Crazy Busy!!

These last few months have flown by. This is our room mate Lori. We are pretty blessed. She is very sweet, easy to get along with, and has such an amazing giving spirit! 

Since our move we have: 

1. Completed facilitating our first round of Financial Peace University at Sandals Church.

2. Started the second group of Financial Peace University last night - as well as another group starting up Thursday that will be facilitated by graduates from the first group.
3. Colin's Soccer team won a Division 5 CIF Championship.

4. He had 4 days off and then started assistant coaching for the Girls Softball Team.
5. Eliminated the Wells Fargo Personal loan.
6. I am helping with the Women's Ministries at Sandals during the daytime, and some cool stuff is going to be happening over the next few months.
7. Kellen has successfully pooped in the toilet for the last week. (Yes, minor to most of you, but a HUGE step in the Gilliland house).
8. I completed another round of INSANITY... and will start Les Mills Pump in the coming days, and probably start running 4-6 days a week. I was running, but I've learned that when you don't feel good taking a few days off is better than being sick for a month.
9. I figured out how to use Instagram... but it's really slow on my droid. :-/

10. I have a pinterest... yeah, not sure what you really do, I just pin up cool pictures of things I like, and I think that is all you are supposed to do, but I am not sure why other people "follow," me on that. :-) Gilliland Pinterest Click Here
11. I have learned to make a few new yummy recipes, and I've taken pictures of them with my phone and/or camera but I have not blogged about them yet. :-(
12. Colin's sister Haley came to visit from New York for a whole week! Kellen instantly re-bonded with her and her friend Tyler. (So cute)
13. Easter came and went, and Sandals baptized over 300 people!!! The annual Easter Egg hunt and dinner with the Bardsley's was super fun. (Still need to post the videos!)

14. Kellen has now memorized John 3:16 and he is working on Genesis 1:31.
15. Colin has learned how to play Skipbo, pretty sure he is the first male in the family (in reference to the McDonough's) that has ever been willing to do this.
16. Bonus- Skipbo can be used as flash cards for Kellen to learn his numbers (at least 1-12)
17. Kellen is stuck on 3 books- he LOVES and must read his ABC's book every day, and his pop up book.
18. He also has to read his "Animals on the Farm" book while he sits on the potty... such a cute kid.
19. Kellen had his first "S'more" this month after he has become addicted to watching, "Sandlot." We made them with mini marshmallows on the stove. See Picture
20. Finishing up my April book, "The Wealthy Barber," and then I will write a review, and I will be on to a new book for May.

And that is all I can think of right now. I'm sure there is more, but then again, there is always more. :-)

Happy April to everyone!

Another One Bites the Dust

Well, we just paid off a student loan. With the help of our move, and our tax return, we knocked off over $4,000 in 3 months! :-) We are on our way! Only one loan left, it is large, but we have almost cut our debt in half since we started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University less than 2 years ago!

Our next round of FPU starts the Monday after Easter at Sandals Church. We will be facilitating the class again. We were so blessed by those in our previous class, we are looking forward to making some new FPU friends and will have some help from some old FPU friends. Several people from the previous class were so impacted by the dramatic changes, that they wish to help others in their financial journey as well. I am a little bummed that Sandals was unable to get a preview video done to share with the church how much FPU has helped those that came to the class, but I know that we are still making a big impact in the lives of many families.

Any way, the count down begins. Our schedule to complete debt relief is 2016... I would LOVE to eliminate it much faster, and we probably will. Thank you to those that have been praying for us and encouraging us on our road to debt freedom!

Blessings!

Mindie Gilliland

Book Review: The Richest Man In Babylon

Continuing with my goal to read one book a month (or more) I have completed the finance book called, "The Richest Man in Babylon," by George S. Clason.

I am already starting to learn a pattern between each of the three books that I have read so far. They all require life style changes in order to accomplish your financial goals, and not just "spend less money here-" fill in the blank. The setting of this book takes place in ancient Babylon when it was once one of the richest locations. The Richest Man was a man named Arkad, and through a group of tales the book takes you through different stories of men earning a living and becoming wealthy while following several principals for spending and making money.

Some of my favorite quotes from this book were:

"In those things toward which we exert our best endeavors we succeed."

"He who takes advice about his savings from one who is inexperienced in such matters, shall pay with his savings for proving the falsity of their opinions."

"Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared."

"Better a little caution, than a large regret." In terms of poor investing/loans.

"Where the determination is, the will can be found." This is a really great chapter about having hope and getting out of debt. This chapter is called, "The Camel Trader." It reminded me a lot about our situation- lots of debt, but working our way out of it.

Each chapter gave different principals (some more similar than others) on how to make and save money.

For example, one chapter had three guidelines:
1. Live on less than you earn.(Delayed gratification)
2. Seek advice from those competent.
3. Make gold (money) work for you.

There is a chapter that talks about Seven cures for a lean purse. Which then explains how to earn money, even if you don't make a lot. Another chapter discusses the five laws of Gold, following these will make you wiser (yeah, read the book to learn more). Another chapter talks about the rewards of hard work and blessings.

This was a much shorter book than my previous book, but I really enjoyed reading it. There is a little bit of Babylon history in the back of the book as well, pretty fascinating stuff. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeking out financial (and living) wisdom!

Financial Blessings and Health to you all!

Rose Mae Glenn

My Great Grandma Rose Mae Glenn just passed last week. I was unable to attend the funeral (it was in Fresno, CA). My uncle Tony Glenn put together a pretty cool video of some memories of her. She was almost 93 years old, she was married for 70 years, had 2 children, 3 grand children, 7 great grandchildren (I think) and 7 great great grandchildren (I think). She was a pretty amazing woman. The picture you see before the video starts is my Grammie with me (I think). Here is the video:
Thank you Uncle Tony for putting that together!

Book Review- "Good Debt, Bad Debt"

I have decided to read one non-fiction book a month (besides my Bible- I spend time with God each morning reading a chapter a day). Continued education doesn't require paying an institution in order to learn your entire life. Thank Goodness- I did enough of that. :-)
I read a book in January called, "The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant." Very simple and quick read with 12 basic principals for successful living.I highly recommend it.

Right now my focus is on eliminating debt and spending wisely, so what a better way to start than reading a book called, "Good Debt, Bad Debt" by Jon Hanson. (Thanks to my FPU buddy Josh Moreland- he is my personal finance education library!)

Each time I read a new book I would like to review it, briefly, and tell you what I learned and why you should (or should not) read this book. Though I doubt I will read many that I do not recommend, I probably wouldn't finish a bad book. 

This book talks about Good debt- debt that increases your net worth and value, and can be sold for a profit verses Bad debt that decreases your net value and is preventing you from taking control of your finances. Within the eleven chapters he talks about the effects of debt, spending verses income to determine wealth, delayed gratification in finances, retirement, insurance, real estate, why car debt kills, writing down your goals, why you and your spouse have to be on the same page financially and MANY other topics. 

These are some of the terms I learned courtesy of Jon Hanson and his book: 

Burn rate, Consumerati, Debtabetes, Econowise, McSpending, Reality income, and Wealth metrics. Sorry- you'll have to read the book to learn more about what they actually mean... hope those terms make you WANT to read the book. 

This is yet another book I wish I would have read in my high school years (it was published in 2007- so unfortunately I couldn't but I am sure there was something like it around back in high school). Here are a few things I learned: 

-A new car depreciates at a rate of $250 a month for the first 2-4 years. Buy used cars and get over thinking that your car defines you! 

-People spend on average 40% more when they use credit cards instead of cash. 

-2/3 of American's dream of retirement, yet only 1/3 actually take steps to move in that direction. (I wonder what the other 1/3 are doing).

-The 4 Effects of Debt = Loss of Freedom, Loss of Cash Flow, Loss of Time, Loss of Opportunities.

Some of my favorite Quotes: 

"There are more people with poor spending habits than we have poor people." Jon Hanson

"Debt robs a man of his self respect and makes him almost despise himself." - P.T. Barnum

"When we think we need to do as others do, many of us are afraid to stand alone." Regarding finances and spending recklessly to impress others.- Jon Hanson

"Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit." Hosea Ballou.

This book was very helpful and encouraging. There was even some humor- including cartoon funnies to change it up every now and then. I need books like this to help remind me why we are sacrificing (even though some times it doesn't feel real hard). If you would like more information about this book please check out Jon Hanson's link:

Click here for the Good Debt, Bad Debt Website

Next on the list is, "The Richest Man in Babylon," by George S. Clason.