April 3, 2008
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I’m still here… :-)
Hello Fellow Xangers!
I’ve missed posting in Xanga Land! I hope you are all doing well. I’ve continued reading your blogs even though I haven’t been able to respond.
I’ve shared our situation a few times over the past few years so most of you know that our trucking business began losing momentum due to the rising cost of fuel. We finally had no choice but to sell off 6 of our trucks and let our employees go. My son eventually had to find work elsewhere. There just wasn’t enough work to keep him busy. Lots of changes for our family.
Because of our business situation we had to put our house and land on the market. We felt we could no longer afford the high payment. Our home has been on the market for 1 1/2 years. We’ve had several offers which have all fallen through. God has miraculously provided and we stand in awe of His mercy!
My husband and I have worked hard to cut expenses every place we can. I think we’ve made some great progress in that area. Here are just a few things we’ve cut over the past few years:
* 3 vehicles down to just 1.
* $600-800 a month on groceries down to $200.00 a month (since January).
* $89.00 a mo. for cable to $45.00 a month
* $55.00 a month for our house phone to $21.00 a month with a calling card for long distance. We use our cell phones to make long distance calls on the weekend to family members or before 7 in the mornings. We dropped call waiting, call forwarding and unlimited long distance.
* $60.00 a mo. cell phones (for each of us) to $49.00 a month each.
* Eating dinner out 2-3 times a week to eating out 1-2 times a month.
*Going to the movies (husband’s enjoyment) 1-2 times a month to maybe once every 3 months (if even that!).
* My electric bill has dropped but I haven’t actually figured out how much because it varies each month.
* We’ve dropped 3 magazine subscriptions.
*My husband rarely buys his lunch any longer but takes a sack lunch which saves us approx. $100.00 a month.
Even with all these cuts we still do not make enough to pay our yearly property taxes. God graciously provided the money for our taxes through anonymous donations this past year but we can’t be presumptuous and expect others to continue paying our taxes. God has commanded us to work.. not to depend on others to take care of us when we’re able to do so ourselves.
So, back in December, I was offered a few work projects through a friend which helped tremendously. It’s the first time I’ve worked outside my home in over 24 years. It wasn’t too much of a culture shock because I was working in her home and then babysitting her grandchildren. I only worked 2 1/2 days a week and took a month break over Christmas. The babysitting job was supposed to end in April. My husband and I talked it over and he felt that I needed to find something part time as long as we’re in this home. I put in an application at our local bible book store and I got the job. I’m working 3 days a week. It’s enough to cover our property taxes plus pay for our food bill. Thank you, Lord!
My husband and I have struggled over the decision of whether I should leave my home and work part time. Even though my children are grown we still know the value of a woman being home. The amount of time I spend in the Word has suffered and I just don’t have the time to minister in my church the way my heart longs to. I do see this as being the best way I can be a helpmate to my husband at the present time and I know he appreciates it. But, hopefully, it’s only for a season. My husband says as soon as the house sells I’m coming back home.
Lessons Learned!
The Lord has/is teaching me several things through this whole experience.
1. I’ve realized how foolishly we spent our money during our ‘feast’ years. Money that could have been invested in God’s kingdom with eternal rewards.
2. I’ve realized that my trust and hope for our future was in what we owned and not in God’s provision.
3. I’m continuing to learn His lessons of contentment even though our present situation is not to our liking.
4. I’ve learned to trust Him to a greater degree as He has so wonderfully provided for our every NEED (and even many of our wants) over this past year.
etc., etc., etc. (the list goes on and on)
I’m so thankful that our sins and mistakes are never wasted in God’s kingdom. He is truly our Redeemer! Not only in our salvation but in all things as He works them together for our good and His glory! Romans 8:28-29
My faith rests in His promises knowing that He is using every bit of this trial to continue to conform my husband and I into the image of His dear Son.
AMEN and AMEN!
Comments (16)
What a blessing to hear from you again…and to know that you are OK. : ) I appreciate your sharing with us how you made cutbacks and still survived. We all could do with far less than what we think we need. You gave us ideas how we too could better use the finances and blessings that God has provided us with. I will try to come see you at the book store sometime…but will call first. Love you much….God bless you and yours.
Thank you for sharing this update. The Lord has graciously allowed you to learn many important lessons. It would behoove every Christian to begin changing their spending habits now, before the crunch, and investing for that rainy day—investing in the Kingdom, though, not in stocks and bonds and investment accounts.
I appreciated reading this post, and remembered a time in our life when we did everything we could to cut expenses so we could stay in a budget and I could stay at home. That time continues to be a blessing in our lives.
Blessings my friend
Wow! Such an encouraging post! We often never know what others we have gotten to know here are going through. May God bless you all abundantly as you seek to do His will and follow Him!
I so appreciate the honesty of this post~ This subject is something that so many women wrestle with, when times get financially tough, do I or don’t I look for work outside the home. I’m so thankful you’ve shared this; you are a blessing to me and give me much to ponder. Thank you….
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like God has taught you a lot. My husband has had his own business for a long time. We never had much money, but we had 7 kids and I stayed home with them. I learned a lot about how to cut corners, and use up what you have while I was in Africa.
When we came home from Africa we didn’t have a dishwasher or a clothes dryer, and I babysat to earn extra money. God always took care of us. My father died recently and so we were able to build our new house, and we finally have some savings and investments. I hope I always remember to trust God. I think I will, with what the stock market is doing now. We have been able to give more to missions too, which is a blessing and a joy.
PS I can’t think of a better place to work than a Bible bookstore.
I am praising God this morning for His provision for you. You and I have been learning some of the same lessons. This post has been encouraging to me as well. God is so good isnt He??
@MercifulGrace -
My husband and I have talked quite a bit about whether I would be sinning if I went to work. First and foremost we want to please God. We’ve looked at the commands in Titus and 1 Timothy about ‘keeping’ (guarding) the home and managing it and considered the examples in scripture of what the women were doing and did not see any direct commands or examples of women forbidden to work outside their home. Right alongside those commands and examples are many other duties a woman IS to fulfill, also. I’ll be honest.. I’m not sure how a woman with children in the home could do it all. I’m struggling to keep up with just being gone 3 days a week. I keep looking at my neighbor widow lady as I pass by her home and feeling guilty for not finding the time to call, and for not keeping in better touch with the sisters at church and not visiting my mother like I had hoped to. I just keep focused on this just being for a short season and as I said before.. at this time I believe this is the best way I can help my husband.
Georgene, Every time I read your post on xanga I am encouraged. Thank you for posting what God is teaching you and your family during this trying time.
Thank you for sharing this all with us for we can all learn very good lessons from this experience in your life.
Thank you for being a willing vessel to minister to so many daily. I am one lady who life is touched by you every time you post about your life and what God is teaching you through this all. May God richly and abundantly bless you and your family.
God Bless,
CAGmomof2
Georgene, I don’t think I’ve ever commented on your posts, but I just had to this time. Isn’t it wonderful that we can trust in God to get us through the tough times? We went through a similar situation when we went out of the glass business back in 1979 because of gas shortage. But, God got us through it and we survived. My husband even got a better job that gave us a retirement and I did have to go to work, but we were far better off than if we had stayed in the glass business. God knows what he’s doing. Just keep your trust in Him. Ramona
I’ve been thinking about you and wondering where you were. I’ve made a lot of cuts too. Once I was on my own I started learning to budget and it is part of what has helped me to cut back because I can see exactly what I have and where I am over spending. Many things have been reduced in amount as my income has gone down. It’s been a process and I’ve gotten less worried about having enough as I see how God provides. I have continued to give tithes to my church and missions. I feel that is very important. I know you want to be home, but how wonderful that you got the job you did, it sounds perfect. It’s hard to understand these situations that we go thru but they build a lot of faith. It was good to heard from you. God bless.
@Mother_of_Encouragement - I’m sorry I’ve taken so long to get back to you. (I’m still waiting for your reply to my last letter, too! *S*) I went to reply on your website but I can’t find a comment link. Have you taken it off?
Blessings to you for sharing.I think regardless of our financial status,God has called His children to be frugal.(something I need to work on).I like the saying,live simply so others can simply live.
I am in total agreement and know how it feels. I have had to take on babysitting due to our finances but would prefer not to do it. My husband now works at 4 different jobs (2 of them he is training in and 2 of them are actual work) and this is to help us pay off bills incurred while we were overseas. We pray that the Lord will allow us to pay off those bills sometime fairly soon so I don’t have to continue working but we shall see what happens. Thanks for sharing.
Well, there you are! I’ve wondered what you’ve been up to! It sounds like we are on similar paths for this season of our life. God is so good and gives us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him. He has given me LOTS of grace for this season and I’m so thankful!
Havce you settled into a church family? How is that going?
GREAT to hear from you! Keep in touch!
Georgene