Bring Home the Bread! - Money Fights #3

I say, "We are out of bread (or other household staples like butter, cheese, milk, etc.). We need to go to the store right away."

He says, "It is fun to see how long you can go surviving on what we have. Wait until payday."

I don't know why I feel like a bad mom when I don't have the exact food or snack that my children want. My husband on the other hand relishes these moments to teach our kids patience, resourcefulness,  and gratefulness.  After the whining subsides, I am continually surprised at the fun meals that are concocted from the supplies in our cupboard.  Everyone was pleasantly surprised when I actually made buscuits a couple of weeks ago because we were out of store-bought bread and tortillas for so long.

What has your family surprisingly survived on when money was tight?

Dave can Save Your Marriage - Money Fights #2

Money Fight #2 -
I say, "Where did that money go that was in my purse?"

He says, "Keep track of your purchases so we can make a good budget."

I really don't buy many large purchases, but my tiny purchases (garage sales, thrift stores, the dollar store, sonic, McDonald's, etc.) add up quick and are the hardest to keep track of. My husband does a great job of monitoring my debit card purchases using Mint.com.  For cash purchases, the Dave Ramsey's envelope system is superb at helping you stick to your budget and keep spending under control.

Basically when you keep a good record of what you spend your money on, you are able to make a good working budget.  A budget is just you telling your money where you want it to go. If you don't make a plan and keep good records, your wallet will start playing the old "disappearing money" trick on you, too.

This is just one of the basic money management concepts that Dave Ramsey teaches on his radio program, numerous best-selling books, podcasts, seminars, and in his Financial Peace Seminars. If you are struggling financially and your marriage is struggling as a result, stop everything you are doing right now and go to DaveRamsey.com. He is one of my favorite radio personalities of all times because he is a genious with money, practical and to the point, God-fearing, and entertaining.

Dave Ramsey even has a super storybook series for kids called Life Lessons with Junior. This set of books can drastically change your child's future. Put them in the budget for next month. Buy it through my link on Amazon

What money lessons do you wish you had learned before college or marriage?

If it's free, then it's for me! - Money Fights #1

Find this ebook and more free at
MoneySavingMom.com
https://moneysavingmom.com/2012/06/free-childrens-bible-story-ebooks.html

Today, I wanted to begin this short series about some of my personal pitfalls and the issues that my wonderfully wise husband and I go round and round about. I am hoping that you can learn from my mistakes.

I say, "If it's free (or on sale) then it's for me!"
He says, "If you were not planning on buying it already this month, then you should wait. You probably don't need it."

I love bargains, but I am tempted to buy things I don't need just because they are on sale. I am even worse at resisting a freebie - which by the way is not really free if you are required to use your time, effort, or gas money to go to an extra store, fill out a form on the internet, bend over backwords, etc. for it!  I should have seen a red flag when me getting my tubes tied seemed more appealing to me just because it was going to cost less than birth control:). I think my Groupon intervention is scheduled for next week. Maybe if I hide under all the junkie free stuff that is piled in my closet taking up my space and energy to organize, they won't find me.

P.S. By the way if you love free stuff too, you just haaaaaaave to go to MoneySavingMom.com - my new favorite blog about being a better economist. I just got four free Christian ebooks there yesterday!

This week and part of next we are focusing on money management, so I would looooooooooove for you to post any of your insight or ideas in the comment area about stewardship anytime the rest of this month.

Surprise! - Mother's Day Memories #1

What do you want for Mother's Day?! If you say, "Oh, you don't need to get me anything." Don't be surprised if you don't get anything. We usually want to be surprised by something grand on special days like our anniversary, birthdays, mother's day, etc - so we won't tell our husbands directly what we really want.  Stop dropping hints and expecting him to figure things out:
         1. He doesn't look at the catalogs you leave laying around with circled items.
         2. He isn't listening when you talk loudly on the phone while sitting next to him- "Oh Susie, it was so thoughtful of your husband to _____________."
         3. He thinks you are just making random conversation when you mention things casually in passing - "Do you think this necklace needs matching earings?",or "Boy, I sure am tired. I could use a day at the spa."

I have been married for over 10 years to a wonderfully thoughtful and observant man. So, it is odd that I am still surprised when he doesn't get me exactly what I wanted even though I was never really clear with him about what I really wanted. His last name is Holmes, but he is not Sherlock. He is only good at figuring out clues, if I notify him, "Honey, this is a clue about what I want for mother's day."

If you really do want something specific for Mother's Day, just tell your husband in direct language what you want.  If you would rather be surprised by what he comes up with, then don't expect to get exactly the gift or service that you wanted. Instead, just expect to be surprised! That way even if you get some type of cheesy heart object you still will have gotten what you wanted - to be surprised. The key is to decide what it is that you really want. That is the hard part for us women.