Gifts That Make a Difference (Carole)

You'll remember a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about being able to spend your money on fun adventures occasionally, because you are usually frugal.

Well, right now I'm writing this post in the beautiful country of Honduras.  My husband, 14 year old son and I have been blessed to be part of a group of 100 doctors and dentists and their older children who have provided medical care and dental work for about 450 young men and women who could never afford it otherwise.  It has been a life-changing experience for all of us.  This is another reason to be frugal: so you can help others.  Possibly it's the best reason.

We've talked about being part of a group like this for over 20 years, and finally were able to make it a reality.  I hope one day each of you has an experience like this in your lives.  This has been a Thanksgiving we will never forget.  In fact, we hope to participate again next year.

It's been a busy 10 days of wonderful service where we truly received more than we gave.  In that same mode, I'm sharing a great post from Get Rich Slowly of truly thoughtful and helpful (and frugal) gifts that can be given during the holiday season.

I hope you enjoy these ideas as much as I did.   

Christmas Gifts That Make a Difference

Grandma probably doesn’t want another scented candle, but she could very well use a ride to the store. Your underemployed nephew would likely prefer a little help filling the pantry instead of a jokey T-shirt. And the sister who’s staying home with her kids may not be able to afford any extras just now. Instead of dropping $40 on a sweater, why not put that money toward a membership to the local museum?

You’ve still got a few weeks to think about Christmas gifts. Make this the year when you pick presents that actually help. I’ve put together a list of items that save the recipient money or fill a specific need. Prices range from as little as $5 to upwards of $50 or more — and some of the suggestions will cost you little except time. . .Read The Article Here

Giveaway Winner!

Well, I'm probably not the only one who thoroughly enjoyed reading through all the giveaway comments. I thought it was especially nice that you all took a moment to think about what you were grateful for -- what a great reminder for all of us.

Anyway, without further ado, our winner of Dave Ramsey's book is:



Conntess, who said...
I'm grateful that I can afford helping others financially. I'm grateful that I can be a SAHM for a while.

What wonderful things to be grateful for!

Email us your address at frugalwifewealthylife@gmail.com and we'll get your book sent off to you! Congratulations!!

Should Your Teen Have a Job? (Carole)

Janssen's last post about buying your teenager a car, brought up the subject of teenagers working during their high school years.  My goodness there were some very strong opinions of this subject!  So, of course, I'm going to bring it up again and really get those strong feelings flowing.

As Janssen mentioned, high school jobs are mandatory at our house.  I remember spotting the "Help Wanted" sign in the local Cold Stone ice cream shop and telling Janssen about it when she was just turning 16.  A few days later, she girded up her loins and marched in to ask for a job application.  Despite the fact that she probably looked 13 years old, they hired her -- and eventually Merrick, Landen and just about every other friend they had!  She was the gateway employee for probably a dozen kids this Cold Stone store hired during the next 2 years.

The girls ended up holding a number of different jobs during their high school years including regular babysitting gigs, early morning paper route, ice skating sink guard and instructor, working in their dad's dental office doing some assisting/front desk/errands (endless errands)/computer /janitorial work, and who could forget  J's short, but painful stint at the Krispy Kreme donut shop?

My own lack of work experience during my high school years was what convinced me that a job was a good thing.    Like many of you, my parents told me that my schooling was my job  (even though both of my older siblings had held jobs as teens -- not sure why I was different).  Me, being somewhat lazy and a also bit fearful of new experiences, didn't complain.  I did live up to my end of this bargain and earned myself a full-ride scholarship to the university of my choice -- however,  I lost it after my first year.   I also didn't work while attending college.

Later, I felt these decisions put me at a huge disadvantage in a number of ways:

* It took me a very long time to build up any substantial savings in my personal account 

* I  had to depend on my parents for most of my spending money & living expenses

* I didn't have a clear sense of what money was worth for many years

* No experience with co-workers and a boss

* No job interview experience

* No work experience as a 20 year old

* No resume

I was determined that my children would have a different experience.  And they did.  I think they would all say that their work experiences during high school were as valuable to them as anything they learned in a classroom.  (They can feel free to comment on this.)  Each of them continued to be excellent students, learned some real life and financial lessons, entered college with thousands of dollars saved away, and had very impressive resumes.

Friday GIVEAWAY! (Merrick)

Since I usually associate months with the holiday that falls in that month, my mind has been on Thanksgiving the last few weeks. And because of Thanksgiving, my thoughts have mainly revolved around gratitude. It's a lovely thing to focus on, don't you think?

So in light of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be nice to share what I am grateful for from a financial standpoint (since that is the purpose of this blog).

Nearly a year ago, and four months before I gave birth to my little boy, I was laid off from my job. It was a tough time for all small businesses, so I completely understood that it was a necessary thing, but that didn't make the blow of losing 1/3 of our income any softer. However, little financial boosts began popping up here and there -- I sold some paintings, my neighbor started paying me to watch her baby, my husband was doing really well at work and his paychecks were bigger than ever, and the list could go on. So despite the cut in our income, our savings have continued to grow over this past year, and I am so grateful for that.

Today we're giving away a copy of Dave Ramsey's book, Financial Peace Revisited. It's a perfect book to have as we approach a new year -- what a better time to reevaluate your finances and get everything in order! To enter, tell us what you are grateful for financially, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.

The giveaway will close next Wednesday, November 24th at midnight, and the winner will be announced the following Friday. Good luck!

Buying Your Child a Car (Janssen)

As far back as I can remember, my parents made it clear that they would not be buying me or any of my siblings a car when we got our licenses. If any of us wanted a car, we'd have to buy it ourselves.

In December of my senior year, the inconvenience of me not having a car (and having early morning seminary, school, daily play practice, and a part-time job) changed their minds. They bought me a car. It was a 10 year old car and it. . . .was not a great car. In a year, they probably put more money into it than they paid for it in the first place. (Needless to say, I loved this little car with all the ferocity a seventeen year old can muster).

Eventually, about a year after I went away to college and the car became Merrick's main transportation, they replaced it with a much nicer, new little red Hyundai and that car eventually went to my youngest sister who still drives it.

When I was driving my parents' cars, they paid for the gas and I paid a small portion of my insurance. When they bought me my own car, I was now solely responsible for the gas and paid a slightly larger portion of my insurance.

Although I could have afforded a car, I never ever ever considered buying one because doing so would have cost the vast majority of my savings and I was unwilling to do that. Better to drive the minivan.

Bart's parents also said they wouldn't buy their children cars. To the best of my knowledge, all but one of their children purchased their own cars while in high school (there is one amusing picture I've seen of four of the children lined up beside their four cars along the sidewalk in front of their home). Bart said he wasn't, for a moment, willing to not have his own car. He saw it as a complete necessity.

Of course, buying a car, insuring it (as a teenage boy), and paying for gas meant that practically every dime Bart made went directly to the car. He worked three jobs his freshman year in college. He paid a high price to have his own car, including having no savings.

Because this is an issue that was such a big deal to both of us in high school, we have talked at length about what we plan to do as far as cars go for our children (seeing as our daughter just turned sixteen weeks old on Friday, I think we have some time).

Our plan (which we reserve the right to alter) is to buy a car that our children can drive when they turn sixteen. It won't be a particularly nice car, but it'll be reliable and nice enough that we don't spend a fortune on upkeep. They'll pay for gas and part of their insurance. And when they go off to college, the car will stay with us and become the primary possession of the next child. They'll have some of the financial responsibility for a car, but not such a huge burden that it prevents them accumulating any savings or forcing them to work an enormous amount to shoulder the burden.

What about you? How did your parents handle a car? What do you plan to do with your children?

What are Your Top 5 Skills? (Carole)

Early in our marriage, David and I had a lively conversation about the Five Most Valuable Skills each of us possessed.  I don't remember why this topic came up or how come we settled on the number 5.  However, the subject still comes up every once in awhile, and it's interesting to see how some of our answers have changed over the years, but amazingly not too many -- those valuable skills have remained valuable!

Our definition of "valuable" is very loose.  It could mean that you earn money with this skill, it could mean that you save money with this skill, it can mean that this skill brings you pleasure, or that you just find this skill to be extremely useful.  The following lists are not in any particular order.

David's Top 5 Skills List:
1.  Writing an outline
2.  Writing a thesis statement
3.  Typing
4.  Public speaking
5.  Wood working

Carole's Top 5 Skills List:
1.  Playing the piano
2.  Knitting/Crocheting/Sewing
3.  Reading
4.  How to paint a room
5.  Typing

As we raised our children, we tried to keep this idea of Valuable Skills in mind as we signed them up for school courses, extra curricular activities, lessons, sports and also as we passed on the skills we personally had.  What experiences and/or skills might turn out to bless their future lives?  These will be among their most important assets and should not be ignored.

Take a few minutes and think about what you've learned through your life that has turned out to be valuable to you.  I'd love to hear what some of your answers are.

More Holiday Savings (Merrick)

Every Christmas since I’ve been married, I’ve wanted to send out holiday cards. I love receiving them, seeing updated photos, and reading the letters about the family during the past year. But my husband felt weird about sending them out when it was just the two of us.

This year we added a little boy to our family, so I convinced my husband it was finally time to send out cards. But once I sat down and made a list of people to send them to, calculated in the cost of cards (which ranged from $0.30-1.50 per card), envelopes, and postage (on top of all the other Christmas expenses), it was suddenly getting a little pricey.

So, of course, I went looking for a deal.

After a quick search, I discovered that Winkflash.com was giving away 50 free 4x6 prints (with $0.99 shipping) when you sign up. Then while purchasing ink cartridges at Office Max, I found 50 envelopes for 4x6 cards on sale for $5. I asked my friend if she would take a few family shots of us (which she did for free!), and then I put a little holiday pattern and note on the photo in Photoshop. And for a whopping $5.99 (plus postage), I have holiday cards!


This is not the one we're sending out -- I just whipped this one up as an example. Adding a festive border and some verbiage does not matter when ordering your free 50 prints as long as it's 4x6 and saved as one file, able to be uploaded to Winkflash's site just like a normal photo.

So even if you're cutting back this year, you can still send out holiday cards and not have to worry that it's a big expense.

Chasing Interest Rates (Janssen)

Some of our friends told us last week that a new bank just opened in our town, offering 4% interest on checking accounts. Our checking account is currently earning about 1%.

There are several requirements (of course!), including having a monthly bill pay or direct deposit, and using the debit card twelve times a month.

We currently put virtually everything on our credit card in order to maximize our airline rewards, so this would mean making a concerted effort to use the debit card 12 times a month (I can just see myself buying twelve bananas, one at a time).

Basically, we would need to switch over entirely from ING because without having direct deposit and our checking account there, it wouldn't be feasible to make purchases from that account, and if our savings and emergency funds aren't there, we won't be making enough money to make it worth switching.

Normally, I am willing to jump through a lot of hoops to make or save money, but this one seems like a lot of effort and some major changes to our banking system. Especially when it is very probable that in a year or so, their interest rates will drop significantly. I'm kind of at an impasse on this one right. . .

What do you think?

Dave Ramsey Books, CDs, DVDs and Software on Sale for $10

This is a yearly $10 special Dave Ramsey runs.  I purchased a whole bunch of these as gifts last year.

Thought some of you might be interested!

Get a Jump Start on Your 2011 Goals (Carole)

I know it's only November, but the holiday season is about to take over our lives (cooking, decorating, hosting, shopping, crafting. . .) and before we know it, it's New Year's Eve.  So, I'm going to suggest you start thinking about your 2011 goals NOW.  Tape a piece of paper to your bathroom mirror or refrigerator and begin brainstorming on what you'd like to accomplish in 2011.

Recently I ran across a short article by Dr. Adam Fraser, an educator in thought and human performance, based on the research of Dr. Stephanie Burns, who he describes as a "guru in the area of goal achievement."   Here are a few points I thought were worth sharing with you as you begin your plans for the coming year.

First -- 85% of goals set are never achieved.  I think this is good to know.   Sometimes we feel like we're the only ones who can't stick to our plans past the 2nd week of January!

Second -- Having more time to dedicate to a goal has NOTHING to do with whether or not you will achieve it.  This is one of those lies I tell myself every time I begin to lose steam on a goal I've set.

Third -- High self-esteem does not determine if you will achieve a goal.  In fact,  high self-esteem only only affects the SIZE of the goal that is set.   And guess what?   85% of those grandiose goals are never achieved either.  Keep your plans realistic for you.

Fourth -- This is the big Take Home Message.  "Frequent and consistent action" are the key to accomplishing anything.  That's it.  Doesn't that make sense?

Tape that blank paper to the fridge or mirror.  Begin thinking of goals (including financial goals) you would like to accomplish in 2011.  Keep them reasonable and remember to take time to plan the frequent and consistent actions you'll need to accomplish them.

I  like to start working on my new goals a week before Christmas.  Then when New Year's Day arrives, I have nearly 2 weeks of success under my fledgling wings.  It's an exhilarating way to greet January 1!  (I also never stay up until midnight -- or beyond.  I try to go to bed at a reasonable time and get up early and have a fabulous first day of the New Year).

Here are a few of my goals from 2010, and an accounting on how I did.

1.  Join a book club (read books I wouldn't normally read and make new friends).  Accomplished!  And so much fun!!
2.  Read 1/2 of the Old Testament.  Nope.  Hardly cracked the cover.
3.  Arrange for all our insurance and investments to follow the Dave Ramsey guidelines.  35% done.
4.  Dining Room Door saved for and installed.  It's paid for, installed and looks stunning!  This has been a goal for SEVEN years.  I finally got it accomplished this year.  I'm so proud of myself.
5.  Start a financial blog with my girls.  Yes!!
6.  Lose 20 lbs.  50%  accomplished.  Better than nothing.

 What goals did you work on this year?  How did you do?

Grocery Tetris (Janssen)

Last weekend, we had a Halloween party and I took some cornbread. I ended up with four leftover pieces and so I stuck them in the freezer and decided that I would use two in this Stuffed Acorn Squash (it was delicious) and the last two pieces to make the croutons for this Chicken Chili. I was unreasonably thrilled by this plan and when I mentioned it to my husband, his comment was that meal planning is a little bit like Tetris for me - a game to find a way to make everything fit perfectly.

As a complete and utter Tetris addict, I loved this analogy. And I really love using up my food and not letting things I paid good money for go to waste. But I don't have a particularly good system (unless you call opening your drawers and pulling things out at random a good system).

Any great methods for making sure your food doesn't go to waste?

The Rewards of Being Frugal (Carole)

My girls and I have spent nearly a year sharing our fun (and sometimes clever) frugal ideas with all of you in this blog, and maybe it seems that all we care about is saving money.  Not true!  In fact, the main reason we use coupons, pay off debt, look for the best deal or do without, is so that when we REALLY want to spend money on something important or fun -- we can!  All without fear or regret -- or using a credit card.

For instance, last Saturday was my husband's birthday.  At our house, birthdays are a big deal.  For the first 20+ years of our marriage, a "big deal" meant breakfast in bed, a few brightly wrapped presents, Grannie's homemade cherry chocolate cake, and crepe paper streamers and balloons hung from the kitchen light.  But now that the house is paid off and most of our children are raised, we have really beefed up our celebrations!  For the past 5 years, David and I have flown to Los Angeles, rented a snappy convertible, stayed at the super-ritzy Ritz-Carlton, and spent one delightful evening eating filet mignon and watching world-class magic at The Magic Castle in Hollywood.  For my husband who has loved magic since he was a teenager, this is a dream come true!  In fact, after our first trip, he said, "We could do this trip every year for my birthday for the rest of my life and I would be happy."  And maybe we just will.


This trip is not cheap, as you might have guessed (although, we do fly free with our Rapid Rewards points from Southwest Airlines, and I pre-pay our hotel room which saves us $30/night, and Merrick's darling husband gets us the family discount on our rental car through his job), but even with those deals, this trip costs quite a few pretty little pennies.  But because we watch all of our pennies during the rest of the year, we can take this wonderful trip every October and never think twice.

What would be the point of scrimping and saving, just to end up like Ebenezer Scrooge with piles of money, but no happiness?  That's not the goal at all.  One of our beloved religious leaders,  Russell M. Nelson, once said, "Money is a library card to experience."  We remind ourselves of this often.  You only live once.  Don't squander your precious and hard-earned resources so that you can never have the experiences or things that will have made your life worth living.

This is the whole purpose of being frugal.  This is the whole idea behind this blog:  Be that Frugal Wife, so you can have that Wealthy Life.  Whatever that might mean to you.