He did what?!?

So far I’m really digging this book! I like the practicality of it and that nothing is based on theory. Because we all know everything in theory “is perfect”. Kind of like me….I was the “perfect” parent until I became one!  

Anyway, there are many stories in this book (like the power point presentation Rachel Cruze gave her parents about how working and going to grade school would ultimately kill her! Hahaha….true story people!)  that are worthy of discussion and I will at some point. But this is the story about Daniel Ramsey (youngest of the Ramsey tribe) and how he saw his two sisters save money for their car and confirmed that the 401Dave car match did indeed work! So he saved $12,000 by the time he was 16! Now you have to read the book to get all the details behind this story but ultimately and although Dave did match dad, he told him he was not getting a $24K car….too much car for a 16yr old. This worked out for Daniel anyway because the car he really wanted was a $14K car. Now, this is what’s so fascinating about the story, Daniel had $10K sitting in the bank and after learning that Peru, which he had visited as part of a missions trip, had a massive earthquake, Daniel….a 16yr old decided to give all $10K away!

Now get this….this is a 16yr old that is probably into cool gadgets and maybe would even like to get every single Apple product available out there! But no….he decides to give it all away to charity.

This is an amazing story and it shows the power we have as parents to either raise selfish children that live in a bubble or children that are in touch with the outer world and know we are only STEWARDS of this money for ultimately it ultimately belongs to God!

Therefore, as a mom….I not only want to teach this to Gracie but I want to also model this. I want to show her that as stewards of God’s money our family has a responsibility to manage money well and again be the hands and feet of Jesus by helping those that are less fortunate or just bless someone just because we can!

So….my husband and I decided that now that we are out of debt and are almost done cleaning up our financial mess (by beefing up our emergency fund) we want to maybe on a monthly basis or every two months (not sure on the timing) take trips to the grocery store or gas station and spot someone who looks like is in need and just bless them by either filling up their tank or buying groceries! We want our children to grow up in this kind of environment so they too can serve people by giving their time, talent and treasure!

If you’re interested in learning more about the book go towww.smartmoneysmartkids.com.... Presales are going on right now! They also have a sample of the first two chapters!

My first blog!

So…I decided to start a blog! I’m not the best grammar “guru” out there but dang it I like to write!

What trigerred this idea? Aside from the fact that I do like to write….recently I was very honored to be invited to be part of a launch group for the new book coming out on April 22^nd called “Smart Money Smart Kids” by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze. Now, for those of you who know me, you know I’m a big Dave Ramsey fan…probably because I’m a very logical person and therefore a big fan of common sense! If you know me, you also know that a few years ago we started a journey to become debt free which we just recently accomplished, except for our house….still working on that (our journey will be a separate topic for another day!). To us this was a VERY BIG deal! Why? Not only because we no longer want to owe anyone any money but because we want to change our family tree!

That’s where this new book comes in! Have you ever wanted to do something but don’t know how and you meet that one person that has exactly what you want?!?!?! Well, wouldn’t you want to ask them how they got there? Precisely! Sure, Dave Ramsey has some things I would like: wealth, financial knowledge, the spine to tell people things like they are….but for me the most important is…..ready? a family that gets it! Yes, a family that can make a difference in this world by doing things differently from the world. That’s what my husband and I want! We want our little girl and any future children we have to make wise financial decisions and never get into debt…but rather build wealth so they can GIVE like no one else. We want our family to build wealth so we can be the hands and feet of Jesus and help that single mom struggling to keep the light on because she recently lost her job and her husband has decided going to Vegas or buying a new car takes priority over child support….help that family whose dad recently lost their job and can’t look at his kids in the eye to tell them this year Santa forgot to make a stop! That’s the kind of thing that makes my heart skip a bit and gives me chills!

This is why this book excites me….it will guide me as to how I can make sure my child or children don’t make the same stupid money mistakes we made….guide me as to how I can help them give and spend wisely regardless of what their natural tendency is.

 

To end this post….I’m very lucky to have received a free copy of the ebook before it’s actually released so expect future posts related to that!

For more information on the new book to to www.smartmoneysmartkids.com

This is the face the encourages me to be a better person everyday and challenge the status quo