3 Part Financial Series: Part Two

In my last post, I discussed why having a budget is so important. If you are reading this, then I hope you followed through with my suggestion to set up a paper budget for your family. In this post, we will be talking about Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps and how to get started on your path to financial freedom. As I've mentioned, nothing can substitute for the FPU class. Reading a copy of Dave's "Total Money Makeover" can help you get started, but I really believe in the accountability that comes with a small group setting and having people to lean on and encourage you as you navigate financial freedom together.

So here are the Baby Steps per Dave Ramsey:

Baby Step 1: $1,000 in an Emergency Fund. Usually the best way to reach this step is have a garage sale and list some things on eBay. We sold Steve's 70" high definition t.v. from his grad school days to fund this baby step. We listed it on Craig's list and they gave us the asking price.

Baby Step 2: Start the debt snowball. List all your debts (excluding your house) like your car payments, school loans, credit cards etc. from smallest to greatest. Then while you are making minimum payments on all your debts attack that smallest one first. Find every extra bit of money in your budget and then bludgeon that debt with it. Once it's paid off, roll the minimum payment that you were paying on the first one and combine it with your minimum payment on the second debt and then keep doing that all the way down your list until you have paid them all paid off. I recommend making a list of the debts like a barometer so you can see how much you have paid off each month to keep you encouraged. Of all the baby steps this one is by far the hardest because as Dave says, "you can wander into debt but you can't wander out."

Baby Step 3: A fully funded emergency fund of 3-6 months worth of expenses. If you or your spouse were to lose your job, no need to panic, you have enough to live on for 6 months while looking for another job. Your roof needs replacing? No need to sweat - you've got money in the bank for that.

Baby Step 4: Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and Pre-tax retirement. Most companies have a matching plan so it's a good idea to take advantage of the free money once you're debt free. I know a lot of people who are contributing a good bit to 401Ks but have a ton of debt. If you are older it makes sense for you to do so, but if you are still young then get yourself out from underneath that huge burden first.

Baby Step 5: College funding for children - We aren't here yet but we definitely plan to put aside savings for college. We also want to make sure our children qualify for either academic or other types of scholarships to aide in paying for college. After spending so many years paying off college loans it has significantly changed our perspective about the importance of where one attends college.

Baby Step 6: Pay off your house. Dave recommends a 15-year mortgage at a fixed rate.

Baby Step 7: Build wealth and give. As Christians we believe this principle is actually the first you follow by giving 10% to your church and wherever else the Lord leads you.

Click here to learn more about these baby steps on Dave's website.

No greater love...

* I'm interrupting my financial series to post this thought the Lord gave me tonight.

Tonight I found myself telling a good friend of mine who no longer lives in Birmingham that I think I miss her more than she actually misses me. It was a reminder to me that a year had passed since I had seen this friend and we only live an hour away from each other. But with babies and new jobs, time just passed us by and neither one of us made it a top priority to visit the other one.

So it has me thinking about my group of friends. My core group is often how I refer to them when speaking to other people. I think some people were getting their feelings hurt when I would say I had dinner last night with my girlfriends as if the young lady that I was telling that to wasn't my girlfriend (which was def. not the case). So I had to come up with another way to refer to them to make it clear that this is a special group. One that I have been associated with almost from the beginning of when I started going to Church of the Highlands. It's a group of friends that I went through some intense small groups where we laughed, cried and learned together in the Lord. We were in each other's weddings, there for each other when babies were born and prayed for each other when we walked through hard times.

But the interesting thing about these friends which makes them my core is that they are always here when I need them. We don't talk, email or text on a daily basis. Some of them, I don't even see for months. But when someone has a baby, gets married or is sick - there they are with Zoe's roll ups for four in hand and a child in the other knocking at your door. I think tonight reminded me how much I miss seeing them. With busy schedules, we can't stay up till 1 in the morning talking about life and then ordering pizza at midnight. Those days are past. I can't long for them. But what we have is so much sweeter now - it's the unmovable faithfulness of a true friend. It never stops. It's always there for you when you need it. That is something worth holding onto.

To my core group: you know who you are. Where would I be without you? Life has changed so much since we started walking together but I'm thankful that even though we are in different places, we still have the same destination. Love you girls!

3 Part Financial Series: Part One

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm pretty passionate about Dave Ramsey and his teachings. It's pretty easy to get me started on the baby steps or why a budget is so important or what you can do with your money once you're debt-free. I love to give. I like to bless people financially so that they can take mission trips or do things for the kingdom of God or just go buy a pair of crazy expensive sunglasses. The problem is that I feel my giving is somewhat limited because we are trying to get out of debt. You see we have school loans that have been around so long you would think they were pets. And I for one, do not want any more pets. I have enough people to take care of around here.

This fall Steve and I wanted to lead Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University but were unable to work out the logistics of hosting it. So I decided to write a small series here that would give you a snapshot of what you would learn in FPU. I highly recommend this class to everyone! On our 1 year wedding anniversary, Steve and I decided that instead of spending a bunch of money on a fancy dinner we would instead join FPU. This was and still is the greatest decision we ever made for our marriage (and cutting up our credit cards).

If I had to sum up all Dave Ramsey's teachings into one this is what I think it would be: Make a budget and follow it. It sounds so simple but yet so many don't do it. The truth is everything that you will do financially for your family starts here. Making a budget and sticking to it allowed me to breathe again. I didn't have to worry about enough money at the end of the month to buy food or to pay the light bill - it was all accounted for in the budget. Money to buy birthday gifts - it's in the budget. There is safety in a budget. There is better sleep and rest and less stress when you know there is enough money to pay for the necessities and hopefully some luxuries. A budget gives you a road map to where you want to go in life. Without it, it's like driving to Arizona from Alabama without a GPS - it's going to take forever and who knows if you will actually ever get there.

We need to get back to a simpler time. That's my new thing: keep it simple. Your budget doesn't have to be on a spreadsheet unless you have a love affair with Excel. You don't have to manage it on some pricey app or use some expensive financial software. If you own a pen and have paper - then you have a budget. Steve and I don't use any software or special tracking device for our money. We don't need it. We use Dave Ramsey's budget forms every month - they're free and you can download them here .        

Probably the hardest part is sitting down the first time with your spouse and writing down all your income, expenses and all your debt on a piece of paper. But at the same time there will also be a sense of relief that will wash over you. Because the thing you have been dreading, coming face to face with the actual amount of debt you have versus income, will force you to start acting differently. You can no longer just bury it under the rug. You have to do something about it. You will start with an emergency fund of $1,000 and then get your debt snowball rolling. In my next post, I will talk about the Baby Steps process. But for now, the most important thing you can do for yourself, your marriage, your children and your future generations is to get a written budget and stick to it.

Click here to input your zip code and find the nearest FPU class to your home, school or work.

What I use...

As promised, here is my post on what I use skincare and make-up wise. I have to let you all in on a little secret that has totally changed the way I view both. My wonderful friend, Jamie at                        http://www.familysavvy.com/ recommended I check out Paula Begoun's www.beautypedia.com and her book, "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me". This book totally transformed the way I think about purchasing skin care products. She opened my eyes to the  outrageous claims that cosmetic companies make regarding their products thus saving me and my DH a ton of money.

It is true that I have taken very good care of my skin for a long time now. I feel like I am reaping the rewards of that right now. But this is no time to stop in my quest for youthful skin. After reading Paula's book and searching her site for the best products, here is my simple and current routine (always subject to change):

Nighttime Regimen:
1. Cleanse - Olay Foaming Face Wash for sensitive skin. This removes everything and is so gentle and non-irritating. Paula believes there is no reason to have a medicated cleanser because it is being washed off and is only used to remove make-up. This cleanser was also a Paula's pick on her website. The best part of this cleanser is the $4 price tag and it lasts for months! I'm not even going to tell you how much I have spent on pricey cleansers in the past. I believe I have finally been delivered. :)
2. Tone - Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner (only used at night to make sure that I removed all my make up).
3. AHA - Paula's Choice Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% Alpha Hydroxy Acid. Once a week at night I use, Paula's Choice Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid instead and sleep with it on instead of washing it off.
4. Moisturize- Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Moisturizer, which also doubles as an eye creme. Paula says that eye cremes are the biggest waste of money and that whatever you use on your face should be used on your eyes provided that it is non-irritating of course. Once I run out of this, I'm planning to switch to something a little heavier for the winter. This is a nice light weight moisturizer for the summer though.


Morning Regimen:
1. Wash my face with water only.
2. Use my tinted moisturizer all over my face including my eyelids and under the eyes for the SPF protection in that area.
3. Continue with 5 minute face

Make-Up Products:
Foundation: Aveda Inner Light tinted moisturizer SPF15 (02/beechwood). This is a Paula's pick (received her highest rating) because of their shades, it is non-irritating and the SPF is great in it. According to Paula it isn't the number but what actually comprises the SPF that matters.

Concealer: MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 35 (NC15). I like this because it lasts a long time, small container and has a great SPF.

Powder: Aveda Dual Foundation Powder which I apply only in the Tzone. However, I purchased the powder without having read Paula's review of it and that wasn't so wise and I may return the powder. While I love the way it looks and feels it is very irritating and I have been breaking out right in my T zone which is the only place I apply it and that lines up with Paula's review.

Blush: Aveda Petal Essence Face Accents (Plum Touch). I absolutely love this blush. I love the way it goes on and the way it looks. I highly recommend it.

Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 (Rockstar) - I've been using this eyeliner for a while and I love the color but I do feel that it smudges and doesn't stay put on me. It may be because I have very oily eyelids that cause it to budge however Paula's review said the same thing so I'm not the only one. But I'm going to use up all the plum/purple eyeliners I have right now before purchasing something new (trying not to be wasteful and use what I already have - better for the environment and the pocketbook).

Eye Shadow:  Lorac Starry-Eyed Baked Eye Shadow Trio (Star Struck Ebloui).    I don't wear eye shadow every day but only on occasion and at night. I just bought this because the girl at Sephora recommended it to me and so far I love it.

Mascara: NYC Sky Rise Lengthening Mascara (Extreme black). I don't know why but I just love cheap mascara. It's pretty much the only product that I refuse to buy in a department store or some place like Sephora. But at $2 a pop, I would rather have the money saved to buy an expensive lip gloss.

Eye brow color: MAC Matte Eye shadow (Omega) is just a matte eyeshadow that I use to fill in my brows. It literally lasts me like years. I just threw away my old one and I had at least 5 years (sorry if that grosses you out).

Lip gloss: Aveda Lip Glaze (Cucumber Melon)

I really appreciate Paula's reviews on products. But with anything you have to try it out for yourself to be sure. She doesn't give Aveda's lip gloss a super great review but I like the lip gloss and the color on me, so I'm fine with that. By using some of her products and some drug store products, I was able to shave a bundle off my skincare budget. I also ask for gift cards to places like Aveda, Sephora... at  Christmas or Birthday time and that allows me to make any extra splurges on items that I wouldn't normally make.

Do you have any products that you absolutely love? I would love to hear your recommendations below...

The 5 minute face

Carmindy from TLC's What Not To Wear is an amazing makeup artist. I've read both her books and I love her natural approach to makeup - less is more. She truly believes in enhancing beauty not creating a work of art on your face.

I've always been a bit of a makeup fanatic insisting that I have new colors to go with each season. Well times have changed a bit for me. Now that I'm a Mom, I don't have the time or thought process to come up with a new make up look every time the weather changes. I also don't have the room in my budget for monthly runs to Sephora either. So I adopted Carmindy's 5 minute face routine and tweaked it a little to create my everyday look.

Here's how I do my 5 minute face in the mornings:

Step 1:  Splash warm water on your face and then pat dry. I'm currently not using soap in the morning to see if it changes the oiliness of my skin.

Step 2:  I apply a tinted moisturizer with a great SPF. I apply with a cosmetic latex wedge on one side and then save the other side for powder. A tinted moisturizer cuts out extra steps by giving coverage, moisture and protection in one application.

Step 3:  Take your concealer, it should match your skin tone, and lightly tap it under your eyes and cover any red spots, discoloration or blemishes.

Step 4:  Use the other side of cosmetic wedge and blot your powder only in your T-zone.

Step 5:  Apply Blush with blush brush.

Step 6:  I apply a plum/purple eyeliner on the top eyelids so it makes my green eyes pop. And then apply a coat of mascara to the top lids as well.   * I don't fool with curling my eyelashes. Those things scare me.

Step 7:  Brush my eyebrows with an old toothbrush and fill them in with some powder eyeshadow that I got at MAC. I recently replaced it after having my old one about 5 years.

Step 8:  Apply lip gloss and you are done.

Even if I'm not able to get a shower, I will still do the 5 minute face and throw my hair back in a ponytail and spritz some perfume. Which means even if my baby is sick, not napping, and we have to run to CVS for medicine, I can still make time to do my face so I don't scare the public.

It's amazing how good it can make you feel even if you don't plan to leave the house that day.

In my next post, I will show you my skin care regimen and my current make up choices.

I would love to hear about your make up routines in the morning...