50 Things in 55 Days

This week I did terrible at exercising - too many excuses - too tired, too much rain, etc! I am thinking my goal of 60 miles a month is something I need to build up to, so in March I am going to start with 30 miles, and build up from there! And I have neglected memorizing Genesis 1 like I challenged my Sunday Schoolers to do- there is always next week :).

But because of God's grace and a mistake I made $100 in our favor, I was able to cross something else off my list:
12. Pay off the car I wrecked a year and a half ago
I am so excited! We finished two months ahead of schedule! Everytime I paid that car payment, I remembered the horrible accident I got in that totalled the first car Pete and I ever bought, and my silliness for being so cheap to not haven gotten collision insurance! But now that is completely in the past, and we have no more car payments as some dear and generous friends gave us a car once we got back to San Diego. So on to saving money for a cash car for if the car we have now ever has to be replaced. (We are being so careful to nurse this car along for as long as possible). God has been so generous to provide for us - He even uses my clerical errors :).
    

January's Debt Snowflake Challenge

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Confucius

             Trying to become debt free can seem like trying to climb Mt. Everest in a blizzard, especially in these economic times. But as in mountain climbing, paying down debt does not have to be done at a sprint - it can be done at a limp or even a crawl. 

        Pete and I are a long way from being out of debt, but by God's grace we have less debt this year than last. One way that this has been possible for us is by making what Dave Ramsey calls "debt snowflakes". (Dave Ramsey is a little too extreme for me on some particulars - but I have gleaned a lot from his writings). A debt snowflake is any little payment you make toward your smallest debt - the idea is that a lot of debt snowflakes can add up to a "debt snowball" (which I will explain in a later post). For example, putting the 5$ you squeezed out of last week's grocery budget on your smallest credit card (in addition to your minimum payment of course) is a debt snowflake.

         This week I decided to use the money in the change jar that sits on the window sill near our kitchen table as a debt snowball. Those pennies, nickels, and dimes were not helping us get out of debt sitting there collecting dust, so I rolled them into coin rolls while watching "The Saint" with Roger Moore with Pete tonight. The 17.58 will go to pay off our smallest debt, which happens to be a library fine of 9 dollars, and the rest will go into savings. It may sound silly, but I feel slightly freer knowing that we have one less debt to pay.

            Challenge: Find a change jar (or the loose change at the bottom of your purse or between your couch cushions) and put it towards your smallest debt, whether that be a library fine of nine dollars, a credit card with a 1000 dollar balance, or a student loan of 30,000$.

Who's In? 

             

50 Things in 365 days

With God's grace, in 2011 I resolve to:

Writing Goals
1. Blog six days a week
2. Finish writing short story "16th and Island"
3. Try to get "16th and Island" published

Spiritual Goals
4. Read the Bible everyday
5 Pray 10 Minutes everyday (at least)
6. Make a real prayer list and don't lose it! :)
7. Spend one day a month in serious prayer
8. Memorize Genesis 1 and John 1

Financial Goals
9. Continue budgeting at the beginning of each month
10. Continue balancing checkbook each week while praising God for online banking :)
11. Save at least 25$ more a month
12. Pay off the car I wrecked a year and a half ago
13. Save for a laproscopic surery
14. Pay down at least $1000 extra on smallest student loan
15. Give ___ $ more a month

Health Goals
16. Remember to take pills everyday :)
17. Exercise 6 days a week
18. Walk at least 60 miles a month
19. Do weight training 3 times a week
20. Eat salad 4 times a week
21. Eat NO SUGAR all year
22. Eat NO WHEAT all year
23. Eat no dairy all year
24. Eat no red meat all year
25. Get tested for wheat allergy
26. Get laproscopic surgery
27. Lose and KEEP off these last stubborn 35 pounds!

Cleaning/ Organizing Goals
28. Dust really well once a week
29. Put shelves into bedroom for organizing clothes
30. Have trash men pick up old broken television and molding bedframe
31. Buy new iron and ironing board for FASTER ironing!
32. Put in two sturdy clotheslines to replace the one which almost touches ground when full :

Calligraphy Goals
33. Start a shop on etsy
34. Learn 3 new fonts

Ministry Goals
35. Find an easy to understand history of Old Testament for Wanda
36. Edit Pete's New Testament Survey notes in time for them to be published by fall
37. Add graphics and pictures to all of Pete's New Testament Survey Power Points by end of year
38. Summarize main points of "Basic Greek Grammer" by Mounce for Pete's summer Greek class
39. Raise at least $100 dollars for homeless children through blogging and calligraphy

Gardening Goals
40. Plant Morning Glories in window boxes and keep them alive
41. Plant spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, asain carrots, and butterleaf lettuce
42. Grow these things successfully :)
43. Make another row of compost trench

Sewing
44. Finish hand-mending pair of jeans I've been working on for three months!
45. Buy a sewing machine
46. Take a class on how to use sewing machine
47. Complete one simple project

Cooking Goals
48. Bake 1 loaf of gluten-free bread (this will be the year!)
49. Learn 3 new Thai dishes
50. Organize recipes!!!!





What are your New Years Resolutions?

Entering 2011 (a baby step closer to) Debt Free

Pete and I had the goal of paying off all medical debt in 2010 - and by the skin of our teeth, we just made it!  We started off the year with five medical bills we weren't sure how to pay, and as small claims court or wage garnishment were not options we were willing to consider, we decided that drastic times called for drastic measures. So it has been an exciting year of choosing fresh food at home over overpriced artery clogging fastfood, learning lots of new recipes that involve the legume family, and perfecting my skills as a seamstress (i.e. learning how to mend). But then several emergencies came up last minute, and we thought we would have to wait until next year to finish. A tad bit disappointing considering I had learned 50 different ways to make beans and rice this year (just kidding). Yet with these economic times we were just feeling blessed to know how all our bills would get paid and to have a roof over our head and electricity. Then yesterday afternoon, when we realized Pete got paid more than we had budgeted for one of his classes, we were able to send in the remaining balance on the last remaining bill.  God is so gracious in blessing us by allowing us to make this goal - He is so thoughtful!

What goals have you accomplished this year? Financial or otherwise?