Getting to the Wedding (Or How We’re Trying to Raise $1200 in 5 Months)

If you know a little about me, then you know that I am the oldest of six children.  Four girls and two boys, to be exact.  My sister Kristy is the fourth child in our family, and the third to get married.  Below is a photograph of Kristy, and her fiancee Zach (taken by my youngest sister, Karilyn).  Zach proposed in January, and the pair are getting married in Maryland on June 10.  (By the way, Kristy is also a big fan of Dave Ramsey, and just polished off one of the debts on her snowball today!)  Kristy invited me to be a bridesmaid, and Naomi to be her flower girl on the big day.  In order to be at the wedding, we will have to fly from Northern California to Maryland.

As you can imagine, their wedding has posed a financial challenge for this penny-pinching Abundant Wife:

How can I raise more than $1200 in 5 months without sacrificing our other financial goals in the process?

Here are some of the ways I am raising the money for our airplane tickets:

  • While in Maryland, I substitute-taught in the local schools for as many days as I could.
  • Back in California, I am going through the substitute-teacher certification process, and should be certified by April 18.
  • I wrote 4 days of curriculum for our friends who teach in China.
  • In lieu of birthday gifts, my parents and siblings agreed to cover the costs of my bridesmaid dress, Naomi’s flower girl dress, Oliver’s dress clothes, and a manicure for the wedding.

Here are some of the other ways I am thinking of trying to raise the money:

  • Direct Sales (Being a Consultant/Throwing Parties)
  • Selling on Craigslist
  • Having a Yard Sale
  • Writing Freelance Articles (Krazy Coupon Lady offers $50 per article)

I do have other ideas for raising money, but at the moment many of those ideas do not fit the time constraints of this project.

Now it’s your turn:

Do you have any suggestions for how I can raise the rest of the $1200 in the next 3 months?

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6 Responses to “Getting to the Wedding (Or How We’re Trying to Raise $1200 in 5 Months)”

  1. Kristy says:

    Just so you know, it means so much to me that you’re doing all this to be able to be there for my wedding. I know that may not seem like a lot in light of costing you $1200, but it really does mean the world to me. 🙂 I love you!

  2. Stephanie says:

    Hi!
    I just came across your blog last night, I love it! Looking at the date, the wedding has probably already come and gone. If you are still interested in becoming a direct sales consultant, I am an Usborne Books & More Consultant. Usborne Books is the number one publisher of educational children’s books in the nation. We have books that go from birth through high school on all kinds of topics and levels. Please check out my website http://www.myubam.com/n3801 for more information or email me! 🙂

    • Jessica says:

      I was just writing the second part to this post yesterday! It will go up later this week. Thanks for the suggestion! A friend of mine who lives in Australia has also done a company like Usborne. It sounds like a great program!

  3. […] by Jessica Getting to the Wedding (Or How We Raised $1200 in 5 Months): Part 2 If you missed Part 1 of this story, you can find it […]

  4. […] Gifts and Abilities (How I Made $221 in September, The Cost of Substitute Teaching in California, Getting to the Wedding: Part 1 and Part […]

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