I have never been good with money. Not that I've been one who's run up tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt or had creditors call me to pay on accounts I owe. The only couple of times I've been late on a payment has been due to poor organization (finding the bill under a pile in the kitchen???) and not because I didn't have the money. My credit rating is great... BUT, I have only ever had a max of maybe $500 in savings at any one time. And that was usually whittled away with some crisis or another. And I've almost always had debt, isn't that the American Way??? lol I assumed as much. I envied families who were debt free and I could never wrap my mind around that. How did they do that??? How is that possible???

This past year I have really been burdened with not taking care of the money God has granted me in the way He would like. I bought and read the book The Financial Peace Planner by Dave Ramsey. Love it!!! I was pleasantly surprised that it speaks of prayer and trust in God as I didn't realize it was a Christian book prior to reading it. It made so much sense and was so easy to follow. I have a plan for our family finances now that I am so excited about. I NEVER thought I'd be excited about money - unless of course I were to win the lottery or some such thing. :) But I am excited! I am in the middle of another of his books now, More Than Enough. Loving it too!

In the book The Financial Peace Planner, it speaks of Baby Steps to take toward taking control of your finances and letting your money work for you. The first 3 are: 1. Save $1000 in an emergency fund 2. Pay off ALL debt, except the mortgage 3. Save 3-6 months worth of expenses in a liquid fund (for the What If of job/health/etc.) I have already completed the first Baby Step, and am well on my way toward the second. I will have my last debt (credit card and student loan), minus my van, paid OFF in the next two months with the help of my tax refund. I will then put my disposable income toward the van and should have that paid OFF by the end of September!!! That will be sooner if the ?President's tax refund plan for the summer goes through. I also have developed a plan for college savings with the purchase of mutual funds, which I began this year for Olivia and Braeden and will add Liam next year if all continues as planned with him. I am just so blessed with what I've been given and am so glad to finally have a guide and plan for what to do and how to do it with saving for college and paying off what debt I do have. After this debt is GONE - Hooray! - I will save for those What Ifs and will begin paying extra toward my house to get my mortgage paid early. I also look forward to the future of possibly adopting internationally which I have felt called to for some time. I am developing a love for the people of both Liberia and Ethiopia and maybe someday will bring a little one or two home from there. (not anytime soon, we're talking future!) :)