Hope for your financial life and beyond

How Far Would You Go To Get What You Want?

February 21, 2013 by 18 Comments

Ever been around someone who is never satisfied? It doesn’t matter how much they have they always want more. Contentment is a foreign word to them.

There is a delicate balance between being content and striving for more and the two seem to compete against one another. Being content is an inner attitude that has a lot to do with a peaceful state of mind. Striving for more is an action that outwardly suggests you aren’t entirely settled with your present circumstances.

In all honesty, I’m not sure where the boundary line is drawn. I think, however, I might be able to figure out when somebody crossed the line, like in this story.

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Filed Under: Vices Tagged With: ,

How to Control Overspending and “Gotcha” Moments

February 20, 2013 by 7 Comments

Awww…did you forget about a bill this month?

The number one reason you should be saving money right now is for emergencies. Guaranteed they are going to happen. The second reason we need to save money consistently is for making purchases or for paying bills. As I’ve written about, this concept goes completely against the grain of what is normal in American society. Even though your friends won’t be doing this, there are two completely legitimate reasons why you should develop a monthly saving pattern.

First of all, saving for purchases can help control overspending because it forces us to wait. We tend to get into trouble with our spending habits because we believe in gratifying ourselves instantly. We see something…we like it…we buy it, on the spot. We don’t think how that purchase sets us back financially because it makes us feel so good.

Following a monthly savings plan has another benefit in that it helps eliminate the monthly budget busters that I call “gotcha moments.” What’s a “gotcha moment?”

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Filed Under: Planning, Spending Tagged With: ,

The Un-American Way: Saving for Purchases

February 19, 2013 by 20 Comments

Light bulb penniesSeveral weeks ago I wrote about the #1 reason why saving money is important. In “O Lord Jesus, It’s a Fire!” I discussed how saving is vital because we are guaranteed to face emergencies in our life. Having some cash set aside reduces most emergencies to minor inconveniences.

The coolest part about having an emergency fund is that it causes us to emotionally and mentally relax. We realize, with some money reserves in place, that we will be able to move through the crisis with relative ease. We no longer have to stress out as we scramble to come up with cash or go into debt to fix whatever problem has come about.

I’ve believed my whole life saving money was important, especially for a “rainy day.” But in my saving money belief structure, I was missing a vital element. To incorporate this missing link it into my life, I would have to do something very un-American. I would have to come face to face with what I really didn’t want to do…

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Filed Under: Planning, Saving Tagged With: ,

Shoutout Saturday (2/16/13)

February 16, 2013 by 14 Comments

Here are some blog posts that ruled the week. Enjoy the reading and have a great weekend!

Frugal Habits of the Rich (Kyle James from Rather-be-shopping.com wrote a guest post for Budget and the Beach blog about the lifestyle habits of his parents and how that has impacted their financial well-being.)

Paying Off Debt is Like a Winter Blizzard (Still snowed in up north? Kim at Eyes on the Dollar offers a creative comparison.)

7 Engaging and Fun Ways to Teach Kids About Money (Club Thrifty guest poster Julian Hearn shares some creative strategies to get your kids thinking about money.)

4 Tips for Sticking to Your Budget (Jason guest posts at Monster Piggy Bank and shares his thoughts on how you can make budgeting work better for you.)

Is Work a Form of Worship? (Can you worship God through your work? Kevin Mercadante shares his thoughts at The Christian Dollar.)

The Road to Debt Free: Not For the Faint of Heart (Getting out of debt is not easy as discussed at The Frugal Farmer.)

How to Live Debt Free for Life - 4 Things to Help You Make the Change. (Some great advice at Stumble Forward about how to make debt free living a reality in your life.)

Bonus Read:

Why Christians Should Let Non-Christians Off the Moral Hook (A thought provoking article from pastor Carey Nieuwhof on how Christians should treat those who are without Christ.)

 

Filed Under: Weekly Recaps

For the Love of Money

February 14, 2013 by 8 Comments

I brought this post out of The Vault today to do two things:

1) to remind myself on this Valentine’s Day the trap that awaits when I choose to put my affection in the wrong place and,

2) to introduce a new feature on Luke1428 called “Theology Thursdays.” It is my goal for Thursday’s post to include a spiritual perspective as it relates to our responsibilities towards money, wealth and personal finance. Hopefully that will be a blessing to you as I share what is on my heart.

So with that introduction, re-enjoy “For the Love of Money” (first appeared on Aug. 3, 2012).

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“Money money money money, MONEY!”

“Some people got to have it…some people really need it…Hey, listen to me, y’all do thangs, do thangs, do thangs - bad thangs with it.

Well, you wanna do thangs, do thangs, do thangs - good thangs with it…talkin’ about cash money…

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Filed Under: Biblical Money Truths, Vices Tagged With: ,

Stop Flirting - 20 Signs You Might be Ready to Get Serious About Money

February 12, 2013 by 16 Comments

From across the room your eyes meet. He flashes a million dollar smile and gives you a wink. He looks away and you think the brief encounter over. But then, he slyly looks back.

Your heart is racing. Clearly he is communicating something, but is this an act perpetuated on you to satisfy his amusement? Or is he testing the waters, seeing where you stand? Does he have something to offer that could change your life forever?

You’ve been preparing for this type of moment for a while now but a part of you can’t believe what you are about to do. With a twirl of your hair and a sideways nod of your head, you motion for him to join you. Without a moment’s hesitation, he heads in your direction.

What should you say when he arrives? Will others think you are crazy for going after someone you hardly know? You’ve spurned his advances before but could he be the man who will fulfill all your dreams?

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Filed Under: Random Fun, Relationships

Weekend Reading List (2/9/13)

February 9, 2013 by 6 Comments

Here is a list of articles from around the web that were valuable to me this week. Hope they will be to you as well. Enjoy your reading and have a great weekend!

LIfe Insurance - Your Most Important Insurance Policy (Kevin at Out of Your Rut explains why life insurance is a must have.)

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Filed Under: Weekly Recaps

Valentine’s Day Shopping For Your Free Spirit - Balancing the Nerd Equation

February 7, 2013 by 12 Comments

Spirit Horse

On Tuesday, Mrs. Luke 1428 did an awesome job in her first ever post on how to shop for the nerd in your family this Valentine’s Day. Today I would like to tackle the other side of the equation, which is shopping for the free spirit. That’s me!

Just to recap, the nerd is the person in the relationship who loves to stick by the numbers. Most typically, they are the ones planning the monthly budget and exacting control over when, where and how much money is spent each month. They get really frustrated when the budget is not followed and often get accused of being “too controlling” and not wanting to “have any fun”.

The free spirit is a spender looking for a place to happen. They don’t mind a budget but don’t see it as etched in stone. They will often spend money in the spur of the moment without consulting the nerd. They get really frustrated when they aren’t allowed to have any fun and are often accused of “not understanding” and “being too selfish.”

So, if you’re the nerd in the relationship, how do you shop this Valentine’s Day (or really any holiday, birthday, special occasion, etc.) for free spirits like me? Here are some tips:

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Filed Under: Relationships, Spending Tagged With: ,

My 2013 Goals Update - January

February 4, 2013 by 11 Comments

Several weeks ago, I detailed a list of goals I would like to accomplish during 2013. You can read more in-depth about these here. So, this is my first update for the month of January:

Goal #1: Read through the entire New Testament of the Bible and the book of Proverbs by May 31st.

I feel really good about my progress on this one. I finished the books of Matthew and Mark. I basically have read several chapters each day and am currently in Luke 7.

I have not started any reading in Proverbs yet, something I have to remedy soon.

Goal #2: Pay off our mortgage debt by the end of the year.

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Filed Under: Goals

Gambling on the Super Bowl - What I Didn’t Know

January 31, 2013 by 17 Comments

The culmination of the 2012 NFL season is just a few days away. The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers have made their way to the final table and are busy making preparations for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. I will be one of countless millions from around the world watching from the comforts of their home. I’ll enjoy being with my family, course after course of great food and hopefully some great commercials.

This year, I will watch as a casual, relaxed observer because I couldn’t care less about either of these teams. But I’ll watch anyway just because the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event of the year. It’s must see TV in my book.

Another reason I won’t feel any tension is because I won’t have anything riding on the game in someone else’s book. That’s right…no bets on the game in my house.

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Filed Under: Vices Tagged With: ,

Bikes, Lies and Video Games

January 29, 2013 by 17 Comments

 

Blue summer skies. Perfect temperature. What a great day to ride my bike, shoot some hoops or maybe even chase the dog around the yard.

I would do all those things later. Right now, I had bigger things on my mind - Boyd Cleaners and Pac-Man. I opened the garage door, grabbed my bike and sped off down the alley.

One minute later I arrived at the side door of the cleaners near the drive-thru pickup. I opened the door and headed to the change machine to convert my dollar bill into usable coinage. When I turned around, I was met with the site of something that would change my life to this day.

Sitting next to my beloved Pac-Man was a new video game - Kangaroo.

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Filed Under: Vices Tagged With: ,