Mint.com - Free Budgeting Program

I have been pretty bad about keeping our budget exactly on track (I hate to say it). Part of this reason is because the software I had was removed from the computer when it was reloaded, and has never made it back on. I think that I also was supposed to upgrade and pay, but I didn't want to do that.

I just started using a great free budgeting program at Mint.com. I had a little bit of a hard time setting my bank account up, which is ok, because it was the security feature, but I finally figured it out. Now it's up and running and I can't wait to use this program to keep us on track with our spending and savings, and hopefully help me figure out a more attainable way to pay off our debt.

Not only does this program budget, but you can set goals, see spending trends, and track investment accounts. You can even set up mobile alerts!

If you're looking for a free budgeting program, sign up with this great program today!

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At The Top Of The Credit Mountain

Since the beginning of the year, it has been my extreme priority to pay off our credit cards and other loans, in order to ease our monthly budget. Yes, we got stuck in that rut and it is a huge burden to pay those blasted cards off each month. Well, not even pay them off, just to get by with the minimum or a little more than the minimum payment. I have allotted a set amount of money in our budget each month to pay off credit cards. Thankfully, I have paid off 4 cards since January, and closed them!

In paying them off, I started with the smallest balanced card. Paying that amount sometimes left me the rest of my budget money to pay towards another card. So, that is how it has been progressing each month, so easily honestly.

I have also taken the cards that we have a balance on out of my wallet to avoid the temptation of using them. The only thing with that is if you forget another form of payment when you are in the grocery store. This happened to me yesterday. I had cash enough for a certain amount and couldn't find my bank card to pay the difference, and of course since there was no credit card. I had the lovely, somewhat embarrassing task of taking items out of bags and giving them back. It wasn't too bad, because it wasn't necessities, but it did take time and I hate feeling like I'm holding others up. Oddly enough, when I took out those 4 items that I didn't have to have, the total was exactly the amount of cash I had....an even dollar amount! Of course, I didn't charge anything that didn't need to be charged, so that is good too!

As April begins, we have 2 cards left which of course are the highest amounts. The tax return will be paying a portion of one for something we purchased designated towards buying with that money anyway.

I feel like I have finally reached the peak of the credit mountain and it will be downhill from here. We of course still have two loans to pay off, but the credit budget will then become the loan payment budget, in addition to what we are required to pay on those each month.

I strongly encourage you to not even fall into the lure that you have to have a credit card for good credit or even that it is necessary for spending. It is just an endless cycle of charging and paying, charging and paying. Your mortgage, utilities and other bills are enough that you can have good credit without using credit cards. Really, why do you need credit if you are able to pay with your bank account or cash anyway?! If it is something you can't afford, you probably don't need it anyway!

Stewardship and Budgeting

When we went from two incomes to one, we realized that we of course would have to decrease spending in certain areas. To do this, we created a household budget. It is a very important part of our finances and we strive to adhere to it as close as possible. It is not an easy task, that is for sure. We started and realized how much we were spending in certain areas and realized that it was not working. So, we adjusted it and cut back on those things. Now, things are much better. We have certain categories and limits for the individual things in those categories.

The one thing I've learned in doing all this is that the money we have is NOT ours. Everything we have and earn is God's money. He is the one who provides the job that provides the money. Yes, we have the knowledge to do that job, but who gave us that knowledge? GOD! If you think about everything that has happened in your life - timings of events, etc., I'm sure you can see a path of how things worked out, just in the perfect timing. It is hard to say that there isn't a plan for your life.

The most important thing for us to do is acknowledge that God provides for us. Once we do this, we should set aside our offering for Him. We are really only the managers of the finances He gives us. I encourage you, if you aren't, to give the firstfruits to God. The Bible does not say a set amount, but encourages us to give freely. 10 percent is only a minimum. Set it aside before you pay your bills or spend your money, that way it can't be spent on other things. This verse clearly states that when we give cheerfully, which is not always easy to do, especially when things are tight, that God will make his grace abound to you so that we have all we need. It is never His desire for us to be without. (This doesn't mean always having the latest and greatest) That is a choice we make by being good stewards of our money or not. If you do all these things, I believe that you will reap the benefits and blessings that God has for you...maybe not right away, but in His time.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

So, in saying all this, I encourage you not to get caught up in the game of couponing. I have to admit, at first I did and still sometimes do. It is hard not to. In the beginning it is hard too, because you are trying to build a coupon pile or build your ECB for CVS. You find something that is fun and interesting. You want to find the best deals you can. Not only does this use up money, but it also uses up lots of time. I have to make a conscious effort to not be on my computer all day doing this. I have to remember that my focus is my relationship with God, my family, my house and then these other things. Stewardship is not just money, but time and other things as well.

I also encourage you to set up a limit on your spending. It is hard not to see all the good deals this week at CVS and think, 'Oh, I can get this, this and this, oh and this too!". You have to focus on what you will really use and what you really need. Now, that being said, I have at times, bought things for the ECB at CVS, that I don't use. I will be keeping a stock of these and donate them. I only buy them if I have coupons though! I will not pay a lot for things I don't/won't use. I will however, get them when I need them for another purpose and donate them happily. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I won't buy for charity! However, my charitable giving is done through tithing, so unless I have extra money that I feel God is leading me to give elsewhere, I try not to spend unnecessarily. I also buy things when they are cheap from a sale and I have coupons, to stock up to an extent. As long as I'm not paying a ton of money to do this, I think this is a wise use of my time and money.


Are you overloaded yet? I will leave it at this.