George Beverly Shea Turns 100

Enjoy dessert. Even if you make it to 100 years of age, life is short. I’ve heard from several people that Bev Shea loves to enjoy his dessert and looks forward to it.

Take a chance. Bev Shea started out working in an insurance agency. He had a secret passion for music and decided to move to Chicago to work for a radio station and pursue his dream. Shea took a risk and a leap of faith.

Don’t do it for the fame. Bev Shea never thought of himself as a performer. He sings with one purpose: to glorify God. He’s recorded 60 albums, been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and received ten Grammy nominations. But it’s obvious that Bev Shea has never done any of his work for the fame or money. It’s always been about spreading the Gospel.

Remember your blessings. Bev Shea calls his North Carolina home his “Reader’s Digest Home” because he was able to purchase it with funds from a project with Reader’s Digest. His home is filled with momentos and gifts from the people he’s met throughout his travels. They all remind him of blessings the Lord has given him.

Cherish close friends. Bev Shea has maintained close relationships with many people. His friendships with Billy Graham and Cliff Barrows span decades. He’s constantly telling stories about the people he loves and lifting them up in prayer.

You can be a part of Bev Shea’s birthday celebration by leaving him a birthday wish. They will all be delivered to Bev Shea as a thank you to his life of service and ministry.

Mmm... Starbucks

To tell you the truth, I’m writing this post from my neighborhood Starbucks while sipping on a grande apple chai tea. And it tastes so good. The drink cost me $3.02 and I don’t feel a drop of guilt after purchasing it. The place has been packed since I arrived. Grandma’s are knitting. Mothers are socializing. And two other ladies are typing away on laptops.

I think in the stress of this bad economy it feels good to continue normal indulgences. Life is meant to be enjoyed, even in tough times. We need our caffeine kicks. I’m not sure why Starbucks is always the target on tip lists about saving money. Plenty of people go to bars and drop just as much on a bottle of beer they could buy at the grocery store for $1. Or what about those scrapbookers– shouldn’t we tell them to stop their hobby in order to save money? Of course not.

It’s important for all of us to continue to do what we love, as long as it’s not hurting our families or our financial survival. Don’t feel guilty about doing what you love. Just make up for it in another way. Cut a few coupons or switch to a cheaper insurance carrier. I’m going to keep sipping this lovely drink and enjoying the atmosphere at Starbucks. Oh by the way, there are now seven people in line waiting for coffee!

A mom who welcomed the arrival of octuplets this week has six other children, her mother told the Associated Press. According to the mother, her daughter never expected to have eight more children when she took fertility treatments. The babies’ mother told doctors to keep her name confidential. The good news is, all the babies seem healthy. The difficult part will be making sure all of the babies stay that way.

What would you do if you suddenly had eight more mouths to feed, eight more kids that need diapers and formula and clothes? Although very little is known about this family, odds are the thought of caring for all of those children will be a little overwhelming. Here are a few ideas.

Don’t be so secretive. When media camped out in front of the grandparents’ home, the grandfather told the media they won’t be able to find the babies once they are released from the hospital. “We have a huge house, not here,” the man said to the Associated Press. He would only identify himself as Ed. “You are never going to know where it is.” Rather than see the media as evil, the family could view them as a tool. People love to hear stories about healthy babies. Let the world have their good news and share in this joy with you.

Try a reality show. It worked for John and Kate Plus Eight. The Gosselin family has a set of twins and a set of sextuplets. The California mother four children, ages 7, 6, 5 and 3, and 2-year-old twins,according to reports.

Write a book. Again, this is another idea that worked great for the Gosselin’s. Their book, Multiple Blessings has been topping the bestseller charts for weeks.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When a friend of mine had triplets after already having one little girl, she knew it would be tough to make ends meet. So she wrote letters to big companies, asking if they would be willing to give her any freebies. She received diapers and formula, plus many valuable coupons that helped her family get by.

The entire family has spent the last two weeks battling the common cold. It may have cost a small fortune in facial tissue costs, but in the long run the bills will be better because of the cold. To help reduce the amount of coughing at night, I have slowly turned the thermostat down to 67 degrees. As long as the husband keeps thinking his chills are related to his body and not the actual temperature of the house then the low setting should remain.

We need all the help that we can get this year. The cost of heating our home in winter has slowly gone up in the past, but this year it was compounded by the rise in energy costs. The last bill was enough to set my husband off on a “turn off the light” kick and I almost confessed what I was doing to lower the energy costs, but I decided to leave him thinking that the lights made the difference – any thing to keep him from realizing the air is down.

Little things can make the difference. Running the washer and dryer at night – to help heat the house, keeping curtains closed and even closing off sections of the house are all ways to lower the heating costs in your home. Or you could just wait until everyone is sick and then turn down the heat when no one is paying attention – that works too.

Poetry has never been my strong point – especially that kind that doesn’t even rhyme. It might surprise you to discover that some of those “poems” can be worth big bucks and that is just one way that your random thoughts can bring in the cash.

1. Greeting cards – many greeting card companies are looking for sappy poetry that will bring a tear to the eye of the giver and receiver and some even pay up to $300 for your work of art.

2. Shirt companies – somebody has to come up with those catchy sayings that are covering the bodies of so many consumers. Each catch phrase has the potential to earn you around $100.

3. Recipes – who knew that your famous chicken dinner could be worth its weight in gold? The National Chicken Cooking Contest pays the winner a nice prize of $50,000 and there are so many more contests out there that can be equally profitable.

4. Forums – there are a number of companies that pay people to go out and post comments on different forums around the internet. The income may not be huge, but if you can talk for 15 words on a subject then you can write a lot and make enough for an extra evening out each week.

The more you look around the more you are going to discover that someone somewhere is probably getting paid to write, create or come up with that idea that you just noticed.

Tax season has arrived. Most people fall into one of two categories– you either dread it or you despise it. But just because you may be forking over more money to Uncle Sam, doesn’t mean you have to pay lots of money to figure out just how much. There are lots of discounts on tax preparation software and services. Here are a few that I dug up.

* Check out Buy.com for discounts on tax software, tax books, and calculators.

* Turbo Tax will help you file your Federal income tax for free. And if all you need is a 1040EZ form, you can do that for free as well.

* H&R Block is offering $20 off tax preparation. Just fill out this online form and they’ll give you a coupon to use. Simply print it out and take it into an H&R Block near you.

* Save 15% on Tax Cut products from H&R Block. Plus you can file up to five Federal returns for free.

* Get your finances in order for tax time with Quicken software and downloads. Their products are $20 off right now.

* Receive $15 off tax preparation services at Jackson Hewitt with this printable coupon. The coupon is good until the end of 2009.

* Here is another coupon for Jackson Hewitt worth $20 off tax preparation services. This one can also be used at Jackson Hewitt kiosks found in participating Bi-Lo grocery stores. The coupon expires April 30, 2009.

DVDs

DVDXpress

If you have a Bi-Lo grocery store near you, check out the DVDXpress. It’s like a vending machine for movies and they’re only $.99 a night to rent. Through the entire month of February you can get a second movie for free with the coupon code VALENTINE.

RedBox

Other grocery stores, Wal-Marts and McDonald’s have RedBox video rental machines. Renting a DVD here is also only $.99 a night, but if you sign up for their e-newsletter they’ll give you a code for a free rental. You can also sign up for text alerts and you’ll get a free movie every single Monday night!

Online

There are also lots of websites that have free movies available for you to watch on your computer. Check out FreeMoviesCinema.com, Vidloft.com, and Hulu.com.

Library

My library carries lots of new releases. I reserve them online and when they become available the library sends me an e-mail. I pick it up from the branch near my home and I’ll have the DVD for a week before I need to return it. It’s a free way to get some high quality entertainment.

Super Bowl

Stick to the Staples

Hitting up the grocery store this week? You’ll notice just about every Super Bowl staple is on sale– chips, soda, and hamburger. Stick to those simple items and save money. Nobody is expecting fancy meals and decadent desserts. These finger food recipes all have five ingredients or less.

Make it a Potluck

Friends won’t mind bringing some dip or 2-liters of soda to the party. They’re just thankful you’ve offered to host it. Ask them to bring a few easy items they can pick up on the way to the party. You’ll save time and money.

Get Crafty with Decorations

This year the Arizona Cardinals take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Print off the team logos and make your own banners. Pick up streamers and table cloths in team colors. It’s a low-cost way to add team spirit to your decor.

Make a Game out of the Game

Not everyone is a football freak. Make sure the party is super fun for those not in to the super bowl. Ask party goers to vote for their favorite commercials each quarter. Or have a half-time competition and give the winner a prize from the dollar store.

Trim the Guest List

The easiest way to save money is by trimming your guest list. Fewer people drink less and eat less which means you’ll spend less!

Yesterday we went out to dinner at Cracker Barrel. Three small children in that restaurant is NOT a good thing. There are just too many things to get into. I was blessed that they waited until we were on our way out before saying the words all parents dread, “I want . . .”

The stuff that they wanted was either giant candy, nick knacks or other items that are not needed (and definitely not wanted) around the house. Does anyone really need a 10lb Sugar Daddy?

The answer is no – and it was for us last night. Even though the kids brought their own money we still said no to the purchases that they wanted to make. It is important that they understand how to make wise purchases with the money that they have to earn.

It takes practice to be able to say no in these situations and it also takes hearing the words to make the kids accepting of the word. Start practicing with yourself and it will be easier for you to use it with the kids (and the kids will be more likely to accept the change if they see a change in you first).

I’ve been a money-saving maverick for a while now. I realize some of my tactics may seem a little nutty, but hey, I’m debt-free, I’ve got an emergency fund and money in the bank, so it can’t be that bad, right? I share a lot of ideas for pinching pennies on this blog, but here are a few that may seem a little more extreme.

I write what I paid for food on the box. Open my cereal cupboard and you’ll see everything from $1.33 to $.01 written on the box lids. I guess I do it because it encourages me and I see it as proof that I’m winning this little game of saving money.

I just add water. Juice can be expensive and way too sweet. So I make it go further by filling half of my glass with water and the rest with juice.

I refuse to pay full price. Shopping online may take me longer than the average person. Before I click “purchase” I not only comparison shop, but I Google coupon codes, and use sites like Ebates.com to make sure I’m getting the best deal. When it comes to restaurants, I use my Entertainment Book to pick a place to eat out. And I certainly never pay full price at the grocery store.

I’m always selling something. Winter isn’t so good for yard sales so I use Craigslist and Ebay instead. Sometimes it takes a while to unload something on Craigslist, but when I get a buyer it’s like a mini-windfall of money that I wasn’t expecting.

I juggle prescriptions. I almost always transfer my prescriptions to take advantage of gift card deals at various retailers. I even transfer my dog’s insulin prescription to cash in on deals. This week I’ll transfer a prescription from one grocery store to another just to get a free $25 gift card.

I keep track of people crazier than I am. This person has vowed to spend only $750 THE ENTIRE YEAR on groceries. This husband and wife committed to spending no money through the entire month of January except a few dollars on milk.