Thanks!!! And goals...

Thank you all who posted to my blog asking for links to "frugal" blogs and sites! I am so excited to check out each and everyone of these and not only that; but to pass them on!!! I can't wait to look back in a few months and see the progress I have made with the help of all of you! The pastor at my church always says "If you always do what you've always done; you'll always get what you've always gotten." Well, I have always lived paycheck to paycheck, spending money on things I probably (definitely) didn't need and then looking around wondering why it was I ran out of money before I ran out of week. No more! 2009 is going to be the year that I stop doing what I've always done and start doing what needs to be done to get me to where I want to be and more importantly to where God wants me to be. With that being said I am going to chronical my attempts and "frugality" here on this blog; even if it turns out to be for nothing more than for my own personal remembrance. So...to start things off I'm going to list my goals and how I plan to get there...(you will notice that these are all types of goals...not just those related to being frugal)

1. Hear from God - in order to do this I have to open up the channels of communication. I plan to do this by praying more, reading more, and simply remembering to just get out of the way. It never ceases to amaze me how wrong things go when I try to "fix" them and how right and easy they go when I just get my hands out of the way. I got quite the lesson on this just this past Wednesday...

2. Be a better steward of what God has given me - I am a firm believer that everything I have has been given to me from God and that God will not give me more until he knows I can be trusted with what I already have. Well as hard as it is to admit, I have simply not taken care of that which I have already been entrusted with. My home, my car, my health, etc. can at many times be described as "messy"...not nasty, mind you, but messy...in need of some straightening up. In essence, if someone were to ride in my car or stop at my house unexpectedly, I would feel the need to ask them to "excuse the mess." It's going to take some work but in 2009 I'm going to clean up my "mess(es)" and treat them as if they really are of value to me.

3. (probably should be 2a) Be a better steward of my finances - Yesterday at church, my Pastor made the comment that those who have just $100 (any "small" amount will do) would answer the question "How much of that belongs to God?" as "$10 or 10%"...that is the tithe, right? But that those who are truly blessed financially would most likely answer the same question "All of it." It's just a difference in thinking...those who "have money" see things differently from those who are "had by money." Everything I have belongs to God, he requires that I give him back 10% and then he allows me to keep the other 90% of that; how generous of Him!!! But, if I take that other 90% and blow it on silly stuff that isn't going to last or hold no true value then what motivation does He have to bless me with more? I want to take that 90% God has left with me and really do something with it. Of course, I want to support myself and my son but I want to help others too. I want to really give back; I want to be the cheerful giver that God loves! This is where the "frugality" comes in...I want to make sure that I am getting the best deal through coupons, comparison shoppings, ebates.com, etc., I want to make sure that I am thinking through every "impulse purchase" to make sure that it is really "necessary" and I want to make sure that when I find a great deal that I share it with someone else so that they can be blessed too!

4. Be a better mom - don't let the fact that this is number 4 fool you...it is certainly incredibly important to me but it has taken this position because I believe that if I can accomplish the first 3 goals that this one will follow suit. I am a single mom to an amazing 7 year old; however, we are incredibly busy and often times he gets pushed to the side because of all our other "activities". In 2009, I want to make sure that I spend more "quality" time with Trajan, making sure that he knows that he is what is important to me...not all the other stuff we have going on.

5. Get healthier - well this one just had to be in there because it just wouldn't be right if it wasn't. I can honestly say that I am almost 1/2 the person I was 4 years ago. I had gastric bypass in April of 2005 and since then I have lost approx. 140ish pounds. I still have a ways I would like to go but even if I stop right where I am pounds wise I have made a huge impact on my health. Ok, so onto the "goal" - I don't diet...honestly, It just stinks!!! However, I do thoroughly enjoy exercise and plan to get "healthy" this year through it. I have discovered some absolutely amazing classes at the Y and have to "reign" myself in to keep them from completely overtaking my life. Those classes are: Yoga, Kickboxing, Zumba (oh how I LOVE this class), hip hop dance and belly dancing!!! If you are a member of a gym or consider purchasing a fitness DVD in the near future I would highly suggest any of these (especially Zumba)!!!

Ok, so now onto my financial goals (no explanations...just goals):

1. Pay off bad debt - ok, maybe a little explanation on this one...I have some old bad debt that I haven't been able to pay off from my marriage (I am divorced now) and some bad money management that I would like to have paid off by the end of 2009 (or at least 75% paid off)

2. Have at least 1 month's salary in savings by the end of 2009 (stretch goal - mid-2009)

3. Start a college savings account for my son

4. Increase my monthly giving by 5%

5. Purchase a home!!!

Alright, so that's what I have so far. I know many of you who responded to the previous post asking "Who all is out there?" have goals like this of your own and I would absolutely love to hear your opinions, suggestions, or even concerns about mine. Those of you who just stop by to visit...what are your goals?

Thanks!

Jennifer