Well, it's that time of the year to set those money goals. This is an exciting time for me as I challenge myself more each year. It is amazing what you can accomplish with a plan.
Now that you have had a week to come up with some goals...what are they? Here are a few of my 2012 financial goals:
*Save 25% of our income
*Tithe to our church (We've done this for over 10 years. I always like to include it.)
*Give to a ministry (more to come on that at a later date)
*Give $$ to a family in need
*Save $$ for a mission trip
*Save $$ for our island trip
*Save $$ for family camp
*Give supplies to a family in need
*Stay within budget in every category
*Use what I have on hand. This may not sound like a financial goal, but it will save me money to use up some supplies instead of replenishing.
Most importantly, my goal is to be thankful for what God has given me. I want to use our resources to the best of my ability. My goal is to be the best steward possible with GOD'S money.
Monday Blessings~
SHO
Showing posts with label Giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giving. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
~A Season of Giving~
This Christmas season will not be about traditional gifts for my family. Instead it will be about the gift of time. Time is something that we haven't had this fall. My husband is a football coach and has worked more this fall than any other year of his 10 year coaching career. With that being said, we have missed him dearly!
Time is something that is FREE, yet can be the most precious and memorable gift to give or receive. So many times I would love to get together with a friend to catch up, but I simply don't have time. Can you relate? My solution is to wrap up a certificate of time for your friend as a Christmas gift. That way you don't spend any money, but give the best gift!
I love the idea of customizing your own gift certificates. This is something that can be really fun to do for your spouse. Plus, you can make it very inexpensive. Give experiences, rather than expensive gifts.
There is no reason to not give your spouse, family or friends a gift this season. Make them feel special and loved without breaking the bank.
Have fun creating those certificates!
Blessed~
SHO
Friday, September 9, 2011
~3 Principles We Live By~
Hello Sassy Savers!
Hope everyone is having a great Friday! Boy, has this been a crazy busy week. All of my freezer cooking meals paid off big time this week. I didn't spend more than 20 minutes on any meal and we ate at home. I've found that if I have something that I can whip up in around 20-30 minutes, we will eat at home. After all, it takes about that long to go get takeout. Plus, you have to spend your precious money on fuel. No fun! Anytime we eat at home my hunky hubs calls it a "prepaid meal". In our house those meals are wonderful! Especially, since we are saving for Disney World!!!
Part of the reason that I started this blog was to encourage people. I'm asked all the time how we live off a teacher's salary. People are beyond curious. My answer is that we don't just "live", but we live in the "overflow blessings". Honestly, we live better now than we did with 2 full-time salaries. Part of the reason is that I'm not constantly worrying about money. Now that we live on such a strict budget, I know where the money is going. It is amazing the peace that I have felt since living on a written budget (of course, sticking to it is key).
3 principles we live by:
1) We are good stewards with our money (started using coupons). Started to think and plan ahead before every purchase. We were amazed at what we can talk ourselves out of! (Example: BMW 3 series...yes, it is my dream car...yes, we test drove several of them...yes, we put in offers...THEN we came back to a normal state of mind and decided that we have other goals that come before us driving a pretty BMW. After all, it will be even prettier when we get it AFTER we pay CASH for our home!)
2) We live within a budget. A very detailed budget is key for us! I keep track of where every dollar goes each month on a spreadsheet. That has really kept us on track. We have a game plan every month to make sure that we stay focused and are able to hit our savings goal.
3) Most importantly we HONOR GOD with our TITHE. We believe that God blesses the 90% that we keep and multiplies it. We have seen it in our finances!
Another thing is giving to those in need. I encourage you to pray and see if God is leading you to help someone. I promise, it is the BEST feeling knowing that you are truly helping someone in need. You will be so rewarded.
When we started combining those 3 things we were amazed at how God truly blessed us.
I want to encourage you today that whatever your financial situation is, you can start making changes today. You can get out of debt. You can live in the "overflow blessings". You can leave your children a legacy of financial freedom! Get excited! Change can be a wonderful thing. Change is uncomfortable, but so is living with debt looming over your head. Look forward to the finish line and never lose sight of your goals!
Be Blessed~
SHO
Hope everyone is having a great Friday! Boy, has this been a crazy busy week. All of my freezer cooking meals paid off big time this week. I didn't spend more than 20 minutes on any meal and we ate at home. I've found that if I have something that I can whip up in around 20-30 minutes, we will eat at home. After all, it takes about that long to go get takeout. Plus, you have to spend your precious money on fuel. No fun! Anytime we eat at home my hunky hubs calls it a "prepaid meal". In our house those meals are wonderful! Especially, since we are saving for Disney World!!!
Part of the reason that I started this blog was to encourage people. I'm asked all the time how we live off a teacher's salary. People are beyond curious. My answer is that we don't just "live", but we live in the "overflow blessings". Honestly, we live better now than we did with 2 full-time salaries. Part of the reason is that I'm not constantly worrying about money. Now that we live on such a strict budget, I know where the money is going. It is amazing the peace that I have felt since living on a written budget (of course, sticking to it is key).
3 principles we live by:
1) We are good stewards with our money (started using coupons). Started to think and plan ahead before every purchase. We were amazed at what we can talk ourselves out of! (Example: BMW 3 series...yes, it is my dream car...yes, we test drove several of them...yes, we put in offers...THEN we came back to a normal state of mind and decided that we have other goals that come before us driving a pretty BMW. After all, it will be even prettier when we get it AFTER we pay CASH for our home!)
2) We live within a budget. A very detailed budget is key for us! I keep track of where every dollar goes each month on a spreadsheet. That has really kept us on track. We have a game plan every month to make sure that we stay focused and are able to hit our savings goal.
3) Most importantly we HONOR GOD with our TITHE. We believe that God blesses the 90% that we keep and multiplies it. We have seen it in our finances!
Another thing is giving to those in need. I encourage you to pray and see if God is leading you to help someone. I promise, it is the BEST feeling knowing that you are truly helping someone in need. You will be so rewarded.
When we started combining those 3 things we were amazed at how God truly blessed us.
I want to encourage you today that whatever your financial situation is, you can start making changes today. You can get out of debt. You can live in the "overflow blessings". You can leave your children a legacy of financial freedom! Get excited! Change can be a wonderful thing. Change is uncomfortable, but so is living with debt looming over your head. Look forward to the finish line and never lose sight of your goals!
Be Blessed~
SHO
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
~A Season of Giving~
This is a great time of year to bless a family in need. I've already started praying about who it is that God wants my family to bless this year. Last year it was a family of 5 that we prayed about and felt that the Lord was telling us to help them. A friend (thanks Jenn!) and I gathered up several bags full of groceries, toiletries & baby items and were able to truly bless a family during the holiday season. It was great! Giving to others is one of the very best feelings :)
I encourage you to help a family who is struggling during this season. Show them God's love by giving them everyday household and food items that will really impact their family. This is the season for giving. Some people think that you need to be giving gifts or don't bother. That is just not true. I firmly believe that any household food or toiletry item is often times a better gift than something from a store that they may not even use.
This is a great opportunity to get your children involved. It is so wonderful to explain to my legacy that we are doing "God's work" and blessing others because we are so blessed. You can help. You can make a difference. You will blessed for blessing others!
"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you." ~Deuteronomy 16: 17
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." ~Proverbs 22:9
I encourage you to help a family who is struggling during this season. Show them God's love by giving them everyday household and food items that will really impact their family. This is the season for giving. Some people think that you need to be giving gifts or don't bother. That is just not true. I firmly believe that any household food or toiletry item is often times a better gift than something from a store that they may not even use.
This is a great opportunity to get your children involved. It is so wonderful to explain to my legacy that we are doing "God's work" and blessing others because we are so blessed. You can help. You can make a difference. You will blessed for blessing others!
"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you." ~Deuteronomy 16: 17
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." ~Proverbs 22:9
Thursday, September 23, 2010
~Donations!~
The donations have been delivered! Thank you so much to everyone who donated. I feel so honored to be surrounded by so many giving people. You have shown me God's love through your giving. These donations are going to bless the family in need so much more than we can imagine.
*The stuff was piled up...we had already grouped it up before I took the pic. There is so much more there than it even looks like. It was awesome!
As always, I encourage to be generous with the items that you collect from couponing. You can really make a difference in someones life!
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor"
~Proverbs 22:9~
Blessed~
SHO
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