Don't ignore your blessings

Yes I have taken on a second job. It's just a seasonal position at a popular electronic store. And yes I didn't put the application in until after I was offered a position.

Well we are starting are Total Money Makeover (Dave Ramsey book) and I really wanted to tackle it head on.

Baby Step 1 - Save 1,000 Emergency Fund (so you don't have to used credit cards).

Okay $1,000 is not a whole lot of money, but it's a hard thing for us to hold on to all at once. I told my husband I should take on a second job for the holidays to get this money as fast as we can.

A couple of days later I told my husband I was having second thoughts about getting a second job, because I really enjoy being home now (working from home). So Wednesday night I prayed to God for help with my finances and to guide me to what I needed to do.

Thursday I started work as usual. All of a sudden I get an instant message from a fellow worker that an old Supervisor who no longer works for our Company was working at an Electronics store was trying to get a hold of me about a seasonal job. I had not told anyone outside our family about looking for a second job and really hadn't started looking. Plus, I work for a company of about 1200 employees so this was just crazy.

So, it turned out the phone number she gave me was the wrong number. So, I shrugged it off. Then a couple of hours later this past Supervisor of mine called me at home. She said I popped into her head last night when she was thinking of someone who could fill this position. She asked me to put my application in online and she would pull it.

I put my application in on Thursday and on Friday I received a call for an interview this coming Thursday. The interview would be done by a another person. It just so happens that the person doing the interview was someone I worked with several years ago at Wal-Mart and we had a great working relationship.

I told my husband that God has blessed me with this opportunity and there is no way I could ignore it. I'm so excited.

Another beginning

Well I've been gone for a long time, but I haven't given up because this is a lifetime journey.

I've been taking a look at all the things of my life and realized I need to be healthy in all aspects of my life, not just my body, so I took some time to gather all my thoughts and figure out what things I want to be better at.

My first choice was to be a better mother/wife. I volunteered to start working from home and I love it. I have been able to be home if I'm needed and still get my work done. During my own lunch time I take the time to plan for dinner. This is a big deal because we were eating out all the time! Plus, I even get to work my schedule out where I can volunteer at my children's school and help out while they walk around the track.

Next, I decided to get Financially fit. I have always worked out a budget and still seemed to never get my finances right. I clipped coupons and searched for bargains, but still bought impulsively. My husband introduced me to Dave Ramsey. Wow!! what a wake up call. With all my number smarts I realized I was still stupid. I went to the library and checked out his books "Financial Peace (revisited)" and "The Total Money Makeover" and we are now on our way of being debt free!! "If I live like no one else now, later I can live like no one else"

Finally, I decided if I don't work out everyday, that's okay. It's not the end of the world. Instead of killing myself working out and stressing about it I'm starting with the smaller changes such as, walking at the park with my kids, eating at home instead of eating out, and limiting my soda intake.

Now I'm still in progress with all of these things. When I stopped working out I kept getting stuck at 155 lbs. With the changes I have made withing in 2 weeks I am at 152 today.

By the way when I find something I like, I love to share it. So see below for some of the online tools I use.

Dave Ramsey: If you don't know him visit the website. You can listen to his radio show for free or listen to past ones. He has a free podcast on iTunes as well. Yes he sells products but he also has the same steps free or go to your library and read his book. http://www.daveramsey.com/

Alice: An online store to buy products with no coupon clipping required. Although everything is not cheap you can find some great steals. I recently got Suave Shampoos and conditioners @ 60 cents each . . . shipping is always free! http://www.alice.com/referral/23F359BB

EMeals: I married young and cooking is not my thing. I can make a few dishes but it was much easier to go to the drive thru. At $5 a month I get 7 pre-planned meals that not only tell me what ingredients to use, but also gives me the directions for cooking and a shopping list with each cost of the item. This has helped with my budget. They have lists for Wal-Mart and Kroger. You can pick a family meal, a meal for 2, or a low-carb meal, a low-fat meal, or vegetarian. I've only tried it for 1 week and love it so far. My family is getting a variety of foods and its all in my budget. They haven't even mention McDonald's.
http://www.e-mealz.com/amember/go.php?r=69275&i=l0

Coupons: I still clip my Sunday newspaper coupons, but if you don't have that kind of time you can get coupons on bettycrocker.com or coupons.com and just print them off your computer. Plus you only pick the ones you know you want.