GOOD MORNING! I have decided to START...instead of end...with a Scripture verse because that's how important I feel God's Word is in helping me to climb out of this mountain of debt. I truly believe His Word is Right and True (Psalm 33:4), and I want to pass this along to others. And, since there are 31 Proverbs, each day of the month I read that corresponding Proverb. It just so happens that today, on the 19th, the first verse was PERFECT!! I think God is trying to tell me something!haha Some say, well, that means you read these over and over again. That is right. Because EACH time you read it, you will get a deeper understanding of a particular verse. You can never get too much of God's Word. Another great site to go for Daily Bible readings is www.heartlight.org. I love their "DIFFERENT TOPIC EACH DAY" version. It is definitely NOT boring! Also, you do not need to sit down with a boring black bible....Get yourself a version that fits your needs: i.e. The Couples Bible, The Grandparents Bible, The Women's Devotional Bible. The verses will be the same, but the "interjections and stories" about the verses will be geared to your individual needs. It is so amazing and exciting once you start!

PROVERBS 19:1 "BETTER A POOR MAN WHOSE WALK IS BLAMELESS, THAN A FOOL WHOSE LIPS ARE PERVERSE."
FOOTNOTE TAKEN FROM LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE: (My favorite because it explains every verse in today's language and applies it to everyday life as it is today).
"A blameless life is far more valuable than wealth, but most people don't act as if they believe this. AFRAID OF NOT GETTING EVERYTHING THEY WANT, they will pay any price to increase their wealth - cheating on all their taxes, stealing from stores or employers, withholding tithes, refusing to give. But when we know and love God we realize that a lower standard of living - or even poverty - IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR PERSONAL INTEGRITY! Do your actions show that you sacrifice your integrity to increase your wealth? What changes do you need to make in order to get your priorities straight?"


FINANCIAL UPDATE:
Well, in totalling out our categories for the month of February, we are already over $864.41! Not good....not good at all. HOWEVER, am I going to let this get me down...NO!!!!!! At least I am AWARE of the situation and can try to curb out spending to not keep going over and over. I know we are obviously going to come in over at this point (unless some unexpected windfall comes our way),however, the big thing is AWARENESS and taking the necessary action to change. The thing is, the overage was not on "going shopping for the fun of it." It was glasses needed for our son, groceries...still (working on this one. We made the Stupid Easy Potato/Sausage Crock Pot from $5 Meals last night and it was GREAT!! The whole family loved it and it was CHEAP!)Well, I have a confession to make...in totalling up our "gifts" category, it looks like we went WAY OVER on Valentine's Gifts, even though I thought we were being budgetable. That's why it is SO IMPORTANT to look at your budget DAILY! Instead of being depressed, I am actually excited about knowing EXACTLY where our money is going or has been going. KNOWLEDGGE IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS as long as you MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES TO FIX THE MISTAKES. I am interested to see how much better we did than January, come the END of February. Budgeting in the beginning is like taming a wild mare. You will be "out of bounds" for a little while, but as you "tame" the beast, you will reign in the overage until - before you know it - there will be NO OVERAGE, and not only will you be living WITHIN your means, but you will start to live BENEATH your means - PEACEFUL, CONTENT, HAPPY AND WITH NO WORRIES. Oh, and I forgot to mention, with BLESSINGS UPON BLESSINGS FROM THE LORD ABOVE!

Paid $200 (min. required was $147) on my Discover Card today. The balance before my payment was $7396.38. After my payment, and the $63.68 Finance Charge (YUCH...This is EXACTLY why I am determined to pay this credit card debt off once and for all, and the reason I started this blog!), the new balance should be around $7260. Baby steps.....I get so discouraged sometimes seeing that balance and trying to remember why I was so stupid in the first place. But sulking and whining are not going to erase in one day what it took me years to do. So, I know I am a different person now than I was even a year ago. I AM GOING TO BE DEBT FREE....because that is who I am...that is my character. I am a good person who made stupid, stupid mistakes and definitely did not have my eye on God's Word. It is different...I am different....

As long as each night I can ask myself "Did I act with honor and integrity today concerning my finances and daily interactions with family and friends?" and have my answer be "YES"...then I am doing just fine and am truly blessed!

God Bless!

DEBT FREE JOURNEY

Home Blessing for Today: Make all beds, dishes out of sink...keep it shining as fly lady (at flylady.net) would tell us, and do one load of laundry.