Stay tuned for Part 2: Your first view of the office space in need of a makeover

• 5:30 - Picked up Mrs. Scott and the kids to go grocery shopping
• 5:35 - Transmission slips in Van
• 5:40 - Van will not change gears
• 5:45 - Call Mike Fallon to get some quick advice = drive it straight to the shop
• 6:00 - A few phone calls later and Poppa Scott is on his way to meet us at the shop
• 6:15 - Van is at the shop and kids are all transferred to my parents‘ van
• 6:30 - Poppa Scott offers us the van for the rest of the evening to do our grocery shopping
• 7:45 - Call Momma Cromp and see about possibility of borrowing a car for tomorrow = yes
• 8:20 - Done with grocery shopping and on our way to pick up Momma Cromp’s car
• 8:30 - Rushing home with melting baby and melting groceries
• 8:50 - Poppa and Momma Scott come to pick up the van
• 9:00 - Thankful for awesome parents

Today, I’m taking some time to pause, reflect, breathe, refresh.

Upcoming blogs:

• Shopping for Operation Christmas Child
• Our Adventure at Great Country Farm
• New Series: “Operation Debt Zer0″

Stay Tuned!

My thighs, they hurt.  During Kid’s Quest (the kids program at my church), this past Sunday, we sang “I Get Down, He Lifts Me Up.”  There are some great dance moves for this song.  First you get down, then you get up, then you get down, then you get up, then you get down…etc.

That got me thinking about the church service I had attended just moments before.  The most dancing I did during that was some clapping, a little foot tapping, slight swaying, a hand or two raised.  What’s the deal?  Sure, we’ve got drums and electric guitar, but we can’t dance?!  What’s the point of all those instruments then?

It got me thinking a little further, about some groups  and churches that say the Psalms are the only acceptable form of praise (at least to be used in church).  So, my question to myself was, “if Psalms are the only good ones, and David wrote the Psalms, and David danced like nobodies business, then why can’t they dance in church while singing the Psalms?”

I dont’ think I have a solution.  I admit it would be pretty hilarious to see a bunch of adults dancing and doing motions to praise songs when there are no kids around.  But I would love it.  It is so disarming.  That’s why I take full advantage of it in Kid’s Quest now.

Your thoughts?

I participated in The Carnival of Personal Finance this week.  It was hosted by Girls Just Want To Have Funds.  There are a ton of great posts, and if you make it down to the bottom, you can find my post in the “debt” section.

Have fun reading!

Read our past progress updates

September 2008 will go down in history for this section of the Scott clan.

We started the month off with $3500 left on our credit card, the one we lovingly named “Death by Plastic.”  The countdown was closing in.  The excitement level rising.  The pressure was on.

Starting to plan for the future, I stepped out on a limb and asked my manager(s) at Concert Technologies if there were any “extra” things I could do so I could cut back at Wegmans.  I actually proposed doing the cleaning and maintenance at the Dulles office.  I do it at Wegmans anyway, why not do it at a place I’m at for 40+ hours a week.  It turns out there was someone who had just put in there 2-weeks, and they were willing to let me step in to that, at least for the interim.

I really enjoy this new job.  I basically have two full time positions, although one is “asleep” at the moment.   That will revive, though, in the next month when I have to configure 1700 routers.  Needless to say I cut back at Wegmans, and I’m still considering cutting back more.  I hope to continue to do both, especially the new “trouble-shooting/support” position.

September was a busy month in general.  Besides taking on the new position, we had doctor appointments, dentist appointments, a few visits with friends, birthday parties, church events.  The calendar was packed, but we kept our debt the #1 priority.

And it paid off.  As of Friday, October 3rd, 2008 we are debt free!  It has been seven years since we’ve been able to say that.  In nine quick months, we paid off $25,000 in debt, and turned our financial outlook around 180 degrees.  This has possibly been one of the most rewarding 9 months of our lives.  I’ve been overwhelmed to the point of tears too many times to mention.  And it has always been out of gratefulness for what God has done and what he has done through many of you.

Our next baby step in this “Total Money Makeover” is to save 3-6 months of expenses in case of an emergency.  I’ve estimated that to be $6,000-$12,000.  Somewhere in between we’ll pay cash for a second car.  I’ll continue to update you on our progress.  As my Uncle Dan and many others have told us, now comes the real challenge.  We have a plan for the money God gives us so none of it will go to waste again.

And now, for your viewing pleasure:

Learn How To Keep My Word -or- Learn How To Count

100 is a BIG number.  Have you ever tried to come up with 100 ideas for anything?  Have you done it while counting backwards?

Two years is a long time to keep up with something.  So is one year.  So is ten months.

I hope you can forgive me.  I’m pulling up short.  I tried hard, but I just couldn’t go the full 10 months or 100 ideas.

What I’m trying to say is….

WE’RE DEBT FREE!!!!!

Keep the Change

After receiving our gift in the mail the other day, we decided to pay cash for our groceries.  By cash I mean the green stuff.  We always pay with money we have, but usually use a debit card.

My wife pointed out that it was kinda cool.  And since we’re almost out of debt, it was even better because we’re not going to be throwing our money at our credit cards anymore.

We might start paying for everything in cash.  The one thing though, is it has to have a very specific purpose.  Even though “it hurts more” paying with cash, I still could make it disappear faster then a magic trick.

ANYHOO, I’ve said all that already.  The idea I’m trying to get to is, if we start paying with cash, my wife thinks it would be a good idea to take the change (there’s always change) and put it in our piggy (currently the Operation Christmas Child Pig, OCCP for short).  We kinda already do that, but it would happen more often when we pay for everything in cash.  And to tag on another idea here, I think we’ll always designate the piggy for a purpose each month, so we’re always saving for something short term and beneficial to someone else.

Last Call:  Send in your idea for the 100 day debt free countdown!

Mail You Some Cash

Once again we were blessed by Anonymous.  Thank you!  We were shocked when we received the gift of cash in the mail.

Forgive me if I’ve written about this already.  It’s hard to keep track of 100 ideas.

When I’m debt free, I might mail some cash anonymously to people that are struggling or making huge efforts to take care of their finances.  I don’t think the application form will be too strict. ;P

So, if you receive some cash in the mail…it wasn’t me.

Time is REALLY running out.  Send your ideas for the 100 day debt free countdown!