Menu planning

Just thought I would share a little gem I found on the internet the other day. When I used to teach small groups of women about how our family saves money, one of the most valuable tools I shared was making a monthly dinner menu. When you have a goal to your grocery shopping and a purpose for everything that you buy, you save money simply because you have a plan. Doesn't this look yummy?

When my oldest 2 were in diapers, hubby and I needed to shave our budget a bit. I needed to save my sanity by creating a diner routine, so I made a resolution to begin planning. I asked John to give me a couple hours at the end of each month to let me alone with the computer to plan a monthly menu/grocery list. We did our grocery shopping once a month with the exception of produce and dairy. This prevented impulse buys during multiple shopping trips while also helping me to know when to start dinner so that my family didn't have to turn to this for lack of poor planning.

That year was hard to begin something new, HOWEVER, dinner times were prepared, money was saved and and the following years made all that work pay off! I loved the next year because I would use the exact same menus as the previous year. Fortunately I had a (now obsolete) program that let me plug in the following year in the same month and voila last years menu would be current with the click of the mouse! I could 'recycle' my effort year after year and not have to plan all over again! This was done on a very OLD computer with an obsolete program for current operating systems so transferring all that work has not been possible. While I have kept this very old computer just for these menus, I have not had it plugged in for years. For a long while, I hoped I could find a current software with the same capabilities, but after coming up empty after some time, I kind of gave up on the effort to be organized again. Due to this lack of UMPH, meal planning has not been what it could be, ergo saving money hasn't been as efficient!
In an effort to become a better steward and to not live according to chaos, I finally set out on the pursuit to find a template that I could download much like the previous one I described. I was SO HAPPY when I found this little gem that is going to make my life a tad more efficient! While searching through the world wide web I finally found what I was looking for so I thought I would share. This is an EXCEL worksheet so it will only work for people with this software.
http://download.cnet.com/Excel-Calendar-Template/3000-2077_4-10346449.html
The download is absolutely free. Once I downloaded the program file, I had to save a copy to my documents folder (It automatically saves it to your temporary file folder otherwise). Then I used the 'save as' feature to save a copy for each month of the year and labeled accordingly (January menu, February menu, ect). For those of you detail folks........ with the year change, dates and days change with the changing of the year. So there is just a tad bit of cutting and pasting when you change the year to make the meals fall on the actual calendar days, but to me this is minimal planning rather than redoing the whole thing or winging it! ENJOY planning!

For those of you curious about meal planning I do have some documents that I can send out through e-mail of what I used to make it easier on us. Just let me know if you would like a copy by sending me an e-mail to jtmabpark@msn.com with the subject MENU PLANNING.

In Debt We Trust ~ Scarey!

A friend of mine posted this movie on her facebook today. Although it is an hour & a half long, if you are not educated about HOW credit cards work, WHY they are so successful at making money (most Americans simply do not care to inquire about this) it is worth watching because the information is invaluable! Better to be informed AND educated about how credit effects your family, than simply ignorant or apathetic. After and hour it features the Democratic group ACORN and we all know how credible they have been. UGH! Although you do have to "eat the meat and spit out the bones" it is worth watching to get a well rounded view of how we can control our own economic health!
It is produced by a man that says he is bi-partisan and is a skeptic of typical media, but I will really appreciate his efforts once he makes a movie on how Obama was elected by the media!

Here is the desciption of the video:
In America's earliest days, there were barn-raising parties in which neighbors helped each other build up their farms. Today, in some churches, there are debt liquidation revivals in which parishioners chip in to free each other from growing credit card debts that are driving American families to bankruptcy and desperation. IN DEBT WE TRUST is the latest film from Danny Schechter, "The News Dissector," director of the internationally distributed and award-winning WMD (Weapons of Mass Deception), an expose of the media's role in the Iraq War. The Emmy-winning former ABC News and CNN producer's new hard-hitting documentary investigates why so many Americans are being strangled by debt. It is a journalistic confrontation with what former Reagan advisor Kevin Phillips calls "Financialization"--the "powerful emergence of a debt-and-credit industrial complex." While many Americans may be "maxing out" on credit cards, there is a deeper story: power is shifting into fewer hands.....with frightening consequences. IN DEBT WE TRUST shows how the mall replaced the factory as America's dominant economic engine and how big banks and credit card companies buy our Congress and drive us into what a former major bank economist calls modern serfdom. Americans and our government owe trillions in consumer debt and the national debt, a large amount of it to big banks and billions to Communist China.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9016886482738598023

To Buy or not to Buy

It is kinda funny when something bad happens how the Lord blesses you in the midst. After the accident, we made an appointment to get the car fixed. Since it wasn’t our fault, her insurance paid for a rental car while they fixed ours. It was quite a struggle to get another mini-van out of the insurance company. They were only going to just let us have a sub-compact car. However, since what was wrecked was a mini-van, John provided some gentle persuasion so they decided to let us have another mini-van. Low and behold, the only one they had on the lot just so happened to be my ‘soccer mom dream vehicle’……. The Honda odyssey. (Just so you know, my non-soccer mom dream vehicle would be a fully restored 1965 mustang!) John drove up in it and my first impression was "Didn’t they have another Ford or Dodge on the lot? AAAAAg! Why did you bring home a van that will stumble me!" He smiled and asked if I wanted to go van shopping? Now, he was kidding, but it was the kind of kidding to see if I would jump at the opportunity in my weakened state of covetousness! :o) He too loved the Honda, but, does not want to have a car payment. I am quite content with my 2002 Ford, eventhough Ford stands for Found On Road Dead, and the maintenance on it has always been costly. Since it is just $500 shy of being REALLY ours, there is no way that I would trade it in for another car payment! This is where a blessing can become a curse. Driving it is quite fun as long as I keep in mind that it is a temporary blessing and not put in my path to covet what I can’t have! :o) Also, it is a nice thing to work for since after we make our last car payment, the money that would ordinarily go to the bank, will now go into a savings fund to purchase a car when we will need to replace our current one!
Our other current economic ‘big decision’ is whether or not we are going to buy a home here in the Cape. Our rental lease is up at the end of July. Every logical bone in my body says we would be fools not to take advantage of the current housing market, tax return money in savings, low interest rates, pre-approved mortgage just waiting for us to make an offer. Keep in mind, that Lee county, which is where we live, is one of the forclosure capitals of the US. In boom time, nothing special, single family homes less than 1500 sq ft, were selling for outrageous prices upwards of $350,000. Since the boom turned bust and many builders went out of business, these same homes are now going for around $80,000. SO, for about $150,000 we could get a very good deal on a 2000sq ft home, with a pool. We never in our wildest dreams could have figured we would be able to purchase a home here in FL, EVEN close to what we had back home. Ever since our lease hit the 6 month mark we began praying about where to buy. We knew it would be somewhere in the Cape but since even this area is pretty big we wanted to make sure we would be in a place where God wanted us. Silly thing is we didn’t even really question IF we should buy…….. After all, if we are to put down roots, doesn’t that include some sort of investment? Dave Ramsey, my financial guru, said that when the market is low and you have the money, IT IS THE TIME TO BUY! We still haven’t gotten an answer as to where, until we began asking IF. Every once in a while I would get subtle hints…… Subtle like God hitting me over the head with a 2X4! We were reading the kids a devotional that spoke of why different parents have different rules & the importance of not being sucked into doing something just because it is popular. While buying a house isn’t an ‘in thing’, it certainly looks like a smart thing right now. They used Jeremiah 35 as an example; here is the portion that stuck out to me:
6 But they replied, "We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab son of Recab gave us this command: 'Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. 7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.' 8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab son of Recab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine 9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab commanded us.
Down further in Jeremiah it states that the reason they obeyed their forefathers was NOT because owning land or permanent homes was a sin. With land and a home comes great responsibility, with less mobility. Without those things that tied them down, they were now free to up and move at the Lord’s leading whenever & wherever He wanted them to go.
Also, here was another verse that was mentioned on the radio or something during this time…..
Matthew 6: 19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I remember when we built out home in WA. The first year we lived there was consumed by the unfinished projects now set before us....... landscaping, fencing, painting, decorating, ect. I do not regret the experience of building our home, but I do regret how it became a distraction & ‘my treasure on earth’ that consumed so much of my time & energy. I have never liked the idea of renting but have come to some very logical conclusions. The things I greatly appreciate about renting is:
*It is my responsibility to make what we have functional rather than personally mine. Once I don’t have to put my personal touch on something, that also means I spend less money!
*If something breaks due to wear & tear, I do not have to pay for it but the landlord does. If a hurricane comes through, it could take away my earthly posessions and I might have to move ‘tents’, but the loss is not as bad as it could be if I owned the joint.
* When Jesus comes back to get us, which is looking to be very soon, the money I invested in a mortgage versus what I paid in rent, will be neither here nor there as it is only an earthly value with no eternal weight!
So, we continue to wait on the Lord. To see of this is a permanent state of being that He is calling us to (just renting and being available to move again if this is His will) OR if it is just a "lets change your heart so I can bless you" thing. Until then we just put our trust in the fact that God has our back and His timing is perfect and that God is not always interested in logical conclusions or economic situations. He is more interested in how they effect our heart!!!
Ecc 3: 1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.

FREE Dave Ramsey Crash course!

Hey there,

I posted yesterday how inspiring Dave's 'Town Hall for Hope' meeting was! Today I found out that he is offering a FREE condensed version of his "Extreme Money Makeover" series at this link:
http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/watch/life-money-hope
If there is any part of you that sees that you might be able to spend wiser and could utilize someone who has 'been there done that' to come alongside, I couldn't think of a better person than Dave Ramsey! He is awesome!
If you missed his Town Hall for Hope meeting, DON'T miss this one!

Stinkin~Thinkin begets hopelessness

I attended the Dave Ramsey Town Hall for Hope the other evening at a local church. There were many great points he made that evening but the most beneficial point was very cool! It kind of falls under the premise of "duh-huh", or "I should already know this", but the world being what it is right now, WE ALL needed the reminder of this simplistic basic concept. In the news now-days you can’t turn on any channel that isn’t EXTREMELY pessimistic about the economy. NOTHING is pointing us in any direction besides doom and gloom and due to this over-exposure, we may forget that it is our responsibility to go against the flow! We are suppose to renew our minds in order to fulfill this scripture in Phil 4: 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
The media is doing everything in its power to keep our minds in a frenzy of paranoia & panic. Desperate people will act according to their emotions, rather than that of their own biblical foundations! If our heads are spinning so much with the current crisis, is there an abscence of clarity to see the dangerous path we are being lead on? Chances are we are so blinded by our own insecurity, we can’t even begin to understand how our leaders are putting us in an even more dangerous position than where we were at previously. I have my theories on why this is happening but the sad thing about it is, we are ALL falling for it hook, line and sinker. Our hope is suppose to be based on the Lord, but lately, due to the frenzy all around me, it is hard to chose not to buy into the chaos & hype of the doom and gloom. Instead of being controlled by the peace that surpasses all understanding, I have bought into the spirit of fear. Just because I am surrounded by forclosed homes and jobless people does not give me the excuse to FORGET that no matter what, God is on control! It is easier to complain, makes excuses for the way things are and join the downtrodden crowd, rather than actively living out the hope that has been entrusted to us by God! To be prepared financially using Godly wisdom and frugal living so that when hard times come we are not lacking anything!
I saw a special on 60 minutes a while back about the newest generation. They are calling them ‘Millennials’ or Gen Y. If you missed out on this report you can get a good handle on it by going to these segments that were posted on youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5IfsNqJcmA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOAHHExq8ig&feature=related
No longer is hard work worthy of reward but just showing up to work should get as much a reward and praise than those that work twice as hard! Might this be a good portion of the reason why the economy is in the state that it’s in is, due to this false sense of entitlement and un-earned accomplishment? This author and his friend are making TONS of money going around the country as ‘life coaches’ to 20-something whiners. To add insult to injury these sly dogs are training the older generations how to keep these SPOILED BRATS from quitting on them. In light of knowing these are the times we are living in, I think it is quit fitting for there to be a evolutionary downfall of economic proportions. While I do not believe in evolution per say, I believe that this economy will separate the sheep from the goats. Do you think in this economy you will have many employers splurging to satisfy the egos of the ‘Gen Y’ with fancy gifts when he or she is already losing tons of money due to a decrease in spending. The best part about Dave’s speech last night was that he mentioned that people that had a vested interest in serving their bosses or customers in the same way they serve the Lord will survive & thrive in the most depressed markets! Those that are more interested in self-indulgence and getting more money than they deserve will lose out! SO if you are one of those hard working folks that work daily as unto the Lord, God will take care of you!
Needless to say, it was amazingly refreshing to hear Dave speak of personal responsibility, serving/treating others the way you would want to be treated & using wisdom with your finances. You can actively participate in this little thing called HOPE by also choosing NOT to participate in the doom & gloom of the recession and instead fixing our eyes on our Savior!

Wisdom and Knowledge

I didn't write this but since not much right now that is going on is blog-worthy I figured I would share this nugget of knowledge written by someone much smarter than me!

The Money Meltdown: A Need for Wisdom, Not Just Knowledge
Steve Diggs

As you may know, I'm the fellow who teaches the No Debt No Sweat! Christian Money Management Seminar. Over the years I've shared this message at more than 320 congregations, colleges, and conferences nationwide. So, maybe you will understand when I tell you that these are very frustrating days for me. I'm getting questions from Christians all over America about the current economic crisis -- but, I've been benched! Due to a bleeding vocal cord, the doctor has me on total voice rest. So, to re-phrase an old truism, let's see if the pen can be mightier than the tongue.
The questions tend to fall into three broad categories:
1. What has happened?
2. Who's at fault?
3. What does this mean for my family's future?

While there's plenty of blame to go around, it probably started with politicians who tried to buy votes by establishing the Community Reinvestment Act. The CRA (goaded on by neighborhood activist groups) pushed banks into lending mortgage money to people who shouldn't have borrowed money. Then those banks dumped the bad paper on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. While hiding the true nature of these loans (aided and abetted by rating agencies who pretended that all was well), Mac and Mae re-packaged the junk mortgages into respectable-looking bonds. Then they sold those bonds to every imaginable investment firm--some of whom were showing them at 100%+ of value on their books--and also leveraging those amounts by as much as 30/1 (i.e. Lehman Brothers). Then, insurance companies like AIG insured these bonds--without having enough money to cover their guarantees. When home prices began to sink--the handwriting was on the wall.

But at the heart of it all was the belief that God was wrong -- that, in fact, the borrower is not the slave of the lender. (Proverbs 22) As we embraced this kind of thinking, we began to believe that by digging an ever deepening hole we could eventually build a mountain of wealth.
We are a culture that is saturated with "stuffaholism." (I think Jesus referred to this as "loving the things of this world.") And, we have fallen for the lie from the pit that says: Stuff, sex, money = Happiness. If that were true, it would stand to reason that the happiest families would all be in Hollywood!

Sadly, many Christians (who are called to be the "salt of the earth") have lost our savor. Many of us are in the same mess. Even Christians normally critical of those who abuse drugs and alcohol think nothing of anesthetizing the pain they feel when the credit card bill arrives -- by going back to the mall.

There are three lessons that might turn this very difficult experience into a fruitful learning and growing opportunity for God's kids:
1. James, put a high premium on wisdom. (see James 1:5) Today, there seems to be confusion between wisdom and knowledge. They both have their place, but they are not synonymous. Knowledge is what tells one that tomatoes are a fruit. Wisdom is what tells us not to put a tomato into a fruit salad. Today's world has plenty of knowledge, but a dearth of wisdom. The smart people of today's financial world have had their turn at things, and we are in trouble. Maybe it's time to re-think the fundamental tenets of our beliefs. Wisdom speaks to this. Wisdom says whenever one gets something for nothing, there will eventually be a disproportionate price to be paid.
2. King David's number one son was fond of saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." It seems to me that there is nothing "new" about this present predicament. But you say, "Oh, this is different than anything before -- including the Great Depression." While I would agree that the names and players are different, the root cause is the same. It pivots on the three things that John warned the early Christians to be on guard against, "Do not love the world, nor the things of the world...For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world." (1 John 2:15,16)
3. We would serve ourselves well to remember that the best financial teaching is in the Bible itself. I call it "Money 101." It comes from a man who knew how to live with prosperity and without. Paul told his protégé, Timothy, the secret to dealing with money in 1 Timothy 6:17-19:
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." Note the three things Paul tells rich Christians to do. (By the way, if you have a bath tub in your home--you're a rich Christian.)

First, he tells us not to be prideful and arrogant. Wealth doesn't make one person better than another.
Second, the Apostle tells Christians not to trust in their 401(k) plans. Yes, plan for your future but always be ready for things to change. As we've all seen, dollars in the bank do not guarantee anything.
Third, the wealthy are encouraged to enjoy their wealth -- but be ready to share at the drop of a hat. Too simple for our complex world? I don't think so. It gets back to appreciating the difference between knowing a lot about wealth, and actually having the wisdom to use our wealth properly.
I would submit that what we are experiencing may not necessarily be a bad thing. Most humans (Christians, too) only look up when they have been sucker-punched, and are lying on the floor looking up. That's when we tend to see the eternal through the temporal.
Will we as a nation get through this? I suspect we will. Over the last one hundred years, stocks have gained value in every ten year period--including during the Great Depression. Will there be pain in the meantime. I suspect there will be. The question laid squarely at our feet is How will we respond to this tempest in the teapot of eternity? What if this caused Christians to again become salt? What if we led by example? What if we bought fewer "extras?" What if we paid off our credit cards and bought cars we could afford -- and saved more than we spent? What if we always had money to give to others -- and were truly ready unto every good deed?

Steve Diggs presents the No Debt No Sweat! Christian Money Management Seminar at churches and other venues nationwide. Visit Steve on the Web at http://www.crosswalkmail.com/czhdghbpf_wpedqgqcfc.html or call 615-834-3063.
The author of several books, today Steve serves as a minister for the Antioch Church of Christ in Nashville. For 25 years he was President of the Franklin Group, Inc. Steve and Bonnie have four children whom they have home schooled. The family lives in Brentwood, Tennessee.
A complete financial compendium, 19 chapters• What you can do today to get out of debt and kill the Debt Monster• A,B,C's of handling your money God's way• How to save, invest, and retire wisely• How mutual funds work• How to stop fighting over money• What to teach your kids about money• Learn how home & car buying, college financing and insurance work.• How to develop a budget that works -- forever!• Features simple charts, graphs, and easy-to-use forms.
Click here to learn more or to order.