One of the commitments Alissa and I made for our marriage was to remain debt free.* But it wasn’t always this way. When we were both single, we carried with us significant amounts of debt that held us back. And each week, our paychecks would be swallowed up by bills…
Tag: budget
Need Extra Income? Here Are a Few Ideas That Worked for Us
About 4 years ago, Alissa and I made a decision: she was going to become a stay-at-home mom. We thought it would be best for our kids to have their mom around as they grow up, and it’s benefited our family in ways we never imagined. But this decision hasn’t…
How Much Money Can I Spend without Telling My Wife?
It was early 2010. Alissa and I had recently gotten engaged and sat down for a visit with our mentor couple. The discussion for the day centered on finances in marriage. And we thought we had it down. Our mentor couple asked us what we thought was a fairly simple…
How We Minimize Our Grocery Budget: 9 Questions for My Wife
The biggest key to helping us achieve our financial goals has been a regular monthly budget. While some categories like our mortgage are consistent, others, like our electric bill, can be more difficult to plan for in advance. But perhaps the most challenging item each month is our grocery budget…
How Budgeting Transformed Our Marriage
Alissa and I got married on January 8, 2011. It was a beautiful “winter” day in Phoenix, the reason you move to the desert: 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky…perfect. We followed that up with a 10-day, all-inclusive honeymoon to Costa Rica. It was the kind of honeymoon…
Our Emergency Fund Saved Us Last Week
Last week, my oldest son Kellen started kindergarten. Having never been to preschool, we worried about how well he would make the transition. The first 2 days went smoothly, but Wednesday? Let’s just say Wednesday did not go so well. That morning, at drop off, Kellen threw the tantrum of…
Tithing Is Killing Our Budget
About 2 months ago, my wife and I received a letter from our pastor, Father (Fr.) Will, asking for money to support the church’s building fund. While we have always believed in our church’s mission, we were already tithing off our gross income and giving a good portion of that…
9 Tips to Help You Negotiate Your Bills
October 2013 was probably the most difficult month of my life. I lost my son…and almost lost my wife. And while the physical and emotional effects lingered for quite some time, we faced something else we didn’t anticipate: medical bills. That’s not to say we weren’t prepared financially for moments…