Financial Organization Pt 3: The Binders

Ahh... The Binders 

These are my transition points from my filing cabinets and between my once cluttered mail station. 

I now keep my weekly bills (necessary for tax purposes for our home office) in my financial organizer. 

When the organizer is full

 (after about 4 months it's fairly bursting)

 I transition my bills to my Binders. 

At one point, I had only one binder, but it soon was bursting at the seams as well.

 I had so many categories and so much to put in. 

Supplies:

   3" binders

Page/protector

 Dividers 

I originally used the white binder for everything financial. I prefer binders with pockets so I can shove unsorted bills, letters, etc. in there for later 

Dividers I also prefer with pockets for the same reason but without works just fine. Even though I repurposed, if you care about ease of reading your divider tabs, I would recommend purchasing all of them at once and getting them larger than the page protectors if possible. Ones with pockets are usually larger than the cheaper ones without. 

Now....How do I separate and categorize these binders? 

 White Binder: Financial Binder 
My categories are
Banking Info (statements, account information, etc) 
Cars (maintenance receipts, purchase records, insurance)
Financial Peace Documents (budgeting items, sheets, debt notes) 
Credit Cards
Utilities
School Loans

All these items I rotate out every year these items and put them in their proper folders in our filing cabinet. I always defer to Clay about how long we keep these files on hand.

Pink Binder: Personal Binder 

My categories are

Personal: Any separate entity information, such as personal accounts that will be helpful (forgive the morbidity and God forbid) if anything should happen to either myself or Clay. This category was inspired by my mother's passing and seeing how her organization greatly assisted us in taking care of her personal accounts; accessing emails, where she had banking accounts, etc. 

Dogs: All three pups' vet information, adoption papers, and other things they need 

House Information: receipts of our house updates, etc. 

Medical: Lab results, bills, etc. 

Debt Payoff Letters: these are so satisfactory to keep. I keep such a special notes as a constant reminder of debts paid in full. 

Pay stubs

Reimbursement receipt (for our over the counter purchases)

Donations (such as to our church, Goodwill, etc) 

                                                        Pocket Protectors:                         

Every company has its own pocket protector. A year's worth of bills stacked on top of each other fit with little wiggling into one pocket protector.  

I tried them in separate folders hole punched to fit in the binder but, everything just fits so much more snuggly in the pocket protectors and the transparency helps when searching for specific companies or bills. 

 I hope this all has been hopeful! All these tools have helped a great deal for me to keep a previously messy stack of papers into something easily navigated and accessible. 

Thank you!

Financial Organization Pt 2: Oh, Pretty Organizers!

Oh no! My trusty White Board and calendar are packed away, waiting for a move to our new house (whenever THAT may be) I need ways to keep track of bills, debt. If I don't, I will get so caught up in projects and day to day life, I forget what day it is. What do I do? 

Never fear! Remember, you have your planner in your purse. Remember on your best days you like to color code events anyway, just use your planner as your wall calendar and add the bill schedule to it. (Yes, I'm one of those people!) ***

Here's the planner I purchased in July at Wal-Mart. 
It's small enough to fit in my purse (always great for making appointments on the go), but because it is landscape styled, I can write multiple event on the actual days. I need the visual (usually coded with more color variety than you see here) of events in those neat little blocks. On the other page are three lists, such as Do, Call (shiver) and Buy.  Most helpful.

The brown pen marks? Those represent the monthly bills schedule. Most are listed on the calendar a couple of days before they are actually due so I will hopefully remember to schedule them before their due date. 
For example, On the 30th, I have written "Schedule 1st Bills" to remind myself that hey, bills are due on the first! Just because you can't see the first doesn't mean bills are not due! 

A couple of down-sides to a planner only VS planner and wall calendar...
1- I don't remember to ask Clay for his work schedule so I have found myself at a loss when making dinner (when I do...haha) for when he will be home. inevitable I think, oh, he'll be off at 6, but he arrives home at 5:30 instead, or sometimes dinner is cold because he gets home at 7 instead. Whoops. 
2- Plans with family and or friends can be a little more complicated to keep track of. Used to be we would write it on the calendar for both of us to see, plain as day. This just means we have to communicate more...Ok, maybe not that bad of a down-side after all. 

When I bought our calendar last year, I couldn't find one with pockets in which to store our monthly bill stubs. What could I do? They piled up on our mail center and it was getting a bit ridiculous. I need to keep utility stubs for tax purposes because we claim our home office. Hmm. 
In August, I was at Dollar General and found this sweet thing for $3

Hmmm.... not only a ledger but, oh look! Pockets!! 

My excitement was just a little bit silly, I admit, but it really has helped me fill in our financial organizational dividend. I write it all in pencil too, so it can be updated.
There are columns for due date, the bills, the amount, and the ever-important paid check-marking space! 
Extra spots to check mark? 

CHECK! 


I began using this organizer immediately to store all those stubs. I continue to use this even after my White Board comes back. Especially to keep the bills organized. 

Yes, dear organizer...you shall be used until you fall apart. Being from Dollar General, I hope this is much much later in the future than one would expect. 

Tother day I removed the stubs from August through December and put them in 

THE BINDERS 

What are these you ask? Why next posting I shall show you. :) 

***Yes, I do have a smart phone and realize that there is an app for that. The calendar and reminders can exponentially help some people with everything I've shared here. However, as a visual/hands on learner, I very much prefer, and remember photographically when I write down events on a paper calendar. 

Financial Organization Pt 1 The Whiteboard of Debt

When I write, I am the closest to being 100% transparent as you may ever get to see me. I may seem an open book but, once I get comfortable with you, you will discover how much I keep to my chest. This is due in part to how I was raised but for the most part it is just how I'm wired. 
Some of what I have kept close to me is how extremely overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated, and drowning in debt I was when I met and married my dear husband. 

Extremely good with money for most of my life, I encountered my first debt with Student Loans 

and shortly thereafter from an abusive ex boyfriend who stole my identify through manipulations, etc..

My debt was, and still, 

is a source of embarrassment, 

stress, and shame I deal with

 nearly every day. 

Even though Clay (my hubby) knew the amount in numbers, (THAT was an interesting conversation) it never dawned on him how very burdensome and debilitating the sheer volume of my debts, combined with his relatively few, would be on our marriage.
*my records are currently packed away in the myriad of boxes stacked in our garage, waiting to be moved to our new home...whenever that may happen. My debt guestimates are low-balled and very generalized at this point 

In January 2013, Clay and I helped save our marriage in the long run by making a debt-changing decision to go through Financial Peace University. It gave us the necessary tools to further free ourselves. When we calculated the whole, ugly, grand total of our debts, we both wanted to vomit. By then we had already paid down a good amount of debt (Over $20,000) in our first year and a half of marriage. (Hint, our combined debt at that point was $118,800...not including mortgage) 

I am a naturally organized person. I loved printing up our monthly budget but the ink and four or so pages used to do so seemed a bit much. So, I sought out a nice dry erase board. I used sharpies and a ruler to draw lines. I had to do the board a couple of times to get it right for us to use. I created a reusable way to keep track of our monthly budget and debt snowball progress. As much as I originally hated the idea (being so private a person) 
      I hung it in our kitchen. For anyone who came by to see. 
I have had a handful of people actually ask me to send them a pic of how I did the board. I keep forgetting....honestly because I never wrote myself post-it notes about it. So here it is!

The Whiteboard of Debt 

We based the pay period on Clay's income. Unfortunately, I do not contribute as much financially, Plus, I get paid weekly or sometimes more often depending on Mary Kay sales. (Which goes into irregular income category and goes towards paying off the credit card used to purchase inventory) 
Anyone who has gone through Financial Peace will recognize the idea. 
We do not religiously follow FPU, my free spirit was going a bit stir-crazy when I made him sit down and follow procedures. I make a budget, then ask if he approves. It works so much better this way; he has input and I defer to him already. Plus, the more he knew things were planned out, the more he wanted to rebel. It's who he is, Mr. Rule Breaker. So, I have learned to relax more; we both go nuts if we won't have spending money, etc. 
The point of this was to personalize it for what works for us. 

By every debt name I have written the due date. I also write them on the calendar before their actual due-date so that I remember to schedule them. 

We do not do a running total when calculating up our budget (which is usually done on a separate sheet of paper,
versus the sheets and sheets printed up that we did before) If the budgeted amount was paid, I put a check mark in the paid column. If the paid amount different from the budgeted, I write the amount I paid and use it to keep track next month. Really comes in handy to see the difference month to month for utilities, groceries, etc.  

The two budgeted and paid columns show which pay period the payment is taken out of.

The most difficult to work out if you do not use cash for groceries. One of my original board options was a box for how much was left, how much I'd spent already... yeah. A lot of erasing on a dry erase board. Stinks.
As much as I would prefer the envelope system for most things, I only use it for spending money and, if I'm being good, for groceries. For a while I was putting gas money on Kroger gift cards because we only ever got gas there. But it became stressful if we were on a road trip and not near a Kroger! 

Benefits of the White Board 

Obviously the monthly tracking helps. But if you're like me and really like check-marks, it's rather satisfying to pay bills! 

     This really helped my feel the weight of money decisions very similarly to the budget sheets. But, it's there for me and my hubby to see every day. Not tucked away like our budget sheets were. Not quite as easy to forget. It helps keep him and me accountable with where we are financially. We both have a tendency to say (for example) , "Oh, we're doing fine! Let's go out to eat three times this week." When, actually, uh...we're not budgeted for more than once a week.

     

     For long-term-  

Meet the Debt Snowball Columns 

As you can see, I have listed ALL our debts beyond monthly needs/bills. This is for our car, student loans and credit cards. 

This is by far the emotionally invested side of the board. 

Every year, (usually around tax-time) to keep track of our progress and feel we are not just treading water but making progress, I calculate our total debt. I compare the Total Payoff column to what the total payoff now. I do this with and without school loans. I calculate how much we have paid off in the previous year.  

As you can see from 2013, we paid off $10,550 in debt.  

I then update the Total Payoff Column and do the same thing next time I feel discouraged and need to see how far we have come. 

Like this 

I did this today; and I am overwhelmed in a good and bad way. 

In 2014, God was faithful and provided us the opportunity to pay off $20,187 in debt. 

In 6 years, (since signing my last loan) my student loans have gone from over $110,000 (yes, you read that right...total cost of original loans) to $65,284. 

Our total debt left is finally under 100,000.        

           $95,991 WITH Student Loans!!

Why do I share this? It's freaking exciting to finally reach this point. 

Organizing finances takes a deal of time, this is true. Drawing and redrawing the White Board of Debt takes a bit of time to start out. Perfectionistic me, I think it was at least a half hour each try. 

Up keep after budgeting was, like 10 minutes though, if that. And saves on paper and ink! 

But, after boxing up the White Board of Debt for house showings (yet another way we hope to reduce debt; move to a cheaper house, lower mortgage, pay off more debt. Woot!) what do I do to keep organized? Glad you asked! I'll show you in my next posting :) 

Legacy

It's been a year ago to the day since life came slamming to a halt with one phone call. 
I miss her. It's complicated.
I know she's with Jesus: whole, healed, simply stunningly beautiful. And I am anxious for the day when she will hug me in heaven and excitedly tell me all she's been doing and learning at the feet of her Great Love. 
This is the speech I was awakened at 5am to write the morning of Mom's memorial. (Although the ending of my speech may not make sense out of context, I went ahead and included it.)

"When I think of Mom- I think of the aching longing inside her to do great things for God. 
I visualize the way her hands waved, her foot wagged, and her eyes sparkled as they brimmed with tear, whenever she spoke of her passion to reach thousands with the message of God's love, redemption and grace. 
She dreamed big. She often grew discouraged: wanting to serve more, to be used mightily. In her struggles to reach the many, she did not always see that the great things begin with the individual. 
Jesus used five loaves and two fish to feed a multitude. Mom's "five loaves" stand here today as a testimony to beating the odds: we all love and serve the Lord. Statistics I learned from studying and doing youth ministry tell me that Mom did something right.
She did her best to pour into us and endow us with a love and passion for God. Her choices and sacrifices while raising us were often unconventional, sometimes misguided, but the desire to so what was right and to honor and follow God with abandon left and echo in all five of our hearts.
For that, I am personally, eternally grateful. 
I often doubt I make a significant impact in this world for Christ. But, when I grow to despair, I remember what I used to say to Mom- God is in the little things. He is interested in individuals. When you show His love to one person, you never know how that can change a life. 
Mom and I often had our best conversations about God through music. Sometimes I struggles in our relationship. But, we could bond over music. I would offer songs for her to hear and in that way I offered part of my heart. One of the last songs I played for her was one of my favorites, and she loved it, too. Matt Redmon's '"10,000 Reasons".
I'll never forget her face as she soaked in a new song. She's blast the volume, sit and listen, bobbing her head, closing her eyes, clapping an intricately, and listening to the lyrics: always trying to sing the chorus the second time it played.
We have provided the lyrics to this song for you in the programs. Pastor Bill will lead us as we participate together in one of her favorite past times.
Let's sing together." 

No Longer A Victim

It all started with the media fiasco of making it popular to talk all about domestic violence. I made the "mistake" of reading some of the "Why I Stayed" campaign pictures. Why was it a mistake? Some of those reasons were my own 6 years ago.

Don't get me wrong, if all the media attention can help one woman (or man!) gain the courage to seek freedom themselves, then this fad is all worth it. However, for me, it's been a constant reminder of something I'd rather forget. 

Prior to this, it was maybe every other month that the enemy of my soul beat me with the familiar abusive words and reliving the actions of a couple people in particular. If I happened to hear a joke or offhanded comment from someone about beating, raping, that type of thing (another soapbox for another day) it will sometimes trigger that mental track as well. 

I have been re-assaulted mentally and emotionally as Facebook was flooded with everyone informing me about domestic abuse and how desperately we need to make people aware! (It all reminded me of a classmate in college turning to me in the cafeteria, shocked, and sorry to inform me that most rapes are perpetrated by an acquaintance. I just forced a smile and nod while I was mentally screaming at her. I wasn't about to tell her how personally, multiply, I was all too aware. She'd already referenced non-virgins as "damaged goods" previously in the conversation.)

So, a couple of days of conversations revolving around what seemed to be the popular topic of abuse, I was in the shower, despairing, crying. I didn't want to be a victim again. I didn't want to relive my experiences randomly because it's the new buzz word. 

But then, God whispered to me: I am not a victim. I am not just a survivor. He has helped me to thrive. He showed me how far I have come. I have been rescued, and through the grace of God, this is all being redeemed into something beautiful. I told myself to stop whining about it, let God be the lifter of my head and remind me of who He created and redeemed me to be. So, I have been working on running to Jesus with these memories, release them in forgiveness, lifting my empty hands for more healing. 

I've debated on whether to continue keeping all of this to myself or not. I'm a normally private person. But, I have been reminded that I've thought many times that everything I experienced is completely worth it if I am able to help someone. Now I say it is more than worth it just to say "look at what Jesus have done." 

This morning I had a dream. A dream that would have normally distressed me. Not a memory, but it might as well have been. The difference in this dream? I felt, not despair and helplessness, but peace, joy even.

That has been my struggle the past couple of weeks, fighting anger and frustration because something that can still be deeply painful is now suddenly being talked about because it has celebrity status. I have not been believed and told I was stupid and should have known better and all that. 
I am not even 100 percent certain why I'm writing this blog. I'd much rather go on without everyone knowing these parts of my past. Maybe I'm just wanting to vent, which is more than likely true. Maybe I'm like everyone else: I just want to be listened to. 
But, it would be awesome if someone will be encouraged by this "venting". There is healing and hope even when memories come haunting. I am grateful that I am far from being the same person I once was. Most days I do not recognize the person I am in those memories.
I choose to focus on that. 

I feel VS I am

As some of you may or may not know, I deal with depression and have ever since I was about 11 years old. Thanks to some counseling, accompanied by medication at times, and lifestyle changes, I learned how to cope and rise out of the darkest times of my life. I am extremely thankful that I mostly have good days now: every couple of months I have a "bad" couple of days or a "bad" couple of weeks. I have been growing, acknowledging, and accepting that depression may or may not be a part of my reality for the rest of my life. So, instead of beating myself up, feeling like there is something horribly wrong with me, I am endeavoring to accept this as my life and do what I can to not let it rule me. (Which, by the way, has worked better for me than any of the medications I had been on.)
 I hope this is helpful to someone. I hesitated to write this then thought, "you never know." Many times depression is such a hidden, dark thing-especially within the Christian community- which only exasperates the symptoms. I do not tell many people about what I used to, but for God's grace, deal with on a daily basis. 
After my most recent "bad" couple of weeks, I have been much more pro-active at recognizing some of my triggers, ways I am contributing to my own vicious cycles, and facilitating a more rapid recovery by doing what I know helps. My actions for recovery mostly include exercising regularly, journaling, and acknowledging that this is an episode and it, too, shall pass. This helped immensely when I spent several months riding the grief roller coaster after my mother passed away in September.
Last week, I began adding a focus on my inner voice: the power the words inside my head and that I speak about myself affect me. Very often I will say things such as "I'm such an idiot." "I'm so fat." "I am such a..." 
A moment of clarity came when Clay and I were having a conversation in the car and I said something to the affect of "I hate being such a failure!" Then I checked myself, for the first time I said, "I should not say such negative things about myself. I may feel like I have failed, but I am not a failure." I have never been a super positive person and the positive reinforcements are hard for me to take seriously about myself. But, I have to admit, there was something freeing in changing my words to "I feel..." rather than "I am..."
So, for the mornings when I feel like breaking into a rendition of Quazimodo's duet with Frollo in Disney's  The Hunchback of Notre Dame- ("I am deformed...and I am UUUGLY!" or his self-depreciating..."No face as hideous as my face....") Instead, I quote Han Solo (when he turns to Chewie after being submitted to Vader's torture table in The Empire Strikes Back-) "I feel terrible." Then I have to at least smile because I love the fact that I am so nerdy. So, there, day better already!
I want my "I am..." statements to be positives and all my negative emotions to turn into "I feel..."  Then that is all they will be: feelings. Valid, but no longer in control of my life.

My Gluten-free Trial

Today marks day 9 of a gluten free diet for me. 

I decided to readdress the search for food senetvities that Clay and I started back in August of last year. He was researching two weeks ago and said he thoughtI should get tested for a gluten sensitivity, or try it myself. So, I set out on a 3-4 week journey to go gluten free before I slowly reintroduce it back into my diet and see how my body responds. 
How my body has responded after a week:

- i don't experience brain fog or mid-day fatigue. I thought this was a problem for every body. Although, maybe my new-found cup of coffee routine has contributed to that. I must say, it is nice to feel what being tired is becauseI have been able to be productive. Despite a huge set-back because I got my back out of whack. 

- My cravings aren't as intense. I don't know whether it is because I am exercising self-control already by denying myself one of my favoite food groups. I am also thinking about what I eat again. 

- I do not feel so sluggish. We're not eating out as much because, there are not as many options available.

So, overall this is progress. And I dont't miss it as much as I thought I would. 

I will probably cut back a lot more even if I end up not having a sensitivity for gluten. 

Overall. I feel good. The past 9 days have been a breeze.