Things are getting a bit crazy in the Moore house

As you all know (because I talk about it in every post), we are some budget-following, deal-seeking fools here at the Moore home. I have learned to enjoy living this way, but I first started this new hobby of mine out of necessity. We are on a quest to save money, get out of debt, and free up some cash in the budget. For so many reasons--some of our own doing, some purely circumstantial--we have found ourselves in a tight spot, and we are doing everything in our power to work our way out of it, and learn as much financial wisdom in the process as we possibly can. If at all possible, we don't want to find ourselves here again:)

To aid in this quest, I have taken on after school tutoring jobs. This serves many purposes. One, I get out of the house, and I get to use my degrees. This does quite a bit for my morale. It can do a number on a mom to do nothing but change diapers and sing Itsy Bitsy Spider all day long. We have also started chanting and dancing to bible verses, but I will save that story for another post:) Anyway, I think that even if we did not need the extra money, I would enjoy tutoring for a few hours every week. However, we do need the extra money, and, in fact, Dave Ramsey tells us that we need to be gazelle intense until all of that debt is paid off (not including the mortgage). So...I am taking on two more students in addition to the ones I was already tutoring. Plus...I tutor online through Tutor.com. I get paid twice as much to tutor in homes, but I want to hang on to the online tutoring job for seasons of my life (pregnancy, newborn, etc. etc.) when getting out of the house every afternoon may not be as feasible. All of that to say, the schedule is getting a bit hectic, and I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

Here is what I am looking at

Monday--3:30-4:30, tutor
4:30-5:00, drive across town
5:00-6:30, tutor
6:30-7:00, drive home
7:00-9:00, tutor online
9:00-11:00, down time before bed

and this schedule pretty much repeats itself until Friday night, when I get a break.

To top it all off, in order for Scott to be home in time for me to go tutor, he has to get to work at the crack of dawn, meaning he has to go to bed super early. So, like I said, things are getting a bit insane around our house.

Obviously, this is not an ideal situation, but we are very thankful that one, we are in a place where I am able to tutor this much, and two, that I have the tutoring jobs at all. We plan to dig our heels in, and go full force until summer, and then, of course, things will slow down. It's just a few months, and the rewards far outweigh the cost. I am typing all of this to remind myself of these things:)

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed today, so I thought it would be helpful to remind myself of the goals we have. One, most of all, I want to stay at home with Ada. This is making that possible. Two, I want to one day have more than one child (obviously), and our schedules will be crazier, and I won't have the freedom to do this. Now is the time to get out of debt. Three, my tutoring prevents Scott from getting a second job. Ada gets quality time with both of us. Scott and I both feel like that is important. And, we both have the weekends completely free, so we can soak up family time then. Finally, we are learning so much through this process, and if it were easier, I don't think the lessons would be as memorable.

Our Dave Weekend and my attempt to STAY AT HOME this week!!

Well, as promised, I am here to report on our Dave Ramsey LIVE experience. It was quite the experience. People were fired up about Dave Ramsey, and the man next to us, the man who sat right next to us, despite the hundreds of empty spots all over the auditorium, asked us if this was our first time. We, of course, answered yes, as we are new Dave followers, and the implication seemed to be that many people hear Dave Ramsey live any chance they get. It is like this exclusive club that I knew nothing about until a few months ago. Only you don't have to be high society to get into this club, you just have to be like millions of other Americans--in debt, any amount of debt, and ready to do whatever it takes to get out of it. One baby step at a time.

Dave is very funny in person. His jokes were somewhat cheesy but not so cheesy that they weren't funny. I found myself laughing often. He is very captivating. And he has quite the following. It was fascinating to hear his story of how he ended up bankrupt with a toddler and brand new baby. That's enough to encourage Scott and me!! It could be worse. So much worse. And I have to say that though his method is a tough pill to swallow, I believe whole heartedly that it works, and we plan to do whatever it takes no matter how long it takes us to climb out of this situation one tiny, tiny step at a time. I don't know that he said anything that I hadn't already read in his book, but to be surrounded by that many people who are as determined as we are to stop believing the lies of our society and start being responsible with money is quite motivating and encouraging and inspiring. So, we walked away with new determination. And our first test comes this week. Aghhh....of course my resolve is already being tested.

Our first step before we can do anything is to set a budget and, here's the catch, STICK TO IT!!! NO MATTER WHAT. As in, we used way more gasoline than usual this weekend, gas prices are insane because of Hurricane Ike, the gas light is on, and we have already used the allotted gas money for the week. Yet, we stick to the budget no matter what. So Ada and I are looking at a lot of time at home this week. God does have the sense of humour doesn't He? I just posted about how I am praying that he give me a heart for being at home. So, he says okay, I will take away your transportation so you have no choice. What do you think? Can I do it? Literally not use my car until Friday when the gas budget starts over? I know this, that if I wake up Friday morning and I have managed to stick to it, I will feel empowered and it will probably be just the "fuel" I need to continue to stick to this thing. One baby step at a time. Baby step one--don't put gasoline in the car when there is no money in the gasoline budget. I am thankful that I had Dave Ramsey, in person, to motivate me like crazy before I faced this challenge. I am not good at staying at home. I am not good at sticking to the budget. And these are the things that got us in the situation in the first place. I am changing my ways, people. Changing my ways.

So, the plan, lots of cleaning. My house desperately needs a good cleaning. I am making it happen this week. Lots of walks and Tae Bo. So not only am I setting a goal of no gasoline, I am also setting a goal of at least losing one pound this week, so that I can say good-bye to those last few baby pounds once and for all. And of course, lots of hanging out with Ada. Just hanging out and playing and being together. And naps. Hopefully lots of naps. Our cupboards are stocked, I have lots on my to do list, and I certainly wouldn't call this suffering, so here goes. My first test. I can do this!!

So do I recommend Dave Ramsey LIVE? For sure. It is quite the motivating experience. We are so thankful that we got to go. God has given us such gracious friends. Thanks a million guys!!

So many exciting things to share

As I predicted, I am back for a second blog post today.

Ada and I started our week by attending baby lap-sit at the library. We both enjoyed it so much, so I think it is going to become a weekly thing for us. We ended the morning with lunch at Chick-fil-a with my friend Tutti and her three children. It was a great way to start the week. Mondays can be hard because Scott goes back to work, and Ada and I can find ourselves climbing the walls a little bit. I think Mondays at the library are the perfect way to kick off our week.

Next fun thing, my day started out by receiving an e-mail from my friend Amy, asking if I still wanted a sewing machine. And my answer was of course, yes!!! She ended up with an extra, brand new, machine that she is giving to me tomorrow morning. I feel like jumping up and down I am so excited. I have lots to learn, but actually getting a machine is a great first step. I still can't believe that it's mine.

And finally, we have graciously been given tickets to Dave Ramsey Live, which will be in Atlanta this coming weekend. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to go at first because we didn't have a baby-sitter, but my sister, Sarah, is coming for the weekend so that Scott and I can spend most of Saturday learning how to better manage our money. We are so excited, and we anticipate walking away from the seminar with lots of helpful and encouraging information. We plan to end the day with a (very inexpensive) dinner out where we can process all that we have learned. I am feeling overwhelmed with all the ways that God is providing. I feel so taken care of.

Finally, I received two 6.00 off formula coupons in the mail, and we are no longer using coupons. The coupons are for Nestle Good Start, which I have never used, but if we were still using formula, I would certainly give it a try with a total of 12.00 savings. If I have any readers who could use these coupons please e-mail me, and I will mail them to you right away. They don't expire until 12/1/08. I really hate to throw them away because 12.00 off of formula is quite a bit. My e-mail is laura_rhodes@hotmail.com. I really hope someone can use them.