Well, as many of you have questioned about my facebook post last night, the good news regarding Jeremy's job was that he got yet, another raise!!! I wasn't expecting this since he got one just a few months ago; especially since the boss had seemed to be really high strung/tight wod here lately. I was bubbling when Jeremy told me last night. I immediately thanked God for his continual blessing. Jeremy was slightly disappointed that it wasn't more, but I told him that EVERY PENNY counts and look how much God has continued to bless us through this job...... Anyways.... it's exactly as I posted last night...... it was definitely a big risk that we took a year ago.... never, ever, did we imagine it lasting this long or making our life this comfortable to live! Thankfully we met Dave Ramsey in this process and are learning how to manage the "extra".
I cannot even express how stressful life used to be...... I remember after coming home from harvest 2 years ago, and Jaylee was on baby food, I was counting baby food jars in order to see how many we had until the next paycheck. I remember not being able to buy hardly anything in order to make sure we had baby food and diapers for Jaylee. I remember not buying any school clothes to start the year out with, because flat out, we didn't have it. One specific night, I recall counting 13 jars of baby food, and it had to last us until the next paycheck....... I remember praying many many nights for God to just get us through and to mainly keep providing for Jaylee. Unexpectedly my mother in law would show up with a bag of baby food and a box of diapers that she would have picked up on a recent shopping trip. Talk about answered prayers! I even remember, before we had kids, that I was on the way home from seeing Jeremy in kansas on corn harvest and I was SO upset that I couldn't buy pumpkins to put in our yard. PUMPKINS--yes PUMPKINS! I remember crying that night about how broke I was to not even be able to buy a stupid vegetable that was going to rot away in my yard! I remember the constant fight of not having enough money to pay the bills and us both not knowing what to do. There were many, many nights of laying in bed just crying because I knew of nothing else to do.............
The biggest change.........I read DR's book 2 1/2 years ago.....and I tried to begin the process that we are on now, then. However, my husband wasn't onboard, and when two people are on different pages---it doesn't work. For some reason, he was just as ready as I was this time to make a change and he realized that just because he was the saver that he had some changes to do as well. I cannot tell you the difference DR has made on our marriage. We no longer fight about money. Budgeting with an allocated zero budget makes it to where every dollar is accounted for and there is no "extra" to fight over as to where it goes. Budgeting does not mean you can't have a life either. We are going to a concert and to dinner this coming weekend! You just have to learn to live within your means and put some things on hold for a while. Just because I want new floors in my house....does not mean I go and apply for a Lowe's credit card and pay it out. Just because I want a new bedroom suit (because we still have no head board/footboard) does not mean that I go to the finest furniture shop and finance it. What it means is that I put in my budget "furniture" and I start saving a little each month into that envelope.....then when there is enough....I take my cash and buy exactly what I want (maybe get that discount too when they see the cash!) and on the drive home I get to be excited because I know it was paid for, IN CASH, and there will not be a taunting bill coming in each month, that I have to make a payment on. If I did go the financing route, I do make a payment, and I am 3 days late on that payment, and that 0% interest skyrockets to 24.9%...... Urgh.....thank goodness we have learned that this is NOT the way to live!
Don't get me wrong, God definitely provided for us. I know many people think that we never "roughed it" but, we did, you probably just never saw it. Just because we didn't start out with just a card table and two chairs, does not mean that we didn't have our struggles like everyone else has had. Not many people display their struggles, especially when it comes to finances. I definitely see now how he did nothing but teach us a lesson on handling money and making us learn to be appreciative.
NOW....looking back, it has been worth it. It definitely makes us appreciate what we do have. I am very proud of my husband for his job and doing what he does in order to provide for us. Even though he is not the mushy, gushy, lovey dovey type..... he definitely displays his love in his ways of providing for his family.
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