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    • 10 Awesome things for FREE

    By admin | April 13, 2009

    I saw some excellent free stuff courtesy of Hustler Money Blog and thought I would pass them along.

    1. Free nutrigrain bar
    2. Free Magic Eraser 2-pack
    3. Free Sample of IdeaPaint Dry Erase Surface Paint
    4. Ben & Jerry’s is offering a free cone from noon to close
    5. Haagen-Dazs stores are offering a free scoop
    6. Complimentary subscription to Baseball Digest.
    7. Free Sunglasses Case from Glasses Reviews
    8. Make a dollar via Paypal
    9. $75 worth of printable coupons
    10. Free Download of Barenaked Ladies (I’M A BIG FAN BTW)

    Topics: Deals | No Comments »

    Some Scary Statistics

    By admin | April 9, 2009

    More People Will Declare Bankruptcy this year than GRADUATE COLLEGE!

    This is a SERIOUS problem in America. We have now allowed debt to be an acceptable and encouraged way of life yet every year we set a new Bankruptcy record. I wonder when we will finally get off this map that the credit card companies have made for us because they are making a TON of money and it’s coming from us!

    The average marriage in America lasts 9.4 years and 70-77 percent of divorces list finances as a primary reason for it. 2700 divorces each day and about 2,000 of them are because of money!

    I have to ask the question. Have you ever had a money fight with your spouse? If you say no I would like to congratulate on your wedding yesterday!  What if you had a plan for your money that you and your spouse started from day 1? And once a month you would have a Money Night and you would review things and tell your money what to do the following month? Do you think this would help aid and possibly eliminate tension caused by money? Just a thought.

    44% of all household carry a credit card balance. 28% of all Americans say they hardly ever pay off the whole balance.

    So basically half of Americans do not pay off their credit card every month. Which means they are buying stuff they can’t pay for. That seems like the most immature action there could be: “I don’t have money to pay for something, but I want it! I’ll get it anyway” How is this even an option!?! 1/4th of Americans say they DON’T PAY OFF THE BALANCE PERIOD! This is alarming especially in light of Proverbs 22:7 which says that the borrower is the lender’s slave.

    The Wall Street Journal says nearly 70% of all consumers LIVE from paycheck to paycheck.

    Now this is especially sad. What this statistic is saying is 70% of people don’t have an emergency fund to cushion a blow when life happens. Money Magazine says that 78% of you will have a major negative financial event at any given 10 year time. Life is GOING to happen. Your car will break down, your refrigerator will stop running, something is going to happen and if you don’t have a cushion to take those blows you will find yourself in a STRESSFUL situation. It is reasonable to assume that this statistic and the divorce statistic listed above are connected.

    The average Japanese family saves around 18.1% of their household income while the average American family saves -2.2%.

    We are destined for failure with a statistic like this. This was published in the Wal-Street journal. When I read something like this it makes me know that America does not know what we are doing when it comes to money. I am no longer following what is “normal” spending habits in our country. I choose to follow scripture and follow novel concepts like “spend less than you make.”

    Topics: Debt, Freedom | No Comments »

    Am I LOST financially?

    By admin | April 8, 2009

    If you have been checking out this site for some time you know by now that I base my financial principles around what scripture (Bible) says. There is a reason for this: it is smart.

    I actually like to call the bible our map. If we are lost financially we might have to evaluate if we are following the wrong map. How do I know if I am lost financially?

    Like I have said before, most of Americans are in a stressful situation (The Wall-Street Journal published that 70% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck). This means if they missed one paycheck they would not be able to make ends meet.

    A definition of instanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  If we follow the map of culture, why do we think it will end up with different results?  Are we following the wrong map?

    Topics: Freedom | No Comments »

    Lessons from the Masters

    By admin | April 7, 2009

    Yesterday I got to attend an experience of a lifetime and went to Augusta National to see some AMAZING sights at the Masters golf tournament

    Some points of interest:

    It was a bit unusual, people (including us) were standing in line just to get in the gift shop.  To spend money on the most overpriced merchandise.  And you know what…it was contagious.  I began thinking all the things that I was going to spend money on and the tally was racking up.  If it weren’t for the fact that as soon as I got in, it was a mad house (10 times worst than Black Friday), I would have bought stuff.  I had to escape as quickly as possible so I ended up not spending money.

    But it made me think how impulsive of a shopper I am.  I really was about to spend some major money just because it is easy for me to catch the shopping fever.

    I do not know why I am an impulse shopper but it is my nature and I have to place solid guidelines in the arena in my finances for the rest of my life to truly combat this.I get what I like to call “buyer’s remorse.” I will be super excited about something and then get it, I get into this funk where I feel guilty and stupid for spending so much on it.

    I find myself time & time again giving into impulse rather than patience.

    I have learned (and continue to learn) this about myself. Therefore I have implemented what is called the $100 rule in my life.

    For every $100 that I want to spend on a purchase, I must wait one day before I make the purchase.

    If a new purchase costs $100, I have to wait one day until I can purchase the item.

    If a new iPod costs $400, I have to wait four days until I can purchase the iPod.

    If a new MacBook Pro costs $1400, I have to wait two weeks until I can purchase the MacBook.

    By doing this I have a built in period where I can fight impulse. If you find yourself wired like me, implementing healthy guidelines can absolutely aid to transitioning from being in a financial mess to being financially free.

    And just to be honest, this built in time allows the holy spirit to get a hold of me and I can be sure if I am making purchases to advance the kingdom or if I am just being selfish.

    Topics: Heart | No Comments »

    Money causes Conflict & Confusion

    By admin | April 2, 2009

    I have noticed that if we are not careful money can cause conflict & confusion quite easily.

    CONFLICT

    I was in a grocery store the other day and saw a kid melt down because he wanted to get something that his mom would not let him have. At first I thought how embarrassing that looks and then how thankful I was that I never did that as a kid (…right).

    I realized that this was a conflict that was caused by money. It causes conflicts across the board: teenagers and parents, married couples, little kids in toy stores…it is messing stuff up all over the place.

    CONFUSION

    Money also causes confusion. I think that 2 groups that have a major role in people’s confusion is the church and the educational system.

    It is strange that a senior can graduate from high school and can dissect a frog, know the Pythagorean theorem, and can tell you the symbol for Sodium but cannot balance a checkbook or recognize a good interest rate.

    It is so funny that major outlets of teaching will ignore the most practical thing people need to know. And when I mean ignore it, I mean never bring it up period. Then when someone is faced with financial decisions they are hit flat in the face without any experience. Maybe that is the reason why more people will declare bankruptcy than graduate from college this year. It is because we’re confused.

    Money can be dangerous stuff, you better know how to handle it. Jesus talks a lot about money.  Scripture teaches us how to handle it.  It really does matter.

    Topics: Heart, Life, Scripture | No Comments »

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