The Abundant Wife

Living Abundantly on Less

Follow Me on Twitter!

June 24th, 2013

Jessica

Yesterday I decided to join the rest of modern civilization in opening a Twitter account! If you’re into social networking, you can also find me on Facebook and Pinterest. Of course, Twitter suggested I “follow” some other folks, so I added some of my favorite bloggers and writers to my list (or at least those who have Twitter!):

Who do you suggest I should follow on Twitter?

Life Without A Second Car

June 22nd, 2013

Jessica

When Brad was hired to work in California in September of 2011, we had two paid-off vehicles. Brad drove his 2002 Toyota Tacoma, and I drove my 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser. As we made plans to move across the country, I again began to contemplate the wisdom of keeping my car. It needed repairs regularly, it broke down inconveniently, and we had just put new tires on it. Driving both vehicles to California would mean more miles, inspections, insurance, and registration in California. After weighing the pros and cons, we decided to list my car on Craigslist, and put the money toward our debts.

Life without a second car has been interesting. As with many of our frugal choices, we’ve gotten some funny looks. It seems like most American families have 2 jobs, 2 vehicles, and 2 kids. We’re a little unusual with 1 job, 1 vehicle, and 3 kids. It’s not always easy to coordinate our schedules when my husband and I both need or want the truck, but we’ve learned to cooperate. When Brad goes into Sacramento for training every week, I choose activities that I can do around the house. When I want to go shopping, I check with Brad to make sure he doesn’t need the truck for work. A friend on our street occasionally picks the kids and me up for a morning Bible Study, or lends me her extra vehicle if Brad goes away for a weekend. Sometimes we have to say no to activities because we haven’t planned alternative transportation. Only having one car can be a convenient excuse when we don’t really want to participate in a particular activity! It also simplifies our lives and keeps us from overcommitment.

In addition, we have chosen not to purchase another vehicle with the birth of our third child. While many families of five would choose to upsize to a minivan, we fit 3 car-seats across the backseat of our pick-up truck. When Brad wants to take some high school friends out to McDonald’s, he removes the car-seats and the kids and I stay at home. The only time our vehicle’s size has become a real issue is when our families come to visit from the East Coast. In order to drive them from place to place, we must get creative by renting, borrowing, picking up, or leaving someone behind.

We don’t plan to stay a one vehicle family forever, but who knows? Maybe we’ll eventually upsize to a vehicle with more seats and sell the truck, thus staying a one vehicle family even longer. But for now, being a one vehicle family has saved us a lot of money in maintenance, inspections, insurance, and registration.

Have you ever tried being a one car family?

Freebie Friday: Bright Starts Pink Play Gym

June 21st, 2013

Jessica

Among our usual freebies from the mail, we also received a hand-me-down Bright Starts Pink Play Gym this week! Evelyn (4 1/2 months) has been having a good time rolling around under the dangling toys.

What freebies have you received this week?

Pay Bills On-Line (No Stamps!)

June 20th, 2013

Jessica

As our family’s primary bill-payer, one of the ways that I have saved our family money is by paying our bills on-line. We can pay our utilities, tithe, student loans, mortgage, cell phone, Internet, medical bills, and more with just the click of a button. We also manage our checking, savings, and credit card accounts on-line (although I still keep an off-line checkbook). In fact, the only checks I write regularly are our rent payments. All of this translates into less postage, and more money in our wallets!

What ways have you found to save money on bill-paying?

Photo Credit

Life Without A Dryer

June 19th, 2013

Jessica

There are many ways to save money when you are trying to pay off your debts. One way that we have saved money is by going without a dryer.

When Brad and I bought our first home in 2005, it came with a washer and dryer included. We never considered living without a dryer. However, when we moved to China for 2 years in 2007, we quickly learned that dryers are uncommon in China. We learned to hang our clothes on the rows of clothesline in our apartment’s little porch. We used a stick with a hook on the end to hang clothes up high, or climbed up on a chair.

In 2009, we moved to Minnesota with our 2-month-old cloth-diapered daughter. A friend found a tiny upstairs apartment for us, just a few blocks from the high school where Brad would be leading youth ministry. The only catch was, the apartment didn’t have a washing machine or dryer. We spent a couple weeks doing our laundry at the laundromat before we finally broke down and bought a portable washing machine at Sears. We still didn’t have a dryer though, so we hung our clothes all over the apartment until we bought two drying racks. On warm days Brad would sit the drying racks out on the porch roof so that our clothes would dry faster!

In 2011, we moved to California. A friend found a great deal on a washer and dryer at a yard sale, so we bought both. However, by now we were adapted to hanging our clothes. We noticed higher electric bills when we dried our clothes, and clothes that we’d worn for years began to wear out quickly. So we went back to line drying our clothes. We do still dry our clothes in the dryer on occasion–usually when the weather is cold or rainy, or when a particular item is needed in a hurry. The weather here is so pleasant most of the year, that our clothes dry quickly in the warm sunshine.

At this point, we’ve gone 3 years without a dryer by necessity, and 2 years without a dryer by choice. Although it took a lot of adjustments at first, it has now become a part of our lifestyle.

Have you ever tried living without a dryer?

A Painted Bus Stop Bench

June 18th, 2013

Jessica

When we first moved into our house (which we rent) in September 2011, there was a bus stop in our backyard. I was not overly impressed with the concrete and broken wood structure, or the words “LSD”, “Coke”, and “Cocaine” carved into the Bireley’s Soda advertisement. However, with little other seating in our backyard, it stayed. Last week, we were planning a mission trip reunion party in our backyard, so I decided it was time to give the old bus stop a fresh coat of paint.

As you can see, it looks a lot cleaner and brighter with a fresh coat of paint! I “shopped” our garage for the “free” can of white paint that I used to paint it. It still needs one more coat of paint to cover the previous design. I’m thinking about projecting and painting a Young Life logo onto the front and back of the bus stop. I also got to experiment with some drywall compound (to fill in the carved words), and my new orbital sander (my Christmas gift from Brad!) If you look closely, you can also see our new fence going up in the background.

What DIY projects have you been working on lately?

Ribbons and Memories

June 17th, 2013

Jessica

Oliver & Naomi, 2013

Today would have been my brother Jonathan’s 31st birthday. It’s been 11 years since I last saw him, wearing a birthday hat, blowing out the candles on his cake, and cuddling my little brother Josh. He passed away 6 months later, yet another life laid waste by drug and alcohol addiction.

Jonathan was 16 months younger than me, so there is scarcely a memory from my first two decades of life that does not include him. As I watch my children growing up, I am frequently reminded of my brother. Oliver is 17 months younger than Naomi, and their relationship reminds me so much of my brother’s and mine. When I watch them playing I get to relive the better memories of our childhood together.

Recently Oliver was having trouble falling asleep, so I laid down on his bed beside him to cuddle for a little while. He and Naomi both have “babies” which is what we call the “lovies” that they snuggle as they fall asleep. Oliver held his blue “babies” close, and for the first time I noticed that he rubbed the ribbon-like tags between his fingers as he fell asleep. I immediately felt my throat tighten, and struggled to hold back the tears.

As a child, one of Jonathan’s favorite pastimes was to rub the ribbon-like tags of his toys between his fingers. His favorite green blanket was edged with the same silky material. As he got older, he kept the ribbons he won from awards and rubbed them between his fingers until they had holes in them. We laughed when we found him carrying a pocketful of such ribbons in his pocket as a teenager. For a boy who was so eager to prove himself a man, it seemed funny that he should still be carrying ribbons around in the pockets of his jeans.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in the 11 years since I last saw Jonathan, it’s that grief is an on-going process. Sometimes I feel happy remembering all the good times we shared, and sometimes I cry for the brother I miss so much. As I look at my children, I am so glad that God has blessed me with the opportunity to relive my childhood through older eyes.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance….I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11

Jonathan & Jessie, 1983

Mvelopes: Online Envelope Budgeting

June 15th, 2013

Jessica

If you’ve been following The Abundant Wife for any length of time, you know that we have made great strides toward becoming debt-free. Despite all our progress, I tend to get over-anxious and depressed about our finances. When Brad told me our December 31 paycheck would be 75% and subsequent paychecks would be lower if our fundraising didn’t come in, I worried non-stop, couldn’t sleep, and walked around in a fog for a month. I remembered vividly our year in Minnesota, 6 of those months on 50% salary, and our year of living in my parents’ basement while unemployed. I panicked. I was sure we were headed down that same road again.

One night Brad told me that he really wished I wouldn’t worry so much. I knew that he meant it from his heart…I worry a lot and it’s hard on me and those around me. I’d been reading “Your Money or Your Life” and “Debt-Free Living” and I realized that my worries for the future rarely come true. I am a visual learner and I realized that I could worry less if I could “see” our budget better, and “plan” it better. I realized that paying for Mvelopes ($9.95/month) would give me the peace of mind that I was longing for.

Mvelopes has been a lifesaver for me. I’ve been using it for 6 months now, and I love it! I can finally “see” our budget and the money in our envelopes. Even though we’re on 75% salary for the third month this year, I can “see” that we still have the money to pay all of our upcoming bills without touching our savings. I’ve been sleeping better, more relaxed, more productive, and generally more pleasant to be around. Obviously Mvelopes is no “magic pill” that will fix all your problems, but if you’ve tried cash envelopes and other forms of budgeting without success, you may find Mvelopes as helpful as I do.

God has been teaching me a lot this year about trusting him with our finances, and Mvelopes is another great tool that helps me to do just that.

What money management software (on-line or off-line) do you recommend?

Freebie Friday

June 14th, 2013

Jessica

What fun freebies have you received this week?

A Free Fence!

June 13th, 2013

Jessica

On Saturday morning, the landlord of our neighbor’s house stopped by to introduce himself. He wanted to know if it was okay if he and his sons removed and replaced the broken old fence between our yards this week.

He wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t mind the yard waste and building materials laying around until the project is finished. Of course, we don’t mind at all. It’s exciting to be getting a new fence for free!