Fundamentals - Humorous Homemaking

Swagbucks

I’m sure a lot of you out there have heard of Swagbucks, but for the ones who haven’t then this post is for you! What are Swagbucks? They are “bucks” you earn for searching the web. That’s it. You just search. Before I started Swagbucks, I used Google for everything……everything. Man, I was using Google at least a million times a day. I look everything up. Everything. I like to be informed…..I ask lots of questions. So, I started using the Swagbucks search engine instead. You get almost the exact same results as searching with Google, but you earn money. Yes, money. YIPEEE!!!!! I get paid to be inquisitive.

I’ve made Swagbucks my default search engine now. Barry did it for me, so I have no idea how it’s done…..if you need to know, you can ask me and I’ll ask him. Or I’ll search it on Swagbucks! You don’t have to download anything. You simply go to their website and sign up with your email address. Then you just start searching! Now, you CAN download their toolbar, but I haven’t done that. I didn’t want the extra stuff on my screen. But the beautiful part is, you don’t need it! [Read more…]

Tithe

“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty.” Malachi 3:6-11

I’ve received a few questions about tithing since I posted the budget series last week. Barry and I thought it best for me to address some of those questions here. I’ll admit, it’s a very touchy subject. If you mention money at church, people get their panties in a wad. BUT, this is what Barry and I believe. Our beliefs are 100% backed by scripture – not what we FEEL. Just because you feel something, doesn’t mean it’s right (contrary to pop culture), only the Word will stand forever. 1 Peter 3:15 says “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” So, I’m setting out to answer these questions, but with an attitude of respect for those who disagree. Maybe when you’re done reading you might change your mind about what our Lord commands. [Read more…]

It’s NOT a Curse Word – BUDGET

Budget. Yes, I said it. Budget, budget, budget. It’s really not a bad word. I know most of you out there got the shakes when I said it……budget. Did you know a budget can actually make your life easier? You tell your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. You’re not wondering if you’re going to have enough money through the end of the month – you’ll KNOW you have enough because you wrote it down and planned it out. I’m just here to make your life easier. Trust me…..just do one. Try it. If you hate it, you can quit. Okay, you probably will want to quit at first, but don’t. Give it a few tries and it WILL WORK. Then you’ll love it. You’ll love me. By the way, if you love me, I really enjoy Skittles, M&Ms, and other various candies.

If you’re married, you need to do your budget together. Trying to do it alone just won’t work. You can try to make it work, but eventually something will backfire. Backfire is scary. It makes you jump. Heavens to Betsy. If you can’t get along about money, then you have serious issues. Dave Ramsey suggests seeking marital counseling if you can’t agree about money. He says the problem isn’t money, but the money is a symptom of the problem. Do your budget together. Guess what? You’re going to fight the first time. You might fight the second, third, and fourth too. But maybe, just maybe, around the 50^th time you do it there will be no fights. Work together. Try to avoid decking each other. The kids are watching. Wait until they go to bed for that. My husband says to most couples he counsels that they should go home and have big fight about money…and then make up. 😉 [Read more…]

Living Debt Free

arry and I started out our marriage with the desire to live debt free. We did Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University before we got married and again after we were married. (Since then we’ve done it a few more times and Barry teaches the class periodically.) We knew it was the way we wanted to live. The only thing we were paying on was a car. So we starting making several extra payments until we had it paid off in less than a year. Then we were debt free! But we wanted to have our own place to live, so we bought a townhouse. Currently, the only debt we have is the house and we’re scheduled to pay it off within the next two years. Every little penny that we get as “extra” we put toward the principal on the house. We cannot stand owing money…..it eats at us. It’s bondage. The Bible says “the borrower is slave to the lender,” and we believe it 100%. So, take a little look with me at the Seven Baby Steps that we’re following from Dave Ramsey and find out that YOU can live debt free too! [Read more…]

Our Debt Free Story

Next week I’m going to be doing a series on budgeting and living debt free. It’s a great way to begin the year. I’d like to start that off with a post about our debt free story. When Barry and I were first married, we started immediately using the Dave Ramsey budget. Before we got married, we took Financial Peace University together. Since then, we’ve taken it two more times and Barry teaches it. We know the method. We know money – we know budgets. It’s just something that’s in our blood. I realize that this isn’t the case for everyone, so I hope that next week will be beneficial to you all. I want to tell you how it works for us, so that you can know it IS possible to live debt free and that you CAN do it too. Next week will help you get started.

I grew up knowing about money. My parents lived debt free, so it was natural to me. If we didn’t have the money, we didn’t buy it. Credit was something other people used. They taught me the value of a dollar, and I know I will teach the same to Annie. “Debt is dumb. Cash is king!” Yes, at a young age I guess I was considered quite “tight” with my money……I’m still somewhat tight, but in a good way. I don’t go around throwing money to the wind and it sure doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket. Barry grew up the same. He was also taught how to behave with money, and I’m ever thankful. It has never been strange for Barry and me to handle money the same way. I know a lot of couples have different views about money, but we are blessed to agree with how we should handle it. We talked about the issue before we got married, so we weren’t in the dark. I encourage any of you who are not married to make sure you’re on the same page with money before you get married! If you’re already married, the Financial Peace classes can really help you and your spouse link up. [Read more…]

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Meet Ruth and Rebecca. They’re expert laundry soap makers. Why are you seeing their photo? Well, because I tried making some laundry soap at home and it was a total dud. I mean, it was the duddiest of the duds. I got mad. This should be something I can do, right? Well, my soap chunked up and became almost un-stirrable. It was sad. I was sad. I was mostly mad though. I hate when I mess something up. So, I contacted Rebecca because I knew she made her own laundry detergent with her mom. I asked if I could come over and take photos to find out what I was doing wrong. Well, I wasn’t adding the same amounts of stuff that they were. Turns out that not everything you read on the internet is true. GASP! Sorry Al Gore. So, here is the story of the soap – the right way. [Read more…]

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

I had been wanting to make my own laundry detergent for a while….but being busy with Annie and other things kept me from it. However, when a reader asked me to write about the process, it was the shove that I needed – but in a good way, not like a shove off a cliff. The verdict? I really, really like it. It gets everything super clean and at a fraction of the cost of store-bought detergent. My mom and I have been using it and we’re both fans. I think when I empty out the last of my stash, I’ll only be using homemade detergent. From what I can tell with my mad math skills and reading on the internet, this soap costs about $.05-10 per load, give or take. Most laundry detergents from the store cost around $.20+ per load. That’s a winner for me! Let’s get clean, y’all.

To make this powder detergent, you’ll need Washing Soda, Fels Naptha Bar Soap, and Borax. That’s it. You know how I feel about Borax. So, all this stuff can be bought at Kroger. Strangely, the Fels Naptha Soap isn’t with the regular soap at my Kroger…..it’s with the mops. Tell me how THAT makes sense? The Arm and Hammer Washing Soda was on the top shelf near the Borax. A good source (thanks Rebecca!) tells me that these items can also be found at Food City. If you can’t find them at either store, you might be able to find them at a hardware store. Ivory soap can also be used, but Fels Naptha is really great for getting clothes clean. You can also use it as a pre-treater and just rub the soap right on the stain. Nice! [Read more…]

How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

Martha Stewart isn’t the only one who can do it. You can do it too! YOU can fold a fitted sheet. Come on, I’ll show ya! It’s a little hard to explain, but I’ll try to do it using pictures. I hope my cousin Ben is reading because he asked me how to do this……..you’re welcome Ben!

This is my husband’s idea of a folded fitted sheet. When Ben asked him how to do it, Barry said “wad it up.” It’s ok if this is your idea too. You can come into the light! Or you can just read this and continue to wad your sheets up and put them back in the closet. It’s dark in there and no one can see…….so it’s really ok if you do that. I give you permission. Although I’m convinced if we can fold a fitted sheet surely we can find world peace. [Read more…]