God Rockin' The Free Dishwasher Repair & Replacement

Ok. I'm ready for all the funny comments. Hit me, people. I can take it. But I'm still gonna crow about all the good things God keeps doing for me.

SO last summer, you may recall that God totally rocked the free fridge repair when it croaked in August. August in Texas with no fridge? Only thing worse is August in Texas with no AC. But the repair was done one month short of the 3 yr warranty expiring.

Recently, my faithful (albeit LOUD) dishwasher has been pooling water at the bottom every time I run it. I tried the old "if I ignore it, it will go away" thing. As usual, this did not work. Dang. So since God also just rocked me that wonderful financial wind fall and I was able to pad my liquid emergency fund, I tried the "call the GE repair people" thing. As usual, this worked much better.

The same awesome repair dude that fixed my fridge showed up today. He pulled out the washer, took it apart and generally made me groan with thoughts of how much this would take from my newly padded liquid emergency fund.

As it turns out, the leak was from a cracked tub: that inner lining of the whole apparatus. I groaned again. "So, I imagine this isn't under warranty any more, right?" ask I. "Well, here's the deal. The dishwasher isn't under warranty. However, the tub has a 10 year warranty. And since I can't fix the tub or replace just the tub...YOU do the math!"

So check it: I get a free dishwasher replacement. And since they don't make my model any more (the cheapest one GE makes), I get a free upgrade. It's still the cheaper model but it's better than the one I had! AND - as if that wasn't cool enough - the repairman's time was free since he couldn't fix it. So I pay nothing.

The dishwasher is still workable while I wait the 5-7 days for the replacement. It will just leak. Which I can handle.

Dude. I'm just sayin'... God totally ROCKS.

Commence your little jokes about it. But God still rocks.

GET ON YOUR FEET PEOPLE!!!

Ok, here is a reason for all of you to go out and celebrate:

I just paid off my last credit card today. Which means I am now only in debt for my mortgage. No car loan. No credit cards. No 401K loans. No lawyer payments.

Now go out and celebrate appropriately. But DON'T use credit cards!!!

Tourette's News and Other Stuff

Tourette's News:
I heard this on KLOVE, of all places. Found it out on Reuters. Nothing earth shattering here but an interesting read. Another version of the report points to the fact that TS is found predominately in white kids (compared to black or Hispanic). Also, more prevalent in boys than girls. Just an interesting read.

Other Stuff:
I was just having a quick IM session with one of my favorite friends and authors, Trish. Talking or typing with her always makes me happy. I love knowing her. I often refer to her as one of the pillars of my spiritual support. She is one person I turn to when I want to be happy or freak out in crisis. I love having people like that. She laughed with me when I called her cell to inform her that I just purchased a very respectable "girly" top from Anne Klein. She dropped everything when I called her from a hotel room in pieces because my marriage had just imploded. Friends like that are gifts from God.

But what we were laughing about in our IM session revolved around a recurring amusement in our relationship. How I saw her speak at church one Sunday in February 2005. And I immediately dismissed her as some pampered "Christian wife" that had it all together and wouldn't have anything in common with me. I didn't like her. I wrote her off as just completely out of touch with any reality I might know. A few weeks later, when I took a class on seeking faith, who do you think one of the leaders of that class was? Yup. Trish. I remember seeing her and thinking, well, this class is a bust. Thankfully, God loves to show me how wrong I am but in a fun and humorous way. The long story short (that I think I've blogged about before) is that she is one of my most trusted and loved friends. A true friend sent from God.

I have so many friends in my life that have similar starts. My wonderful friend Kristen and our other friend Alicia - I did a similar thing. My first encounter with them was...I think at a friend's party. They were fans of this band - I was friends with most of them and was very protective about the guys and who tried to gain access to them. I was pretty smug and not very welcoming to girls who tried to enter our tight little circle. I sized these two up as groupies and didn't really pay them any mind. Fortunately, they were NOT groupies. Well, they LOVED the band. But they weren't just vapid chicks trying to hook up with a popular band. They actually ended up marrying two other friends of mine that I knew through that band. And they have been two of the most supportive loving friends I've ever had. They were pretty much the only two people we let babysit Pokemon Boy when he was a baby. They have driven me to doctor appointments, one of them drove us home from the hospital when Lil'Bro was born. And to think I thought they were just annoying groupies!

Yes, I realize all of these stories are a huge revelation that I am one big huge judgemental snot bag. But the beauty of it is, in stead of God stomping on my head with his ginormous steel-toed boots, he just shakes his head and makes these people I have misjudged my new best friends.

I was sitting here going through a list of friends that fit this pattern. It's pretty funny. Well, it's pretty pathetic, from one view. But over all, it's more funny. To me, anyway. Thank you, God, for not stomping on my head.

In another "Woo-hoo, God rocks" report:

God has once again rocked the money thing for me. I'm not sitting here saying that I expect God to constantly drop found money in my lap. But it seems to show up when I least expect it. And I am always seeming to have enough money to provide for my needs.

I remember back in that faith seeking class I mentioned above in my Trish story, they talked about tithing. When that subject came up, I remember thinking, "There it is...the price tag every evangelist eventually tosses at you!" But it wasn't like that. There is so much more to it and I'd need a whole blog to get into where it came from and why we still continue it today. But the part that stuck out in my head has always been the fact that it's the only thing God says "Go ahead, test me in this! See what happens." [ref. Malachi 3:8-12] Most everywhere else God kind of warns us not to put him to the test. But this, he says, go ahead - tithe and see how I bless you. I've seen so many people tentatively try it out. And I know so many people who have amazing stories that surprised them. I tell you, since I became the single person responsible for my household finances, I have finally really given like I wanted to. It started out rather sparingly. I was scared to give too much away at first. But man, every time I have hit the straights, God provides what I need out of the most unexpected ways. I'm not talking excess or lottery winnings. But I'm just blown away how it always seems to appear right at the right time.

So right now, I'm doing ok. I'm still living off of my severance package. And I will confess I have been treating the boys and myself to a few too many frivolities. I've been starting to wonder if it will stretch. Will I be able to keep the house? Will I be able to get out of the non-house debt I've dug myself into before it all runs out? But through it all, I just keep saying, Ok God, I'm trusting in you here. Whatever happens - house/no house, debt/no debt - I know you'll work it out. I'm not waiting for my big American bling bling lifestyle. I don't want that. I just want enough to raise my kids, meet my obligations and still be able to give some away. And I've been able to.

Today, I met with my financial advisors. And without going into boring details, I have basically just had a huge (in my book) amount of found money come into play. And it has no tax implications because it's from after-tax money (I've already paid taxes on it a long time ago). And it's just enough to be able to pay off the remaining amount of non-house debt I have. Still giving me a good chunk to either put into a retirement fund or into a rainy-day liquid fund.

This blows my mind. Because I dug myself into quite a hefty bit of non-house debt since the beginning of 2007. Between the actual legal costs of divorce, what I paid out in settlement and then the whole guilt spending resulting from said divorce, I had quickly racked up an amount that made one of my church friends gasp (but to be fair, she's a completely debt-free person). That was the amount I started chipping away at in January. Right now - 6 months later, I have it decreased by more than half! And I'm about 2 weeks away from being able to wipe it all out and just have a mortgage to chip away at. That is mind blowing to me. And that is all God. Every tiny bit of unexpected found money that has come my way in these 6 months went to pound away at that debt. And now this!

I know this is not very profound because I'm not putting numbers out there. I'm not really thrilled to say, "Hey, I'm stupid enough to have racked up $xx,xxx.00 in debt in a mere two years!" But you can fill in those Xs with any numbers and you can see it's substantial. Especially for a single mom who got laid off this past January.

God just keeps rockin' the rescue. He keeps providing. Even when I mess up my own finances. He's not a head stomper. He's a loving father that is amazingly patient with us. He has always had his hand out to me - my whole life. I'm just so glad I finally realized it back in 2005 and turned and REALLY took it.

God, thank you for the awesome friends you put in my life. Thanks for the new ones you're introducing me to right now. And thank you for always providing what my boys and I need. Whether it's money or love from my parents. You're so awesome. I love you.

Reason #42 Why BK Beats McDs

I know way too much about fast food in my area.  When you have a major life tragedy and you have kids, one thing you might do (I mean, I've read that people do this) is do take out.  All the time.  For a long time.

It's disgusting.  But it's a coping mechanism I utilized for the better part of 2007 and a good part of 2008.  Until finances started running dry and I did the math on how much I spent even on cheap fast food.  And nearly threw up.

Blah blah blah fast food is evil and I'm just lucky my kids weren't already fat little porkers and could handle lots of it.  Lately, I have been making food at home.  Fast food or eating out at all is back to being a luxury or treat (thank you mom, dad, BigSis and her TallHubby).

So last Tuesday, I was having a day with Lil'Bro at home (he's home from preschool this month so we can have living money until the severance check comes).  For lunch, I thought, let's splurge and head to our local Burger King.  It's right around the corner.  Dangerous proximity.  But they have a great little game room and it would give him some fun time out of the house.  I knew it wasn't the best use of my tight expenses but went anyway.

As I ordered my big splurge of a meal, it rang up to $7 and change.  No biggie.  I was about to swipe my card when the manager walked over saying, "Hold on," to the cashier.  He pushed some buttons and told her, "She comes here all the time.  I want to take care of her."  Lil'Bro and I had a nice lunch to the tune of $3.00.  This guy didn't know I had been laid off.  He may have surmised my single motherhood over the months.  But still.  I thought that was pretty cool.  As I sat there eating my spicy chicken wrap, I kept asking God to bless that guy.  Just give him some kind of huge blessing that he'd know was totally from God.

I just love things like that.  Just random acts of kindness.  Reminds me that there are lots of people out there who know how to show God's love.  Even in little things like cutting a junk food meal's price in half for a laid off single mom.

So not only is their meat better quality, but their workers consistently take care of me and my kids.  From bringing a dancing Lil'Bro a crown because he was the king of dancing, to letting my kids trade their Kids Meal toy because "I already have this one," to letting my boys substitute Chicken Fries as a Big Kids Meal.  BK beats McDs.

Financial Peace University

My church is offering a 13 week class called Financial Peace University.  When I first heard the name, I admit, I thought it a bit schmarmy.  When I first heard the accompanying acronym FPU, I giggled because, inside, I'm 4.  Anything with PU in it will forever be funny to me.

Given the timing of the class, the fact that it's being facilitated by one of our church members, and that the premise makes complete sense, I signed up.  The fact that I didn't have the money for the materials (workbook, book, forms, lots of DVDs and other stuff) didn't matter.  It's important enough to my church that they fronted me until I have the cash.  They provide child care, too.  So all obstacles removed, I went tonight for the first class.

I am SO jazzed right now.  If I could, I would pay to have the kit sent to everyone I know.  And I would beg them to do the course online or at home or at any local offering.  The courses teach you everything from how to pay off your debt, how to build up an emergency savings fund (and defines that "emergency" does not mean things like pizza cravings or a new boat), how to talk to creditors, how to invest, shopping for mortgages, insurance, etc.  It covers the gambit of finances.  It teaches you a new discipline - a life change - away from that "buy now, pay later" mentality most of us are in.

It sounded a little weird.  You go and watch videos of Dave Ramsey speak.  Ok...and I can't do this from home...why?  Well, you can.  And some friends of mine are actually going to do it that way.  But I'm going to a group class.  We all talk and share experiences, thoughts, questions.  It's all confidential.  I actually joked that ok, I guess I won't blog about anyone's guilty secrets.  But maybe I will share some of mine some day.  I'm sure my story is not as bad as some.  And I'm sure it would make some squirm.  Either way, in my book?  It ain't good.

The goal is to teach us how to take control of our finances.  How to stop throwing our money away.  How to have a plan for down the road.  I used to feel that kind of stuff was against the Christian ideals I had.  It seemed greedy.  It seemed gluttonous.  It seemed lacking in faith.  Well, I've been reading the old testament these last few months.  And I was surprised (even before this class) to read how many times the old testament basically comes out and says, hey, don't owe anyone and don't lend to anyone.  Don't put yourself at the mercy of a lender.  Store up your resources for those bad times like famines and lean times.

Well, let's see...personally, I have been a slave to the credit card companies since I was in my 20s.  Almost every time I get a positive savings balance, I piss it away on some ridiculous excuse for an "emergency".  If my car dies tomorrow, I actually have no way to pay for the fix because my credit cards are all maxed and have been shut off.  If I have a huge illness, same deal.  I'm a single mother of two, people!  This is not the way to live.  And all of the leeway you can cut me because of the divorce?  That doesn't count for all the stupid debt I've accrued.  The divorce itself - the lawyer fees?  That accounts for maybe about...let me think...maybe 1/3 of my current debt.  Maybe.  The rest is my own stupidity.

Now, let me tell you this: even though it's bible based?  I don't think it would really offend anyone's sensibilities.  My ex isn't a huge fan of "Christianity" as a whole.  Looking around, I don't really blame him.  But I sat in the class tonight thinking, I bet the ex would actually LIKE this class.  Dave Ramsey is spot on.  There wasn't anything he said that was off.  The bible scriptures are in the work book for reference.  They're not screamed at you.  He's not preaching hellfire and brimstone.  He's just pointing out truths that everyone there could own.  We all sat there nodding our heads and going, "Oh man, that's me!"  And this guy is FUNNY.  He has lived the hell himself.  He talks about it some.  He's not some greedy rich guy trying to make money off of you.  He has walked it and he lives it and he lays out a plan that anyone can follow.  It will look different for everyone.  It will take me longer than my friend who sat next to me.  But it will work.

So I'm taking it by the horns.  I will take this course and put it into action.  And when all is said and done?  I will have 3 to 6 months of living expenses in a true emergency savings account.  I will have all my debt paid off except my mortgage.  And that I will be working to pay off early.  I will buy things in cash.  I will no longer be slave to Visa and Master Card.  I will live like our grandparents most likely did.  And their parents.  I will SAVE up and THEN buy something.  I have about 25 years of habit to unlearn there, folks.

This won't happen over night.  It probably won't be completed this year.  I don't care.  I'm on a mission to undo this mess.  And God is already showing me how he's on my side on this one.  If this interests you in the SLIGHTEST, check out the link I gave above.  I'm not getting any kickback.  I'm not advertising.  I'm just thinking that now is a good time to take some hard steps.

I'm just sayin'...

God Rockin' Some Extra Cash

I wish I had the time to blog every single day.  Because this post is really much more significant if you could see the financial balancing act I've been doing (poorly).  It's my own fault, really.  I'm one of those "poor American victims" that is tight financially.  And when I use those quotation marks, I'm being sarcastic.  I'm one of the majority of Americans (or westerners in general) that has lived in the Buy Now/Pay Later mode.  It's stupidity in action, yet the majority of us live this way.  We buy ourselves into a large debt corner and then our politicians stroke this to get elected by calling us "victims of Wall Street" or some other large financial entity.

Whatever.  That's a whole other rant I could fill an entire blog site with.

Suffice it to say - when the ex left, I hardly had any debt.  Once he left, I used any excuse to rationalize pulling out the credit cards again.  Lots of guilt purchases to make the boys feel better when they're sad.  Lots of purchases to get things ahead of time - before I needed them - you know...to be "prepared".  Lots of purchases just to sooth my addiction.  I have discovered that buying things - and not even huge things - makes me feel good.  Like, just walking through a store and picking up stuff...I don't know how to describe it.  It's a comfort thing.  And then there is the trap of everyone who has been emotionally hurt.  What's your go-to thing?  Food?  Mine can be.  But not as much as "you deserve something nice after having your heart dragged through 952 miles of poo."  And then of course I made the actual necessary or obligatory payments (like lawyer fees, food, clothes, GAS).  Those are the ones that would have been ok, had I made ONLY those.

So over the last almost two years, I have wracked up my credit to stupid levels.  I went back to living paycheck to paycheck.  I drained my savings.  Then I started doing the old, let's see...which card do I not pay THIS month?  Oh it's just so HORRID if you realize that in 2002, the ex and I already bailed ourselves out of the same situation and swore NEVER AGAIN.

Lately, I have been working very hard to not ask for a bailout from anyone (ie - my parents).  In mid 2008, when I started feeling that a layoff was closer to reality than not, my main prayer was, "God, if I have to be laid off, PLEASE let there be a severance package."  In Oct 2008, I got the layoff news.  With a severance package.  And it's a good package for someone with 22 yrs under her belt.  So that was a huge relief and man, I have been thanking God for that one, big time!  Unfortunately, the severance package doesn't come immediately.  And as you keep pushing debt back into the dark recesses of your mental store room, it grows.  Exponentially.  I feel like I am living to just squeak my way to that severance check.  Which blows in and of itself.

A while ago, I stopped just going, "Help!" when praying.  I decided to own up.  I said, Ok God, I totally screwed up.  I admit it.  I got myself into this mess and I'm sorry.  Now I need your help to get out of it.  As you've seen in this blog, he has provided free fridge repair.  He has made my checking account miraculously stretch when I had plane ticket snafus.  He just keeps coming through.  So when it got worse recently and I started having to ignore all phone calls from numbers I didn't recognize?  That was when I owned up.  And I just said, "God help me do this.  Help me fix this."  I didn't even know what that would look like.  I just knew he'd come through.

Last Friday was my last paycheck from Big Ol' Financial Company.  Yesterday, I grudgingly sat down to decide which bills to pay and which to ignore.  It's a nauseating feeling when you sit down to face your own financial stupidity.  So with a sigh, I sat down at the computer.  First thing I did was check my checking account.  Get that balanced to see how much I actually had to work with.  I opened it up and the balance was WAY bigger than it should have been.  Wha...?  My first thought was, oh great.  That's all I need is to deal with my now former-company because they overpaid me.  So I pulled up the pay stub and saw that this paycheck contained my compensation for all of the vacation days from 2008 that I hadn't taken!  I thought that would have been in the severance payment!  Can you believe that?  And let me tell you, this is not just a couple extra dollars.  Not even a couple hundred.  This was more than $1000 more than I was expecting!!!!  Seriously, I had to call my mom and my sister to freak out about how God provided this unexpected extra cash right NOW - at THIS particularly bleak moment.  Does that not ROCK people???

Chalk it up to coincidence.  Dismiss it if you want.  But the timing of it...just when I finally 'fess up and really give it up to God without any expectations.  THAT is God, my friends.

So yesterday, I sat down and paid all of my utilities, my car payment, and I paid all of my credit cards up to date.  I didn't pay anything off.  But that's ok.  I paid them all current.  And on a couple of them, that is like 3 months worth.  I have been thanking God ever since!

I know this country (and dare I say world) is going to be roughing it this next year.  And a lot of people are jumping on the fear band wagon.  Sadly, many of them are Christians - the ones that talk all the talk about living in daily faith, trusting in God.  Well, I'll tell you what these last two years of struggle have done for me: they have shown me what it looks like to wake up and live each day believing God will get you through it.  That part in the Lord's prayer where it says, "Give us this day, our daily bread..." - it's saying "Give me what I need to make it through today."  It's not saying, give me a lottery winning.  It's not saying set me up for life.  It's saying I trust you to provide what I need today.  And I'll trust you'll do it again tomorrow.

That's how I'm gonna live.  Because if I buy into the fear, I'll be back on the anxiety meds in no time.  I like the calm of knowing God totally ROCKS.

#952 In a Series of Why God Totally Rocks

I'm sure I've chased away some regular readers with all my 'God Rocks' stuff. But I can't help it. I honestly am blown away by how he constantly comes through for me. And in ways that seem small but are just so freaking cool.

I just sat down to do my online bills. Glamor, baby. All the way. I was totally stressing over it. I knew I wouldn't be able to stretch the checking account to cover it all. There is one credit card in particular that drove me to panic mode last month. This month, I definitely did NOT have enough to cover the minimum. My priorities are like house, food, electric/gas and then I worry about the 2 credit cards (which I hate and can't wait to pay off and then BURN). So I had gotten the essentials paid. I thought I'd go look to see this huge minimum due. The amount left in my checkbook register wouldn't cover it. So I started thinking how I'd have to call them tomorrow to explain how I can only send a paltry amount each month and yes, I realize I'm the one who racked it way up there and yes I know it was stupid.

So I log on to the website and see that the minimum is more than half of what they wanted last month! Yes, I understand that the lesser amount means they can bleed me longer. But that's not the point. The point is, I've been asking God to somehow help me dig out of this hole. Somehow help me pay my obligations and still be able to tithe. The old standard "Help me, God!" So the amount that was there? I could pay it! Early! I was sitting there going, "God you so totally rock. I love you SO much! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Don't you guys think that's cool? I mean, think about it! I think that is just amazing - how God cares about the stupid financial mess I got myself into. I told God that I was totally aware that I messed up and let the living-beyond-my-means thing get the better of me. And I told him I was sorry and wanted to fix it. But I can't. So I asked him to help me. And he keeps making it possible to keep my head above water.

I have friends - even family - that will chalk up all my "Wow God rocks!" moments on this blog to coincidence or things that aren't that big a deal. I get that. I used to be there, too. That's ok. I'm still gonna crow whenever God pulls my butt out of the fire. If he's giving me free fridge repair, a freezer full of meat, free pepperoni rolls or cutting my monthly minimum by almost 2/3. I will take it. Gladly. And I will tell everyone who will listen.

Because God really does rock. All you have to do is ask. And then you have to have the eyes to see it. Big or small. Because he'll come through. Oh yes. He will come through.

And my Pollyanna post is over.

God Rockin' The Free Fridge Repair

Man, I love how God sweats the little things. When I see Him pull off stuff like He did today, I'm reminded that the big things like which dude will be our next president? He's got that, man. I refuse to get worked up into a lather about it.

So here's today's praise report. I just love this one.

When we last left our hero, she had a defunct fridge. Well the GE guy showed up this morning just as I was pulling in the driveway after dropping Pokemon Boy off for his first day of 3rd grade and tossing Lil'Bro back into preschool after 4 weeks off. [Isn't it amazing how I can totally go tangential in one run-on sentence?] SuperNice GE Dude got to work on my fridge (somehow getting past the millions of magnets) and I went up into my office (with a quick little prayer asking God to make sure the guy wasn't a mass murderer).

After a few minutes, the guy asks me if the fridge came with the house (it did) and when I moved in (Sept 2005). He said, "Oh good," and went back to work. A short time later, he said, "Ok you're all set. The fridge should be back to normal by this afternoon." He explained what he had done and which part he had replaced. But he was already heading out the door. I said, "So will you guys send me a bill or how does this work?" He replied, "No, you're all set. The part was covered under a 3 year warranty so you're set." "I don't even have to pay you for YOUR time?" "Nope, it's all covered. Have a nice day."

After closing the door, I turned around, threw my hands up in the air and yelled, "God you totally ROCK!" Because the GE people had told my mom it would be $79 just for the guy to walk in my front door. I don't have that at the moment. So it was going to be credit card. Blyeck. That's already straining after my 2 week vacation. But oh well. That's life and I was ready to suck it up.

But God totally rocked the free fridge repair!!! How COOL is that? I've been asking God to help me get my finances stable again. But I had bigger prayer fish to fry so wasn't really worrying about it. And BAM! He comes through like that. I LOVE that! LOVE it.

Seriously, with The Creator of All Things and my mom on my side? How can I go wrong?

Today's Side Note: Since my mom worked so hard to clear out my fridge & freezer, she suggested I take the opportunity to clean it out. Yah. Great fun. But since I'm 42 and supposedly grown up, I decided to take her advice. So today I cleaned my fridge. Something I have only done in the past when I'm either moving or I've had a huge food mishap in the fridge. I thought I'd show you what it looks like with only the bare essentials in there. Sorry for the darkness - my flash wouldn't go off. Note how "essentials" apparently include Corona Light, Diet Coke (w/ Splenda), eggs, a big thing of ice coffee, a cup of milk, a thermometer, and left over pizza. And my freezer has like 952 freezer packs. Ok, maybe more like 12. But still...

More Proof That God's Gotchyer Back

Yes, as a fallible human, I love when God comes through in really cool tangible ways. I'll give you a couple of recent things that you skeptics can chalk up to luck and good timing. But I know different.

If you recall, back in February, I had a lovely little lesson in why you should always call to cancel a ticket. That set me back quite a bit of cash. I freaked for a short bit and then gave it over to God. Or tried. In my prayer to him, I was specific. I just said, ok, I screwed up here. Please find the money from somewhere to pay this ticket and all of my other obligations. Just somehow make my money go farther.

I think I blogged about how I was astounded to not only pay all my bills but to have some left over. Then God rocked the whole bonus-I-didn't-think-I'd-get thing. That took care of summer camp for Pokemon Boy, some lawyer payments, some credit card debt and padding my savings. Oh yah - and I got to give a big huge chunk to my church! That was so fun.

Then I did my taxes. I'm married filing separately. If you've done that, you know you get nailed. But I happily found out I qualify for head of household. Which gives me a better tax standing than filing separately. And I actually got money BACK! Over $1000! I was just dumb founded. So I socked more away into savings. And wrote another check to my church.

Now let me just comment on why giving actual money to my church thrills me so much. When I found them in 2005, I was new to the area. New to having a huge mortgage and various house costs and bills. I had just bought all the start up furniture and large equipment you need to maintain a house and yard. I had no money. Plus, the hubby wasn't too keen on throwing money away (ie - giving it to a church). So I tossed a bit of cash in here or there. Not much. In talking to my pastor about my feeling crummy about not giving what I wanted, he told me there are other ways to tithe. Like giving your time to the church. Which I was already doing - food service, worship team and teaching. I was like, YAY! That's awesome. And felt much better.

But it always gnawed at me that I wanted to give money to the church. And that I was financially able to but didn't feel comfortable going against the hubby's sentiments. So I told God, ok, I'm going to start donating the food for food service to the church. It will be part of my tithe. It will be small. So please accept it and help me to increase it. Over the weeks, the food service increased from small $20-$30 amounts. Hubby wasn't thrilled. Well, after hubby became "future ex", and after I was done wallowing in the pits of depression, I remember coming to a realization one day: I am solely in control of all of my finances! I can give whatever I want to God!

Yah, well, hold on cowgirl. I was also a newly single mom. I was suddenly paying for child care and lawn care and thought more expenses were coming. I was terrified I was going to lose my house and who knows what. I was freaking out. But I said, ok God, I'm going to keep doing the food service. I just need you to figure it all out and help me be able to do it. At that point, I stopped paying attention to the food service grocery bill. I'd just tell them to ring it up and I'd pay for it with my own groceries and didn't freak. As I started putting the receipt in the collection plate with the food service sub-total circled...I noticed that - little by little - it was getting bigger. And somehow, I was still paying all of my obligations. I started giving a monthly support amount to KLOVE, too. Which was something that made former hubby scowl. So that also makes me happy - that I can do it freely now.

So I've been tithing but not with an actual percentage. And not with checks or cash. So to be able to actually get these windfalls and write checks for 10% or more? That totally ROCKS my socks! Yes. I'm a dork. But it thrills me.

That's where God has been growing my tithing experience. Any time I get tight or scared financially, I give it over to God. I ask him to help the money show up and help me make it. And he does.

Now here are the most recent examples:

I have a wonderful friend who owns a house up in Boston. Their bathroom (the only one) fell apart the other day. They were told they'd have to strip it down to the studs and redo it all. To the tune of like $15K. So here are two wonderful people with a little boy who now have to somehow come up with $15K. They had been working hard at sending extra into their mortgage payments to build up equity. She was trying to cut back on work hours to spend more time with her cute kid. It all looked like it was about to blow up in her face. So we were IMing about this and I said, ok, let's ask God to handle this. He'll fix your bathroom without derailing your plans. I mean, God knows what you're trying to do and I'm sure he's on your side to raise your son yourself! So right there, I asked God to somehow find them the money. And in a way that would be so very obviously from him. I IM'd her that I had prayed for her and like a minute later she types, Oh my goodness! Just got off the phone with hubby. The contractor just gave us a new estimate that is $5K less than the last time!!!! Coincidence? Luck? I think NOT. We were both blown away. I believe her exact words were "God is freaking me out!" I love it!

Then last night I paid my bills for mid month. And the checking account got very slim. Ouch. I didn't want to touch the savings I've been working to pad. That is still earmarked for summer camp and other things. Not to mention, I'd like a padding in case I'm laid off, etc. But I moved a couple hundred from savings over to checking and wasn't too happy about it. But oh well.

This morning, I get a letter from my mortgage bank. I opened it and tossed it in a "to be filed" pile. But later, I looked at it because it was an escrow breakdown and I wanted to see if I needed to pad my escrow. Then I notice a note in small print saying "These calculations indicate the projected escrow balance will be more than the allowable low point. The resulting surplus is attached." Yah, at the bottom is a check for over $500!!! AND...get this...the minimum monthly payment amount went down by about $50.

I'm telling you, pray specifically. Pray big. Pray believing God cares about the little things as well as the big things. Don't let guilt stop you from asking him for help. I could write a whole BOOK on how he has taken care of the little things all through 2007 and still this year.

Yup. More proof that God's gotchyer back.

God Rockin' The Prayer Requests (Again)

So much to blog about. So little time. Remind me to get back on main subject and tell you guys about what's up with Pokemon Boy lately. His anxiety issues have been wreaking havoc lately. But we're attacking it with prayer. Hopefully, by the time I can actually post fully on it, God will have it all under wraps already.

Here's the thing that has me thrilled at the moment: God rocks. I think I've established this fact pretty solidly throughout this here blog thang.

So that plane ticket fiasco I last posted about. Yah, that was fun. I mean, it was stressful to deal with. But financially, it really put me behind the eight ball. As I mentioned last time, I attacked it with prayer. I talked to God about it. I admitted my own hand in getting my finances to such a precarious place that a $630 extra ticket would so derail me. Yes, I know. $630 to us mortals is a lot. But let me tell you, in the not-so-distant past, I had my savings padded enough to handle that and still leave some savings in place. I get a little giddy when the coffers are full. I tend to spoil myself a bit too much at those times. I use all sorts of excuses from wanting to spoil my boys to the old "I've been through soooo much I deserve it" kind of crap. So part of my trouble was my own doing.

Blah blah blah. Bottom line, I was in the red and was facing some late payments and possibly not being able to dig myself out of some increasing debt very easily. It's the kind of place I've worked hard for years to keep from being. It's the kind of place I've been terrified of being as a single mom - afraid that would become the norm.

Blah blah blah again. Sorry.

So anyway, I've been asking God lately to get me solid financially. I don't mean a huge lottery or anything. I just asked for wisdom in spending (which he gives but I keep ignoring). I've asked for some financial windfalls. I leave it to him to decide what that might look like. I've also been asking for the same thing for another dear single mom friend of mine. We've been rather trying to lift the same prayers up for each other.

Last week, I got my rating at work for the 2007 work year. If you've been here a while, you know that 2007 will pretty much go down in my permanent memory as a pretty rough ride. I held down three different job descriptions in my company - all under different managers. The last one I said yes to on the same day that my marriage officially exploded. I wasn't exactly stellar employee material last year. Add to that that I had 3 different managers - only one of which actually knew what I was worth - my chances at getting a good rating were slim to none. They rate us from zero (meaning you better start looking elsewhere) to a 5 (meaning you rock and a whole lot of people think so). I'm used to consistently getting 3s & 4s. I've gotten a 5 twice. Last week, I got a two. It was the usual rhetoric about I'm new to the position and need more training and experience. And it's true. So I understand my rating. It blows. But I understand it.

There was a time that if you got a 1 or a 2, you didn't get a bonus. I have gotten a bonus every year for I don't know how long. I try not to bank on it because, if you do and you don't get one? That's scary. When I got that 2, I thought, well, if I even GET a bonus, it'll be small. So I was trying to pat myself on the back and give the old "buck up girl," speech. I mean, even if they only toss me a $5 bill, it's $5 I didn't have the day before.

Yesterday, my boss who barely knows me called to tell me my bonus amount. I'd have to look for sure. But I'm pretty sure it's about the same amount as I got last year when I was rated a 3. And that is NOT a complaint! I have no idea what other people expect for bonuses. I'm one of those retarded Pollyannas that is totally thrilled with anything that is over $500. And this was well over $500!! She was telling me my amount and putting a positive spin on it - almost as if she was expecting me to be annoyed by the amount. At one point, she stopped and said, "Is this alright?" I was like...YAH! Are you kidding?! I'm thrilled. Like I said, I have no idea what other professionals think is a good amount. But God came through for me. In my book? This is huge.

So I have been thanking God over and over. I don't know why I'm always so amazed when he comes through in such a tangible way. But I have enough to give a big ol' chunk to my church. I can pad my savings with another big ol' chunk. I can toss some into the boys' 529 funds. I can cover summer day-care for Pokemon Boy. I can pay off all the money I spent flying to the funeral and all that extra ticket fiasco. It's mind blowing.

I will forever appreciate the people who taught me to pray. Trish, you're one of them. Sometimes I'm formal. But mostly, I talk to God. I tell him all my troubles. I've stopped being embarrassed about the "little things". I've stopped boxing my huge God into the tiny limits of my imagination. I pray very specifically. And other times, I open it up for his interpretation. I pray big. I pray often. I ask for his blessings: health, finances, love, you name it. I ask for it. I thank him constantly. Especially for all of the friends and family I have. For all of the people that I know have lifted me and my boys up in prayer. For those that haven't given up on praying for future ex.

Once again, God is rockin' the prayer requests. He's good like that.

A Warning for Travelers

So here's one that all you heavy travelers of the air probably already know. But I didn't. And it was a very expensive lesson. Which is why I'm passing it along to the handful of you that visit me regularly.

When you book a round trip ticket, if you don't show up for the first leg of your trip, the entire "itinerary" is cancelled. In other words, they cancel the whole round trip ticket. BUT - mind you - you are STILL charged for the whole thing. If you don't show up for the return leg of your trip, they don't care.

I've been told this all plays into the stepped up security measures blah blah blah. Which is fine. It should just be publicized more. In all honesty, who reads all the fine print? I used to. Sometimes I still do when I'm signing up for something I've never done before. But plane travel, I skim the huge thing you're supposed to read and say you agree to. I look for headings that I've never seen before. But if you sit there reading the whole thing, you will be there for about 2 hours. And in that time, you will have timed out and lost the flight you wanted in the first place. So I guarantee you, only a handful of people read that stuff. Or we all read it once - a million years ago. And it obviously changes.

Whatever. It's in the fine print of the major airlines, the bulk suppliers like Expedia, my work's travel website. It's there. I checked.

So my latest work trip to Hartford was booked way before Grandpa Larry died. When he died, I quickly booked a trip up to New England. I figured I'd rent a car to drive from NH down to CT. No biggy. The last time I called an airline to tell them I wouldn't be on a flight I had already paid for, they told me I didn't have to call. It's just a no show and someone can go stand-by in my seat. That was probably back in 2005 or 2006. So the rules have changed. Bummer.

Anyway, I finished my classes in Hartford and got to the airport early (thankfully!). The computer check in couldn't find my itinerary. The lady at the counter couldn't either.
Lady: Oh wait...here it is! But it's been cancelled.
Me: Cancelled? That's silly.
Lady: Well, you didn't fly on the first leg of the trip so they cancelled your entire itinerary.
Me: Oh. Ok. Well, can you reinstate it? I mean, obviously I'm here.
Lady: Oh no. We can't do that.
Me: ...

Long story not so short: she gave me the 800 number to the airline. Do you know how fun voice automation is over a cell phone in a noisy airport? Yah. I had to state my last name (I have two). So I picked one and stated it. The AVR system said, "I think you said 'Monkey'. Is that right?" *sigh* So after a few prayers to keep me calm and a million minutes later, I got a human. Who very kindly listened to my story about my original trip and the funeral and now I'm here and need to get out of here before the snow storm from hell arrives the next day. Nothing she can do. But maybe I can try my work's travel agency. Right. Because if the AIRLINE issuing the ticket says no, I'm SURE some corporate travel agency can make them change their mind. But I call them anyway. And I was right. Nothing they can do.

SO...I go back to the nice lady at the counter. And I'm trying hard not to cry. I ask her to book me on that same flight. You know, the one I already paid for? Yah, that one. So she sucks air through her clenched teeth and goes, "Ooooh...it's going to be about $950. Is that ok?" Um...no. Not particularly. I'd really prefer you just give me my original ticket. So I tell her try a round trip. She goes, "And when will you be returning?" Here's me giving her a blank stare. "Any day. It doesn't matter. I'm not coming back." "Oh...right..." tappity tappity tippity tap. "Oh...look at that! It's only $630! I didn't know you could do that. That's really cool." Yes. It's so cool to only pay $630 that I don't have as opposed to $950 that I don't have. Very cool.

I won't even bother going into how I handed her my one credit card and it was declined. Oh yah, I had put the emergency trip to NH on that. And the rental car. And any food I had bought while there. And a few other sundries. And it was pretty topped off to start with. Dang. So on my American Express it went. Which I have to pay at next billing. Yah. Good times.

I was so stressed on the plane. I wanted to just panic and cry. How will I pay for the lawyer who wants another retainer? How will I pay for Lil' Bro's preschool? How will I blah blah blah blah? I've prided myself on doing this single mom thing SO WELL. I was paying for everything - covering everything alone. And now I had gone and stepped right in a big ol' pile of it. I think my pride was hurt more than anything.

Then I thought, this is exactly what I'm supposed to turn over to God. What am I doing freaking out and wanting to puke? So almost the whole flight to Dallas I prayed. Ok God, I've gone and done it here. You've always said to bring these things to you. And I trust that you'll work it out. You always have. I don't know why I'm panicking now. But please help me to recover from this. Please give me wisdom so I spend wisely and make it through the next few paychecks. Please help me find hidden money somewhere to get my bills all paid.

I made it home very late. I was stressed but I don't think it was over the money. I think it was over the whole funeral/traveling/training classes thing. I was tired.

Well, I ended up putting off my bill paying for a few days. I didn't want to face the reality. But finally, last Saturday, I had to buy groceries. I had to see just how much I'd be buying. I sat down with my checkbook and my bills and said, "Ok God. Let's see where we are."

I paid every single bill. Granted, I pulled padding from my savings account. I squeaked by on minimums on most - I hate doing that. But I paid them all. On time. I haven't gotten the American Express one yet. That one will hurt. And I'm paying Lil' Bro's preschool tuition later than I normally would (with the next paycheck). On Friday, I get paid again. So God and I will sit down again and do my bills for that half of the month. And I'm thinking he'll squeak me by again. I'll send the lawyer a small amount with every paycheck and that should work.

My goal is to not borrow anything from my mom & dad or my sister (she already offered). Part of this is my own stupidity for spending a bit too freely with the last paycheck. I should know to keep my savings padded more. But at least it was padded this time. And that's what the padding is for. Now I have to squeak through the next few paychecks and slowly build up that padding again.

God so totally rocks. Airlines?....not so much.