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Financial Mistakes in our Newlywed Days

February 5, 2012 by   Erin

Image by epsos.de

by Erin Odom, Contributing Writer

With a new year always comes new talk goals, whether it be for your spiritual life, your health, or, for many people, your finances. Thankfully, besides our house, our family doesn’t have debt.

But while we haven’t used credit cards since we were married nearly 7 years ago, there are still plenty of mistakes we made in our newlywed days. I hope you can learn from our mistakes!

1. We didn’t live on as strict of a budget.

Yes, we actually did live on a budget–even in our newlywed days. However, our budget left LOTS of room for eating out and entertainment (far more than we could ever fathom now!). If we had chosen to simply eat out one less time per month (or week!), we could have tucked that money aside for when we started a family. Now, we rarely eat out–because we don’t have the extra money in our budget to do so.

2. We didn’t save my salary.

What? Am I suggesting we should have saved my entire salary?! Yes, I am! My husband and I have both said many times we wished we had done so. We were young and naive in this matter, and we truly thought our income was modest at the time. Even though we both only worked full-time for one year (he then went on to seminary and worked part-time at our church, while I continued to work full-time), that one year could have put a HUGE, huge dent in our savings account. We were both teachers, and we were bringing in twice the amount of money we have lived on ever since. This is one of our biggest financial regrets. 

3. We would have rented an apartment and/or home longer.

We started out renting a home owned by some of our friends. We ended up buying that home when they decided to sell it. It was 2006. No, we had no idea the market would crash just two years later, but we also should have thought through that our down payment was very little and that it would take us a very long time to pay the house off.

In retrospect, we should have rented longer, so we could have saved more of a down payment, which would have us owing less now. We currently owe more than the house is now worth, and it’s a sickening feeling. We had to move for several reasons and have tried selling our home unsuccessfully for almost 4 years. We’ve been through 3 renters and are currently seeking a new renter or buyer. No matter what happens, we will lose money on this one.

The house is a two bedroom with no garage–not the best investment. Three (or more) bedroom houses sell much better. If we are ever able to buy another home, we will stick to one with three bedrooms.

4. We would have taken Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University Class and read Barry Myers’s From Debtor to Better eBook.

Ramsey’s class goes far beyond setting up a budget. It talks about insurance, investing, paying of debt, and much more. Barry, hubby to the famous Stacy of Stacy Makes Cents, just came out with his eBook. I’ve been able to preview it, and let me tell you: He’s the next Dave Ramsey! If you can’t afford to shell out the cash for the Dave Ramsey class (it’s a little pricey), do your family a favor and buy Barry’s book. You won’t be sorry!

*I have included an affiliate link in this post.

What are some financial mistakes you made in your newlywed days? What did you learn from your mistakes?

Tagged categories: Blog

   
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Real Food Doesn’t Have to be “All or Nothing”

January 10, 2012 by   Erin

Image by sasha 

by Erin Odom, Contributing Writer

I must confess: I’m an all-or-nothing person. When I decide to do something–whether it be cloth diaper my child, achieve a natural birth in a hospital (shocking!) or blog, I go at it full force.

But it can be to my detriment. Why? When you think everything has to be all or nothing, you can burn out easily. And when you realize you really cannot do it all, frustration sets in.

Making the switch from the Standard American Diet to a real-food lifestyle is no different. If you go at it full force, you may burn out, give up and frustrate yourself. 

If you’re new to this whole real-food thing, sit back, relax, and take things slowly. (I started all this more than 3 years ago, and it’s been one baby step after another. And there are still many aspects of the real foods lifestyle that my family cannot attain.)

So if you’re an all-or-nothing person like me, how do you avoid that during your switch to the real foods lifestyle?

Image by vikush

1. Start Slowly

If, up until now, your meals have consisted of frozen processed meats, canned creamed soups and sides of boxed mac ‘n cheese, don’t expect to go straight to raising your own chickens, milking your own cows and making your own pasta from scratch. Doing so would be like setting yourself up for failure. Instead, start out with baby steps. Quit buying processed meats, attempt at making your own soups–with store-bought milk–and use real cheese and whole wheat or rice pasta to make your own mac ‘n cheese. 

Image by vassiliki

2. Get a Real Foods Buddy

If none of your friends or family eat real foods, you may be in for an uphill battle. Seek out a friend who wants to make the switch with you–or, better yet, is a few steps ahead of you and can mentor you along. Your friend doesn’t have to be in person. I have gotten to know some great real food friends through blogging that have been a great encouragement to me.

3. Take an online real foods course.

GNOWFGLINS is a blog and e-course that teaches real foodies one step at a time. Some of the courses are even free!

4. Read real food books and cookbooks and choose one new recipe or step to take each week.

I’m currently going through Stephanie Langford’s Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time eBook. In fact, I decided I wanted the accountability, so I’m also leading a Facebook group to keep me accountable in accomplishing the steps in the book that I haven’t yet achieved.

5. Trust God to provide.

Part of my frustration has come when I realize my family truly cannot afford to go 100% “real” right now. My state outlaws the sale of raw milk to humans. Sure, I can drive an hour to the state line to get some, but I’d have to pay for gas (and we all know how cheap gas is these days!) and $7 per gallon on top of that. That’s just not in our budget right now. I’ve heard over and over from others, “We cannot afford NOT to invest that in our health.” But here’s the thing, some of us (me included) don’t have the money to invest. If you don’t have it, you just don’t. Trust God that He knows your needs and will supply exactly that.

So, go ahead, dive into the real foods lifestyle–just don’t dive head first! :)

How do you keep from becoming frustrated when you can’t achieve all you want in the real foods lifestyle?

Tagged categories: Blog

   
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25 Things about Erin from The Humbled Homemaker

December 7, 2011 by   Erin

Today, we’re getting to know Erin a little better. Here are her 25 things!

1. I love Jesus! 
2. My whole family (me, my hubby and two girls) all have red hair. I’ve never dyed it, but I probably will when it starts to turn gray. :)
3. I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person. I work best under pressure and tend to procrastinate.
4. I’m learning that #3 is not very conducive to mothering, when I need to have me and the girls ready to be out the door. I’m working on it.
5. I tend to lose things and have been known to lock me and the girls out of the car and house.
6. I was a goody-two-shoes/teacher’s pet and my high school valedictorian. My teachers didn’t realize I really just crammed at the last minute. (See #3.)
7. I’m a bookworm (or should I say blogworm?). My parents said I always had my nose stuck in a book. I remember making my sis hold the flashlight under the covers of our shared bed, so I could read late at night.

9. I hate to dust, and I am not a natural cleaner. I’m easily overwhelmed by loads of laundry and loads of dishes.

10. My favorite movie/literary character is Anne of Green Gables. I’m also a huge fan of Little Women, Pride and Prejudice and anything else in that genre.

11. I always thought I would be a foreign missionary. I did spend some time in that role, but I never once thought I’d be living back in my hometown at age 31.

12. From age 17-28, I traveled (mainly on mission trips) to Scotland, England, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Peru, China and several countries in Africa.

13. I lived 1 year in Costa Rica. It’s where I met my husband. It was amazing. 

14. I used to speak Spanish fairly fluently, but I haven’t used it very much in the past 3 years. Now I can say “hola.” ;) (Ok, maybe I can say a bit more.)

15. My college majors were journalism and Spanish, and I minored in English. 

16. I worked as an ESL teacher before I became a mommy.

17. And I still write for several local newspapers. 

18. But I’ve fallen in love with blogging. It’s so much fun!

19. My girls are named after my grandmother and my husband’s grandmother. My oldest is also named for my dear childhood friend who went to Heaven in 1999.

20. My 3-year-old thinks “privacy” is a piece of candy. When she visits me while I’m using the bathroom, I ask her to give me some privacy. “But, Mommy! We already ate all the privacy!” she says. 

21. I have two children, 3 and 1. I very rarely use the bathroom alone–or take a shower alone for that matter. 

22. But I know these years are fleeting. So I’m asking the Lord to help me treasure these times of babies wrapped around my feet. 

23. Hmmmmmm….Que mas? (That’s Spanish…beyond Hola). I love vegetables. And fruit. And cheese.

24. But I don’t like meat. Nope, I love real food, and I know meat is real food, but I haven’t eaten beef since I was 10 or pork since I was 5. I know. I’m weird. I serve it to my family. I just don’t eat it myself. (My husband thinks it’s because my parents slaughtered our pet cow when I was 10, and I didn’t know until I was halfway through with ‘ol Cupcake turned {hamburger} Patty. I do eat poultry and fish!)

25. I hate to shop. Absolutely.hate.it. I even procrastinate going to the grocery store. Please just give me a book, and I’ll sit in the car and read. I literally did that as a kid, as my mom and sis shopped. I know. I’m a bore. :)
Thanks, Erin!
Tagged categories: Blog

   
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Coconut-Cranberry Peanut Butter Truffles

December 3, 2011 by   Erin

By: Erin Odom, Contributing Writer

The holiday season has officially begun and baking of all kinds of delicious treats has commenced as well. But you don’t have to be a master baker to make yummy candies for your family. Who says making holiday truffles has to be hard work?

Chock full of seasonal cranberries and rolled in “snowy” cononut, these super easy raw peanut butter truffles are sure to please your guests–and save you time in the kitchen.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup natural (or homemade) peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1 cup chopped coconut, divided
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

 

Method

1. Combine peanut butter, honey, 1/2 cup coconut and dried cranberries. Place in fridge to harden for one hour.

2. Once hardened, scoop out teaspoon-sized portions and roll into balls.

3. Roll balls in remaining 1/2 cup coconut.

4. Let balls harden in fridge for another hour–if you can wait that long!

These truffles are so easy that even the newest of real foodies (like myself!) won’t find making them a chore.

This recipe is one of 22 holiday treats recipes in Healthy Holidays: Slightly-Indulgent Sweet Treats, a free eBook some other blogging friends and myself put together for our RSS/e-mail subscribers! Check out my blog, here, to find out how to get your own free copy! 

Interested in some other holiday treat recipes? Check out these yummy allergen-free pumpkin spice donut holes or this probiotic pumpkin dip!

For even more real food dessert recipes for this “season of sweets,” check out Kate’s Treat Yourself: Real Food Desserts eBook and Katie of Kitchen Stewardship’s Smart Sweets eBook.

What’s your favorite holiday treat to make for your friends and family?

Tagged categories: Blog

   
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31 Real Food Baby Steps

November 12, 2011 by   Erin

by Erin Odom, Contributing Writer

Today is my 31st birthday. I have NOT been eating real food for 31 years. In fact, I very much still consider myself a real food newbie—just like many of you.

A newlywed friend recently asked me about some simple steps she could take to start eating better. I went back to my newlywed days—almost 7 years ago—to remember how we ate then compared to how we eat now.

And I came up with 31 baby steps to give to the newest of real foodies! I hope this helps those readers just starting out! And if you’re an old pro, feel free to pass this list along to your newbie friends and family.

1.     Switch from white rice to brown.

2.     Switch from boxed mac ‘n cheese to making your own. It’s not hard—and it tastes so.much.better!

3.     Switch from instant to homemade mashed potatoes. Again, it’s not hard, and any extra time it tastes will be well worth the much improved taste! I’ve tried some fancy versions, but my hubby’s favorite is still the simple potatoes+milk+butter+salt version.

4.     Switch from canned to frozen fruit and veggies. Feeling extra daring? Switch to fresh, in-season produce! (You’ll get bonus points if it’s local and organic!)

5.     Switch from white sugar to a healthier sweetener, like sucanat, honey or real maple syrup.

6.     Switch from white flour to whole wheat flour. (Later, try out other flours like spelt, almond, coconut or even try grinding your own and sprouting your flour!)

7.     Switch from processed meats to unprocessed meats.

8.     Switch from enriched pasta to whole wheat or brown rice pasta.

9.     Start reading ingredient labels! Avoid any ingredients you can’t pronounce or understand. If you can’t picture the ingredient itself, that’s a bad sign.

10.   Avoid high fructose corn syrup like the plague. It’s BAD. See #5 for alternate sweeteners.

11.    Avoid soy. It’s a hormone disruptor. Here’s how I avoid soy.

12.   Make your own pasta sauce.

13.   And your own pizza sauce.

14.   Switch from margarine to butter. Feeling extra daring? Try coconut oil! You can get it here or here if you can’t find it in your local supermarket.

15.   Stop drinking all sodas and processed beverages. Drink water instead! Hey—it’s free!

16.   Switch from skim to whole milk. Get bonus points if it’s organic—and even better if it’s raw!

17.   Start avoiding GMO foods, like corn, canola, soy, cottonseed oils, etc.

18.   Miss using canned creamed soups in your favorite casserole dishes? Just make your own!

19.   Make your own spice blends.

20.   Make your own baking mixes.

21.   Start buying cage-free eggs. (Even better? Buy them from a local farmer!)

22.   Start using in-season produce, so you don’t have to rely on canned or frozen selections.

23.   Make homemade applesauce. Most store-bought versions contain HFCS (and you want to avoid that like the plague, remember?). I make my own in the crock pot. Easy peasy!

24.   Make your own peanut butter.

25.  Thanksgiving’s coming up. Why not try making your own pumpkin puree—using your crock pot!

26.  Switch to plain yogurt. You can sweeten it yourself with fresh or frozen fruit or honey. Feeling extra daring? Make your own.

27.  Make your own chicken stock—from a whole chicken you’ve cooked yourself! Or, just make your own vegetable stock.

28.  Cut back on desserts. Have a sweet tooth? At least try making healthier versions from Kate’s Treat Yourself eBook—or Katie of Kitchen Stewardship’s upcoming Smart Sweets.

29.  Read Kate’s Real Food Basics—and start implementing her tips!

30.  Read Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It’s got a TON of info. (not all of which I implement), but it’s worth the read.

31.  Read Healthy Homemaking by Keeper of the Home’s Stephanie Langford.

I hope these baby steps will help get you started!

Do you have any baby steps of your own to share?

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