Resourceful-Mom

Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps Are Not For Babies

When I first heard about Dave Ramsey, I was a recently divorced mom with a new job.  Needless to say, I was determined to enjoy my new single life.  I was blessed with friends that would support my foolish spending habits, payday loans and shutoff notices that consistently took me by surprise. Murphy visited my home often. Read more…

My own worst enemy

Previously, I shared why experts say we shouldn’t purchase a new car, what I learned through my car buying experience and how well my first experience went. Well, my next car buying experience didn’t go quite as well.  But, like the 1st one, I think it was all in my preparedness or lack there of…. Read more…

Tire size surprise

In my mind, I never paid more than $100 for 4 tires when I owned my ’91 Tercel.  Of course, when I talk to my ex husband, I’m off by about $50 but for 4 tires… that’s still not a bad deal. Years later, when I purchased the ’99 Corolla and had to buy tires, I was shocked when I found that the tires were closer to the tune of $300 than my imaginary $100.   I was so shocked that I practically stormed out of PepBoys on a quest to find a “better deal”.  Well, to my dismay, there was no better deal.  Now, for a woman, it is very difficult to grasp that there is a situation where there is no better deal. Read more…

Life Lessons

If you’re like me, when something happens in your life, you run off to react and then settle back into autopilot until the next big event happens.  Along the way, people more experienced at life try to give you advice about these occasional crisis.  Some of the information is useful, but other pieces mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to you at the time.  Later, when you aren’t busy stomping out fires, you’ll recall bits and pieces of valuable information. Read more…

Paying for your next car

So, you’re in the market for buying a car?  Have you put any thought into how you are going to pay for the car?  If you are anything like me, your answer is “That’s ALL I’ve been thinking about!”   Well, good, let’s run through some of your options: Read more…

Buying the car you can afford

Many times, the car I want (luxury) is a far cry from what I can comfortably afford (economy).  This has less to with the sticker price and everything to do with the cost to maintain the car.

From a car maintenance standpoint, I suggest thinking worst case scenario.  Consider your income and responsibilities when answering this question.  How difficult would it be for you to fix or replace one, or more, of the following?

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Ecclesiastes 1:9 for Moms

While in my very early 20′s, I was told things like “Sabrina, anyone can have a car note”, when my face would light up over a nice car, “It’s not always what you put in your pocket” when my face didn’t light up over a 3% raise on a $20,000 salary and “You do realize you’re grown and you have to take up for yourself?” when I shared with my mother how mean I was being treated by some of the older women at work. Even more recently, I’ve heard “Just keep living” more than I’d care to count. As I have gotten older, the wisdom in all of these phrases have been revealed. I, in turn, want to be as valuable to others as these women have been to me.

We all, at different times, experience situations that we’d rather not have to deal with but Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV) says “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”. For me, this means someone, somewhere has gone through what I am going through and, as a result, they have the resources I need to get through it. As a mom, it’s been comforting to know that there are answers, I just need to find them. Hopefully, you are comforted in this as well.

There’s no I in Mom

Have you ever heard such a phrase? Well, neither had I until I read this post by Kathy Ireland.  It speaks to, not only being a mother, but being a woman and puts great emphasis on taking care of ourselves first.  I quickly identified with the seemingly endless task of trying to be everything to everybody but not feeling like I was ever gaining any traction.

This post inspired me and reminded me of an age old truth that you can’t take care of anyone until you first take care of yourself. Please take a moment to read Kathy Ireland’s “Put your own oxygen mask on first”.

Hope you enjoy.

New to the workforce

Starting in the workforce in my early 20′s meant that I didn’t have many people, in my circle, to give me advice on office etiquette.  Aside from not being able to afford work clothes, other than the basic black interview suit, I didn’t think work attire was very flattering.  So, I resorted to what I knew, which wasn’t much.

At this point in my life, when I see young ladies wearing work attire that would barely fit what would qualify as business casual, I have to smile.  I smile not because I’m amused but because I remember being there as it wasn’t that long ago.  I recall being probably one of the most dependable, quality and production conscious employees always aiming for a better raise and the next promotion but always falling short.  I remember watching others that were being groomed for a next position, seemingly before they were out of training for the entry level job.  And, more than anything, I remember wondering what did management see in others that they did not see in me.

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