Live On Less, Save Up More: Frugal living, Better Eating, More Giving

No Plan Day

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:12:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, one Saturday, we had a 'No Plan Day' in our household. We decided not to plan any social hangout or day trip, but to spend the day taking care of our overall finance.

C.J. and I sat down together and did what we call 'finance check-up'. We don't do this for fun. It's not fun at all. Going over how we've been doing in saving, giving, investing, and spending, we sometimes get quite tense and sharp with each other.

However, we do this because it's very good for our soul. For us, this check-up time is like doing a deep-cleaning of the house. It's a stressful and agonizing process, but when it's done, we feel so relieved to know that things are in order and that there is no little mouse eating away a corner. More than anything else, when we keep our finance in order through this check-up time, we have such a peace knowing that we are staying accountable to God with His money.

We try to have this No Plan Day a few times a year, instead of once a year. In that way, the amount of work and stress involved is not overwhelming, and also we get to keep track of our annual budget and make any necessary adjustment through the year.

TAPO

On Passion

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:07:00 +0000

Do you love your job? I recently met two people who love what they do.

The first person is Rachel Coleman, the creator of Signing Time series. Just for fun, C.J. and I had started exposing (I don't like using the word 'teaching') Elisha to sign language through DVDs that we found at the library. We randomly picked one DVD, and it happened to be Signing Time. In this DVD series, Rachel teaches American Sign Language in such a fun and exciting way that even C.J. and I often get lost into it while showing it to Elisha.

After a while, I started wondering how Rachel had started learning ASL and how she makes learning ASL so fun. Then, one day, I happened to watch the special features section of one of the DVDs, where Rachel gave the answers to my questions. When Rachel's daughter, Leah, became one year old, Rachel and her husband found out that she was profoundly deaf. That's how Rachel started picking up ASL. Then their second daughter, Lucy, was born with spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Lucy learned to sign and eventually to speak, and proved her doctors were wrong.

Rachel has the firsthand experience of what sign language can do for children with special needs. Also, she feels that it's her mission to promote sign language among hearing children as well so that they will grow up thinking of signing as normal. That explains the passion and earnesty that I see in her in those DVDs.

The other person is C.J., my husband. Well, he did NOT like his previous job where he had worked for about 11 years. C.J. worked to pay the bills - nothing more than that. Right now, he loves what he does as a Government Negotiator. When he was offered this position, as the job was so different in nature from what he used to do before, he hesitated quite a bit. However, C.J. is thoroughly enjoying his 'saving taxpayer's money' work, and I am thrilled to see him loving what he does for living.

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. Ecclesiastes 2:24

TAPO

Not on FB

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:55:00 +0000

People keep asking me if I am on Facebook. No, I am not. As of now, I don't have a plan to go Facebook. There is no "noble" reason. It's just that I know I can't handle it responsibly. I know I will neglect my priorities Facebook-ing...lack of discipline.

TAPO

Debt Tolerance

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:09:00 +0000

Ha, Obama government did it. They raised national debt ceiling. And I loathe it.They found an easy way out - easy for them....which is heavy on the back of honest, hard-working people and the future generation. Now Mr. Obama will be remembered as "the president who got us into deeper debt".

Obviously, S&P is not as debt-tolerant as Mr. Obama, since they lowered U.S. credit rating right after the debt ceiling was raised.

If I can't afford to buy a new car, I would buy a used car. If I can't afford to buy a used car, I would take a bus until I save enough money to buy a car. All because my debt tolerance is very, extremely low. I might have allergy to debt.

Both in America and here in Korea, I see many young people taking out loans with no second thoughts, just to get a new car or to live in a bigger house. By the way, here in Korea, right now the interest rate for a loan is around 7-8%.

I have a friend who once had $30,000 debt in college. It was not a school loan. It was a credit card debt. She loved shopping, eating out, traveling - all done with a few credit cards in hands. When she accepted Jesus into her life, one of the first things she wanted was to become financially clean and responsible.

After talking to our pastor, she moved out of her apartment and moved in with an old lady, who hired my friend as her caregiver. Salary and free housing - she was already able to cut huge part of her monthly expenses. Then she stopped eating out. Between classes and her new job as a caregiver, she didn't have time to go out any longer.

She paid off the $30,000 debt in two years.

What is your debt tolerance? Does the word 'debt' make you cringe? Would you take out a loan or would you downgrade your life style?

Any government, like any family, can for a year spend a little more than it earns. But you and I know that a continuance of that habit means the poorhouse. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932

TAPO

Your Money Counts

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:34:00 +0000

Reading this book was the very first assignment for our Crown Financial Ministries class back in Summer 2008. C.J. and I still refer to this book to make decisions on our finance.

As I see the current economic turmoils going on in the States, I am so thankful that C.J. and I are living by the sound, biblical guidance we had gleaned from this book.

Do you want to do something about your finance, but don't know where to start? Are you worried about the pandamic economic fails? Do you want to clean up your financial mess? Or do you simply want to know what God says about money? I can't think of a better book for you than this one.

I hope you will be convicted, challenged and changed forever by reading this book.

TAPO

Don't Mess With TAPO-man!

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:21:00 +0000

Don't we too often minimize what a simple 'asking' can do?

Last week, we made a flub with our finance! Of course, we fail once in a while, just like everyone else. However, one thing that we do which most people don't do is we try hard, very very hard to minimize the damage.

Two weeks ago, we opened a new savings account and transferred most of our money from our checking account to this new savings account. Last Thursday was C.J.'s payday and our credit card payment was withdrawn on Wednesday. Even though the credit card payment was scheduled on the same date as payday, due to the time zone difference between US and Korea, it didn't work as we had planned.

So the bank charged us for the overdraft and the credit card company charged us a hefty finance charge. Now, we had two options: too tired and therefore succumb to the giants,or ask for forgiveness and see what happens.

Well, C.J. decided to be the man and fight for it. We thought if we could get at least some of the charges waived, we would be grateful. C.J. politely explained the situation to both the bank and the credit card company, and asked for a favor.........And, to our surprise, both of them waived ALL charges!

I am so proud of C.J. that he has the gut and willingness to "try", instead of giving up without trying...That's the true TAPO-man.

TAPO

Conduit of Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:26:00 +0000

A few months ago, C.J. got a bonus from his work. As it was an unexpected, surprise income, I thought we were going to tithe, spend little bit to treat ourselves to a nice dinner, and save the rest of the money. However, God obviously had a different plan for that money.

C.J. suggested we support a friend who was leaving for an one-year missions trip, and he also wanted to donate to a few missions organizations including Japan Tsunami relief fund. After giving to those people/organizations, we still had some leftover from the bonus, and I was looking forward to spending and saving the money for US now. Oh well, that was not God's plan, though.

A few days later, we found out that CJ's old friend passed away from an illness, with his wife and newborn twins left behind. C.J. wanted to help out the widow raising the twins, and we decided to donate to their scholarship fund.

By that time, we gave away more than what we got from the bonus! I was about to complain to God: "God, I didn't get to touch even $1 of that bonus money!" That's when God whispered to me, "Hyuna, I gave you the money so that I could bless those people in need." God used us as the conduit of blessing, and we are more than excited to be used for His work.

TAPO

Economy of Hand-me-downs

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:16:00 +0000

Can someone guess how much C.J. & I have spent for Elisha's clothes? By the way, Elisha is almost 14 months old now .............................. Well, we spent $15 for her clothes so far!

We were able to do it thanks to people who cheerfully gave away their children's old clothes. They gave us not only clothes, but also socks, shoes, hats, swim suits, bath tub, potty trainer, toys...all kinds of baby stuff. We wash and clean them and they are good to go!

I understand that some people do not like using used stuff for their children, but we don't mind it at all. It not only saves us a lot of money, but also helps us keeping ourselves from spoiling our only child with materialism.

Whenever I see a cute baby dress in a store, I do get tempted to buy it. However, knowing that Elisha has enough, actually, more than enough clothes to wear for the next two years or so, I can easily snuff that desire. So in a way, it puts a restraint on me as well.

Well, if you want to get rid of your kids' stuff, we are more than happy to take them!

TAPO

Snapfish 35% off

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:59:00 +0000

When it comes to gifts, I like either very practical (such as socks!) or meaningful gifts. This year, I decided to give custom-designed calendars for my sister's family and my mom. It was quite a bit of work to collect a few pictures from each month of the past year, but it turned out to be the most meaningful & practical gift. Getting 35% discount for the order made it even sweeter!

Go to Snapfish and use coupon code MERRY1201 to get 35% off of your total order.

TAPO

Time is Money

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:20:00 +0000

In my pre-baby years, I used to work two jobs: full-time audiologist during the day and part-time ESL instructor during the evening. I thought I was crazy busy then. However, now that I've become a full-time mom, I find mothering an infant is much more work than working two jobs!

When Elisha takes a nap, literally every second counts for me, because I never know how long is her nap going to be. She can wake up in five minutes or in a few hours. As soon as she falls asleep, my mind starts spinning, going through the mental list of a dozen things-to-do.

Most of the things are related to housework. However, some of the things on the list are directly or indirectly related to saving/earning money: disputing over service charge on a bank account, searching for used baby items on craigslist, listing items on craigslist to sell, filing healthcare claims, searching for a more affordable health insurance plan, logging in daily spendings, updating bankbooks, etc. As I struggle not to be negligent of these responsibilities, I often have to remind myself that 'TIME IS MONEY'.

TAPO

Free Samples from Walmart

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:40:00 +0000

Don't forget this week's free stuff from Walmart. I just ordered amples of a new Crest toothpaste, and Garnier moisture cream & shampoo. Click HERE to snag yours.

TAPO

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:14:00 +0000

Food Storage Chef Online, a company which sells high quality gourmet food storage products, is currently offering up a FREE sample. Well, they don't specify what kind of sample it is, but I requested mine anyways. Click HERE to request yours.

(Thanks, it's hip to save!)

TAPO

Money = World's Greatest Stress Agent?

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:03:00 +0000

An interesting survey result caught my eyes the other day. Reader's Digest conducted a survey asking people from 16 different countries one simple question: What stresses you the most? Most of the 150 participants chose money as the number one reason for stress.

So, what are you stressed about?

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33, NIV)

TAPO

Free Potty Training Kit from Pampers

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Now that I have become a mom, I am always in search for baby products on sale or for free. Today I found out this free potty training kit. Hurry and get yours today. Thanks it's hip to save!

TAPO

Shoes under Lifetime Warranty

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:35:00 +0000

If you bought high quality shoes (mostly of well-known brands) in Korea, they come with lifetime warranty. However, the perk comes with a very high price tag. A pair of nice shoes costs usually twice or sometimes three times more than what they cost in US.

Since my feet are very small (US size 4.5), most of my shoes are bought in Korea where it's much easier to find small-sized shoes. Of course I feel bad that I have to spend so much money for shoes. So, to get the most for the money spent, I make sure to take a good care of them, and that's where that lifetime warranty comes in handy. A lot of my shoes are over 10 years old, but they are still in great shape, because whenever I get the chance, I take them to the store and have them repaired and polished. My mom jokes that if everyone in Korea were like me, all the shoes stores would have to close their business.

This past weekend, CJ got a new pair of very nice dress shoes. My mom, who is the master 'deal finder' informed me that men's high quality dress shoes are on sale for $50 at a major department store. So, CJ went shoes-shopping with my mom and found a great deal: a pair of Guy Laroche shoes which goes normally $300! They were only $50, and, in addition, the lifetime warranty came along as well. What a steal!

TAPO

Free sample of Pampers UnderJams

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:04:00 +0000

My daughter is still too small for this, so this free sample of Pampers UnderJams will most likely go to my niece. Click HERE and get yours!

TAPO

Saving One Income, Living On the Other Income

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:30:00 +0000

This is one of the challenges we took to our heart during Willow Creek's Good Sense workshop. CJ and I have briefly talked about this topic when we were engaged, but at that time, CJ didn't seem to think it's possible to live on one income. His such response was pretty understandable, because, at that time, after paying for his tuition, he did not have much spendable or savable income left.

Despite CJ's doubt and not-so-enthusiastic response, we have been working toward the goal ever since we got married two and a half years ago. During the first 12 months, we weren't able to save as much as we wanted because of CJ's tuition for his MBA program. However, we put into a savings account as much as we could even during that time. When CJ finished his schooling, we increased the monthly savings with a goal amount of money which we want to reach in one year. We kept pushing the limits, and before we realized, we were saving and investing almost one whole income.

Now that I am staying home with our baby daughter, I am very grateful that CJ and I have been well-trained to live on one income, that we can live contently with only one income. Actually, even now living with only one income, we are still saving quite a portion of it!

Consider saving as a game, a game with yourself. See how far you can stretch and save. It is often said that when it rains, it pours. How about building a safety net while you enjoy the saving same?

TAPO

I am back!

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:53:00 +0000

Ta-da(h)! Baby girl Elisha Bae Lee was born on June 4, 2010, and after three months of rigorous Korean style postpartum care, I am back to my blog. Five days at the hospital, three and a half weeks at a postpartum care center, and two months at home under my mom's supervision - that's how I spent the past three months. If you are not familiar with Korean style postpartum care, it simply consists of eating gallons of seaweed soup, lots of sweating, no cold food, drink or shower, and lots of sleep. I know it sounds pretty barbaric, but I didn't take a shower or brush my teeth for 8 days! Postpartum care center is like a retreat center for new moms and babies.

One good thing about living in Korea is that health care costs much less than the USA, and also it's much easier to see a doctor in Korea. With CJ's new job, we are paying about $5,000 a year for BCBS health insuracne plan for our family of three. So far, this year, we spent about $6,000 for health and dental care and BCBS reimbursed most of it. Oh, another good thing about Korean health care system is that their billing system is SOOOO much simpler and easier to deciper than the one in USA. Well, I will save discussing about different health care systems for a later posting.

Anyways, I am glad to be back!

God on Our Side - Matthew 25:12

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:37:00 +0000

Morning sickness continues during this last month of pregnancy. I had to go into ER again last weekend due to non-stop coughing. Whew....I'm almost there and soon there will be no more barfing!

These past few months, I have been writing about what happened to C.J. and myself during the past 8 months, especially in financial area. Now I would like to share what we learned: AM I A GOOD MANAGER?

Again, we realized that Matthew 25:12 is so true; that God gives to those who handle His resources responsibly and faithfully. If you were the master, who would you entrust with your finance, someone who has a track record of being wise and responsible with money or someone who does not know where his money is being spent.

Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! (Matthew 25:12, NLT)

Having experienced how God has met all our needs during the past tough, very tough 9 months, C.J. and I are at peace about us becoming a one-income family as we welcome a baby into our family.

TAPO

God on Our Side - Door Opened, Door Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:09:00 +0000

On 2009 Thanksgiving weekend, big news arrived in C.J.'s e-mail inbox. The e-mail was containing a job offer from the Department of Defense (DoD) to work in Korea for three years. Initially, we thought it was a spam mail, but after confirming over the phone with the actual HR person who sent the e-mail, it wasn't a joke any more.

C.J. had been applying for DoD jobs since early 2008, and this job he was offered was one of the many positions he had applied for in May 2008. We were excited, but I wasn't sure if the timing was right, because at that time, I was on bed rest due to severe case of morning sickness and was not sure if my body could handle the trans-pacific move. However, as it was something that we had been asking, seeking, and knocking for a long time, we decided to accept the offer.

Then, about a month later, we found out that C.J.'s then-current job would not be available from February 2010! At that time, C.J. had been working as a contractor for the City of Chicago for three yeras. However, obviously the City of Chicago union filed a complaint two years ago asserting that the work C.J. had been doing should be given to a union member, not to an outside contractor like C.J., and the union won the job. Of course, C.J. did not know this was happening all those years, so when he heard the news, it was a shock not only to him, but also to his company.

Whew....what could have happened if C.J. did not get the job offer from DoD? What could have happened if we decided not to accept the offer? Insurance, mortgage, baby....How would we have handled all the expenses?

Realizing how perfect the timing was, C.J. and I could not stop praising God. I still remember telling CJ how overwhelmed I was by His work.

TAPO

God on Our Side - Maternity Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:42:00 +0000

It was October of last year that God started stirring waves in our quiet lives in Chicagoland. After noticing some unsettling symptoms, we found out I was pregnant. It was amazing news! However, soon we realized we didn't have maternity coverage. Out of negligence, we were still carrying the same health insurance we had as singles and didn't purchase maternity coverage. I started having severe morning sickness which left me debilitated. However, without maternity coverage, I didn't dare to see a doctor. That was mid October.

In two weeks, C.J.'s company started accepting renewal/new applications for employee health insurance. Until then, it was our understanding that in the state of Illinois, it takes one year of waiting period for the maternity coverage to become available after enrollment. However, we found out that BCBSIL's policy changed in October 2009 to waive the waiting period for new applicants!

We enrolled for the new insurance which became effective on November 1, 2009. I saw a OB/GYN doctor on November 3, and was admitted to ER on the same day and then hospitalized for the next three days for malnutrition and dehydration. The bill for the ER visit and hospital stay came about $80,000, but most of it was covered by the new insurance and we paid only $90.

Looking back at the three weeks gives me goose bumps all over. What could have happened if we didn't have the insurance? What could have happened if BCBSIL still required the one-year waiting period for maternity coverage to become available? We could have either damaged my and baby's health or ruined our finance. God's timing couldn't have been more perfect. I may sound obnoxious, but I do see God's hands diligently working for us in BCBSIL's policy change that happened in October 2009.

TAPO

It's Been a Long Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,

I apologize for having disappeared for the past 5 months. God has been doing amazing things in our lives in such a speed, so I haven't been able to make time for anything other than taking care of our basic daily needs. It's been a crazy 5-month, but C.J. and I witnessed 'God on our side' in every step we took. For the next few postings, I plan on writing about how we experienced God's faithfulness during that period, especially in financial area. I hope our testimony will encourage you in your journey toward financial freedom.

Blessings,

TAPO

Time to Splurge

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:41:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, C.J. and I took YJ out to Blue Man Group show. We wanted to do something very special for YJ's birthday. After much brainstorming, I decided if it were not for this special occasion, none of us would ever have a chance to go to Blue Man show. Especially, I doubt that the TAPO couple would dare to go to such a pricey show on their own without a serious excuse.

The show turned out to be great and we all had much fun. Most likely, it will be once-in-a-lifetime experience to all three of us, and the fact that we were able to share the experiece together meant a lot.

It was a very fun and meaningful evening. I have to say it was one of the best splurging's we have done.

TAPO

Until Death Do Us Part

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:32:00 +0000

I like to use things until they become unusable. I still use the leather purse which I got in 1995. My infamous backpack with wheels was purchased in 2002, the same year when this laptop computer was bought. Shoes are worn until they become unrepairable.

The mouse that I use was a gift from a friend of mine. I believe it's only about 4 years old. It's functional and I have no problem with it. However, C.J. insists I need a new one, a cute one like the Plumberry Mouse in the picture above.

C: Honey, come here. I think you will like this. Isn't this mouse cute? I'm thinking about getting this for you from eBay.

H: Let me see...it is really cute. Then, is anything wrong with my mouse? Is it not working? It was working fine yesterday...

C: No... your mouse is working, but it's not fun. I want you to use this cute mouse.

H: Hey, I am as happy as I can be with my mouse.

C: You know what? Also, there is this little crack on the side of your mouse...here, see?

H: So, is it not functioning because of the crack?

C: No...but...

H: I'm going to use this mouse until it goes dead.

C: Then, how about this? How about if I get this Plumberry one for your Christmas gift?

H: Well, I can't let this old one go until it does not work any longer. How about if you get me the Plumberry one when my old one dies?

C: ....Ok, we'll do that.

C: Honey?

H: Listening.

C: Are you going to keep me until I die?

H: Of course!

C: Are you going to get a new husband if I die first?

H: It depends...Are you?

C: Hmm...I think I'll eventually remarry. But, I'll miss you a lot, though.

H: (duh?)

TAPO

To Give or Not To Give?

noreply@blogger.com (Hyuna) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Every year, we receive many letters from friends asking for financial support for their short-term or long-term missions trips. Whenever we receive them, we take our time to discuss whether we have to give or not and ,if we decide to help, how much we have to give.

Not long ago, we received one of those letters from a couple whom C.J. has been friends for many years. They were going on an overseas missions trip for about 10 days and asked for support.

C.J.'s response was 'Of course we have to give, because they are my long-time friends!'. However, my response was very different: 'They've become my friends as well, but knowing that they are not responsible with their finance, I have much reservation'.

Since it's not like I have unlimited financial resource to support everyone who needs help, I would like to give to those who have the history of being responsible and faithful with finance so that my gift would not be wasted.

TAPO