Friday Fragments: books, money, shopping, church

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. It's been quite a week so I have more than usual this week:

Favorite Reads

Gerard's favorite read in May is Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline.

Karen's favorite read in May is Now You See Her by James Patterson.
Click the links for our reviews.

 

Money

This must be the year of spending for us. So far:
$ 500 dental cleaning for our cat (Manny) close to $500
$ 1,000 New computer, 3 yr. virus protection & 3 yr. technical support (used tax refund and money gifts for this though)
$ 600 Car Repairs
$20,000 2012 Ford Escape (paid from savings so that's what we were saving for)
When is it going to be a year for savings again?

New Class

I've been teaching just the 5th grade boys in Sunday School but for the summer, I will have the 5th grade girls too! Should be interesting. Sort of looking forward to it but a bit anxious because I will be using material I haven't used before so will have to start from scratch every week.

Sports Camp

Last year I volunteered to be a head basketball coach and blue shirt worker for the Parma Heights Baptist Church FOCUS Sports Camp (Focus on Christ Using Sports) and this year I volunteered again to be a basketball coach for both morning and afternoon sessions. I requested being an assistant coach but will be a head coach if needed. We'll see what happens--trusting God to give me the stamina and strength I'll need. We are still short of volunteers for all the sports: flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, soccer and basketball. Registration ends June 5.



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Thankful Thursday: Pay Attention To The Noise

While driving our Kia: 


Me:  What is that noise? 

Hubby:  What noise?

Me:  That spinning sound when you brake.

Hubby:  I don't hear anything.

Another day when I'm driving:

Me:  You don't hear that?  (noise again when I brake)

Hubby:  No, I don't hear anything.

Me:  We better get the brakes checked--I know this noise isn't normal and something must be wrong.  It will only get worse the longer we wait.

Hubby:  OK, I'll take it up on Wednesday when I'm off, but I don't hear anything.

Wednesday:

Hubby:  (calls me at work)  The guy said our brakes are very bad and it will cost over $500 to fix! 

Me:  OK, we have to get them fixed.  (I refrained from saying "told you so.")

I am so thankful for that stupid noise that I heard so we could get them fixed before we got in an accident.  I just wonder why that BRAKE light didn't come on. 

Maybe the next thing we'll have to get is a hearing aid for my hubby.  What do you think?

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7 Friday Fragments (Computer, Money, Books, Sports)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. It's been quite a week so I have more than usual this week:

Money Well Spent

As they say, "easy come, easy go." This week we got our tax refund and I got some money for Administrative Professionals Day which more than covered the expense of our new ACER computer (can't believe how fast this one works compared to our old one) and the 3 yr. service for 24/7 tech support from iYogi. Wednesday night, I spent five hours on the phone and chat with them to get my computer all loaded with stuff and cleaned up from some downloads I did that I changed my mind about. They do monthly tune-ups to keep it running like new and I love that. They can remotely come in with me permission and take care of everything for me! As I sit and watch, I also learn more too. If interested in looking into this service, please give me your email address so I can refer you.

Microsoft Office

I am so happy I now have Outlook 2013 and it works after the iYogi tech set up my email on it for my last night. I got it for just $10 through a work shopping program. I couldn't get it for my old XP because it wouldn't work on that. Now that I have the Windows 7 operating system, I could finally get it. It took a very long time to download (which is why I was up so late on Wednesday), but it is so worth it to me!

Football

I think it's early to talk NFL football, but the schedules came out this week. I'd be surprised if the Browns win 3 games this year. Another year of starting all over again. I can't even get excited about it. Think I'll be more into the Patriots this year along with my husband.

Books

The only thing that would make this book better is if it had cats.

This month for me, reading has been a bit slow. I finally read a very good historical fiction novel that I could give 5 stars-my favorite of the month so far. It is The Winter Horses by Philip Kerr. It is so touching and gut-wrenching that I cried three times when reading it. Click the link to read our review. This is one we both enjoyed very much about a nice old man who was the caretaker of a animal sanctuary in the Ukraine during WW II, an orphan girl who had a very special connection with the wild horses and the fantastic horses themselves and a brave, loyal smart wolfhound.

Wonderful Easter

We had a wonderful Easter this year, it was a "Perfect Day" for all of us!  Tennis anyone?  How about puppets or a walk in the woods?

Go Bruins

My husband is very excited about the Bruins again this year. So far in the first round of the playoffs, they are 3-1. I really meant to watch with him, but the computer issues took over my time and focus. It's been a wild two weeks but now I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Surprise Gifts

Last Saturday when visiting the nursing home with our dog, Abby, we were showered with gifts to show their appreciation for us volunteering by bringing Abby to visit the residents twice a month. We did a post about this, in case you missed it: It's Nice to be Appreciated. Share this:

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments is hosted by Unknown Mama for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post to give Mrs. 4444 a break for the summer. Here we go:

Fifth Third Bank

I always thought Fifth Third was the dumbest name for a bank (or any company for that matter) and this week I found out how they got that name. Read my "What a Dumb Name" post to find out.

Look Down

Wow!  How much is here?

It pays to look at the ground as you walk--found $50 at the Indians game when going for pizza! It was just lying on the floor by the exit from the Club lounge. I didn't see anyone drop it and no one seemed to be looking for it, so finders keepers, right? I figured if I didn't pick it up, someone else would so it might as well be me. I really feel bad though for the person who lost it. That's a nice chunk of change. Since all the food in that are is complimentary, I wonder why they even took out their money.

Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast

Ever had baked French Toast? I never heard of it until yesterday at the Indians game. Since I like French Toast, I gave it a try and YUMMY! I had three helpings of it. Couldn't convince Gerard to taste it though, he missed out on a delicious treat there!

Baseball

We are both excited that the Red Sox and Indians are doing great this year and hoping both our teams win their divisions. The Red Sox lead in walk off homeruns and the Indians are right behind them--makes for an exciting season! We're loving it! Had a great time at the Indians game yesterday--now they have an 8-game winning streak going! Drew Stuggs expresses exactly how I feel about this year's Indians team in this short interview after yesterday's game: Stubbs Praises Raburn, Talks Win Streak.

Dog TV

When I saw Abby actually watching Dog TV when we first put it on yesterday, I was impressed. However, her interest in it has waned. We tried leaving it on for her while we went to the Indians game and when we got back, our goofy TV was on power saver and had switched to the Indians game channel! Have no idea how that happened, but Abby must have wanted to watch the tribe game instead. It's a mystery! I like the relaxing music though and the beautiful scenery. This morning though when we put it on, she showed no interest in it.

Pride and Prejudice

I am currently trying to read this book but find it to be very boring and absolutely hate the writing style. I've heard so many raving about how great it is that I was curious so got it from the library, but it is slow moving because I keep dozing off on it. Maybe it's just I'm strange, but so far, I really hate it. Have you ever read this? What did you think of it.

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A Spaghetti Dinner and Dessert Auction--What Fun!

There were so many great looking desserts!

I went to the spaghetti dinner/dessert auction at church last Sunday determined to bid this year but didn't want to go over $50. It was a fun time and the youth raised a lot of money for their mission trip to Haiti and camp for this summer. I love seeing the boys I taught when they were in fifth grade continue to be actively involved in the youth group. There were over 50 desserts auctioned and when bids reached $100, all the servers did a cute little dance. If someone bid $200, they got to smash a cream pie in the face of a Pastor of their choice who were all good sports.

Oreo cake

The Oreo cake was the first item I bid on but it went for $60 to a kid one table over from me.

Four of the teens were auctioned off: two for yard work, one for housework and one for child care for four hours each.  David and John (the two for yard work) were the first item to get a $200 bid, but the lady who bid said she didn’t want to throw the pie so she let John do it. He chose to throw it at his dad, our main Pastor.

Kraig, the worship Pastor got chosen twice, and the Pastor of Youth and Pastor of Outreach all got included too. Pam, the children’s minister almost escaped until she and her mother got into a bidding contest for the candy cake baked by Kylie (her niece and fellow puppeteer) which finally went to Pam’s mother for $300! That was the highest bid of the day! (I bid on her cake too, but wasn't about to go anywhere near that high.)

Servers Mallory and Kylie (baker of the candy cake that went for $300)

The spaghetti was good too. The teens were the servers and the Family Life Center was full with a good crowd of people all willing to support the youth. It was a fun afternoon and my server, Mallory (a fellow puppeteer), was kind enough to keep bringing me brownies for dessert—I had four! I was excited to bid this year and got the item I most wanted for just $45: a strawberry chiffon pie! It was a fun few hours from noon to 3:00, an hour later than anticipated!

Lots of people went home happy with delicious desserts.  This lady who was at my table bought the cupcake bouquet--actually, her husband bid on it.  Another couple at my table bought the coconut cookies and a cake.

Here is a video showing some highlights of the event and all the desserts, including the dessert I bought:


P.S.  I tried to take notes and record all the bids but sometimes it was hard to tell which cherry pie it actually was although the bunt cake in the box sold for $30, there was another chocolate peanut butter bunt cake with a container that went for $200.  Since I didn't have a good picture of that one, in the video I used the bunt cake in the box for the $200 bid.

This is a great fund-raiser and I am already looking forward to bidding again next year!  How much would you bid for a cake or cookies?  Here's a link to Parma Heights Baptist Church where you can see upcoming events and learn more about it.

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5 Friday Fragments (Fun, Pets, Money, Gifts, Stress)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

Dessert Auction

Went to our spaghetti dinner/dessert auction at church last Sunday which is to raise money for the mission trip to Haiti this summer and camp for our youth. Had a fun time but still working on my post about it. (It will be up tomorrow.) I bought a strawberry chiffon pie for $45! It was turning soupy though by the time I got it home and tried it. Finally put it in the freezer so now it's a frozen dessert; very good though! (That was one of the lower buys.)

Dental Cleaning

cat nip got him in before, but I'm out of fresh

This morning is stressful--Manny's dental cleaning is today which means (1) early supper yesterday (couldn't have anything after 6 p.m. so supper was at 4:30; (2) no breakfast for Manny this morning so I'm making Spunky wait until later for hers when it's time to get Manny in the carrier; (3) getting Manny in the carrier is always stressful; (4) poor Manny will spend the majority of his day at the vets; (5) and I have to pay hundreds of dollars for this wonderful experience--UGH!


Updated at 4:45 pm:  Manny came through fine.  Walked right into the carrier all on his own this morning, he was so hungry and thought I put his breakfast in there like I have been doing all week to get him primed.

Abby's Treats

I misplaced Abby's small treat bag. I'll have to recheck my pockets in my pants and coats. I think it's in my brown jacket from when I went on a walk with her on Sunday--I hope! I've been giving her some bigger bacon treats for at home. Yesterday she found my bus pass lying on our grass which earned her a treat! It must have fallen out of my pocket when I took out my keys and didn't notice.

Updated at 4:45 pm:  Found the treats in my frown jacket.

Secretary's Day

Wednesday was "Administrative Assistant Professionals Day" and our firm goes all out even starting weeks ahead! They gave us a delicious, huge breakfast one day, had gift drawings, and gave the staff $25 gift cards. Then, two of my attorneys who I work for directly came through with cash and two Petco gift cards! I think I see an additional cat tree in our future!

Duct Tape Disappoints

My trust #1 tool, duck  duct tape has never let me down until now. We have a kitchen towel rack that keeps falling down so I tried using the duck duct tape to hold it, but it still keeps falling. My van mirror fell off while driving a while back (some of you may remember I mentioned that), well the duck  duct tape works for several days, but then it gives way and I find the mirror hanging again. I'm taking it to a car repair place nearby today and hope they can fix it right. Days off are nice, but it seems every time I'm off, lots of money is spent! 

Updated at 4:45 pm:  Thanks, Sandee.  I did mean "duct" tape.  I saw it spelled as "duck" tape somewhere and thought I had it wrong, but apparently I had it right after all.

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What Kind of Meal Do You Get For 25 Cents?

For Cleveland's Foodbank Harvest For Hunger campaign, the donation slips they have at Giant Eagle say $1 provides 4 meals! I cannot imagine what those meals would be like. How can you have a meal for just 25 cents? Even a candy bar costs more than that! Does anyone know??? I am just curious. I know they get food from food pantries, but even so. It just seems unbelievable to me.

I found out this week that Dollar Bank will match donations to Harvest for Hunger that are made at their bank through the end of March. You may also mail a check or money order to:

Dollar Bank Harvest for Hunger
1301 E. 9th Street - 10th Floor
Cleveland, OH 44114

What kind of meal do you think you could make for 25 cents?

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Aww Monday: Abby's Visit With George

Visiting at the Nursing Home

During our nursing home visit with our dog, Abby, we met George.  He is 92 years old but looks great!  I thought he was in his 70s.  He still drives and hopes to go home soon.  In talking with him, it was like the conversations I used to have with my dad about his fear of running out of money.  The nursing home cost him $140 a day and for long term stays, it cost $6,000 a month!  He hated the thought of his money all being spent on a nursing home.  George specifically requested for Abby visit him when he saw on the calendar of events that she would be coming..  He told us he loved dogs and had always wanted one but was never able to have one.  He is a bit hard of hearing so doesn't like to watch TV and is so bored that he sleeps a lot because the days are so long.  Our visit with Abby really brightened his day and he immediately perks up when he sees her.

I never knew anyone in their 90s until I met George (my dad lived to be 89).  His mind is still clear but is worried about losing his license because then he won't be able to do his own grocery shopping and doesn't really have anyone to do it for him.  Boy, did that bring back memories of how we used to do my dad's grocery shopping and how grateful he was.  I never minded doing it for him but he often told me he didn't know what he'd do without me. 

My mom and dad were both adamant about not ever wanting to live in a nursing home and I am glad that we were able to manage without either of them having to be in one.  I'm sure none of the people who are in there ever wanted that for their future either, but some seem to cope better than others.

We have met lots of people that without Abby, we never would have met.  Not only do we brighten their day with our visit, but we are blessed by them too.  Visiting a nursing home is not at all what I thought it would be.  It's like visiting with friends when we go now that we've been doing it for six months.

I like visiting people and breaking up their day, people love giving me treats!  Woof!  Woof!

(If you enjoyed this post, I'm sure you'd enjoy the book I wrote in memory of my dad about our family, his determination to live on his own and the struggle of being his primary caregiver: My Funny Dad, Harry available on Amazon (Kindle version or paperback) and Barnes Noble.)

See More Awww...Mondays or join in!

Joining in with Bozo's Pet Pride at Pets Forever.

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Where Does Our Money Go?

Our 2012 Spending

In setting up a monthly budget, I started by looking at how we spent our money in 2012.  The percentages are based on our income after taxes.  We were given a the following guidelines at church to assist us in setting up a budget.  The Bible has a lot to say about money, part of which is being a good steward of the resources God has given us.

Suggested Spending Plan Guidelines:

10-15%  Giving (church and other contributions)
5-10%    Saving (emergency, replacement, long term)
0-10%    Debt (loans, credit cards)
25-38%  Housing (mortgage/rent/maintenance/utilities, Internet, Cable TV, Yard, improvements/repairs)
12-15%  Transportation (auto repairs, maintenance, gas, bus, license, payments)
5%          Insurance (auto, homeowners, life, medical/dental, other)
15-25%  Household/personal (groceries, clothes/gifts, household items, toiletries, cleaning supplies)
5-10%    Entertainment (vacation, trips, restaurants, babysitting, education, hobbies, movies, sports)
5-15%    Professional Services (medical, childcare, legal, counseling)
2-3%      Misc., small cash expenses

In the handout, I noticed that pets were not listed anywhere so I included them in the Entertainment category! Our miscellaneous item was postage but was so small it didn't even amount to 1%.  I was happy to see our budget is in line with the suggested guidelines, or in most cases, even better!  Now I just need to apply these percentages to our monthly income to get a monthly budget plan.  I love that big chunk of savings which includes our 401k contributions and bank savings.  As we get closer to retirement, I think we need to save as much as possible.

Do you have a spending plan (budget)? 

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Hey NFL! What IF?

Just imagine what if the NFL just used 10% of what they got for ads, admissions, concession stand profits and the players, refs, coaches only kept 10% (or less) of their salaries and gave the rest to World Vision or Samaritan's Purse to really make a difference in the world! Now THAT would be awesome! Oooh, what if the NBA and MLB, and NHL ALL did that?

I think it's sinful how much money is spent on just one football game when there is so much more productive and helpful, compassionate things that could be done with that kind of money. It always gets me riled up that our nation's priorities are SO out of whack. I just think of all the starving people in the world living in poverty conditions that this money could really go a long way in helping--whole communities could certainly be changed for the better and maybe living standards throughout the world could be improved.

I know, it's easy to tell others how to spend their money, but I'm just sayin' What If? WOW!

Here's a business that is making a difference: Tomorrow is IHOP's National Pancake Day and to celebrate, they are giving away a FREE short stack of buttermilk pancakes.  In return, they are  asking their customers to make a donation to charity instead. They hope to raise $3 million for charity by doing this! Since they started doing this in 2006, they have raised over $10 million for charity!

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6 Things We Learned This Week (news, money)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

Super Bowl

Wouldn't it be nice to have the day after the Super Bowl off every year? Over at NFL Gridiron Gab's post Would You Want A Day Off After The Super Bowl? I discovered there's a petition to make Super Bowl Monday a national holiday!

Each ref at the Super Bowl makes $1 million!

Too Hot!

According the Sports Illustrated, tennis players at the Australian Open played when the temperature was 140 degrees! I didn't know it got that hot in Australia and can't imagine doing anything outside in that kind of heat. I don't even enjoy playing tennis when it's over 88 degrees!

Omar

Omar Vizquel, former Indian outstanding shortstop has his first coaching job with the L.A. Angels as an infield coach. I sure hope he gets to coach in Cleveland at some point--I think he'd make an excellent coach!

Funniest News of The Week

When playing FreeKibble yesterday, I learned that a cat outperformed professional investment managers by throwing a mouse toy on a grid of numbers representing different companies!

Killer Cats

How many birds do you think were killed in the USA by outdoor cats? In USA TODAY Gerard found this tidbit: Outdoor cats kill 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion birds in the USA each year! Poor birdies. I wonder whose job it is to count. Who is reporting on these killer cats anyway?

Deer

Also in USA TODAY this week, Gerard read that You can get 60 days in jail and a $500 fine if you befriend a deer. How goofy is that? I wonder who came up with this crazy law.

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6 Friday Fragments (Gifts, Christmas, Cookies, Animals)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

Cool Christmas Video of Flash Mob

I discovered Barbara this week over at Mighty Inspiration and loved this post she did sharing a video of people joining in singing some Christmas carols at a mall.  I loved it!  She visited my blog to ask that I post her link to the list of blogs who donate to charity for comments.  This month her charity is Heartprints.org which is a new one for me!  Be sure to stop by and let her know I sent you!

More Presents For Gerard

Gerard celebrated his 60th Birthday Monday and he even got a free pizza last Sunday from Casamel's (our regular pizza place that we go to every Sunday). Then when he went back to work on Tuesday, his co-workers surprised him with a cute birthday card and a $50 gift card for Outback Steakhouse. That's a new restaurant for us so it should be fun to go somewhere new! Thanks!

Gift For Grandpa

Over at 4 the LOVE of BOOKS, I came across a very cool book called "Grandpa, Were You Ever Young? by William C. Cloud. It's written in a way for Grandpa to share memories with his grand kids and provide interaction between the generations. It sounds like it would be a great Christmas gift!

Money

At church last week, our pastor mentioned that $450 billion is spent on gifts each year in the USA. The world's water problem could be solved with $20 billion. Hmm.

Like Cookies?

At my Women of Wonder (W.O.W.) meeting last night, I was introduced to the idea of a cookie exchange. Have you ever participated in one of these or hosted one? You invite several people way ahead to bake like 6 dozen cookies and then everyone brings them all and they have a party. Each person loads up a big tupperware container with lots of different cookies. See www.cookie-exchange.com by Robin Olson for specific rules for the exchange and recipes to try.

Animal Facts

I am reading All God's Creatures by Gary Richmond and picking up lots of interesting facts. Here are a few I didn't know before:

► Ostriches basically ignore their young, whereas wolves are very family oriented and both the male and female are actively involved in raising their young.

► Snakes never close their eyes because they do not even have eyelids and are consider the cleanest animal.

► Pigs eat anything, even poisonous snakes!

► The bear is considered to be the most ferocious and dangerous animal by zoo keepers because they are strong and so unpredictable.




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Thanks For Commenting!

We enjoy reading all the comments we receive on our blogs and had 230 during November so we will donate $115 to the Cleveland City Mission, which was our charity for November.  With Christmas shopping and all the extra expenses related to the holidays, we will not be donating to charity based on our blog comments.  I am also considering cutting back on blogging for the month of December so probably will not post as often on this blog.

We are going to try to cut back on our charitable giving next year to practice what our budget would look like if we had only one salary coming in; therefore, we will not continue to make charitable contributions based on blog comments next year.  I doubt if this will have any impact at all on the amount of comments we receive.  Never fear though because this month Beth Ann at It's Just Life is donating money based on the number of comments she gets to Josh's Yolka Project which helps orphanages in Russia.  I hope you will visit her blog.  This really sounds like a wonderful project and 100% of donations go to the orphanages!

I feel very good about our giving but really need to narrow the field.  It's hard to choose just a few organization to support because the need is so great and there are so many wonderful non-profit organizations out there. 

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9 Friday Fragments from a Wife and Husband

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

My Leg Pain Update

My pain is almost gone, whew! I find if I don't sit too long it's better. Some days I didn't even have any! I am happy to report I can now put my socks on standing up again, do my morning exercises pain free and was even able to run for the bus coming home from work Wednesday with no pain! Yay! Praise the Lord. Sometimes I do still need an Advil to sleep good at night. It seems I feel it most when I'm in bed now.

Funniest Post of the Week

I love to laugh and I thought Mama Sick's post, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, is hilarious. I laughed so hard that my hubby came to see what was so funny. It's a conversation with her 6-yr-old son about drawing her portrait.

Birthday Surprise

Monday my wonderful husband turns 60 and boy is he going to be surprised! I can hardly wait.


Here's Things Gerard Learned This Week:

Restaurants

It pays to apply to restaurant web sites--I got four free offers from Denny's, Perkins, Arby's and Eat and Park--Yum! Yum!

Larry Hangman

Larry Hangman passed away (Karen didn't even know who he was, do you?) I loved watching him as J.R. on "Dallas." He was a great actor!

Black Friday Shopping

I still love to shop on Black Friday early in the morning even if my shopping bag did bust open! Bath and Body Works was the most crowded store in the mall!

Happy Sunday

I like being a greeter at our church; didn't think I would like it as much as I do. I enjoy greeting people as the come and wishing them a Happy Sunday (I'm still waiting for my official greeter name tag.

Awesome Saturdays

Both Ohio State and Notre Dame went 12-0 which made me very happy--my Saturdays were awesome! Sad to see the season end.

Audio Book of the Week

Cold Ice by Tess Gerritsen was the audio book I looked forward to listening to all week. It's a thriller that I highly recommend. Click the link to see my review and find out more about it.

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Greedy much or Generous?

Greed
It just sickens me when I hear about greedy athletes, but Chris Singleton of the Washington Wizards, takes the cake!  He's 22 years old, a rookie basketball player making just under $1.5 million this season and is not satisfied.  He spent $10,000 on lottery tickets to win $640 million.  Talk about greedy!  He has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it and wants more?  He said it was a wise investment.  If he hadn't spent it on the lottery tickets, he would have just blown it in clubs.

This is a good example of plain old greed.  I am so glad he didn't win!  I'd much rather see someone win who doesn't have a lot of money already.  Hey Chris, if you have so much money that you don't know what to do with, how about investing it in a charity where it would do some good for others?  Did you ever think of that?  You do not need to get richer to help make the world a better place.  Start now with what you have!

I know it's his money and he has the freedom to spend it any way he wants, but greed destroys people.  I hope he doesn't become one of those athletes who end up bankrupt because of making so many poor spending decisions.  I'd say he's off to a pretty good start here.

What do you think about this? 

Generosity
On the other hand, we have the anonymous couple who paid $100,000 to spend the day with Tim Tebow. at an auction to raise money for Tebow's charity.  They planned to share him with their Florida community and let him meet and play with the kids.  This couple obviously must have a lot of disposable income to be able to do this, but I like that they use their wealth to help others. 

Any thoughts on this?  I'd love to hear what others have to say about these things.

(50 cents per legitimate comment during April goes to Paralyzed Veterans of America.)

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3 Steps To Get Out Of Credit Card Debt

Gerard Cutting Up His Credit Cards

Fortunately, we do not have any debt. However, before we were married, Gerard had lots of credit card debt that I didn't find out about until we were engaged and were applying for a loan to buy a house! I was shocked and actually considered calling off the engagement. He assured me that I could handle all the money so we forged ahead. We paid off his credit cards with money from his investments and from then on, he just used his Discover Card. It was nice we were able to pay them all off right away; however, many people are trapped and can't do that. That is why I thought I'd share this post with you that I got from our sermon notes on Pastor Dan's series, "Four Steps To Financial Fitness." Here are the three steps you can use right away to get you out of credit card debt:

1. Stop acquiring new debt. If you don't have the cash for it, don't buy it.
2. Save a little from each pay to establish an emergency fund of at least $1,000 to cover unexpected expenses such as repairs.
3. Implement the debt snowball. I loved this! Here's how it works: First, list all of your credit card debt from the smallest balance to the highest balance. Second, Make the minimum payment on all debts, but put all the money you can toward paying off the smallest debt first. Third, when the smallest debt has been paid off, roll over the amount you were paying into the next largest debt, repeating until all your debt is repaid. 

For example:
       credit card                total Balance           Minimal Payment       New payment

Kohl's                                $ 150                            $15                                   

Macy's                              $ 250                            $10                          $ 25 

Sam's Club                         $ 500                            $ 75                          $100 

VISA                                 $1500                           $ 90                          $190 

Car                                    $4000                           $210                         $400 

Getting rid of your debt using these steps won't happen overnight, but it will certainly move you in the right direction and as you see some paid off, it will motivate you to carry on. "Success breeds success."

Before looking for stocks or mutual funds to invest in, ask yourself the question, "Do I have any consumer debt?" If so, you have a wonderful investment opportunity.

• It's guaranteed.
• It's tax free.
• It's immediate.
• It offers a high rate of return on your investment.

Pay off your credit card debt!

Good Sense Budget Course 

Are you in the 46% of Americans who have credit card debt? If so, I wish you success in paying it off by following the above steps I have shared here.

Source: Taken from Jan. 22, 2012 sermon notes by Pastor Dan Barfell at Parma Heights Baptist Church. Follow the link to listen to the whole sermon.

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Managing God's Resources

I am enjoying our Pastor's sermon series on Financial Fitness. The Bible has more to say about money and money principles than it does about heavn and hell. Tht surprised me when I first heard it. As Christians (Christ followers who have trusted Jesus as their personal Savior), we must realize the God owns everything we have. He owns us and all we have is from Him, even our ability to work and earn money. Once we realize this, then it makes sense to act as God's resource manager or a good steward who uses what God has given us for His purposes. (This is prinicpal is illustrated by the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.) The question we should ask ourselves then is How can I manage God's resources in a biblical manner so that I may be found faithful?  

Here are 3 steps to follow to Manage Money Biblically:

1. Earn diligently. The diligent worker is hard working, purposeful and grateful. (Col. 3:23; Deuteronomy 8:18)


2. Save wisely. Don't spend what you don't have. I liked that our Pastor pointed out the difference between saving and hoarding. Saving is putting money aside for appropriate goals which is Biblical. (Proverbs 21:20; Proverbs 6:6-8) On the other hand, it is sinful to hoard as illustrated in the story Jesus told in Luke 12:16-21. Hoarding is continuing to put money aside AFTER our goals are reached.


3. Spend Prudently. We hear it's wise to diversify and "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" all the time about investing. Set up a budget based on your net income and then stick to it. (Ecclesiastes 11:2)

As we spend, we need to consider if God would want us using His money in that way. At least 1/10th of our income should to our church (the storehouse) which is called tithing. Remember though, God owns it all and we are his stewards so we should save wisely to meet our future needs and the needs of others. Certainly we need to take care of our family. When it comes to what charities to support, we try to give to those that are doing God's work and/or furthering His kingdom. Just ask God what He wants you to give to and see how He leads and what passion he places in your heart.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NIV)

You can actually to to our church's website to hear the whole sermon for yourself at phbaptist.org. Tomorrow's post: "3 Steps To Get Out of Credit Card Debt" Share this:

4 Things We Learned Week 4 of 2012 (reviews, money milk, Facebook)

Friday Fragments are just some items that aren't substantial enough for an entire post and is hosted by Mrs4444 over at Half-Past Kissin' time where you can find more and link up your own.

1. Amazon Book Review

   I was thrilled to learn that Beth Ann from It's Just Life read My Funny Dad, Harry and loved it. Not only did she make my day by letting me know that in an email which gave me a lift that I needed, but she also reviewed it on Amazon: "A Daughter's Memories of a Wonderful Dad." Whenever I really enjoy a book, I will review it on Amazon (and sometimes on Barnes and Noble) because I know how good it makes the author feel. Here's my stats for my reviews: Reviews written: 286, Reviewer rank: 4,741, Helpful votes: 332 of 420.

2. Practical Plan for Getting Out of Credit Debt

   Last Sunday our Pastor continued preaching on financial fitness based on what the Bible says about money and shared a very practical 3-step plan on how to dump credit card debt. I thought this might be helpful to a lot of people, so plan to post about it next week.

3. Milk

   
   In our W.O.W. meeting in January, we had a certified fitness instructor/Physical Education teacher speak about good nutrition and exercise. She recommended the almond milk over regular dairy milk so I tried it and it tastes good!

4. Bartels and Busack Pet Hospital

   This is the place that saved our dog, Abby. They are so impressed with how well she is doing and the great progress she made since being attacked that they are going to post about her case on their Facebook page. Yea for Abby, our "miracle" dog!  Thank you, Dr. Busack!

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4 Things We Learned This Week (AAA, Kindle, Money, YouTube)

AAA

When my car battery died last Saturday, I called AAA and discovered that they sell new batteries and came right to my house and replaced my dead one--cost $113.

Amazon Kindle

I got a Kindle for my birthday and learned you need a wifi connection to get started which I found at our library--yea! Thanks for all the encouraging comments. Now I am learning how to load the books I want. I tried yesterday to borrow an e-book, but the site was down for maintenance! I did get my Kindle all charged up though.

Money

Did you hear about the lady who did and left $13 million to her CAT? How crazy is that!

Got my Christmas bonus yesterday and learned I'll be getting a raise next year. Yippee! That made my day!

YouTube

My YouTube channel got a facelift. It's a whole different layout now and can include several links. Of course, I listed all my blogs. My napkin folding post is scheduled for Wednesday (still have to add my pictures to it but my videos are done. If you can't wait, you can find them on YouTube (just search for kzemek and all my videos will come up).


Other Fragments:

It was nice getting some birthday cards that I did not expect. The one I got from Gerard was really cute and two from a couple new friends.

Took my morning pill (on the left side) instead of my evening pill (on the right side) by mistake yesterday--how nutso! Fortunately, thanks to my cat Manny knocking over the other bottle with his tail, I realized I had the wrong ones. At least I didn't take both morning pills! Skipped the evening one (which I take every other day) and will just take it tonight. Didn't want to risk combining the two. See, I'm not a complete idiot.


Visit Half-Past Kissin' Time for more Friday Fragments or link up yours.

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5 Things We Learned This Week 32 of 2011 (cats, money, movie, Twitter)

How To Get Manny (my cat) into the Carrier

I set the carrier in my den a week before his vet appointment and each morning threw in some of his breakfast food. He would walk in and nothing bad happened. I didn't even close the door. When it was time to go to the vet, I threw in some food and he walked right in. Success! Good job, Manny! A full post about our vet trip will be coming next week . . . I hope.  Here's the link to my video showing both cats getting into the carrier:  The Cat Carrier Challenge of 8-11-11.

We Pay That Much For The Paper?

We get the PLAIN DEALER newspaper every day but Gerard saw the bill and was surprised at how much it costs. Now we cut it back to weekends only.

The Help

The movie, "The Help" is now showing at a theater nearby. That is one movie we both want to go see.  Are you planning to go?  Did you read the book?  Read our review of the book:  The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Coupons

I finally got a $5.00 coupon for something we actually use: Science Diet cat food. Only problem is, I waited too long to use it and noticed it expired last Sunday. Duh!

Twitter Pics

I tried loading a picture on Twitter by clicking the little camera ikon in the bottom left corner of the tweet box on the home page to attach a picture and it worked!  The Older Geek wrote an entire post on "How To Tweet A Photo" today.

Find more Friday Fragments and link up yours at Half-Past Kissin' Time.

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