Last night while reading in bed, I developed a hankering for sweets: specifically, cookies or cake. Almost enough to get out of bed and make something. So I said, "Steve, I really want some cake. Or a cookie. Almost enough to get out of bed and make something." Then I added, "Why don't you call the Fattalehs and ask them if they have any cookies at their house." In very uncharacteristic fashion, my husband picked up his phone and asked, "What's the number?" I told him and he dialed something else and got the wrong number, and then I told him again and he dialed right the second time. He then got David on the phone and asked if they had anything sweet that we could come get because I felt like eating something sweet. Jami the hero always has delicious offerings at her house that she has made and that she is willing to magnanimously share with others, so David the hero said, "We do! We have brownies and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. We'll ...
I don't have a lot of real visible or artistic talents, but one talent that has served me well is an ability to manage and organize money well. A few of my sisters-in-law have asked me how I do the family budget, so this is a straight up accounting of how I do the accounting. When we get a paycheck: 10% tithing right off the top Then, with the remainder (net minus tithing), I divy it up into percentages and put money into different "funds" -- that I keep track of in the back of my paycheck because I'm old school like that. Mortgage: I figure out the percentage it will take to cover my mortgage. Usually 29-30%. I think this percentage needs to stay under 35% of take-home after tithing. Baby steps: 20% goes to meeting financial goals a la Dave Ramsey's baby steps. This means that you focus on one thing at a time, leaving the rest so that your money is not so thinly spread and you can make visible progress. This presupposes that one has abandoned using credit, and i...
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