5 Things to Teach Your Kids About Using Money Wisely

It was a pretty exciting day around here yesterday.  My 13 year old son bought a laptop.  A very nice laptop.  Nicer than mine.  I'm not jealous.  Nope.  Really.  Actually, I'm very proud.  Yup.  Proud mama right here!

Geo has been asking for a laptop for at least a year now.  

"For Christmas??"  No.  

"For my birthday??" No.  

"I need one!"  No.

My husband and I don't always say no.  However, there are some very important principles that we want our kids to learn about money and saying yes all the time defeats those lessons.

#1.  Money is finite.  Keep your priorities straight!

My husband is the only money maker in this house at the moment.  We are very blessed that his income gives me the opportunity to stay home.  It gives the kids the option to be homeschooled.  More importantly though, is it pays the bills.  

We budget all of our expenses, needs and wants on one income.  Therefore we have to make sure certain things are taken care of before we go handing out money for pleasure items.  Things like rent, groceries, fuel oil, car expenses, clothing.  

Yes, a laptop is cool.  But being homeless, hungry, cold, and naked are not.  

#2.  Work for it.  God blesses those who work.

Peeking inside the box!

This summer, Geo got an introduction to cutting grass.  He's been mowing grass around our place for years now but this year he did some mowing for others.  

His first opportunity was really more of a desire to serve.  An elderly widow in our church needed someone to help her.  She wasn't able to pay for it and those that had been helping in previous years were no longer able.  This lady also happens to have been Geo's reading teacher when he was in kindergarten at the Christian Academy at our church.  So he stepped up and volunteered to cut her grass.  Yup.  Proud mama here!

I was more than happy to take Geo over a couple times a month and have a visit with our dear sister while he worked for hours mowing and trimming.  He was satisfied with being a help to someone who needed it.  But, somehow word of his good deeds reached our pastor.  He wanted to compensate Geo for his work because the Bible says that it is the pastor's duty to make sure the widows and orphans are cared for.  So Geo was blessed for serving others.  

His second opportunity came when close friends of ours moved to another state.  They put their house up for sale and needed the lawns mowed while the house was on the market.  Since they knew that Geo was already cutting grass for others, they asked if he would help them too.  They paid him for several mowings up front and then mailed him a check for the mowings after that.  

#3.  Save for it.  No money = no opportunity.

Little sister learns what saving can do!

Some people are natural savers.  Some are spenders.  

Luckily, this was not a hard lesson for Geo because he is a natural saver.  He finds comfort in watching his money pile up.  He knows how long it took and how many hours of work to accumulate what he has.  He doesn't have a miser mentality.  He sees money as opportunity.  Because that's really what it is.  It's an opportunity to help others.  It's an opportunity to enjoy things.  It's a little padding between you and life.  

Geo may be 13 but he has had plenty of opportunity to use his money.  He has always been taught to give a tithe (10%) to the church.  He has often given to special needs presented for works of God like missionary needs, building needs, and fundraising. 

Geo has secretly (at the time) and anonymously given to adults in need when he overheard their story.   One occasion, leaving $10 in the driver's seat of our friend's car because he heard of his financial struggle and wanted to help.  He told us several days later.  On another occasion, he was able to cover the cost of a purchase when the adult he was with had forgotten their wallet.  

For a 13 year old, my son has a keen awareness that by spending all that you have on little things, you lose the opportunity to do more with your money.  Money is a tool that can be made to work in a variety of ways.

#4.  Wait for it.  You don't have to settle.

Patience is one of the hardest things to teach children.  It's also one of the hardest things for all people to learn.  Delayed pleasure.  Ouch!  

Geo has been watching the fliers.  Especially around Black Friday and Christmas time.  He's been eyeing other's laptops.  He had a pretty solid idea of what he wanted.  He also knew that sometimes good deals can pop up.  But you never can tell when it might happen.  

Since he had been saving up money, he knew what his price point was.  And it was lower than what he needed for the computer he wanted.  But good things come to those who wait. Geo wasn't willing to settle for a lesser model just because he didn't have enough money.  He would just have to continue saving money or find a great deal.  

Ahhh... it feels so nice!

This week a flier to the office supply store, Staples, listed a sale for $200 off a Dell Inspirion touch screen with 8GB of RAM and a TB of storage making the laptop $349.  This was it!  Geo put in a call to our local store to see if they had it in stock.  Yes!  He put a hold on it until the next day when the sale started.  Did I say I was proud??

#5.  Pay cash! Take ownership.

Because Geo had spent the summer saving up some money, knew what he wanted, and was willing to wait for a good deal, he was able to walk in a pay cash for his laptop.  

Paying in cash is important for a couple of reasons.  First, it is a tangible trade of hard work for reward.  You see the money you worked for changing hands in trade for an item you really want.  

Second, there are no payments that follow you home.  When you pay for something with cash, that item is truly yours and you own it.  Then you can really enjoy every moment with it.

Having your children take true ownership of expensive items is a great way to ensure that they take care of it.  This laptop represents an entire summer of work and savings for Geo.  He's going to be very picky about who uses it, how it's used and where it's used.  It wouldn't be the same if we had simply given him the laptop or given him the money for the laptop.  

*Bonus*

The bonus to learning all of these lessons as kids is that they all still apply when you're an adult, only to the nth degree.  We can all put these lessons into practice and reap the benefits.  But, oh to have learned them when I was young!  My children are so blessed to have parents that tell them NO!  

The Start of Something New

I've found that new beginnings don't always start with a new concept or situation.  Sometimes it has more to do with refining what we already know.  Starting over.  Getting a do-over.  Wiping the slate clean.  Or sometimes just taking what we know to a new level.  I feel like this year will be more of the latter.

A few weeks ago our Pastor spoke to my husband about our willingness to present a Financial Freedom class at our church.  We have had a lot of experience with Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course.  We've taught it to individuals in our home and led a class a few years ago at church.  We accepted the responsibility to present the material.  We aren't financial gurus, we're just people who failed at this money thing and learned something in the process.

Our Financial Story

Nearly five years ago, our family went through a financial crisis.  My husband lost his job in a down-turned economy shortly after buying a house.  His masters degree in information technologies made no difference.  He was forced to work at McDonald's for nearly 10 months.  At minimum wage, we were no longer able to make our mortgage payments.  By the time my husband got another job that would cover the bills, the house was too far behind.  We were ignorant of how to handle such situations and ended up going through a foreclosure.

The foreclosure was handled by an unscrupulous attorney's office who was not forthcoming with information.  The sheriff served us with papers saying that we had 48 hours to vacate the premises one day before we received a letter from the attorney's office stating the foreclosure was complete.  It was a scary time.

Thankfully, in the time that my husband was working at McDonald's, I came across a book of Dave Ramsey's called Priceless at Goodwill.  I recognized the name but really didn't know anything about him.  When I flipped though it, I noticed that there were scriptures included and that Dave was interested in handling money God's way.  I bought the book for 99 cents.  It revolutionized my way of thinking.

It wasn't long before my husband jumped on board with the new ideas and we started implementing Dave's and the Bible's teachings on money.   When we were forced to move, we had money set aside that made the transition much easier.  We also had the knowledge to not make the same mistakes twice.

Since that time, we have been eager to share our story and the information that we've found with others that are in similar situations.  There are a lot of people who are hurting financially simply because they don't have the knowledge to handle it better. It is our privilege and our way of giving back to present the information that we have learned to others. Our first class was Tuesday.

I don't have it all figured out.  It's easy to slip back into old habits.  That's why teaching these financial classes are so good for my family.  It causes us to readjust and get motivated again.  So this year, I'm going to use what I already know and take it to a new level.

What is it that you want to improve in your life this year?

What Does Your Perfect Place Look Like?

I remember one of the first books I read on setting goals started with the exercise of imagining yourself in the perfect setting.  The idea was to give yourself an ultimate goal to motivate you continue to take little steps of progress.  You were to write it down and keep it as a reminder of why you were willing to work and sacrifice.



There were prompts to help you envision your perfect place such as these:

• What would you be doing? 
• What would you be wearing?  
• Who would be with you?  
• What would your surroundings look like?
• What would you hear?
• What would you smell?
• What is the weather like?

The picture that came to my mind was so vivid.  

I could see myself sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar in my dream barn-style home.  I had a cup of coffee in my hand and a book open in front of me. The french doors to my left were open to the patio and a summer breeze filtered in.  Beyond the patio, the morning sunlight reflected from off a small swimming pool and the scent of wild roses permeated the air.  I felt comfortable in my long flowing skirt and light cardigan from Coldwater Creek.  The birds chirping were the only sounds I could hear.  I took a deep breath.  My mind was quiet.  

It's amazing to me that after 15+ years I can still see the picture in my head. And part of what stands out to me is the "Coldwater Creek" attire.  I loved looking at the catalogs when I was a girl.  The models looked modest and kempt and comfortable.  I longed to have a wardrobe of exclusively Coldwater Creek clothing.  I still love their clothes.  I guess I always thought that they were out of my league because of the cost.  I could look, but I couldn't buy.  So that's why Coldwater Creek made it's way into my perfect world.

I definitely haven't made my dream a reality yet.  I still long for my barn home, patio and pool.  I have done my best to make sure I get quiet time with my coffee and books.  I like to sit outside in the summer breeze to read and take in the scents and sounds.  I may never make it to my perfect world in this life.  But I'll enjoy the little pieces I can get here and there.


I was thrilled this past week when a local surplus store advertised Coldwater Creek tops in their circular.  Last night I went into the store and bought two sweaters for $10 each.  These are my first articles ever from Coldwater Creek.  They are beautiful and comfortable just like I imagined.

Another little piece of perfection.

What part of your perfect world are you enjoying now?

Almost Heaven

When we were at Goodwill just before New Year's Day, I went looking for a nice puzzle for our New Year's Eve tradition.  I came across a 1000  piece Thomas Kinkade puzzle with the picture of a man fishing alone in the middle of a beautiful mountain scene.  Immediately the image stuck me as perfect.

It took 3 days to complete the puzzle.  It nearly consumed me.  Every piece that clicked into place was a personal victory.  As the image started to take shape, I couldn't help contemplating the man in the picture and how he related to me.

Strange.  I know.

To be honest, I don't think the painting is one of Kinkade's best works.  The colors are very muted.  Almost boring.  The pink sunset blended with the heather mountains that blended with the clay rocks that blended into the stream that reflected the sunset.

So why did this image strike a chord with me?

It was the fisherman.  Wearing his red plaid shirt, he was the only spot of color.  He was alone in the vast expanse of beauty.  He was there because he chose to be.  Because he enjoyed taking a few minutes to be alone with his thoughts.  To be inside his own head for a while without any interruptions.  Maybe fishing wasn't his passion.  Maybe it was his excuse to get away from the noise.  Maybe this is how he recharged so he could face another day. He's an introvert like me.  This man in the painting.  Who has never lived a day.  I know him.

I did a quick Google search and found the name of this painting is Almost Heaven.  Fitting, I think.  A quiet place where I can relax without any demands on my time or energy is almost heaven for me.  However, I have a few extroverted friends that, though they would enjoy the beauty of a place like this, would be bored to death in about 2 minutes.  They suffocate in quiet.  I suffocate in noise.

I left the puzzle up for a day after it was finished.  More because I wanted to celebrate my perseverance and introversion than because I liked the picture.  I don't really.  It's not my style.  But I did enjoy the time of introspection.

The puzzle is in pieces again and will likely go back to Goodwill.

Giving of Time

I know most of us suffer something called "time poverty."  There just aren't enough hours in a day to accomplish all that we need to do, or think we need to do. We are always looking for time management techniques just so we can "make" more time.  I'm one of them.

On my way to clean my friend's house!

And sometimes I'm not.

I enjoy a lot of flexibility in my life.  I do run a household and school my children.  Both things could easily be a full time job on its own.  Our schedule is not etched in stone though, and I can squeeze time out of most any day.

Recently, I was asked by some very good friends, who are going through a tough time, for some help.  They both work full time and are in the process of selling their house.  The house is empty and needed to be cleaned before it could be shown.  However, neither of them had the time.

I'm very happy that on the first day of 2015 I was able to share some of my time with someone else.

Though it is true that each one of us only gets 24 hours each day, we can add time to someone's day by giving of ours.  I did the cleaning.  They checked it off their to-do list.

There are days when I don't have time to spare.  There are days when others share their time with me.  Time is one of the most precious gifts.  Often, it's the most valuable asset we have.

Welcome 2015!

Happy New Year to you all!

We rang in the new year about like we always do.  My husband went to bed by 11pm, my daughter fell asleep on the couch and my son and I stayed up putting together a puzzle.  When the clock turned over to midnight, we wished one another a Happy New Year, brushed our teeth and went to bed.  I suppose it's not the most exciting way to celebrate, but at least I can say that I saw 2015 tiptoe into our lives.

To kick things off today, I'm putting together lists of things to do this year.

 First is my book list.  You'll find it to the right of the page.  I'm a firm believer that if you want to make the best of life, you must obtain knowledge.  Books are key.

I've also found a 52 Weeks To An Organized Home list on Pinterest. It's not 100% fitting for my home, but close enough to be a good start. I'll start with my kitchen counters and sink today.  One organizational project a week should be doable.

I started a daily Bible reading program this morning.  I found a copy of The One Year Bible (New Living Translation) at Goodwill a few weeks ago.  It's set up with a passage from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs daily.  And the Living translation will keep the reading light.  Generally I use the King James Version for my studies but I know myself, and "easier" will keep me engaged longer.  Preferably, for the whole year.

As far as typical resolutions, I guess I don't have any.

I really just want to continue doing the best I can every day.  Looking for better ways.  Implementing new ideas.  Being open to people.  Being frugal.  Reading.  Helping.

Our pastor recently spoke on considering what we can contribute to the church and the work of God and not just on what we get from it.

When Mary poured expensive perfume over Jesus' feet, she was taking the best she had, probably what would have been passed on when she died, and gave it to the Lord.  (John 12:3)

The message was to offer the best of our talents to God now and not have them still setting on a shelf when we die.

So this year, 2015, I'm giving the hashtag of #DoLifeBig and using Jamie Grace's song, Do Life Big, as my theme song.  I want to make sure I'm not holding back my best just for the sake of holding back.

So here's to a new beginning.  To doing my best.  To doing life big.  To new changes...  Of course, today is the first of the month and some things don't change.  Rent is due.  Oh, well. #DoLifeBig