As easy as...

Sorry it took me a few days to update here. Work has been... oh what's that word..... er..... oh yeah: crappy. We (and by "we", I mean my fellow tech support nerds) are still trying to catch up with all the major mistakes this month. We update our software monthly, and let's just say this month didn't go so good. Factor in a program release for customers that connect to us with a modem (yes, they still exist out there), a version update to another product, and then a few server dumps and you have pretty lengthy wait times on hold. Why does my desktop computer NOT look like this?

Anyhow, we kept up with our promise with God. I don't know if I am "cheerful" yet when I drop that check in. Then again, who is? Look around next week - is your neighbor laughing and smiling as they give the first to God? Are they also dressed in a tutu and wearing a beanie? I have seen video of people that joyous from the World Changers Church International (run by Creflo Dollar) being all excited and waving their checks above their heads. Yet, I have touched on Mr. Dollar elsewhere, so I question their misplaced excitement.

So this is a non pay week for my wife and I (groan). Back to 5% on the 4th of April. Oh, and you may have noticed I changed the upper right box. Kath was never really keen on the actual dollar amount being displayed, so I have removed this information. Hope you don't mind.

Hey batter batter.....shovel BATTER!

Just what is with this weather? Are they kidding us? Opening day is just 10 days away. And in 8 days the Sox play the Mets in the Civil Rights game in Memphis. This is crazy.

Anyhow... in our small group last night, Kath commented on how we haven't moved up to 6% yet, even though she thinks we are ready. WHOOOAAAA!!!! Slow down, lady. What do you think this is?? :) In all seriousness, she makes a good point. We are doing well with our finances and no one has gone without (I could tend to miss a meal or two or fourteen). So I am shooting for the extra percent on April 15th. Yeah - the dreaded IRS day. You all did your taxes, right? What are you waiting for - free tax preparation software? Ok, fine..... HERE! That's Tax Act, which I have been using...er.....7 years now? Totally free, right down to free electronic filing. It's an interview process, like most software is, so it's easy to use. Ya have to deal with a few annoyances about "buy the state version". Yeah - Illinois has one of the easiest state income tax filing processes in the country, so skip past those. The deluxe version has a lot of other bells and whistles like Quicken and such, if you want to buy it. I like Tax Act, never had any problems, and never got in any IRS trouble from the program.

Oh yeah - back to my five-the-ing. Pay day today, so money goes in. About $90. Kath is working her way thru the Bible from the front. I finished Luke and moved on to the book of Garindan. I mean Galatians. I just jumped to it - no real reason I choose that book. Been a very rough week at work, though, so I haven't had the energy to read before bed. I hope to be back in the Word tonight and see what He wants me to know.

Tithe-ing and the economy

Right here is a very unfavorable report on a recent poll of Americans and their concerns for the economy. I have to say I am definitely in the 91% and not the other group. I have gone through a few job losses because of concerns with corporate profits, and that only makes time at home that much harder.

My job right now seems pretty secure. Kath with always be in demand in her career, it's more a concern of how much longer she will be able to work. I pray that God can keep me employed so that I can continue providing for my family, and also that he may present me with the opportunity to be of assistance to people if they fall on hard times. I remember a few years back when CCC attenders filled my pantry and fridge, my gas tank and even helped pay for my kids school registrations (public school....go figure). What a blessing they were! It was the easiest job loss I ever had, if you can call it that. And it came from people giving of themselves freely to those in need. Every time I have looked at my check register in the past couple months, I remember that is why I promised to five-the. It's not for me, it's for my brothers and sisters. I give not for what I will get from it, but for what I can do with it. I am making a difference in God's kingdom.

Oh...and check this out from that CNN article:


That Wrigley ticket is a bad deal even if they PAID you to sit in that place!!! :)

Am I just nuts?

$277.65.

That was the size of the check I wrote this week. There is a huge part of me that just can't believe I wrote a check that large and gave it away, based only on the promise of a different life in return. That part of me screams "What are you thinking???" and "You must NOT be thinking!" and "That's it - I'm in charge!". I filled out the check Friday night, put it in my wallet and didn't even look at it when I dropped it in the bag. I kind of forgot about it until a short time ago. Now, I must be crazy to do something like this.

There is another part of me that is filled with pride. I made a promise, and by golly, I am right on with it. It feels great to hold your word so true. It helps, too, that you all are reading this and will call me on it if I blow a week off. :)

And the last part of me? That part feels safe and content. We'll make it until the next pay date. I don't have the money for "that", because I really don't need "that". The time I take to make dinner, or do a chore around the house to save a few dollars here and there will be time spent that can show Kath how important she is to me, and how important the children are to me. It's not that they aren't - not in any means. It's just that actions always speak louder than words. And I look pretty hot in Kath's pink frilly apron anyway. It's sort of the converse of a wife always looking better in her husband's oxford shirt.

Anyhow. So I am slowing learning that I can do this. Money will not rule me. Now I need to learn how to be prepared and plan my spending.

Oh...and I learned that what is said in men's small group STAYS in men's small group, and is not repeated in your couple's small group, especially when the leader of that couple's small group is your campus pastor and they are looking for a family willing to talk about the struggling with titheing, especially when that member of his couple's small group is always apt to say "yes".



What was I thinking.....

Large and in charge.

I started mentally planning for this big weekend a short time back when I noticed on the calendar that my bonus and Kath's salary would come on the same day. So today, I did what I said I would do. I viewed my current week's stub and I know just what my pledge is to God from it, to the penny.

And now, I just grabbed my wife's pay stub, did the math and I know exactly what a five-the is of the money she earned this week. So I add the two numbers together (including that missing $1.78 from last week's GBTG) and viola, I know just what to put on the check.

And I just typed the above paragraph after seeing that number displayed in Microsoft Calculator, putting my face in my hands, rolling my eyes, repeating "what am I thinking" over and over and having a numb feeling of total disbelief that I will write out a check in that large a sum, without handing it to someone who will, in return, give me a bag or box with something tangible inside.

Don't get cocky!

Last night in bed I was catching up with the Bible. Kathy is working her way cover to cover, and really enjoying it. Right now, I am focused on reading the Gospels, and I'm catching up with Luke right now. All I gotta say is the Son of the Big Guy TOTALLY laid the smack down on the Pharisees. I was in chapter 11 to narrow it down, and verse 42 to be specific:

"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."

Ye-OW! That, in my mind, is some mighty powerful words. I see in there that Jesus tells us the importance of money, in that we need to give our tenth, but do NOT do it unless you are loving God and ignoring the wrongs that exist. A very similar meaning to match the fact that we need to be a cheerful giver. I know I have forgotten the former. I can recall, though, the times I have forgotten the latter. In fact, check out the whole section of Jesus talking to the Pharisees, titled the Six Woes. How many times have I been a Pharisee?

Dang Flabbit!

Well, I was close. $90.85 was a decent guess. Turns out, my five-the would have been $92.63. That puts me a buck 78 in the hole. I just have to remember to:

1) check my benefit account this Friday to determine my five-the.
2) add $1.78 to the total
3) remember my checkbook.

Hey - I should use Remember The Milk to send me a text message before I leave the house! Ok - I created the weekly task. Let's see how well it helps.

Horse shoes and hand grenades

Almost blew it this week, but I recovered and made good to God. Though, I won't be sure how well I guess-timated until Monday at work.

See - before I left work Friday, I forgot to check my pay stub. We're paperless when it comes to payroll, so I don't get a stub. That being that, I have no idea exactly how much I earned the past two weeks.

Then, to make it even harder, I left the house this morning and completely forgot to grab the checkbook. Forgot some bags of candy for the Easter baskets being put together for A.O. Marshall as well. I run back home during the live message and grab both of what I forgot.

Now....here's the fun part: without knowing the exact amount of my biweekly pay, what's a five-the of "I'm not so sure"??? So I did a best guess. And I probably guessed high, but it's all the God's kingdom, so overpaying ain't such a bad thing. I wonder how good of a guess I made - I'll let you know tomorrow. And as a side note, next week should be pretty nice. Received my bonus at work, and Kath is paid on Saturday night. Ok - just Saturday in general, but who doesn't like the Bay City Rollers?? So next Sunday is a double five-the. And that makes ten. The End. Seriously, it's my wife and I still honoring God as we promised. And I am feeling less apprehensive about money, even though the dollar amount in the top right box is already higher than the total from 2007.

Minty fresh!

So I have been playing around just a little with Mint, and check this out:

I got your tools right here.

So I'm a bit of a nerd. No really - I am. All my life (pretty much) has been in computer support - in one form or another. PCMag puts out a yearly list of the coolest free (or dang near free) programs. Another great list this year, and a couple of the programs jumped out at me.

First is a free online money management, finance tracker called Mint. That's right up my five-the alley, so I signed up and I am checking it out. From what I read, it integrates with your other online accounts - bank, credit cards, etc. - and helps you track your spending. It also identifies possible ways for you to save money with a lower plan at another bank. The skeptic in me bets these "offers" are via advertising money spent by the companies. But who says you have to do any of the offers? And the coolest part - this site states you can be completely anonymous. You can read more about Mint's features here. I'm working on setting up my account with them, so I'll keep you informed how the program works.

The other site is called Remember The Milk. This site is a simple reminder site - sort of an online to do list. You set up your tasks and the site keep you on them. You can even get email and/or test message to remind you. And since I get free incoming text messages, you can guess what I chose. What a great way I can remind myself "Hey dork....you have a bill due today!". It does this all and so much more. There is a pay version of the site ($25 a year), which gives you priority support, some syncing options and the joy of knowing you are supporting the site. If it helps me stay on task, I might upgrade my account for the warm fuzzy.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes.

Getting my mind wrapped around my budget is giving me such issues. I get the idea of it. I understand it's purpose. I know the importance. And I have seen so many others just whip one up with no issues.

Then there's me. I have never been good with money. I tend not to waste it (though I bet a couple weeks or record keeping would prove me wrong).Yet it never lasts long enough. Setting up the nuts and bolts of a budget are proving to be a real pain. While I am sure some things "out of my control" (ie - financial screw ups I forget about) cause me problems, when calculating our basic needs.....I stink!! I probably err on the safe, high side in the allocation of funds. But that presents me with the "how can I afford to five-the?" fears. The flip is the fear of allocating too low, and then I go back into my "robbing Peter to pay Paul" mode. And forget about Mary.

I think worse has been the past few weeks at work. To say we have been busy here is to say that Taj Mahal is just a tomb. A few new product releases went pretty bad, and having 40+ people holding with an average wait time of 20min was becoming the norm. Needless to say, I have been mentally wiped out when I leave. And that lack of energy and drive only transitions poorly at home, for the basic house needs have gone south. Today was a decent start of a work week, so I hope it continues. Still may need a couple more days of this before I can get back into a proper mindset.

I guess I will just have to be patient until I can get it working in a couple weeks. Until then, I'll follow my temp budget - which is really more of a "hey, we owe these dudes money" list.