the lounge.

Genesis 25:27-32 tells the story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew.  Have you ever been that hungry??  Hunger is a very powerful force. Sometimes we don't think clearly when we are hungry, which is why we need to be prepared with healthy meals and snacks so we don't sell our birthright out of desperation.

In chapter 4, Lysa says, "When what is lacking in life goes from being an annoyance to an anxiety, we run the risk of compromising in ways we never thought we would." Ever been there?  I know I have.  From here she suggests an accountability partner for your healthy eating plan.  Remember, your plan doesn't have to match another person's, you are simply helping each other stick to your own personal plans.  You have heard all kinds of research about how we stick to working out when we have a partner, and the same goes for a lot of other activities.  Plus the fact that we do a lot of unhealthy eating in secret...think about it, I bet you have.  I know I've waited to eat 2 brownies until my husband wasn't around.  I wouldn't eat 2 in front of him.  There are other benefits to this: having someone to talk to who knows exactly how you feel, encouragement, comfort, and companionship.

The reality is that we were made for more than this.  Have you ever dwelt on food so much that you barely thought of anything else or allowed it to get you so down that you ended up burying your sorrows in food anyway?  We were made for more.  Our lives are not to revolve around food and the way it makes us feel.  We are children of God and He has so much more for us....food is a tiny portion of our lives, not the huge thing we can make it out to be.

In chapter 6 Lysa says, "Being ruled by something other than God diminishes our commitment and will make us feel increasingly distant from Him."  That is so true for me when I get too hung up on food, ether the good side or the bad.  Since we have to eat multiple times a day, we have to think about it often...but it doesn't have to control our thoughts.  In Phil 3:18-19 there is a phrase, "their god is their stomach."  I don't ever want to feel that way again.

I highly encourage you to work through the entire participant's guide and the questions at the end of the chapter for this week.  For me it was this week that was a turning point...lightbulbs going on, whatever you want to call it.  I haven't turned into a vegetarian, and I still eat an occasional brownie, but things clicked for me, and I hope the same for you.

Clean & Fix with Common Household Products

 



SHAVING CREAM

• spray on the hinges of a squeaky door
• blot a spill on the carpet then use shaving cream and wipe with a damp sponge
• rub on to chrome to shine

ASPIRIN

• mix 2 crushed aspirin in 1/2 cup water then soak shirts with sweat stains
• make a paste and clean soap scum from tiles with damp sponge
• crush 1 aspirin into 1 quart of water and use to treat soil to help plants resist disease

BABY POWDER

• rub into a greasy stain with a sponge to remove
• shake powder into cracks of wooden floor to reduce squeaks
• sprinkle around ant hideouts to keep them away

Get out of Debt Overview

In this series we will be talking about how to get out of debt and stay out of debt.  Sprinkled in will be money saving tips, ideas and strategies.  Listed below are the basic steps we are going to follow to get there.  Keep in mind that I have a Christian perspective and Biblical worldview, so my goals may not completely match yours. Further description and game plans will come in the following weeks for each step.  Funny thing, I've been planning this for months, the my pastor preaches on it and has almost the exact same steps! So, Pastor, if you're reading this...I had it first! (just teasing!!)

1. Establish a $1000 emergency fund and if you use it replenish it immediately. This fund is for things like your refrigerator or stove breaking down or a tree falling through your roof....not for a great deal on a beach condo.
2. Pay off all debt except your house...that comes later.
3. Establish a fund equal to 6 months to a year of living expenses.  Pastor described this one better than me...this is a rainy day fund, and it WILL rain sooner or later.
4. Invest at least 15% of your income into retirement savings.
5. Establish a college fund for your children.  Yes, this comes after your retirement.  If you don't take care of you, you can't take care of them.
6. Pay off your home early or just now buy a home.
7. Any personal wealth built after this is to be given away for the sake of the Kingdom. Missions, church planting, helping out a single mother financially, extra tithing, etc.

Next week we will start working on the $1000 emergency fund.

Chicken Wrap

3 oz leftover chicken
salad mix
1 Tblsp your favorite dressing
tortilla (I like Extreme Wellness high fiber wraps)

chicken should be cut into bite size pieces
mix chicken, however much salad you want, and dressing together
place in center of wrap
roll up and enjoy


my wrap has less than 300 calories
I like to get a rotisserie chicken, or cook one in the crock pot, then strip it
I then weigh out 3oz into individual containers and they are ready to go for a week of wraps

Triceps One Arm Press

Lay down on your left side and stack your legs with knees slightly bent.  Put your left hand on your right shoulder.  Put your right hand flat on the floor near your left elbow and push up until your arm is straight.  Think of a one arm push up but on your side.  Do this 12 times then switch sides and do 12 times.

The first day I did this, I realized I would have to do it on the bed or couch.  It killed my hips for all of my weight to be on them and pushed into the floor as I pushed up.  The bed works great, and since it's softer than the floor I think I'm pushing a little more, so maybe an extra benefit for the triceps!  I also noted that my obliques were getting a little workout in the push up as well.  I'll take all the two-for-ones I can get.

Do this one exercise for a week.  Next Thursday we will add another triceps move to this workout and we will do both of them for a week.  By the end of 6 weeks you will have a complete 6 move triceps workout and you should start seeing a difference by then.

For next week, you will need a stability ball.

Made to Crave Week 1

From Deprivation to Empowerment

The whole idea behind me doing these Bible studies on the blog is to introduce you to some great Bible studies that I've done and learned from.  Copyright infringement laws prohibit me from rewriting the book here.  So, what you'll see in my posts are my reactions, thoughts, and what I learned from that week's study.

If you're doing this study with us, I trust that you have the book and the participant guide.  You do not need to have the DVDs, but if you wish to purchase them or download them from Lifeway.com, you will get a little more out of the study.  The participant's guide will lead you through questions and tell you when to read which chapters from the book.

Let me start this one by saying that you do not need to be overweight to get a lot out of this study.  If you have ever used food as comfort in anyway, or as a tool, or really as any kind of a substitute, this study is for you.  We will not be following a diet...if you decide to develop a healthy eating plan for yourself, that's up to you.  We will simply be studying what the Bible has to say about food and how we should turn to God, not food.

The very first page burst my bubble...but in a good way.  1 Peter 2:11 says "Dear friends, I urge you to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your souls."  You see we were made to enjoy food, but not indulge in it....there's the key.  There are all kinds of Bible passages about overindulgence and gluttony.  Just like with wine....it is not forbidden, but we are told over and over not to be drunk.  Same with food, we may enjoy it, but we are not supposed to pig out.  That's right; put down the second brownie and well, seconds on anything really.  A small part of me wanted to give up right here, but most of me knew I was made for more so I kept going.

On page 2 of the participant's guide, Lysa make some really great points that hit home with me.

• "Food isn't bad, but it's a problem when it sabotages you mentally, physically or spiritually."
• "I had to be really honest.  The thing I thought about, ran to, took comfort in, found refuge in, turned to, and depended on, was food way more than it was Jesus."
• "If we can look at healthy options and make the healthy choices - and not feel deprived but instead feel empowered - everything will change.  It will change us mentally, physically and spiritually."

The only thing I have to add here is to tread lightly.  If we become completely obsessed with healthy eating, lifestyle, choices, etc - and the key word is obsessed - then we are still turning to something other than Jesus, it is just slightly better for our bodies.

Matthew 19:16-26 tells the story of the rich young man who was unwilling to deny himself.  Read that sentence again....unwilling to deny himself.  Isn't that what I do when I'm at a potluck and see all the brownies and other yummy baked goods?  I don't have just one thing, I feel I need to try everything that looks good, because I am unwilling to deny myself.  Yikes! I have to remember that unrestrained pleasure in food is sin. I have to realize that I allow my cravings to be powerful. Remember we consume what we think about....I need to think about Jesus more.

Which leads to a great tip from the book: use your craving as a prompt for prayer.  Maybe it sounds silly to you, but just try it, especially if your cravings are constantly taking you down.  It does help!

Now the suggestion is to develop a healthy eating plan for yourself.  I'm not saying diet and I'm not saying go overboard and set yourself up for failure.  Maybe you need to think in terms of baby steps.  Maybe right now your healthy eating plan is simply portion control.  Only 1 small brownie, only 2 pieces of bacon, only 1-2 small snacks a day.  Maybe you never eat vegetables and your plan right now is to simply add one serving a day...same for fruit.  But YOU decide what is for you, then use your cravings to seek God daily for helping in sticking to whatever plan you come up with.

Time Saving Tips

1. when you plan your clothes the night before also pick out shoes and any other accessories
2. stagger wake up times for every member of the family if you have to share a bathroom
3. shake wet clothes out as you put them in the dryer as they will dry faster with fewer wrinkles
4. shop when stores are almost empty like early morning and late evening
5. set a timer for a task; you go faster when trying to beat the clock
6. to dust blinds, put socks on both hands to go twice as fast
7. at work, start with your most difficult tasks when you are fresh
8. set a homework hour, deadlines get things finished and there is no squabbling about when to do it
9. bake eggs in a muffin tin then refrigerate; microwave and put on an english muffin during the morning rush
10. while laundry is running in the machines, use that time to do other time consuming projects