SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY & LOVED ONES
In the last six months, my family has been touched by a number of friends and family members who have either suffered illness or gone home to heaven. Life is about relationships. This website has links to a number of sites that can help you learn about the most important relationship you will ever have—one with Jesus Christ. As you engage in summer activities and seek R&R time (a.k.a. vacation or holiday time), my deepest wish for my readers and myself is to spend time with loved ones. None of us knows how much time we have on earth. So take what time you do have and share special moments with your family. Tell your family every day that you love them! Give them a hug & kiss! Expressing your love costs you financially nothing, and it is one of the key points your family will remember about you.
Here are a couple of no-cost or low cost ideas you might try. Bring out your china and have a tea party with your daughter (or son). Enjoying simple conversation is a treat! My family has fun when we picnic or eat our meal on our deck. Changing the venue for your meal adds a sense of adventure. Have a week where you turn off the television and enjoy reading a book together or going for walks. Have a weekly game night with your family and enjoy your favorite board or card games. Take a walk and play a game on your walk, like a scavenger hunt or “I spy” or even a game you make up with your spouse or child. Whatever you do to spend time together, make sure you use the occasion to say, “I love you.”
If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, check out www.ccci.org/wij/ and read The Four Spiritual Laws. Also, I would love to talk to you about the Lord. Contact me via this website and I would love to share what a difference Christ makes in my life! Asking Jesus into my heart was the best decision I ever made!
I would be remiss to not specifically mention one special life that has touched mine. Slater Phillips lives in Heaven today. He was one of my son’s first grade classmates this past year. He faced a big battle with leukemia and the Lord allowed Slater to win in Heaven. My heart and prayers are with the Phillips family.
Lastly, thank the Lord for the blessing of good health! Give praise to the Lord! Pray for those who are grieving or who are ill. And if you know someone who has recently suffered a loss, please consider my book, “Face of Courage,” which you can order from me via this website.
LIVE BELOW YOUR MEANS
One critical way you can increase your stewardship is to live BELOW your means. Too many people use credit card debt to live above their means. If you spend less than you earn, give generously, and save consistently, you will have more than enough money to provide for your needs.
Make a game of it! Involve your spouse and family. You’ll be amazed at the creativity this can spark. If you make this a “game,” you will never be tempted to think of this lifestyle as “denying.” Instead, living below your means is liberating! Even if a child’s idea saves only a few pennies, try it! Over time, your pennies will become quarters and then become dollars. You can even have a family contest for the most innovative idea! The winner can judge the next round of ideas and make the winning selection.
Ensure your spouse is in agreement with this lifestyle approach. Living below your means should affect virtually every aspect of your life. For example, when you are on vacation, and you’re in a facility with a stove, cook instead of dining out. Then, if you want to splurge, make the “dining out” dessert only (like ice cream cones). Use the money you save for a family project so everyone can see the benefit of frugal living. Another example is purchasing a vehicle that less bells and whistles. Remember you’re buying the vehicle for the purpose of transportation, not for the CD player or GPS system. And when you splurge in one area (presuming you have the savings to allow this), make a choice in another to offset the expense.
Today, many families are plagued with foreclosures from buying homes they never could afford. Teach your children how to avoid this stress and tragedy. Set an example through good stewardship. Live frugally, save consistently, and give generously.
TIPS
1-Here’s one from Mary Hunt’s Daily Cheapskate. When traveling with children, provide each child with a roll of coins each travel day. This is their funds for on-the-road expenses. Fine them one coin every time they ask, “Are we there yet?” or argue with a sibling. You’ll be amazed how this positively impacts your trip!
2-Annually, request your credit report. Don’t stop with just one agency. Check your report with all three major bureaus. Go to www.equifax.com, www.experian.com, and www.transunion.com. You’ll be surprised to see how your report varies between reporting agencies.
3-As you purchase school supplies this Fall, consider purchasing a few extra sets of crayons, markers, etc. These can be used later in the year for events such as Operation Christmas Child (or any philanthropic endeavor involving children). I also give school supplies as stocking stuffers to my children and neices. Hit the sales just right and you can have a shoebox of items for about $2.
4-Try vinegar as a weed killer instead of expensive garden products.
5-If you’re serving noodles for a meal, you can extend that meal with the addition of ramen noodles for just pennies.
6-I’ve read that some Wal-Mart SuperCenters discount their deli foods at the end of the day. So, if you’ve worked overtime and you’re shopping around 9 pm at a SuperCenter, you might want to inquire about discounts on their deli foods and rotisserie chickens.
7-Summer is the time for fresh cut flowers from your garden. Extend their life by adding a little Sprite to the warm water you place the flowers. The citric acide in Sprite acts as a preservative. Before placing the flower in the vase of warm water, add a fresh, diagonal cut to the bottom of the stem. Some stems seal quickly when the flower is picked. A fresh cut ensures the flower can “drink” the water.
8-For Fall…plant annuals in flower pots and bring them inside to a sunny spot. You can “winterize” some of your plants to save on 2008 gardening costs. I have done this with my geraniums for the past three years.
9-DSW Shoes: In mid-July, you can catch 40-80% off shoes at DSW. Think about buying for next season. This is also the time to purchase special occasion shoes at a discount.
10-SCRAPBOOKING: One way I enjoy spending time with my daughter is when we scrapbook together. I keep the process very simple so my preschooler can work alongside me and be creative. You can purchase supplies very inexpensively when craft stores run periodic sales. Wal-Mart and Oriental Trading Company are also sources of inexpensive supplies. The key is to not over-purchase on supplies and to avoid expensive items. If you stick to simplicity, capturing a few ideas with photos, and avoid the glitzy embellishments, you can have a fun hobby for minimal cost.
EXCURSIONS
a-Mark your calendars for July 11, 2008 (and every July 11)! Why? On 7/11, the convenience store chain 7-11 gives away free small slurpees. It’s a promotion that my family participated in this year. We had a ball trying all of the flavors for free. This year, 7/11 was on a Wednesday. Thus, we dubbed our excursion “Wacky Wednesday” because we had so much fun visiting 7-11 stores!
b-FREE MOVIES! The Kingstowne Cinema is offering 8 weeks of free movies. Shows start at 10 am and kiddie-size snacks are available at $1/each. Learn more at www.consolidatedmovies.com. If you don’t live near Kingstowne, VA, check your local cinema for similar offers. You can also purchase tickets in bulk at a discount at www.regalcinemas.com and www.amctheaters.com. When purchasing larger volumes of tickets, you can gift some to teachers and friends.
c-Summer Reading Programs: Make sure your children participate in your local library reading program. Not only is this an excellent and free way to entertain and educate, but it can have great rewards. In Fairfax County, children completing the program earn a coupon book with coupons for free ice cream, pizzas, and discounts on numerous venues.
d-Farmer’s Markets: Farmers Markets are great places to purchase excellent quality produce. You have to know your grocery prices to know what is a good vs. great deal. I also find that children enjoy looking at the various fruits and vegetables. This can be a wonderful time to instill a lesson about healthy eating and/or about how God has blessed us with good food.
e-Get out of the heat by enjoying Springfield Mall’s Moms & Moppets Kids Club activities on the second Wednesday of each month. Free programs are offered in the JCPenney Court in the mall. Avoid this excursion if you think you’d be tempted to shop for something you cannot afford. Otherwise, it’s a fun treat to enjoy free puppet shows, magic shows, etc.
f-Pool: Don’t forget to get your money’s worth out of your pool membership! We track the number of our visits each summer. Then, the next year, we try to increase (or beat, for those competitive readers) our visits over the prior year.
TIME SAVING TIPS
1-As you prepare for a forthcoming trip, like a vacation or business trip, set a suitcase or box in an area where you can accumulate items that need to go with you. I typically do this a week or two in advance of departure. If you cannot “pack” the items now, write a note or make a list in this same area. This way, you are less likely to forget something you need.
2-Keep at least one magazine or book in the car. Then, when you are waiting on a sports practice to end or if you are stuck in a doctor’s office, you can use the time productively. (I also keep notecards and sometimes special projects, like crafts or Christmas cards, with me when I “ride around town.”)
3-Need to clean your bathroom grout? If your floor is like mine, and you have hair care products, like hair spray, on your floor. Clean your floor and grout with a few drops of your shampoo. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your floor cleans and the limited effort you have to make with scrubbing your grout. If shampoo cleans your hair, it’ll clean your floor!
MISC
As I wrote earlier this year, I read “The Eternity Portfolio” by Alan Gotthardt. I’ll write more about this book next month. However, here’s an excellent quote from Alan’s book to “prime the pump” for next newsletter’s topic of giving. “Do your giving while you’re living, so you’re knowing where it’s going.”– Mark Twain.
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Blessings to you until we “meet” again in September, Lord willing!
If you have a church or civic organization, and you’re looking for a speaker, please keep me in mind. I would love to talk with you about the opportunity. Not only do I speak about financial matters, but I enjoy sharing about spiritual topics
Joy! Michele Buschman
“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:12-13.