How To: Easy Money Every Month

Yes, our country is in a recession. Has your family's lifestyle has changed in response to this? We made a few changes in our home that I want to share with you. Maybe one of these will save you a few bucks a month:

• Cancel your newspaper. I never read it, Seth only read it on the weekends, and we both check our newspaper's website on a regular basis to keep up-to-date. $ saved = $30/month

• Join a family cell phone plan. I upgraded to an iPhone, got the data package, and still pay less. $ saved - $10/month

• Shop at local thrift stores. It's not always a jackpot, but you will occasionally find a good deal. $ saved - $25/month (approximately)

• Cancel your satellite/cable. This was a biggie for us. We weren't sure how we or the kids would react to this, but we decided to go about it like a band-aid - rip it off fast, and it only hurts for a minute. We still have the local channels, so we're not really missing that much. $ saved - $45/month

• Cut your dog's hair at home. This was an easy change. We bought the clippers online, and found a diagram that showed how the hair should be cut. $ saved - $30/month

• Shift to bi-weekly grocery shopping instead of weekly. This was a surprise to me. I didn't think we could go that long between shopping trips, nor did I think this would save money. I was wrong on both counts. I do occasionally need to stop by to pick up milk or bananas, but for the most part I only go every other week. $ saved - $50/month

• Turn up the thermostat 2 degrees during the day. The kids and I are outside for the majority of every day, which means the house doesn't need to be as cool as in the evenings. I do turn it back down around naptime. $ saved - $10/month

• Total amount saved - $205/month

Are any of these ways you could cut expenses at home? Are there any other ways your family is cutting costs? Let us know!

Lisa: The Sequel

My oldest child is just like me.

There, I said it.

I see myself in her smile, her personality, and even in her habits. The older she gets, the more I am convinced that she really is “little Lisa.” As frustrating as it is to argue with “myself,” I am thankful for her tenacity and her sense of adventure.

Maya’s introduction to this world was precarious, to say the least. As I’ve mentioned before, she was born very prematurely. She was only 25 weeks gestation, 15 weeks early from the “normal” 40 weeks. She was a fragile little thing, weighing 1 lb. 11 oz. at her birth. Her skin was pink, almost translucent. She didn’t open her eyes for weeks. She “ate” through a feeding tube. There were nights we were afraid to go home or answer the phone.

At 3 days old, 1 lb. 7 oz., she had her first surgery – on her heart. To put this in perspective, at this time, Maya’s leg was the size of my index finger. Because we are told that the human heart is roughly the size of his/her fist, Maya’s was about the size of a blueberry. We spent over 3 months in the NICU, with many heart-wrenching moments, and many that made our hearts soar.

Maya was almost 3 months old before she took her first breath independently. But once this feat was overcome, her departure was inevitable. 97 days after her unexpected birth, Seth and I brought our little baby girl home. The Lord has blessed us 6 ½ years to enjoy Maya Jo, and we are looking forward to many more.

We now know how blessed we are that Maya was born a fighter. A baby with less resolve, with less fight would never have survived. And it is this fact that makes me thankful for her stubbornness. My mother did not have a premature baby, but she had one just as stubborn. :)

As I matured, I grew independent and loved to try new things. My mom taught me by example that if you want something, you have to work to get it. I am thankful for my mom, and thankful that I have her determined spirit. I rarely ask for help, and because of that I appreciate what I have even more.

With that being said, I know God’s plan included my personality. Without an independent nature, I would have never moved to Lexingon, met Seth, or experienced all the wonderful things that have happened since then. I am so very thankful for God’s providence, and look forward to seeing Maya work hard to accomplish the goals she sets for herself as she grows.

I hope to remember this as we delve into parenting older children and teenagers. Oh my goodness…driving lessons??? Her Daddy will have to take that one! :)

Chucktown

After a week away, and a couple of days to recover, the Anderson family is finally back to normal. Well, close enough. :) Our trip to Charleston, SC was much needed and very rewarding for us all. Our youngest, Nina Grace, spent the week with her grandparents in Manchester, and the rest of our family made the trek through four states to our greatly anticipated destination, Folly Beach. The trip from Manchester, with three stops, was eight hours. We arrived around 9:00 p.m., and didn’t waste another moment. We quickly ventured out to the sand to see the ocean and find some seashells.

On Tuesday, Seth and I took the kids into Charleston, and packed the day as full as possible. We saw Yorktown, rode a water taxi, had tea, visited the children’s museum, rode the trolley, ate at a nice restaurant (Hyman’s), and saw many of the famous sights. We strolled through the market, saw Rainbow Row, relaxed at Waterfront Park, and we let the kids play in the fountain there even with no extra clothes. I’m not sure what else we could have added to the day!

The rest of the week was filled with lots of pool time, some beach time, golfing, a carriage ride, several nice meals, and a couple of fire drills. :) Suffice to say, it was an eventful trip, and one I wouldn’t trade for anything. The kids were amazing, and loved every minute. Both overcame a couple of obstacles in the week spent away. On the first day, we took off Max’s arm floaties and discovered he could swim! And Maya finally overcame her aversion to the sand, and walked all the way to the pier on the last day with no shoes. Yay! Max and Maya stayed in the water constantly, and even rode in a few waves on the boogie board. Max built a sandcastle with Papaw, and Maya came home “as brown as a biscuit.” I don’t think they wasted a moment.

I think we counted a total of 12 things that went “wrong” on the trip, which included everything from finding no Entenmanns donuts at the grocery store to enduring a stomach bug. However, with 24 people I still call that a successful trip. I would go back tomorrow if I could! Well…make that next month. I’m still catching up on my sleep! Thanks to Mamaw and Papaw for the many ways they made the trip amazing, and to everyone else who had a great attitude and loads of patience.

See you all again next year!

Planting the Seed

As most of you know, I planted my first garden this year.  I came home on the day of our anniversary, and Seth had tilled the land in the far corner of our backyard.  He told me it was for my garden, and I was so eager to begin!  I went the following Saturday to the farmer’s market and got all I needed to plant tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, lettuce, potatoes, onions, and green beans.  Still, I was excited.  I came home and started digging, planting, and watering.

2 hours later, with a sore back and soiled hands, my garden was complete.  The word “disappointed” does not convey the emotion I felt when I looked at my little brown rectangle, filled with meager green sprouts.  Had I really spent my whole Saturday working on something that looks so bare?  *sigh* Yes, I had.  Despite my initial disappointment, my high hopes soon returned as I looked forward to what my garden would someday produce.

And then, the Lord took over.  He poured his blessings upon Lexington in the form of sunshine and rain, and my garden grew.  

He gave me time and energy to pull the weeds, and my garden grew.  Now, almost 2 months later, I see great potential from something that began so modest, and still my garden grows.

Man’s work has a limit.  We can only do so much with these bodies and minds created from dust.  I worked hard on my garden, but my work did not produce what is found in it now.  God’s work is unmistakable, and unattainable by man’s standards.  I’m thankful that when the Lord begins a work, he completes it perfectly and with greatness. 

Has the Lord begun a great work in you?  1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 shows us what some of us were before the Lord changed our lives.  Verse 11 tells us, "such were some of you."  If He has begun a work in your life, give thanks! His finished product will be unmistakable.