Let's try this again...

Yesterday I went down to the Kia dealership with my beat-up, old Camry and came home with a brand new Forte.  Yay!  I'm so excited.  My first brand new car! 

Six years ago, I went to the Nissan dealership trying to find myself a brand new Maxima.  I went home with a used Audi that I really couldn't afford and wasn't even sure I wanted, and boy did it end up costing me.  I learned big lessons about when and how to spend the money that God has been so kind to let me have. 

This time I came into the car-buying experience a lot more humbly.  =)  (If someone would have told me I'd ever buy a Kia I would have laughed in their face.  Then I would have stopped for a second, and then started laughing again.  lol.

This time around, I am elated.  No feelings of regret.  No feelings of uncertainty. 

Thank you, Lord, for my new car.  I promise to take very good care of it.  =)

P.S.  God bless the families who lost loved ones on 9/11.  Yesterday might have been a happy day for me, but I will never forget, nor will I stop mourning, the loss we experienced that horrible day 10 years ago.  I can't wait to visit the memorial in 3 weeks so that I can pay my respects.  I feel so blessed to be able to do so.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Me, me, me!

Because ultimately everything is about me, right? lol. Just kidding....

Monday I start my new position in the Chief Deputy's office. Kinda exciting, kinda not. It's something new and a new challenge AND will open up doors for me, but I'm not making that much more money and I'm going to miss my immediate co-workers. It's been so nice being able to fellowship at work, but nothing lasts forever does it.

My debt is so close to being paid off and it feels SO GOOD! Two years ago I was at nearly $24,000 of debt (not including that evil Audi, but mostly because of it). Right now I'm down to $5,000 and that's only because I added Invisalign to the mix. If it wasn't for Invisalign, I would be done already. October 2011 (7 months from now!), I will be officially debt-free! Hallelujah!

I have a date tonight with a guy from eHarmony with whom I have been texting and chatting over the phone. He's white, which is out of my norm (I love me some brown dudes, what can I say), but he's funny and seems cool. We'll see what happens. It's in God's hands.

I'm also chatting with another guy on eHarmony (who IS brown... lol). This guys seems like he has more of a solid relationship with the Lord, so I'm definitely not going to rule him out either. I'm learning that I need to leave myself a little more open and available to different opportunities. I'm definitely not a player, but I'm also not obligated to anyone right now. Until you are committed and maybe even put a ring on my finger, I don't owe you anything. I know what I want and won't settle for less than anyone who loves the Lord and who is ready for that next step in his life. This too is in God's hands.

That's about it.... I'll update what happens tonight later. Peace!

The ship is sinking...

This article perfectly spells out the disaster that is California and a big part of why I want to abandon ship before it's too late...

In the last two years, the state collected just $9.9 billion in unemployment insurance taxes—but it paid out $20.6 billion in benefits during the same time. California recently had to borrow $8.5 billion from the federal government to pay for the unemployment benefit obligations. If the state doesn’t pay off its loan from Washington, D.C. by 2012, it will owe a $362 million interest payment. That’s an expensive fantasy to finance—and California can’t print Monopoly money to stay afloat.

On the move...

So, today I officially started my search for a new place to live. I've found a few people who are looking to rent rooms or share rent costs. I'm specifically looking at different Christian Roommate Finder websites. It looks like the average cost is around $550, which I can totally manage.

I hope I can find something quickly. After only 5 months, I'm ready to get out and SOON. It's just not working for me and I'm sure it's not working for my sister and her BFF. It's constant tension and frustration... most of the frustration coming from me.

Lately I feel like I am the ONLY one who pulls her weight around that house. It has come down to me being practically the only (if not THE only) one who does the dishes, takes out the trash, cleans the house, makes the coffee, feeds the cat, etc. I feel like I have a housekeeping job I didn't sign up for. Then to make things worse, little things, like not changing toilet paper rolls (Really? Is it THAT hard?!), are starting to set me off. I feel like there is nothing fair about this living arrangement.

To make matters EVEN MORE worse than the above, the house is falling apart. The leaky ceiling finally collapsed yesterday. That's one problem among many, including, but not limited to:

• No air conditioning/heat
• Broken dryer
• Broken oven
• Broken water heater

It's like I'm paying to live in a shack! So, as you can see, I really have no good reason to stay. If I go, it only ups each of their shares of the rent by $150, which I know they can handle. I at least won't have that hanging over my conscience.

In the end, I think this will be better. My sister's and my relationship will stay intact and I will be able to return to the area that I've grown to love and my church, which I both miss DESPERATELY.

Now it's a matter of breaking it to my sister...

Cares...

For the last 3 days I’ve felt like someone is sitting on my chest. There’s a tightness and I feel like I need to, every once in a while, take deep breaths.

STRESS

I’m stressed. I have a lot on my mind: Finances. Love life. Leaving California. Etc. So much to think about.

I know I’m not supposed to worry. I’m commanded to “cast my cares upon the Lord, for He cares about [me].” (1 Peter 5:7) It’s so much easier said than done…. even if it IS sinful and I know it.

FINANCES: My debt has gone down from over $20,000 to $8,000. That is SO good, so what’s the problem? I get excited and almost high off of paying this debt off. It’s become my obsession. Everyday I’m looking at the chart I created to track my debt and how I’m paying it down. I’m starting to try to find ways to pay it off faster. Take that and couple it with worrying about saving money for my Birthday trip to NYC next year and trying to figure out a way to move out on my own. All of this is causing me stress.

LOVE LIFE: I asked the Lord to put me to sleep to my love life the way he had to put Adam to sleep in order to give him Eve. It was working. I wasn’t thinking about my singleness and I wasn’t worried about the plan the Lord has for me. Then Ramon popped up (I touched on it here, but there are new developments that I'll have to get into another day). Now I’m second-guessing myself. Now I’m letting my mind wander to unnecessary places. I allowed myself to worry about it again. STOP!

LEAVING CALIFORNIA: I really just want out of here. I want to be able to start fresh somewhere where people actually have morals and values. Where Jesus is welcome and the Ten Commandments are still a standard to live by. Where the Bible isn’t “open to interpretation” or just a silly book. I just want to be around people who understand me. I’m over California. I’m over the scene. I’m over the boys (not men---BOYS). I’m over it. It’s stressful trying to figure out where I can go. I do have one option: Texas. Deciding whether to do that is, again, stressful. =/

Lord, help me. I’m tired of worrying. Teach me to be content. Hit me over the head with it like a sledgehammer so that it’s imprinted there forever. Burn contentment in You into my mind and onto my heart. I know it’s not about me. It’s about YOU. Help me to train my focus solely on You.

Forgive my worry…

Reagan knew... why don't we?

Inflation is caused by one thing, and it has one answer. It's caused by government spending more than government takes in, and it will go away when government stops doing that, and not before.…

-Ronald Reaga, Nov. 10, 1977 - Speech at Hillsdale College

So what is so hard to understand, people? Why the heck is our government putting us in more and more debt? Why do they think that the solution to being stuck in a hole is to keep shoveling deeper and deeper? Why do I have to cut back and start spending less than what I make in order to survive, but the government doesn't?

*sigh*

From his same speech:

Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

2011 Tax Hikes: Bad News

Got this from the MommyLife Blog and it's disgusting:

Six Months to Go Until The Largest Tax Hikes in History
From Ryan Ellis on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 5:27 PM

In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:

(N.B. This version of the document contains even more tax hikes than the original version did)

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011:

Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

Higher taxes on marriage and family. The "marriage penalty" (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut.

The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.

Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011. The dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013.

Second Wave: Obamacare

There are over twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare. Several will first go into effect on January 1, 2011. They include:

[...]

The "Medicine Cabinet Tax" Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin).

[...]

Brand Name Drug Tax. Starting next year, there will be a multi-billion dollar tax assessment imposed on name-brand drug manufacturers. This tax, like all excise taxes, will raise the price of medicine, hurting everyone.

Read on for more of the fun news...

Growing up... Gah!

I just wanted to record for posterity that yesterday was my first time ever writing a rent check. Yikes. I'm officially a responsible adult. *shudder*

LOL. Seriously though, it feels good and it's a good time in my life...

Money Blues

Why does money have so much power in our lives? Whether you have it or don't have it, it causes stress. Right now I DON'T have it and it sure is causing a mountain of stress for me.

I'm on a mission to get out of debt and because of that the majority of each of my paychecks is going towards debt. It sucks! I'm always broke. I can't even afford to buy myself new work clothes. So, after losing about 11 lbs in the last 2 months, I'm walking around at work in some very baggy clothes. It's kind of embarrassing. Instead of looking professional, I look like a slob. No bueno when you are in a high-level place like Administration. Oh well... I have to do what I have to do right now, even if it means looking like a bum. =(

Being broke is really a lesson in sacrifice too. For the first time in my life I am denying myself simple little things--things in the past that I would have just splurged on: A top here or there, eating out, etc. Now it's "make due with what you have" and "buying groceries that will last you 2 weeks is MUCH cheaper than eating out out for 1 week." It's hard, but I'm proud of myself for finally having some self-control.... well most of the time at least. I did recently buy myself a sweater and I was craving a Sampler Trio from Jack in the Box last night. =)

One upside: I feel so much healthier now that I'm eating home-cooked meals everyday... and I hardly ever break out! lol

Anyway, I've said it before and I'll say it again.... DEBT is so not worth it!!!!

Support my cousin!

I am so proud of my cousin, Kristi. She is one of those young Christians who is always on fire for the Lord and always has been. I don't think it's ever fizzled out.

Well, she is trying to raise money to go on her own missions trip to Peru to work for Hogar de Esperanza, a Christian-run orphanage. Here's a quote from her blog:

I'm not going to Peru to change the world. I'm going to have my world changed. I'm going to love and be loved. I'm going to do what Christ calls me to do everyday, in every circumstance: be bold in broken places. I hope that my trip will inspire everyone who learns about this trip to do the same.

I totally commend her for this attitude. We all need to focus more on how we can be used by the Lord. I wish I had the financial freedom to go with her (my fault!). I can't, but I can help her.

Please consider "Chipping In" to help her go! She needs to raise $5,000. Any amount helps!

Financial Bondage

The phrase I most use lately is “I’m broke!” It’s my answer to every question. “Do you want to go out to lunch with me?” “Nope... I’m broke.” “Can you come down and hang out this weekend?” “Nope... I’m broke.” (Okay, I've been managing to go anyway, but you better believe I don't spend very much money when I'm away from home.) It’s sad but true.

Why is that the most frequently-used phrase in my lexicon right now? Well, I worked it out and found that 65% of my take-home pay goes towards bills and debt (feels like more than that) and the rest to gas, groceries, and other minor emergencies. That is a lot of money that is not going into my pocket, savings, or to the Kingdom of God. I’ve even been scrimping on my tithes lately. I am definitely NOT giving the full 10%. All of this is not okay and it’s my fault!

The Bible clearly warns us about debt:

Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. Proverbs 22:26-27

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7

Let no
debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8

And so many more….

God, through the Bible, gives us commandments that are for our own good! He loves us and wants the best for us, but also wants us to be free to serve Him. Part of serving Him is giving back that with which He has blessed us. How can you do that when you have to hand it off to someone else every month. That’s horrible. “Sorry, Lord. I can’t give You what is rightfully Yours, because I was selfish in the past and needed to have something RIGHT NOW.”

So, now not only am I not to able to give the Lord what He deserves (thereby being disobedient), I can now barely even get the things I need for myself. All because I was impatient and needed things in the moment instead of saving and waiting for them. The even sadder thing is that most of the things that were bought with other people’s money are things that I no longer have or can partake in. So in the long run, it was a big waste times two. A big waste in that I no longer have those things and can enjoy them AND in that I am now paying for them at a much higher price than what they were originally sold for… again, all because I couldn’t wait.

I could kick myself times two… lol

The light at the end of the tunnel though, is that within the next year and a half or so, I should be out of a large bulk of this debt. I’m working on a plan that's already giving me good results and I’m focused on making sure I see it through. I can’t wait for the day when most of my take home pay will go to my pocket, savings, and most importantly to the Lord and His kingdom!

Let this be a lesson to anyone who reads this! =)

If you find yourself in a lot of debt and don't know what to do, ChristianPF.com's Getting Out of Debt articles are a really good place to start.... aside from the Bible of course.