Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately – I took a little time off from writing and now I’m ba-aacckkk!

We have an incredible opportunity to go to Orlando next month, so I’m researching ways to have an awesome family vacation on a budget. I’ve always said that to me being a good steward means living the very best life you can on the resources you have, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of fitting this unexpected blessing into our budget. I’d love any tips you can share!

I’m sitting here watching a Tivo’d episode of “Extreme Couponing” where a seemingly very unhappy woman is having a coronary over whether her 60 hours of couponing labor will yeild $1,000 in groceries for $55. Her haul included a ton of sugar-sweetened drinks and sodas, cookies, crackers, cake mix and 28 tubs of cream cheese.

*sigh* No wonder people look at me like I’m nuts when I recommend they try couponing.

I posted on Facebook recently different levels of couponing and savings, but I wanted to elaborate here in a manageable amount of detail how you can save a lot of money with coupons without a ton of effort. Now this is just me, but I save a ton of money every week with coupons and I’ve never spent 60 hours couponing in a month, let alone in a week. That’s craziness!

So let me use an example of my shopping trip to Target yesterday to show you how with minimal effort, you can save a lot of money on the things you buy (things you actually NEED, and I don’t think anyone needs 28 tubs of cream cheese!)

So just for giggles, let’s say you get two copies of the newspaper coupon circulars each week and you scan your mail, e-mail and Facebook for any bargains that happen to fall into your lap. When you go through those coupons and offers, you only clip out the coupons or save the offers for items you KNOW you will use, spending about 15 minutes a week on that minimal amount of effort.

So with that tiny bit of time investment, here’s what you could have done yesterday:

Cottonelle bathroom tissue on sale for $10.99, $1 off peelie coupon on the package. You get two.

Viva paper towels on sale for $10.99, you have a $1 off coupon. You get one package.

Your favorite brand of coffee is $4.99 and NOT on sale, but you’re out, and you have a coupon for $1.50 off 2, so you get two.

Hubby is out of razor blades. A 4-pack is on sale for $5.99 and you have a $4 coupon. Score.

And you’re just about out of laundry detergent (that’s cannot happen) so you pick up a jumbo jug of Tide on sale for $17.99 and you have a $2 off manufacturer coupon plus a $2 off Target coupon (yes, you can use both) from the paper.

So if you had paid regular retail prices for those items, you would have paid about $88.93 plus tax. Not too terrible for a Target run. But hey, you can do better than that, right?

So after sale prices, your total comes to $66.93. You saved $22 – or a whopping 25%! – just for picking up items on sale. But for a return on your time investment of 15 minutes this week plus pulling off a couple of peelie coupons, you also have another $12.50 in savings for your coupons, bringing your total down to $54.43.

As the informercials say, “But wait, there’s more!”

You have another coupon from the paper that gives you a $5 Target gift card back when you spend $25 on Kimberly Clark products (such as Cottonelle and Viva, ahem). And because you “like” Target on Facebook, you also got a link to a printable online coupon that gives you a $10 Target gift card back with a $50 purchase.

And if you pay with your Target Red Card debit card (of which I am a huge, huge fan) you’ll get 5% off your remaining total of $54.43 saving you another $2.72, bringing your final pre-tax total down to $51.71. If you count the $15 you’re getting back in gift cards, you’ll pay $36.71 for $88.93 in stuff you really needed, a savings of 60%. You used only 9 coupons (two of which you got in the store) and you didn’t labor over web sites or other stuff for hours on end.

You can do that, right?

Support companies that support the Wounded Warrior project AND save money! Downloadable coupons here: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/believe-in-heroes.aspx

Click on the “savings” box to access the coupons. There are some really good, high-value coupons here!

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all who have sacrificed and served.

I know what hard times look like.

My grandmother raised me on her modest income and while we never went without, the limitations of the monthly budget always loomed large. And as an adult, due to my own immaturity, selfishness and must-have-it-now mentality we got ourselves into so much debt that in order to pay it off we had to life like paupers for several years even though my husband and I both made good salaries. There were times when after the bills were paid, there was no money left over for gas, groceries and diapers. Not fun.

And yet, as the economy now crumbles all around us (at least according to what we hear on TV) we’re having a great year financially at the Streater house. You can have a great year financially at your house, too, regardless of what’s happening in the economy, in the real estate market, or any where else. Here’s how:

Live on less

No matter how much you make, you should always live on a little bit less. We Americans tend to think we DESERVE little niceties like lattes and new clothes because we work so hard. Actually, you DESERVE to have some money in the bank to handle life’s emergencies.  Make your coffee and muffins and home and put that $10 in the bank. It may not sound as fun as hitting up Starbucks to chat with a friend, but over time, that money adds up to big savings.

 Don’t get ahead of yourself

It’s part of our culture to get things NOW. Want that new TV? Put it on a credit card! Want that new furniture? Sign up for 90-days-same-as-cash financing! Credit cards aren’t inherently evil, but most of us use them way too often and use them to finance purchases we otherwise could not afford. It’s okay to buy things you want, like a new TV, just wait until you have the CASH to pay for them so you can enjoy them without worrying about the bills.

Look for ways to save on things you buy

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of couponing. Everyone needs to eat and we all buy food, why not buy the  same food you would by anyway for 60-80% off? It takes a little time, but we “make” $500-$1,000 a month in grocery savings and food, toiletries and household items that we get for free after store sales and coupons. It’s a little time consuming (3-5 hours a week) but on a good month, that adds up to an hourly payoff of $50 an hour. My regular job doesn’t pay $50 an hour, does yours?

You can apply the same principles of diligence and tenacity to your utility bills (look for leaks, unplug appliances, etc…) phone and internet bills, wireless phone bills, even your mortgage, by shopping around and looking for a great deal to refinance your loan. Or if you’re a renter, offer to do some repairs on the house in exchange for a break in your rent. You’ll enjoy the benefits of the repairs AND the savings!

Be resilient

Lots of people are out of work right now, and that no doubt causes financial hardship. But it doesn’t have to sink your ship. If you’re a hard worker you can always find a job, even one you create yourself. It can be humbling to rake leaves and wash cars when you used to make $50,000 a year while working in a nice office, but if you are out of work and haven’t been able to find another job, take a leap and do the thing you’ve always wanted to do. One of my dearest friends just got her real estate license (yes, even in THIS economy!) simply because she’s always wanted to. She’s already sold two houses while working full-time as a newspaper reporter. You go, girl! Two more friends have started restaurants (yes, even in THIS economy!) simply because they’ve always wanted to. I’m a big believer that if you work really, really hard and do something you truly love and are truly good at, the money will follow. Don’t worry about the J-O-B and go after the L-I-F-E and forget all the reasons people will tell you why you shouldn’t. They’re only holding you back because they’re scared themselves.

Maintain a positive attitude

Almost every time I teach a financial class, at the end there are 2-3 people waiting for me wanting to complain that NOTHING I suggested will work for them and here’s why…

Ugh. Whining never helped anybody.

If you’ve decided you’re broke, you’re always going to be broke and that’s just the way it is, guess what: You’re going to always be broke and that’s just how it is. There is nothing I or anyone else can say or do to help you change that if you’ve accepted that’s how it’s always going to be. When we had more than $100,000 in credit card debt, the number of people who told us our situation was impossible and that we should just give up and file bankruptcy FAR outnumbered the people who said, “You can do it!” Guess what? WE DID IT. It was a ton of hard work and sacrifice but we did it. And in that process, I got a career change, learned how to manage money in a ninja-like fashion, discovered we can survive with only one car, became an expert coupon-clipper and money saver and established what my true values in life really are.

That experience is worth far more than $100,000. We lived lean and continue to do so and you can too. You’ll be all the better for it!

Want some budgeting tips, money-saving ideas and concrete ideas to help YOU win with money? Join us this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Penrose Library in Colorado Springs ( http://bit.ly/sKOdj7 ). I’ll be teaching a class in partnership with Colorado Springs Utilities and you’ll leave with dozens of ways to improve YOUR bottom line. See you there!

Yes, I’ve been off the blog for awhile. More on that later, but in the meantime, I’m back, full of lots of thoughts of various quality and degrees of helpfulness.

Today, I’d like to share how my kids are helping to nudge me out of a comfort zone. (Kids are good for that if you haven’t noticed.)

I love my three boys and their sense of adventure. And yesterday, for some reason, the twins got it in their heads that they wanted to try lobster. Scott and I decided it would be a good idea to let them try it so for dinner we headed to, where else, Red Lobster.

Because I tend to think about the budget before I think about the fun, I searched the menu and determined that the most inexpensive way to get lobster for my 7-year-old twins (hey, I never had lobster when I was 7!) was the petite lobster tail on the kids’ menu, $8.99. Ding!

But wait – Kendall and Addison wanted to pick a lobster from the tank. They wanted aWHOLE lobster ($28.99 – zoiks!) brought to the table intact and steaming.

I started to say no then did some quick math. As the waitress was explaining that the smallest full lobster is a pound and a half (that’s including the shell) I asked the size of the kids’ lobster tail. Five ounces. So two kids’ tails totals 10 ounces and a pound and a half would be 24 ounces minus the weight of the shell – I was doing the math out loud at the table to myself and Scott figuring out what would be the better deal.

Then I looked at Kendall, who had his head cocked at me sideways like a confused little puppy dog and it hit me: Regardless of what I ordered or what kind of deal I got, I WAS RUINING THEIR LOBSTER WITH MATH, OVERTHINKING AND JUST GENERALLY BEING A CHEAPSKATE.

*sigh* I am a work in progress, my friends.

We ordered a full lobster dinner for the twins and the kind waitress took Kendall and Addison to the tank to pick out their dinner. Cole supervised. We had a great time. We spent a lot on dinner, of course (Cole, Scott and I got shrimp – yum!)  and Addison realized he LOVES lobster and Kendall realized he loves it not so much, but he loves, loves, loves to try new things.

And I got a good reminder that as long as you’re paying cash and you don’t do it very often, it’s okay to just shut up, stop doing the math, and order the stinkin’ lobster.

Kendall and Addison have a great story to tell their friends at school on Monday and I got a good lesson that it’s not always worth stressing out yourself or your kids over a $10 difference between choice A and choice B.  But clearly my angst paid off just a little bit – the sweet waitress let me use TWO $4 off coupons.

Picking the lobster from the tank

Of course they wanted to pet it first…

Here’s their dinner bidding us farewell, which made me very sad.

We got some help getting the meat out of the lobster.

Kendall, enjoying his dinner

Cole preferred playing with the claws, but he did try a bite

And Addison had the most fun of all playing with all the parts.

It’s been a rough week for America. Monday saw the sixth largest single-day drop in the stock market EVER. Unemployment is still up. Wars still range on and 30 of our nation’s finest were killed in Afghanistan. Our debt rating has been downgraded for the first time in American history and our elected officials seem to think the answer to our nation’s economic woes is more spending, more spending, more spending.

Gas prices are up. Food prices are up and continuing to rise. Unemployment rates do not seem to be improving and interest rates have no where to go but up. I don’t mean to be a negative Nelly here, but it ain’t pretty. Complaining about it won’t do any good, but it IS time for all of us to get busy.

I don’t think the sky is falling and I don’t think it’s the end of the world as we know it, but I do think that it is prudent for all of us to take some precautions and be smart about every nickel we spend right now. Here are my suggestions:

1. Take care of your health NOW. Get a physical for yourself and everyone in your family and stock up on any prescription medications that are needed. Aim for a 3-6 month supply if at all possible. Health insurance may not cover all of that, but pay out of pocket for it if necessary. If there’s a minor surgery looming on your horizon or especially a major one, take care of it NOW. If you lose your job, you lose your health insurance. Take care of your teeth too. I know too many people who neglected their dental health while they had dental insurance, only to lose their jobs then have major dental needs. Dental work is expensive. Take care of things now while it’s relatively easy.

2. Have three months’ worth of food and household needs. If you did lose your job or if there was a huge spike in inflation, having food stored is like money in the bank. Food prices have had the largest price increases this year than in the past three decades. Don’t ignore that. Buy the things your family needs when they’re on sale. Stock up. Keep a list of everything you need and how much you should have on hand, then get busy.

3. Have an emergency fund and plenty of cash on hand. Save, save, save. Add up everything you simply have to pay every month to get a baseline of minimum monthly expenses. For example, if you lost your job you would have to pay the mortgage, utilities, car payment (hopefully you don’t have one) and buy food and gasoline. You could, however, stop making credit card payments and cut out cable, cell phone and activity fees like sports, gym memberships, etc… Take your minimum monthly expense number and multiply it by three. That’s the least amount of money you should have in savings. Add $1,000 to that – you should have $1,000 in cash (small bills) squirreled away at home just in case. I know that sounds like a lot of money, but look at it this way: If you knew you would lose your job 9 months from now and that it would take you six months to find another one, would you be able to do whatever it takes to get that money put away? Of course you would.

4. Put off discretionary purchases. Now is the time to be conservative. Retailers are likely going to start offering big markdowns this fall to encourage healthy spending for Christmas. Say no. Stay out of stores so you’re not tempted. Stick with your old TV and resist the urge to update your wardrobe. Make do with what you have. Curb your spending now as if you were unemployed so that later if you are, it’s not such a shock. All of us buy too much stuff anyway, so go on a spending fast for non-necessary items.

5. Declutter and raise cash by having the mother of all garage sales.

6. Start looking for alternative income sources. What else could you do to provide for your family? Have some ideas of other companies you would like to work for and start making contacts now when you don’t need a job. Get specialized training for a different skill set that could help you find another job more quickly. Give up some nights and weekends and be prepared to have alternative streams of income. Get creative. Also, know how vulnerable your current job is. How healthy is the company? How vital is your position? How vital are you? Are you working hard and doing your best to be indispensable to your employer? If you have a good relationship with your boss, now is the time to have a deep conversation about the real outlook of things where you work. Don’t stick your head in the sand and be the last to know the ship is sinking.

7. Know where to go for help. Where is the unemployment office in your area? What forms do you need to fill out and what would you need to bring with you? Would you even qualify? (You may not, especially if you work for a non-profit.) How much would you qualify for? Even if, best case scenario, you get the maximum amount you qualify for, how long would it take for the money to start coming in? And make a budget for your family with unemployment as the income source. How does that look? Could you make it work? Find some friends who have been through this process and ask a lot of questions about the process and how long it took before the payments started and how long those payments lasted.

8. Keep your home and cars in tip-top shape. Take care of repairs, both major and minor. These are not things you want to have to worry about if your income dries up.

9. Pay off your debt. I know, this one goes without saying. But if interest rates spike (likely) your already uncomfortable debt is going to get downright unmanageable overnight. Reap the benefits of that spending fast from #4 and direct as much cash as you can toward paying off debt. The only thing that should not direct funds away from debt repayment is your savings. Savings first, debt payoff second. And once the debts are paid CLOSE THE ACCOUNTS. Close the door on debt for good.

10. Pray. Pray when times are good, pray when times are bad. Don’t be afraid – have faith. God is our provider. But God does expect us to be cautious and prudent, and to prepare for tough times ahead.

There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders all he has. – Proverbs 21:20

 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, the simple pass on and are punished. – Proverbs 27:12  (This is also found in Proverbs 22:3. Must be important! )

 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. – Ecclesiastes 11:2-5 (NAS)

 He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. – Matthew 5:45

All this to say, you probably won’t lose your job, but knowing the answers to these questions will give you peace of mind and help you be ready just in case, or it will help you help a friend who does end up unemployed.

I’ve been saying for a couple of years now that this recession is the best thing that could have happened to America. But to be more specific, it’s the best thing that could have happened to Americans.

Think way back to 2005. We shopped for entertainment, spent everything we made and then some, dined in restaurants every chance we got, bought way too many unnecessary electronic gizmos and bought more clothes than we could wear in a decade then threw most of them into trash bags and hauled them off to Goodwill because they no longer suited our tastes or no longer fit thanks to the restaurants.

Don’t you wish you could have just a little bit of that money back?

Well, you can’t but you can start over. You can start saving up NOW. You can give first, save second, and never again spend a dime more than what’s left over. And look at how things have already changed:

- Couponing is so hot it has spawned a reality show and, unfortunately, some nutty behavior, including the arrest of a woman accused of stealing coupons from a newspaper vending box. (You can read the whole story here: http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_Blotter_0629.4093b4eec.html)

- Debt is a four-letter word. It always should have been, but now as we see what debt as done to America, we can better grasp what it does to us individually as Americans.

- We’re becoming more conscious about excessive consumerism and waste. I can’t tell you how many times just this week I’ve read the depression-era saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make do or go without.”

It’s time for all of us to rally behind the good old-fashioned concept of THRIFT. We should get what we need at the lowest possible prices. We should pay cash for everything. We should have fun, but in moderation and in keeping with our incomes. We should forget once and for all about impressing others and do what’s right for our own families and our own bottom lines. We should be generous. We should be savers by default. We should always be hunting down a deal without turning into cheapskates (or resort to stealing coupons.)

Instead of obsessing about what’s new, what’s hot and what’s in fashion, we should think about what we need, what we really value and what our priorities truly are. Thrifty is the new black.

Instead of whining about the economy, it’s time for all of us to grow up and harness the skills our grandparents and great-grandparents learned by default during the Great Depression. We will be all the better for it if we do.

As usual, my breakthrough this week came at lunch with my friend Carol. Scott and I had decided NOT to try to go to Italy for our 15th wedding anniversary because of the cost. There just seems to be better things to do with the money.

Carol thinks we’re nuts because life is short, we haven’t done ANYTHING fun for ourselves in, oh, many many years and because we’re tired, worn out, losing our joy and not taking enough time for each other.

Most of you know my grandmother raised me and Nana was a party girl. She loved to travel, shop, have fun and eat out as often as possible. She believed that credit cards were part of God’s provision and to be honest, she wrestled with credit card debt her whole life.

The other major player in my childhood was Auntsie, Nana’s closest sister. They looked alike, laughed alike and loved alike but financially, Auntsie was the opposite of Nana. Auntsie scrimped and saved, NEVER bought groceries without coupons, ordered only water in restaurants and was known to take an extra baked potato off the buffet and stuff it into her purse for the next day’s lunch. That woman put the thrift in thrifty.

My whole life, Auntsie dogged Nana for never having any money. And Nana dogged Auntsie for never having any fun.

Carol pointed out that before we hit the debt wall (more than $100,000, thank you very much) I was very much like Nana. Then when we started our stewardship journey and for the past seven years since, I became like Auntsie. Penny pinching, overly cautious, even fearful.

“Can’t you find a happy medium between the two?” Carol asked me. “Can you find a way to be the best of what each of them taught you?”

Lightbulb!

I don’t think I could ever stop being thrifty after what we have been through, but I do believe it is time to relax and have a little fun. I encourage my clients to have fun, shouldn’t I do the same for myself and for my family? (Although believe me, NO ONE in this house is suffering.)

Scott is still really not sure about Italy. He’s suggesting a long weekend in Vegas or San Francisco. I’m starting to think that since we actually have the vacation time available and can pay CASH, that we go, but go wisely and conservatively.

So what do you think? Should we go? Should we do something shorter, cheaper and closer to home? Should we stay home and clip coupons? And how do we strike a balance between having money and having fun?

So…. when I got home tonight I realized that in my haste to get this research done I came up with the MOST BORING TITLE EVER for a document: Biblical foundations for frugality. Geesh! Why don’t I just hand out plain boiled rice and wool underwear while I’m at it? It’s SOOOOOOOOOOO bad I decided to leave it. You know, for posterity. :D

Here are the notes for tonight’s Squirrel Savers group, the couponing/stewardship/save-money-any-way-you-can group I’m hosting at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. I didn’t go over this line by line, but I do hope that everyone who is interested in this topic will do some research on what the Bible says about what we’re doing. Because everything we do should have a purpose, and that purpose should line up with what God is doing in us, through us and around us. If we’re just doing this to be cheap, what’s the point?

Squirrel Savers- Biblical foundations for frugality

July 27, 2011

Amie Streater- astreater@newlifechurch.org

We must make saving second nature

On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. – 1 Corinthians 16:2

There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders all he has. – Proverbs 21:20

We must prepare for lean times ahead.

A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, the simple pass on and are punished. – Proverbs 27:12  (This is also found in Proverbs 22:3. Must be important! )

Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the sourth or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. – Ecclesiastes 11:2-5 (NAS)

He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. – Matthew 5:45

We must be diligent.

Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. – Proverbs 6:6-8

Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good. – Ecclesiastes 11:6 (NAS)

We must be wise.

Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. – Proverbs 24:3-4

We must pay attention to what’s going on around us and in our homes and finances.

Know well the face of your flocks; and pay attention to your herds. – Proverbs 27:23

The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. – Proverbs 27:26

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish. – Luke 14:28-30

Only Americans can fix America. Here’s my two cents’ worth, in the form of 11 things every American can do to improve our own lives, our families, our communities and our country:

11. Turn off the TV and pick up a book. We, as a collective of people, have fallen into a bloated state of self-induced ignorance. We know who the American Idol finalists are but have no idea how far we’ve slid into utter debt bondage to China, dependence on foreign oil and recklessness in our own nation’s economy.

10. Spend on things that matter. Stop eating out and save up for that roof that needs replacing. Do a great job maintaining your car and forego the designer jeans. By your kids good experiences and less stuff. Declutter. Buy only what you need. Buy good quality so things last. Cheapest is not always best.

9. Never use it all up. Always have extra cash on hand. Always have plenty of extra food. Have bottled water on hand, at least a weeks’ worth for every family member, plus pets. Squirrel away for a rainy day, always.

8. Learn how to be self-sufficient. If you’re snowed in and the power goes out, can you cook without electricity or gas? Could you feed your family? What about food contamination (remember the e-coli outbreak in eggs?) Can you manage without certain staples for awhile? Could you hole up at home for a month if you needed to and be okay?

7. Vote and be vocal. Demand financial stewardship of your elected officials. Pay attention to what’s happening. Know what you believe, issue by issue, and why. Don’t vote according to party lines. I promise you’re not 100% Republican or 100% Democrat, your beliefs will be a blend of those two and many other convictions that don’t line up with either. Party politics are a diversion for people who don’t pay attention and don’t know any better.

6. Read your Bible more than you watch the news. Have faith that you are in the palm of God’s hand. Seek to do His will every day. Don’t be afraid, God is in control.

5. If you still have living relatives who lived during the Great Depression, pick their brains. You may have the opportunity to implement their wisdom sooner than you think.

4. Save money. Save money. Save money. Then save some more. Try to have at least $2, 500 in cash in small bills at home, plus at least another $2,500 in the bank. You can do it – just stay out of Starbucks, stop calling Pizza Hut and limit trips to the grocery store. You’ll have the money before you know it.

3. Live below your means. If you make $5,000 a month, you better be living off $4,000.

2. Be generous. Help others. Share what you have. Tithe to your church and support causes that mean something to you.

1. Get going! Give 100% to your job. Or give 100% to your job search. Think positively and believe with all your heart that God intends the very best for you, because He does. Defeatist thinking never helped anyone. Get out there and get busy. Give your best to whatever you do and the results will take care of themselves.