Frugal Friday - Community

For those of us trying to live frugally, on less than we make, it is sometimes difficult to find like minded friends. You may be watching your friends and family make bad money decisions while they mock your frugality. Even if you don't have the support of a frugal community where you live, you can still find one.

As everyone knows by know, we subscribe to the Dave Ramsey school of thought financially. We are members of the My Total Money Makeover online community, and we find a ton of great advice on the site and on the forums there. There are thousands of folks who are trying to reach the same financial goals that we are, and they are all sharing their ideas about how to make it work. There are conversations about how to live on less than you make, how to save on daily expenses, and advice from those who have been there. The online community has been a huge help to us during our financial journey over the past year.

My newest frugal community is on Blog Frog. The Frugal Living community is very active, and a great place to seek advice. Right now there are conversations going on about frugal date nights, freeganism, couponing, marriage and money, and dozens of other topics. They also give away stuff all the time, and are affliated with EBates. I have won a $25 Target giftcard, $25 Sephora giftcard, and $25 ITunes giftcard on the community forum. It has been so fun to win! Right now they are giving away a IPad. Check it out.


So the question is:Where do you find frugal community or advice?

Young Life - Why do we do it?

If I could sum up my job for you, and why I do it in ten minutes or less, this would be it. If you have ever wondered about Young Life, check it out. If you are a current or former YL leader, watch it and be encouraged.

Real Loss for Our Family

This past Saturday we lost Jed's mom, Carrie. After a long battle with scleraderma and pulmonary fibrosis, she left us suddenly and without warning. No one expected that she would leave us in this way, and truthfully we are happy for her but sad for ourselves. Her body fought against her for 19 years, and doctors predicted that she would have 6 months to live back when she was first diagnosed. God had other plans, and gave her family almost 2 decades more time. Doctors also predicted that death would be painful and lingering, but God in His mercy brought it swiftly and painlessly.

She and Jed's dad, Roe, had been shopping together Saturday morning, and she felt fine. They arrived at home and while he was helping her into her chair, she collapsed. He caught her and said that when he looked at her face he knew she was gone. Roe and Houston (the youngest son) did cpr until the paramedics arrived. The paramedics tried everything they could for 45 minutes, and took her to the hospital, but she never regained a pulse.

Houston called us right after he called 911, and we threw bags together and were in the car in 15 minutes. Soon after we got the call that she didn't make it. It is still surreal and heartbreaking. We spent the weekend with family, but had to come back home yesterday for my fundraiser (more on that later) and for Jed to take the GRE. Our hearts are so torn, wanting to be with family but having to get stuff done here. Hopefully we will get back this weekend. Her memorial service will most likely be Oct. 16th, giving everyone time to prepare. She and Roe chose cremation several years ago, so we are able to take time to remember her well.

We have regrets about not talking to her more, spending more time with her, etc. We are both so sad for ourselves and for Jed's sweet daddy, her husband of 42 years. I wish that I had called her more. Jed wishes that he had talked to her more. Our comfort is that she knew that we loved her and that we all said it often.

Carrie Scott Eby was a loving wife, a wonderful mother, a great listener and friend to many. She will be greatly missed. She was a woman of great faith, and we know that she is dancing in heaven in a new body that is free and not bound by disease.

Please pray for the family, for peace and comfort. Thank you.

A January Wedding...

I love weddings, especially when they involve people I care about. One of my oldest and dearest friends is getting married in January, and I am so excited for her and her fiance. We have been friends for about 17 years, and she is one of my favorite people in the world. I'm thrilled to be one of the bridesmaids. She has is one of the most creative and original people I know, so I couldn't wait to hear about her vision for the big day.

She sent me these pictures to capture her vision of a "Winter Woodland Wedding". I am obsessed with it. It is so them and just perfect. So, in honor of Marci and Scott, here is a glimpse of their winter woodland wedding fantasy for your enjoyment. I've added in the lyrics to The Avett Brothers' song, "January Wedding" to get us all in a wedding mood. Go listen to it!

January Wedding by The Avett Brothers

She keeps it simple
And I am thankful for her kind of lovin'

'Cause it's simple

No longer do we wonder if we're together
We're way past that

And I've already asked her

So in January we're gettin' married

She's talkin' to me with her voice
Down so low I barely hear her

But I know what she's sayin'

I understand because my heart and hers are the same

And in January we're gettin' married

And I was sick with heartache
And she was sick like Audrey Hepburn when I met her

But we would both surrender

True love is not the kind of thing you should turn down

Don't ever turn it down

I hope that I don't sound to insane when I say
There is darkness all around us
I don't feel weak but I do need sometimes for her to protect me
And reconnect me to the beauty that I'm missin'
And in January we're gettin' married

No longer does it matter what circumstances we were born in
She knows which birds are singin'
And the names of the trees where they're performin' in the mornin

And in January we're gettin' married

Come January let's get married...

I'm sorry but I don't know the source of all the photos, because they were sent to me.

Our wedding theme was a mountain fair and barn dance, with brown and robin's egg blue as the colors. We had snow cones, a popcorn machine, a photo booth, and a Marble Slab buffet. Our ceremony was in a field and our reception in a barn.

What was your wedding vision or theme?

Or, what is your dream theme?

Frugal Friday - Financial Peace University

One year ago, we were in the middle of Financial Peace University. It rocked our world and changed our financial future forever. Now we are debt free, have a 3 month emergency fund, and are saving for a house and baby, and investing for retirement. That is a world away from where we were, and we owe it all to the Dave Ramsey plan. Because we believe so strongly in his plan, when we heard our church was offering the class we had to volunteer. I can't make it every week because of my work schedule, but Jed is committed. He is a gifted teacher, and is so excited about sharing our journey with the folks in the class.

He had class tonight, and the 15 people added up their debts (consumer - non house) totally $304,000 for the group. Wow. I can't wait to hear their stories of freedom in a few months or years. The class is 13 weeks long, and according to Dave's website over 1 million families have already gone through it. Each family pays off $5300 in debt and saves $2700 in just 90 days on average. That is truly awesome.

I think this may be Jed's new ministry. He gets so fired up about financial freedom, and loves sharing it with everyone he knows. Being able to do so in an environment where people actually signed up to hear about it is a great fit for him. I want to support him as he helps others along in their financial journey. Hopefully he can officially become a FPU coordinator and lead more classes. Teaching others will help to hold us accountable as well.

How does your family hold itself accountable financially?

Need a budget? Do it here in 2 minutes:

Weiner Dog Wednesday - Relaxation

One of Jackson's favorite activities is the carpet stretch and roll. It looks like he is having so much fun when he rolls around like crazy. Confession - I tried it once. It was not as fun as it looks, at least for a full grown adult. I'll stick to yoga.

What do you do to relax and unwind?

Hoping for Fall - A Frugal Wreath

Dear Fall Weather,
The good people of the South are pining for your arrival. We are sweating in our jeans in hopes of hurrying you along. All we are asking for is a little cold front, just a taste of things to come. You are my favorite season, after all. This 95 degree with 85% humidity madness has to end.
Hopefully,
Becca


In honor of the fall weather that I just know is right around the corner, I decided it was time for a little frugal crafting. Hobby Lobby had wreaths and fake flowers on 50% off, so I got a grapevine wreath and a bouquet of sunflowers for under $5. Then I found a fall leaf garland at the Dollar Store. The grand total for the wreath was $6, plus the glue and scissors I already own. I've seen a few fall wreaths around that I've loved, but they cost $25-$45. Not in the budget...

I wrapped the garland around the wreath, securing it in the back in between the wires of the wreath, securing it with a little glue. I removed the flowers from their stems and covered the backs of them in glue. I wedged 3 of them in a row down into the wreath, holding them in place with pressure until the glue set.

Now I have a little simple fall festiveness to brighten up my front door.


Now if the weather will just cooperate, I will be spending a lot of time here:

Do you like the table Jed made out of our ice storm casualty? It holds a mason jar candle and will soon accommodate my drink of choice as I rock away. The mason jar candles got kicked off the front ledge to make room for the jar in the forefront, a solar powered mason-esque jar. Jed created 4 of them for our front porch. I'll try to get him to do a tutorial. They are way cool.

Fall is my favorite season. What is yours?

I'm linking here:A Silly Little Sparrow , New Nostalgia, All Thingz Related, A Soft Place, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, Women Who Do It All , Coastal Charm, Santa's Gift Shoppe and Ideas, The Trendy Treehouse, The Thrifty Home , The Boardwalk Bragfest, Me and My Bucket The Shabby Chic Cottage, Tales from Bloggeritaville, Somewhat Simple,
House of Hepworths, Tools are for Women Too,
Kojo Designs, Hodgepodge Friday,
The Shabby Nest, Tatertots and Jello ,Along for the Ride, One Crafty Mommy

Verse of the Week - John 10:10

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full."

John 10:10

Jesus came to give us life, real life, full life, and deliverance from the evil one who wants to destroy us completely. Before I started following Jesus, I tried to fill my life with alcohol, drugs, boys, and drama. Thankfully He grabbed ahold of my heart and I have never been the same. One thing I love the most about my job is that I get to tell kids about Jesus, and how He offers real life. The world wants to capture their hearts with things thatwill leave their lives empty and take away their hope. We want them to know that Jesus can offer them real life. My sweet middle school girls bring so much joy to my life, and I hope to shine Light into theirs. Pictured above are Alison, Hutton, Molly, Lauren, Sophie, and Neali.

Who are you shining your light on?

Fall = Football

Last weekend we headed down to Lubbock for the first Texas Tech football game of the season. This has become our fall tradition, and we love it. Jed graduated from Tech and is an avid football fan. His friends are equally obsessed. I'll give you a little glimpse into our football weekend.

Here is Jed with all of his besties, Irby, Dave, and Paul. Irby and Dave both live in Lubbock, and we usually stay with Irby and his wife, Debbie. Paul lives in Kingwood, but is a pilot and happened to be in town flying a client. Jed was so happy with all his bffs in town at the same time.

Even though I've seen it multiple times, Jed loves to give me the campus tour. This is the Preston Smith statue. Our nephew is named after him.

Jed and Irby bought matching shirts, so we had to make them take a picture together at the tailgate.

All over campus people were decked out for the game, including these two weiner dogs. Of course I had to take a picture. Maybe Jackson needs a jersey...

We were in full sun and 95 degree heat for most of the game. I got roasted by the sun. Not cool. I looked like a lobster afterwards. We moved to the other side during the 4th quarter, but you can see our normal seats in this pic. We sit right above the band, which makes it festive.

The Red Raiders won, so the rest of weekend was fun too. The Razorbacks also won, so I was happy. Football season is now in full swing, and my whole family except me is at the Razorback game as I type. Go Hogs! Woo pig soiee! We are about to head out to a game watching party for Tech. I hope the football brings fall weather with it soon. Happy football season!

What is your favorite team?

I Heart Lawn Games - A CSN Review

I love lawn games. They combine two of my favorite things - competition and the outdoors. When CSN asked me to do another review, I chose a fun Triumph washers set to try out. We had a ladder golf set that I purchased for Jed for Christmas, but the high school boys that frequent our house quickly broke it. Such is life on Young Life staff. I figured the washer set would be pretty indestructible, and I was right. If we lose one of the pretty colored ones they sent, we could buy new ones at the hardware store. We could have made this set, but it wasn't worth the time and effort. The set has been through two trial runs so far - 1 with high school kids and 1 at a Texas Tech tailgate this past weekend. It was big fun.

The set came with two sides like this, with a padded bottom and cup attached in the middle. The sides latch together to make it super easy to carry. The set also comes with 6 washers, 3 red, 3 blue. The game is played with 2 teams (1-3 players on each team). The boxes are placed 15 feet apart, and representatives from each team stand on each end. The teams take turns throwing at the box opposite them, earning 3 points for landing in the cup, 1 for in the box, and 2 if it stays on the box ledge. I will say that the game is much more successful on grass than on brick or concrete (washers bounce).

Our friend Debbie shows us how it is done. Her brother is part of a serious tailgate that we often crash when in town. Those boys do not mess around. They were cooking up some goodness this past weekend. Wreck 'em Tech. Jed went to Tech, and is an obsessed football fan. Our very first financial conversation when we got engaged was over whether or not we could keep the Tech season tickets. We kept them (more on that another day), and the games are a lot of fun. I graduated from Central Arkansas, which didn't have good football then, so I have always been an Arkansas Razorback fan. Woo pig soiee! Hopefully we'll get to go to a Razorback game this year, too. We saw them beat Texas A&M last year at Cowboys Stadium.

Enough about football, back to the washers review...

I give this washers set by Triumph an 8 out of 10.

Positives - It is fun to play, easy to transport, and affordable at $32.49 (free shipping!).

Negatives - It does move around a bit when you get a hit, and could be made at home by a handyman, but those are really the only downfalls.

They have licensed team versions for more than twice the price, but I will just add team stickers to the plain set. I think this would be a great addition to any lawn or tailgate game collection. Check out the wide range of lawn games at CSN Stores.

What is your favorite lawn or tailgate game?

Name Cross Giveaway WINNER!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my Name Cross giveaway! The winner is...

...Kimberlee from the Spunky Diva! Congratulations Kimberlee! I will be sending you an email shortly.Thanks so much to Name Crosses for sponsoring this great giveaway!

Verse of the Week - Matthew 4:19-20

"Come, follow me, " Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed Him.
Matthew 4:19-20

I went back to work last Thursday after 2 months fo sabbatical. The time off was wonderful and much needed, and going back has been difficult. I have been playing catch over the last week, and I have this feeling I will never get there. This verse reminds me of my calling and keeps my mind on Jesus, instead of on my frustrations. I am called to follow Him, and He has made me a fisher of me, teenagers in particular. I trust Him, and follow Him into the sea of the middle and high schools, until He calls me elsewhere.

What has the Lord called you to?

Frugal Friday - Dallas Dining Under $20 Part II - Twisted Root Burger Co.

For the second installment of my Dallas Dining Under $20, we visited Twisted Root Burger Co. on SMU Blvd. It is a full bar and restaurant with a great patio and super fun atmosphere. All opinions are my own and I was in no way compensated for this review.

Twisted Root Burger Co. is a local Dallas mini-chain that rocks. They have specialty burgers for $7.99 and regular hamburgers for $5.49, game meats and buffalo burgers for $8.99, turkey and veggie burgers for $5.99, and a host of great sides for $2.99 and under. Friends of ours decided the new SMU location would be a great place for World Cup parties, and they were right. I had eaten at the Deep Ellum location, but hadn't visited the new one until the last USA game of the World Cup. We had so much fun and the food was wonderful. If only the USA team had advanced...

Jed had a bacon cheeseburger with fries, and said it was delicious.

I had a turkey burger with goat cheese and a side of fried pickles. The goat cheese was awesome and the fried pickles were perfection.

The Twisted Root Philosophy: Three chefs, sick of eating frozen and factory-fabricated burgers, opened a real burger joint and make everything from scratch. Fresh meat patties, fresh-cut fries and sweet potato chips, homemade ice-cream, homemade pickles and homemade Root Beer…even homemade ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce! It’s slap-yo-momma good!

The price is right and the burgers are tasty. What more could you ask for?

What is your favorite burger joint?

Weiner Dog Wednesday - Travels

Jackson loves to travel.

Head out the window, wind in his ears,

he rides peacefully.

He has an easy life, and sometimes I envy him.
I wish I could sleep like that in the car. Or at all.