Easter church service is supposed to be very user-friendly. It’s one of two services that you see folks that you otherwise never see in church throughout the year. Easy songs. Short message. Friendly folks. And, apparently at our church, a firm reminder to contribute an offering. During the offeratory, our row passed the plate, as […]
Finance
Not My Job
To make life a little easier, in our house we have divided up the various to-do responsibilities. For example: Food – my job Finances – Kelly’s job Shopping – my job Insurance and Taxes – Kelly’s job Laundry – my job Ironing – Kelly’s job Birthday cards – my job Mavericks ticket sales – Kelly’s […]
It’s the Final Countdown
(Cue Europe for your mental soundtrack) We’re less than a week away from becoming grown-ups. Just three more days left to relish yelling at a management company for repairs. Yes, three more days of risk-free rental status. Only three more days of “you’re just throwing money away instead of building equity.” Yes, it’s three more […]
We’re Playing Pretend for a While
After working through the budget last weekend, and thinking about our rapidly approaching Hayley Home purchase and Kelly’s upcoming ministry trip, we’ve decided to live very close to the (budget) vest for a while. The goal: Pay for all needed and desired home improvements, and new furniture, out of cash flow. Contribute as much as […]
I Never Thought I’d Like This…But I Do
Today is New Budget Day. When Kelly and I got married, we had a little bit of debt – around $30,000. Most of it was tied up in car notes and from scraping by while one or the other of us was out of work the year before we married. The week we got back […]
It’s Not Just the Economy – It’s Sanity
What happens when you take 15 people, scattered around the 2nd largest state in America and throw them together for holidays? Madness, that’s what it is. This year the down economy has given us all a reason to bring a spirit of parsimony to the annual Hayley Holiday Get-Together in late December. The adults have […]
This One’s on Me
The Hayley household is budget-minded. I’m not saying we are cheap, I’m just saying that we make a budget each month and we stick with it. This is a fairly natural process for my CPA husband, but not such a natural process for his #1 fan. When we were newlyweds, Kelly took one look at […]
Deal Junkie Rewards
Like I said, I am a deal junkie. But there’s a reason for it – the rewards and savings that you can use to keep the dreaded budget under control. Prime example: for every $100 I spend in a month at Kroger, I can get a 10 cent discount on gasoline. Because gas prices have […]
I Am a Collector. Or Maybe I am Just a Deal Junkie
I’m always on the lookout for the best deal. Why pay MSRP when you can get it for a better price? I do have my limits. I’m not buying things that I wouldn’t normally buy just to get a deal. And I’m not driving all over town, using up copious amounts of gasoline to get […]