Posts
Our story started many years ago in a cute little condo in a great area of Atlanta as newlyweds. We decided it was time for us to move to a house to start a family. We became landlords in hopes that we could make a profit on the condo in the future. We moved to our house in 2004 and had a son in 2005 and another daughter in 2008. We were very careful about not being in debt and spending wisely. We did live really tight every month as a single-income family finding that we had to live very carefully. We did not do a monthly budget at the time. When the housing bubble burst in 2009, we were left paying 2 mortgages on one salary. We were desperate to find a tenant to deliver us from this hardship.
In August 2009, we started Financial Peace University (FPU) very shortly after we became a dual mortgage family. We put together our first family budget and found out I was overspending in our grocery budget. On a bad month, I spent $1000 in groceries. After realizing this, I decided to become intense about trying to cut down our grocery bill through couponing and learning how to play the drugstore game. Keep in mind that I had NEVER used a coupon in a grocery store a day in my life. In less than 2 months, we were spending $200 a month on groceries for a family of four, paying 2 mortgages and living within our means. Yes, God moved mountains in our life and used people to provide. Ultimately, God provided and turned our “5 loaves of bread and 2 fish” into MORE THAN ENOUGH food to feed our family for a month.
I hope to be able to share with my friends some of the knowledge I gained but also share what I have learned about the spirit of saving. Yes, behavior modification is a start, but I believe you must get to the heart of wastefulness to change your life and lifestyle. There are many websites and blogs online that teach about saving money at the grocery store and drug store. My hope is not just to be a source of deals but wisdom on how to be a good steward.
This past year was a great year where our family realized how great of a provider our God is. Sometimes we need to get off of our couch and realize that God has already provided. We need to do our part and be the answer to our own prayers using the tools that he provided. Now let’s begin our journey into 2010 ready to learn together…
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
0 comments:
Post a Comment