Archive for December, 2008
Financial Goals for 2009 (part 1)
I have never been one to set New Years resolutions, so I am not going to start now. However, I do think setting goals is a good idea. Good goals have some pretty simple characteristics such as being attainable, being measurable and being realistic. The primary reason ...
Tags: Debt, goal setting
Purchased our next vehicle
We have been saving for a replacement for my wife’s van for a while now. We were hoping to get another 6-7 months out of it, but as usual, God’s timing doesn’t always line up with ours. Because we were going to be buying the vehicle with cash, ...
Tags: cash purchases, payments
Is this a good time to prepay our mortgage?
You know how I feel about debt, including mortgage debt. As a matter of fact, just last week I posted about this very topic. This week I came across an article at CNNMoney.com that asked, "Is this a good time to prepay our mortgage?". One of the ...The problem with 401(k) loans
As people struggle during the tough economy, many are looking for easy ways to get their hands on cash. For some, the lure of borrowing their own money is just to great and what seems likes an easy decision could very well backfire and turn out to be not ...This holiday season the “best ever”!
If you watch the 'mainstream' news, you have heard that this holiday 'shopping' season has been terrible. While at my parents house last week, the number that was repeated over and over was 8%. Retail sales were down 8% from last year. Anytime retail sales are down, ...
Tags: Economy
You can be a winner!
I think one of the most important things that anyone can do when looking for personal finance (PF) advice is to realize that everyone makes mistakes; even those that are qualified to offer advice. As a matter of fact, sometimes the best person to offer advice is someone that ...
Tags: personal responsibility
Getting rid of the mortgage
As a Christian it is very easy for me to not fall into the trap of categorizing debt as 'good' or 'bad'. According to Proverbs 22:7, those that are in debt are slaves to their lender. Another way of looking at being a slave is being in bondage, ...Credit card debt is a killer!
I have mentioned before how we budget for Christmas and save a little each month until time to start shopping. When January 2009 rolls around we will have accumulated exactly $0 in debt. It is a great feeling and one that we will continue to enjoy. If ...
Tags: credit card, Debt
Christmas giveaways!
The one thing that I have found since starting this blog, is that there are a lot of other people out there with blogs. If you look hard enough, you can find someone blogging on just about anything. Some like me are just starting out, but others have ...
Tags: Free stuff
Stay with a sure thing?
The average person that has money in the stock market is basically wondering one of two things. First, should I get out of the market now and put everything into a CD where I know I won't get a great return, but at least I won't be loosing money? ...
Tags: Investment, Stock Market
Is it really better to give than to receive?
It is the time of year when people generally are in good spirits and naturally find themselves in a 'giving' mood. This year is an exception to the rule. Although many people are finding themselves struggling in this uncertain economy, non-profit groups and charities that depend on the ...
Tags: Giving
How is your savings plan?
You can't go more than a day or so without hearing someone talking about the economy. Usually, the discussion focuses on the impact of increasing food prices, the fluctuation in gas prices, the next big government bailout mistake, or other such topic. One thing that I don't hear ...Saving (more) at the grocery store
With gas prices now around $1.50/gallon in our area, most people should have a few extra dollars in their monthly budget. If you are careful, you can take advantage of the extra money and apply it to your debt and make some real progress in achieving your goal of ...
Tags: food prices, groceries
The joy of Christmas is found in Giving
Occasionally, when our pastor is away, he will ask me to step in and provide the sermon that particular Sunday. The post below is part of one such recent sermon The joy of Christmas is found in Giving (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his ...
Tags: Giving
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Savings Goal: $70,000
Current Savings: $50,328
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