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Here's What's New  
Guest post from Jessi of The Budget Mama "How did I let this happen? I know better than this. I swore I would never end up here again, what happened?" That was my inner dialogue a few years ago when I realized that I had allowed my family to sink back into the depths of credit card debt. Back when I was twenty-one years old, I was in such financial trouble that I was near bankruptcy due to credit cards. I truly knew better than to allow the "buy now, pay later" game to suck me, but it did, again. I am still not sure how it happened; maybe it was out of fear that we would not be able to afford all those "must-haves" when we became parents for the first time. Maybe it was because we desperately “needed” that vacation to Mexico, or maybe I was just turning a blind eye because that was easier to deal with. We were not only slowly sinking deep in credit card debt, but that fully-loaded Tahoe that we just had to have because we were now parents (and apparently you cannot drive anything other than a four-door SUV when baby arrives) was putting us even deeper in the hole. Yep, we were deep in the red and the inner accountant in me was screaming bloody murder at the foolishness I had allowed to happen. Something had to be done because we were going to be broke soon if we did nothing. I pulled up all our financial statements – credit cards, checking account, savings accounts, Tahoe loan information, and my student loan information. I spent hours tediously combing through them in order to figure out how long it would realistically take us to pay off these debts with my husband's current income and our current budget. When I presented my findings to my husband, he immediately pulled out his credit card, cut it up, and told me that struggling was out of the question and we were going to have to figure out how to get this debt monster wrangled back in his cage. We did just that. We have paid over $25,000 in debt in the two years since we made the commitment to get out of debt for the last time. We still have more to go but we are not struggling and by the grace of God, we will have my student loans completely paid for by the end of this year. It takes serious hustle to defeat the debt monster. We have had to apply every well-deserved bonus check, tax refund check, savings bonds, and we even had to give up that fully loaded Tahoe in order to dumped $18,000 of debt in one day. Downgrading is not easy in our consumer-driven society that places our value in what we drive, what we wear, and where we live… but sometimes it is the only option in order to live the life you truly want. Debt is not forever and if you are battling the debt monster, remember you are not alone. It is possible to defeat him. It will not always be easy, but you can and will do it if you hustle. How have you hustled to defeat the debt monster? Jessi Fearon is a wife, mom of two little boys, and writer behind The Budget Mama, a personal finance site where she shares her family’s real life on a budget. She is devoted to helping her readers thrive on a budget while becoming better money managers. photo source 
CVS Shopping Trip 1 Colgate Total Mouthwash – $5.99 (Buy 1, Get $3 ECBs) Used $2/1 coupon from the 1/18 SmartSource insert 3 Speed Stick Gear Deodorant – $4 each (Buy 3, Get $6 ECBs) Used 3 $2/1 printable Used $5 ECBs from previous shopping trip and $1 ECBs from Beauty Rewards Total before coupons, sales, and ECBs: $23.14 Total with tax ($1.38) after coupons, sales and ECBs: $5.37, plus received $9 ECBs 
After 6 days of being on the other side of the world and 18 hours on a plane, being reunited with my family was one of the most beautiful things yesterday morning! We drove straight from the airport in DC to our home in TN and got home last night.
I brought home a sunburn and a weary body, but it was every bit worth it for the amazing and life-impacting lessons learned, memories made, experiences shared, and incredible people we met. 
And while my body may no longer be in beautiful South Africa, I left part of my heart there. The people, the scenery, the history, the climate, the food, the warmth… I fell in love with all of it. There aren't words to describe just how much this trip impacted me, just how much I saw God show up on my behalf, and just how hard it was for me to leave. There were so many needs. So many children who were desperate for love and words of encouragement. So much poverty and hunger. We are excited for what we’re planning and dreaming for the future and how we’re going to come alongside some of these neediest communities to bring hope and practical help. There are great needs, but there are also great opportunities to help bring lasting change to these communities. We can’t wait to share more about that in the weeks and months to come! 
Getting to spend the week with Lisa-Jo in her home country of South Africa was a gift I’ll never forget. Her heart, her passion, her graciousness, her laughter, her authenticity, her encouragement… it blessed my soul at a deep level. 
I’m humbly grateful that God connected us five years ago through this crazy blogging thing we’ve been called to do. My life will never be the same because of knowing Lisa-Jo. We are so very grateful to each one of you who prayed for us. We saw God answer your prayers in very direct ways — from allowing us to have energy and strength even with little sleep and jet lag, to our families back home doing so well, to the clear direction and leading we felt for how God wants us to be involved in South Africa in the future as we met with the local leaders there… we felt such calmness, such joy, and such peace the whole trip. And we know it was because of your many prayers on our behalf. I have many more stories and pictures to share in the coming days. Right now, though, I’m going to try to head back to bed to get some more sleep. (I’ve been up since 2:30 a.m. thanks to jet lag!) 
Guest post from Sarah of The Jelly Jars We are in the middle of raising our family of four with two little girls and a third baby on the way. While I hold down the fort of raising and growing these littles, my husband works part-time and is pursuing his Masters degree part-time. Needless to say, our finances are tight as we live on his part-time income. But because of this process, I feel like our perspective on what is most important in this life has shifted in the very best of ways. I know how difficult it is to raise a family when money is so tight, so I wanted to share a few ways finances are handled in our home — in hopes that they might help others in a similar situation. 1. We talk about finances in our marriage. A central value in our marriage is communication. Whether good or bad, confession or celebration, small talk or crisis, we talk. And since that is a non-negotiable between the two of us, it naturally carries over into our financial health. We are in this together so we talk about stressors, financial plans and dreams, and where we stand each month. 2. We spend our money on things we value. We guard against spending money on perceived wants, and instead spend it on what actually adds value to our life. That is a totally personal choice, one unique to you and your family. Just think about what you love to do, eat, experience, etc. and then spend your money there rather than randomly spending money as your whims strike. We value health, so we pay for good food and good running shoes, for example. If a purchase falls in line with a family value, it has a place in our budget. 3. We prioritize our emergency fund. We unexpectedly had to pay for four new tires last Christmas season — a time of year with lots of money flying around. It was painful to pay an unexpected $800 bill, but it didn’t bankrupt us and we didn’t have to throw it on the credit card because we had savings set aside, saving us a lot of stress. 4. We live frugally. This might sound obvious, but we don’t buy brand name. Instead, we opt for generic whether it be food, shampoo, you name it. We shop at thrift stores, I go to garage sales, we buy furniture on Craigslist, and we don’t buy many new clothes. We might not be on-trend every season with the latest fashions, but we make it work. If an item is something we want but don’t need, we don’t buy it. If we can’t pay for it outright without putting it on a credit card, we don’t buy it. I have learned that finances are so much more than what is in your bank account, it is an indicator of how you live your life. And we have also seen that we can still enjoy life while living on a part-time income without going into debt. Sarah is a mountain-loving, dark chocolate-eating, Frank Sinatra-listening, owie-kissing, truth-telling, freelance writer/blogger who seeks out a passionate life with her husband and two kiddos. She writes at The Jelly Jars.
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Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum is hosting a free live online webcast for all homeschoolers (and anyone considering homeschooling) on Thursday, January 22, 2015, at 8 p.m. EST. I’m honored to be one of the guests for the event, along with Heidi St. John and Sarita Holzmann. I’ll be sharing my perspective as a homeschool graduate plus some practical tips for young moms. Register here for the free live webcast and then join us at 25.sonlight.com on January 22, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. EST
Listen and laugh along with other women who are in the trenches – women who are imperfect but love God and love their children and want to use their days in a manner that matters. | 
