KiCk IT!

It's Wednesday already! I can't believe it!! I also found out we are like 3 weeks from midterms already...(CraZy). Tonight is kick ball night. It has been raining like crazy here the last few days so hopefully the rain will clear for a little while to play.

Monday night was great as always, we talked about relating to our money and working together. All this stuff we are learning isn't just about money it's also about working together and building a stronger marriage, being that money is the number one reason in America for divorce, Sad!! We learned that I am the nerd (everything has a place, and needs to be done a certain way), Dan is the free spirit (It will get done sometime, fly by the seat of the pants) . I should tell you that about 3 years ago before Dan and I started dating I would also have been a free spirit, funny how things are changing :) I am to make the budget, call in a meeting, have him look over it and ask him to make changes to what he thinks needs changed. They actually gave us rules for the "person" we are. All so true though! I can't stress enough how important this class is for all ages. If you are getting married or just got married SIGN UP!! If you are single and just living the so called "high life" on credit cards, SIGN UP!! Or if you have been married for a while and have kids SIGN UP!! We also talked about ways to teach our kids (ours as in when we have them) about money. They have a system that actually makes since and anyone can understand it. I am just AMAZED at everything we have learned in just two weeks, and how much fun we actually do have in class, we laugh a lot.

I know this post isn't as much visually appealing as other blogs, but the information I am sharing I believe will benefit everyone. We're not just sitting at home doing nothing, we have things we do, Dan is in two leagues, one that he doesn't have to pay for and the other we budget for, and we are in a league together that we also budgeted for. We get out, and weekends are usually for getting caught up on sleep and other life things that we couldn't do during the week. This weekend we are going to my cousins wedding and everyone keeps asking what I am wearing and that got me thinking well I really need to get to the mall to find something! WRONG!! I was actually getting ready this morning and remembered an outfit that I have worn ONCE that will be perfect for the wedding. It's amazing how I catch myself trying to go back to old habits, not this time, it's not going to happen! Lucky for us we are so busy right now to stop and think, "Oh I really need this or I really want that." Football season is here, that keeps Dan busy, and school is in full swing with two papers due this week, needless to say that's what I will be doing :)

I always thought I had everything planned out, and knew where we would be 1 year into our marriage, 1.5 years and so on, but now I have learned that it's not about what we want, it's what God wants. We're giving more (give until it hurts), saving more (you only need $4 a week to have a decent retirement people!) and Living like know one else so later we can LIVE like no one else :)

Just a fun note for you:

Top 5 Reasons why it's tough being Dave Ramsey's kid:
5. Every time you get in trouble all you hear in your head, sell so much stuff your kids think they are next. (He recommends you sell so much stuff to start your debt snowball your kids think their next)
4. Pull out your envelope system when you're 5 to buy chocolate milk at school.
3. Every time a guy asks to pick you up for a date, you're required to ask if his car is paid for. (Never buy a car you can't write (and clear) a check for)
2. The stupid scissors, every time a guy comes to pick me up for a date, he stands at the door with the scissors ready to cut up their credit cards :)
1. You are never, never, never, under and circumstances, allowed to super size you meal at McDonald's. (Did you know if you put that extra .39 cents into saving you can be a millionaire by the time you are 83?)

Were halfway through the week, end it strong!!

Love,
Dan, Hollie, Tyson, and Hershie :)

Rain, Rain go away...

It was a very gloomy weekend here in good ole' Urbandale. It Rained all weekend! Non the less we did get a lot accomplished, however if put a damper on the car trading situation.



I know a lot of you are wondering how our budget came out. I will tell you we put it off until late last night, so I will get to that in a minute. To start off the weekend, the first in a while Dan hasn't had to work. We got bills paid and mailed, after sleeping half the day away (literally). Laundry, and cleaned the kitchen, then headed out in the rain to run some errands. We went to the good ole' dollar store to pick up some car cleaning products. Headed to the store to get our groceries which enter side notes here:

I have a friend that is doing the Total Money Makeover as well, she actually got me to do this, I thought about it but I just couldn't bring myself to it. However I finally did, and if any of you have taken my advice and listened to Dave on the radio or read his book he talks bout the E- meal Plan. $5 a month and they send you the meals, and a grocery list. You can do family or just for two. It's cheap meals with out having to live off rice and beans and he puts it. check out the example of our week of dinners below:



Even if you aren't doing the Dave Ramsey plan I find this would be great for anyone as it's hard to plan meals for every day especially when our lives get super busy, it's always easier to just call in pizza or run through the drive thru. You can cancel at any time so why not give it a chance?!? Here's the link for you to check out... http://e-mealz.com/



We had to get some dog food for the puppies, pick up some bones, and well Hershie needed a new collar. Some of you asked if that was in the budget, and yes, we do budget for the dogs, however, here is the story on her last color. It was originally Tyson's, however it was too big for him so we bought him a smaller one (pre-Dave), then Hershie adopted the collar, and it was working fine, until I came home Friday from work and she had made a swimming pool in her kennel and swam in it, literally she was drenched in her urine (gross I know, but that's the story). Had I not washed it 2 times before and it wasn't unraveling she would have kept it. Needless to say I was ready for some wine and the couch after the end to last week. Her new collar is super cute though, check it out--- I might add it was also on sale, $4!





After getting to the store and home and unpacking everything it was about 7:45. I was tired, and I'm sure the weather didn't help that at all. We put a pizza in the over, and I broke out some wine, and we watched the Iowa game. I feel a sleep in the middle and still woke up in time for the end, although I didn't miss much, bad loss for us :(



Sunday, I must admit we slept in again, skipped out on church. I did some laundry, made some breakfast, Dan made me some delicious coffee, while I did homework all afternoon. I feel school is officially in session when it takes a whole day to do homework for only 2 classes. We were bums all day, watched football, and did homework, I thought I would get a walk with Hershie in but the rain would not let up. I know, I know...sooo when did you do the budget....Okay here it is.

We did the budget, now, this week is just a quickie budget. It doesn't have to be exact, just numbers, you can see the sheet below. You can imagine that our take home pay isn't the most right now being that I only work a few hours a week and go to school full time, so basically we live off of Dan's income, which is great for only being out of school for 2 years, and being at this job for one. We probably wont put any numbers up for people to see though. Either way, the goal of this budget is to put every dollar somewhere. There should be no leftover money at the end of the month, you should be at zero, being that you give, save, and pay bills. I must admit though, having zero at the end of the month comes rather easy for us.

Feelings on how the budget went: Putting everything on paper makes you stop and look and realize that we are spending a ton, when we could be giving or saving a lot more. It makes me stress looking at the numbers, it scares me that we have let ourselves come to this and thinking it's okay. But, that's why we are here, taking the class, getting things straight and on our way to debt free. I know some of you are thinking we are crazy for giving "stuff" (aka cars, nights out, super nice clothes, and vacations) up, however, we are thinking the "whole you guys are crazy," is coming from broke friends. We have to start with the people in the mirror. Another side note, a great song for this is "Man in the Mirror," by Michael Jackson. We used to sing this before every game in college, I guess now it's really making an impact.

Love,

Dan,Hollie,Tyson, and Hershie :)

Waiting on Monday...

Oh where to start on this crazy, crazy, week? MONDAY!!

Monday:

I am now officially abnormal, I CAN'T wait for Monday to get here. We LOVE the FPU class! We got all signed in and turned to find a table and what do you know, one of my good friends from high school/college and her husband were right there! A great start to a night we were excited but yet nervous for. Dan actually really enjoyed the class and it helps we have people we know, our age, going through the same steps to hold each other accountable. We are making strides, but we still have our downfalls don't get me wrong. There are days I say, "ohh I think I will go get ____ (fill in the blank)" then I remember we are working on our impulse purchases. We will get there! Still working on the whole car thing but hoping by the end of this weekend we will have that worked out and taken care of one way or another :) If any of you reading this ever think you need help with finances whether you have a lot of debt or just need help getting money put into the right savings account (hopefully one day we will have that part of the problem). This is a great class...no matter your age, income, debt, job, everyone can take it, and we recommend it! There are already so many good things to say that I can't even begin to get it all out.

Wednesday:

KICKBALL!!! Okay, so we didn't win...and I didn't remember my camera, but we were so MUCH better this week than last. I have a feeling we are going to get better each game, and each week we are going to have a little more fun. We had a few people this week get out because they fell over bases, yah it's pretty entertaining I must say. If you are trying to save money but want something to do, and get a laugh come watch us! We play next week at 6:15!

Friday:

Okay, so we haven't got thru the day, which may or may not require me to post again tomorrow :) Tonight we are working on our budget and the car issue! The car really isn't an issue in the sense we can't make the payments, more the sense we don't want to make the payments, that's the issue. We want two cars that are ours free and clear, and were hoping to trade down this weekend :) Please pray this will get done! Then for the budget, we were told that it might be un-nerving for us to do this for the first time, starting with giving and working our way down to least important aspects that we spend money on. This is going to be hard on us I think. To put it all down on paper and see where we are really wasting money will probably make me feel like a mad lady. Oh, well it must be done, and we must learn from the past to make a better future. Like I said I may need to post again tomorrow, and I just might and load our budget so you can all follow along and see how were doing and help us even.

I will end this short (sort of) post with some great news!

1. My best friend (Emily) she was the matron in my wedding, is HAVING A BABY!! Congrats to her and Rossy, and I can't wait to meet the little one! You guys will be AMAZING parents!! :)

2. My sister is officially moving home today!!! YEAH for being back in Iowa! I'm excited to spend more time with her finally without one of us having to make 5 hour trips!! :)

God is doing amazing things in our lives and we are just so excited for all the changes that are starting this fall. Please pray for us and follow us on this new adventure, the Real American Dream!

Love,

Dan, Hollie, Tyson, and Hershie :)

Remember...

This month is flying by just as the others have this past year! Last week we were very busy with school, work, and after work activities, and we will be for a while. Who knew life could be so crazy when there are just two of us? We do manage to find some time (late) on the weekends to just relax. I don't have any photos for you today, I will work on that, hopefully next weeks post will have a lot more! Here is just a brief overview of our week:

Saturday- Dan worked while I did homework and took my first quiz. (with a 100%)

Sunday- Went to church, yeah...we finally got back in to going to church on a weekly basis and I love it!! Went to the mall with my sister so she could do some shopping. Then we had some friends in town...Oh I have a photo of us girls at dinner...(Nicki I stole it from you :) ) We only got to dinner with them as I had my cousins bachelorette party Sunday night. We had Sushi then headed out to a bar, it was a lot of fun. I am very blessed to have such an amazing extended family! Dan got to enjoy the night home without me and play his video games.

Monday- Ahh, a day off!! What did we do Monday? I can't really remember, Dan mowed the lawn, and I think I did homework and watched movies all day, yes, I do believe I was a bum, haha.

Tuesday- School all day then work, and a meeting after work got home about 7:45...yes on Tuesdays and Thursdays I leave at around 7:25 and get home around 6:00 or so, but since we had a meeting after work I didn't get home until 7:45. Dan worked all day then had a softball game...I got home and did homework and waited for Dan to get home to watch "our" shows together :)

Wednesday- School and work as usual, but we started playing in a Kickball league so we

had our first game. Yeah, were not the greatest but it's something were doing together and it's fun to get out of the house in the middle of the hectic week. I will get a team photo for you all this week, were quite the bunch :) Check out our shirts:

Thursday-Another busy/crazy day. School, and work for us, then Dan started pool league this week so he was gone all night. We did go get some dinner before he left and and had some t

ime to chat. I had to run some errands so I did that, them home for homework before getting to bed before Dan even came home.

Friday-The beginning of what we thought would be a somewhat peaceful, relaxing weekend...not so much. We were on the go non-stop, it was a fun weekend just busy. Friday, we stayed in and I made dinner, and we watched TV and relaxed thankfully.

Saturday-We must not forget September 11, 2001 and all those who lost their lives fighting for our Freedom! (moment of silence). Where were you on that day? I had just had ACL reconstruction and my dad was helping me

out of the car for my first therapy session when the doctor ran out to help us and said to hurry in and watch the news. All to crazy for a high school girl who didn't know much about such horrid crimes in our world.

On the other hand we also, in our family it's a big day, my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!! Dan had to work again, but he got off early because he met all his goals, plus some by noon. I did some laundry and picked up around the house before heading to babysit two of my baby cousins (2ND cousins) Boston-2 and kadin-1. They are two of the sweetest little boys ever. Dan came along and watched the football games while the boys and I played, went for a walk, and hung out outside since it was beautiful out. We got home pretty late, had some dinner and watched a movie before passing out in bed.

Sunday- Up did laundry, picked up a little more, made our grocery list, then headed to church, I must say I felt like we got a lot done before leaving the house at 10:30. After a great service at church headed to walmart, and the dollar store. We got a bunch of cleaning supplies and a few extras all for $20.00. For those looking for dog bowls like big ones, we looked at buying some at

petco...yeah they were $10.00 per bowl. Same plastic ones at the Dollar Store...we got four, for under half the price of ONE at Petco. LOVE IT! Same with cleaning supplies, hello people that want to spend $6.00 for a bottle of liquid to clean the bathroom, I have you know the supplies we got for $1.00 a piece at the dollar store worked just as well, and made our house smell great!!

That's just a heads up for those of you who hate to buy cleaning supplies...I now enjoy it :) Dan even made the statement at the register, "we should shop here more ofter." Oh, the things we learn from each other :) I deep cleaned our house, bottom to top, and ahh does it feel so much better. I have two bedrooms that are in need of deep cleaning still, however, we are still working on the closet...hopefu

lly the next couple weeks it will be done...I pray anyway! After cleaning all day we finally got to celebrate with my mom for her birthday, had a great family dinner, and just relaxed, before heading home to finish some loose ends of cleaning, and hitting the bed, HARD!!

Which brings us to this WONDERFUL and I actually mean WONDERFUL Monday!! We start Financial Peace University tonight, I am very excited, Dan says, "I'm sure we will learn a lot but I wouldn't say I'm excited." Okay I will take that :)

Most of you who read this blog or who have just started reading the blog really just want to know how our finances are going...Actually they are going really well. The whole use cash only has been GREAT for us. It's true what they say that you don't want to actually hand the cash over, it's easier when you swipe the debit card. I get really anxious when we have to spend the money at the register. We even had one guy say Credit or Debit and I handed him cash and he seemed a bit confused. It was a great feeling on my part though! We have really been looking at ways to cut back, and we are actually doing rather well. Dan's still working on the whole, you need to get a receipt for everything, but he will get it. We are just a lot more aware of what we are doing with our money.

I had my first put it back and walk away moment. Last weekend when we were getting ready to go out for my cousins bachelorette party, I used to always buy a new outfit or new shirt to go out. Yes, I have a ton of clothes! However, the new me...I picked up the shirt and was at the cash register when I looked at the shirt again, walked back to the shelf and hung it up. I didn't NEED that shirt, I had plenty to wear, it was a matter of looking thur my wardrobe. That was a major, major step for me. I did however NEED face soap. I went down to the store got my soap and headed out! No buyers remorse for me :) Things are starting to get a little harder as we are now taking bigger steps and I'm sure now with class the climb is really going to start. I will be sure to keep you all posted!!

Thanks for all the support and encouragement!

Love,

Dan, Hollie. Tyson, and Hershie :)

Starting to Smell Like Fall...

Happy September, Can you believe it's already September?

To begin Dan and I made it thru the first week of the next two years :) School is underway, my two part-time jobs are under way, and the dog potty training is going fantastic (finally)! Oh and for the Financial Peace University, that doesn't start until the 13Th, however I will tell you where we are on our journey in a moment.

School- I am officially a Viking, and I LOVE IT! I have told everyone I wish I would have went there to start. However, I wouldn't have met Dan so Central is a blessing if I like it or not. I never once really walked into a class at Central and loved my professor from the start. Grand View on the other hand, my professors rock, they are very intense about the courses they are teaching which proves they love their job, at Central, as my Education Prof. this semester would put it, "some teachers are just there to cash their paychecks at the end of the week." They were boring and dull most of the time, my profs. this semester have made me very excited that I decided to go back to school, I had my first test today, yes Saturday, and I got 9.5 out of 10. I mean really who could complain. I guess I could, I think every night this week I have gone to bed as soon as my homework was done aka before 10. Maybe Dan could complain a little too since I'm not the most fun during the week to hang out with. I think we saw each other all of 1 hour out of Monday and Tuesday. Monday I left at 7:30 and got home at 7:45, but Dan was gone Monday night from 7:00- I'm not sure when because I was in bed when he got home, then Tuesday I left again at 7:30 and got home at 6:00 in time for Dan to have a softball game at 6. I took the puppies to watch then stayed for like 10 minutes after the game before coming home, doing homework, and hitting the sack, yet again before Dan got home. This being busy thing just makes us that more excited to see each other, so it's not all bad.

Work- Work is work, two split jobs keeps me entertained, I love being back with kids, I missed it more than I ever thought I would. It's something new and changing everyday, I love that, I don't get bored that way. Dan's staying busy with Wells so we can't complain there, he will start having two weekends off in a row, I can't wait for that!

Puppies- They are getting so much better, it's been a week now since Hershie has gone in the house or her kennel so we are making progress. They have to be playing with each other all the time, and have to have the same toy all the time. They love to chew on bones, and lay around after walks. They met their "cousin" the other day, he happens to be a 2 year old mastiff, who lives 3 houses down. Yes, for those of you wondering my cousin really does live three houses down from us. Back to the dogs, they were both really scared of him. He is hugh but the biggest lover ever! So for those of you wondering the dogs are great, we love them!!

Finances!!! :)

I don't think too many people would like to talk about this but, well, we do :)

I went to the "free" session first alone, it was great and funny and only got me that more excited about the whole process. We went to go exchange phones last night and they actually worked with us on our iPhone to get the plan figured out so we are now saving what we would have if we would have went to a downgraded phone, which was a win win for Dan and I. Dan wasn't excited at all about changing phones but he went in with a positive attitude that we were downgrading. Then we didn't have to! However, my phone was broken so I was a little upset thinking I would have to live with a broken phone for another 2 years, however, we used the money we were going to use to downgrade towards a phone for me. I didn't get the newest phone but I got a the 3Gs. I will now have a working phone again! :) We are saving money and we are both happy! I put my pride and joys up for sale. I haven't had any bites on my Canon 7D but a few on the Canon XS. It's hard to let go but I know that it's the right thing for now. It has been a little emotional, which it just "things" but photography has always been what I loved to do. I would be lying if I said I just put them on craigslist and didn't think a thing about it. I did take about two weeks, and even with heartache I did it. I can always buy a new one when the time is right and I have the cash! I'm still working on selling my car as well. If any of you know anyone that would like to buy a 2008 Saturn Vue let me know, it is for sale, I am asking $11,500. Other than that, things are going really great, we started the whole, cash only this weekend as well. Everyone I talk to loves hearing about what were doing but at the same time questions what we are doing. If I didn't fully believe in this process I wouldn't be doing it and I wouldn't be telling others about it!

Hopefully I have got everyone all caught up, it has been a whirlwind of a week so I feel like my brain is all goop!

Love,

Dan, Hollie, Tyson, and Hershie :)