Seek Wisdom in Finances

You know that feeling where you just want to burst out a happy dance even if there is no music to dance to? Yea that is the feeling I have right now as I send my very last payment to one of the biggest loans my husband and I had! Yes ladies we just payed off my husband’s student loan and it feels amazing!!

Let’s back up a bit to 4 years ago when my husband and I were about to celebrate our daughter’s 1st birthday. We were new parents and we had just moved into our own home and we had a lot of debt. From home mortgage, student loan, car payment, a few credit cards, and very little investment or savings. We were living paycheck to paycheck and felt like there was always a cord around our neck that we couldn’t move forward.

We heard about a Navigating your Finances class through Big Valley and we thought, “Well, we don’t really have anything to lose”. So, we signed up honestly to get some education about how to maybe get a better hold of our finances. We finished the course just like any other couple, very encouraged and motivated to get out of debt. We were in a good place to start with only one car payment that we were almost done paying so we thought “Hey, let’s start there!”. And then boom! My husband’s car kept breaking down to the point of it’s better to just sell it for parts, and I got into a car accident that completely totaled my car 2 months shy of paying it off!!  Talk about set back, we needed our cars for work commutes. No cars meant no work. No work meant not getting out of debt! I was very disappointed. We knew we didn’t have any money saved to even consider buying a new car, let alone two!

We got some money from my accident, but it was really just enough for a down payment for one car so there we were trying to get out of debt, yet we had just signed about 25k dollar debt for car loans. Where was my emergency fund when I needed it?! Where was my car fund when I needed it?!?!

I tell you this story to encourage and tell you that it is possible to have a hold of your finances even if it seems like you are in a deep hole and unable to get out. We will have setbacks, emergencies happen, the question is how prepared are you for those setbacks? Believe me, they will happen that is just life. I love how Tarah called it “budget meeting”. That meeting ladies is so important! Don’t miss that meeting and most importantly do not reschedule it! Today is the day to start. We must be open to talk about the place where we are right at this moment if we truly want to make a change and set an example for our children and teach them a valuable lesson on how to manage our finances in a God pleasing way.

Today my husband and I are still working towards gaining financial freedom! It won’t happen overnight but believe it or not we are closer than we were 4 years ago. We paid off one of the cars pretty quickly and the second car we will pay off God willing later this year. So, I leave you with this as I click send on my very last payment to an over 30k debt. The Bible’s consistent message in regards to money is to be wise. God wants you to seek wisdom when it comes to your finances. He wants you to pay off your debt, read Proverbs 22:7. He wants you to save money but not hoard it read (1 Timothy 6:6-11). Give to the Lord joyfully for God loves a cheerful giver (2nd Corinthians 9:6-7). Most importantly Believe that God is our ultimate provider and he will fulfill every need you have (Philippians 4:19). Jesus wants us to be free and that includes our finances as well. -Alis

Finding Friends

Happy VERY belated galentines ladies! Sorry I am late on the blog, life caught up with me and to be honest I had forgotten. Mom brain is real guys!

During our valentines meeting we celebrated GALentines and had the chance to mingle and relax. Two of my very favorite things. Having the chance to do this made me reflect on the friendships that MOPS has blessed me with. MOPS gave me the gift of 3 am friends.

Have you ever heard of a 3 am friend? I heard it at a MOPS meeting from a speaker once and I don’t remember who said it but I never imagined having one. A 3 am friend, is a friend that will be there for you no matter the time. We all need that person that we can call to celebrate with or cry with or sit and eat snacks while the kids tear up the house with. Husbands are awesome but when you’re in the trenches and he is busy with work or maybe you guys are not seeing eye to eye you need your 3 am friend. They can pray with you, cry with you, laugh with you, or if you are lucky like me they will feed you. I pray all the time that all of you moms that come here in search of friendship find your 3 am friend. I don’t know about you but I held myself back for so long from friendships out of fear of not being “good enough”.  I would have never had my friends if they had not talked to me first. I know it can be a bit uncomfortable to talk to someone new. I totally feel that finding friends is just like dating. It is sometimes awkward, and you can get nervous, and there is even an app you can download now where you can swipe through matches! I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone next meeting and be a friend to someone. Ask for their number or a playdate! If it feels weird come say hi to me, I’ll be the slightly awkward but smiling mom at the back table ready to give you a squeeze and chat. Let’s make the most of MOPS and let there be no mom alone. Love all of you GALS and shout out to my 3 am friends! Thank you for being a gift to my life and shoulder to cry on when I need it!

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ - Galatians 6:2

A friend loves at all times - Proverbs 17:17

-Ana