We were married in May of 2003.  We were both twenty one years in age, looking back now we were so very young, my thinking then why wasn’t I married sooner.  It is amazing how you age and grow and until then have no clue of what adult life is like even though you think you have it all figured out.

We went to New York City for ten days for our honeymoon.  My fiancé took the lead in planning our honeymoon, we both agreed where we wanted to go but we agreed he would handle the details, obtaining reservations, tickets to attractions and the itinerary.  My personality is a go with the flow type, I’ll go anywhere, eat anything, just tell me what the plan is and I am good to go, and surprisingly my husband and I are actually both quite like that.

We planned on visiting all the popular tourist sites, The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building, visit the Site of the Twin Towers, Take a Helicopter tour of the city, Watch A Broadway Show, we had tickets to view the Regis and Kelly Show and so much more.  I had visited New York City once before, this would be my husband’s first visit.

I am not a big sports fan, growing up my father was a HUGE Raiders Fan he drug us to practice games, autograph signings and all things Raiders and any other sporting event that he could squeeze in.  While courting I had gone into great detail of my then hatred for sports to my fiancé, but I was aware that he liked sports and when he brought up that he wanted to go to a baseball game while we were on our honeymoon I happily obliged.  Remember those first days when you are just happy to be together and it doesn’t matter what it is that you do.    

I also knew my husband had an interest in music, he plays the keyboard on our church praise and worship team and worked at a radio station in our early days of marriage, so when he discussed wanting to see an off Broadway musical production, where they played music on trash cans and ordinary things I happily obliged as well, like I said I’m pretty much up for anything except jumping out of an airplane (which my husband has done). 

Along the way on our honeymoon I would mention, let’s eat here, or let’s look in this shop and my husband would frequently suggest something else, no let’s eat over there, let’s go to this shop instead and I just followed never saying a word.  After this taking place a number of times it started to bother me.  I didn't say anything though I didn’t want to fight on our honeymoon and I had this picture in my head of don’t be a nagging wife.  Looking back and after being married a while I now know, I should have expressed what I was feeling and thinking instead of holding it all in.  How was he supposed to know what I was feeling if I just kept smiling and going along as if I were happy.

So here we are down to our last couple days on our honeymoon, I made a suggestion to visit a store and he was ready to go do something else.  Tears started to flow down my face and I here am crying walking in one direction in the middle of New York City with no idea how to get back to our hotel room and my husband who is supposed to protect me, love me and take great interest in me is walking in the opposite direction.  To his defense, when I began to cry and he asked what was wrong, I wasn’t really divulging any information.  What was he supposed to do when I refused to tell him what was wrong and why I was crying.  In my defense it was my honeymoon I didn’t want to complain and tell you how I felt you weren’t taking any interest in my feelings, desires and preferences and how I thought he was being a selfish jerk.  Why didn’t he see what I needed?  I had these thoughts; is this what marriage is going to be like?  He gets to decide everything we do and doesn’t care what I think or desire to do.

He did end up meeting back up with me, walked us to the hotel room where I told him what I was feeling, but we didn’t really discuss every detail, he said he didn’t realize that he was making all the decisions without me and we flew back home hand in hand excited to see our apartment together but inwardly I was still feeling hurt and he was still feeling clueless about what happened back there. 

Gratefully I attend a church where we had pre-marital counseling and had set up an appointment to meet with our pastor after our honeymoon to discuss the wedding, honeymoon and how we were doing.  We discussed our first fight with our pastor and he offered priceless wisdom and insights on the entire thing.  He talked us through our fight, which I am eternally grateful for.  If we had not talked this through, and I harbored those thoughts of “he is selfish” “he doesn’t care about my desires” it would have set up our marriage for failure or at the very least an unsatisfying and unfulfilling relationship. 

Our pastor pointed out to me that my husband Jeff is second to the last child in a family of six children.  Up to that point my husband had never had much experience in making all the decisions and taking the lead.  With older siblings sometimes the younger ones don’t always get that opportunity.  Here he is getting married, taking care of his new bride; he embraced taking charge and leading and was enjoying making the decisions.  He wasn’t trying to be selfish; he was caught up in the moment and excitement of it all and I wasn’t trying to give him the silent treatment, I was trying to avoid a fight, I didn’t know how to express myself without feeling like I was nagging him. 

Because we were able to talk this through and see both perspectives of where we were coming from we were able to forgive and forget, I say again forgive, not just brush it under the carpet and move forward.  In marriage and life forgiveness is key.  Our spouse will not always please us and do everything right in our eyes.  And after eleven years of marriage I now know there is a difference between talking through a situation and forgiving each other compared to just accepting a situation but harboring and pondering on negative thoughts about your spouse’s attitude, motives or choices. 

In growing through this we have been able to apply what we learned in that meeting to other situations in our life.  Take a step back, look at the situation from both people’s perspectives, don’t read into why someone is doing something or making that decision.  Talk it through with an open heart listening to your spouse’s thought process and decision making process. 

If you are getting married I strongly encourage pre-marital counseling.  Even if you are not a member of a church, many churches or other organizations offer these services.  If you are married I recommend when having a disagreement allow someone else who is not going to take sides discuss the situation with you both.  It helps to take a step back and see situations from a different vantage point.  It doesn’t matter how long you have been married there will be times when you don’t understand how your husband is thinking or what he is doing and vice versa.  

It is not healthy to bottle up your feelings and think you have everything under control on your own, talk things through, talk things out loud and walk in true love and forgiveness.  I’ve made mistakes as a wife, he’s made mistakes as a husband, and there will be more mistakes in our future.  We need to remember that we are in this together and my spouse is not the enemy.  We don’t wake up in the morning intending to hurt each other.  Sometimes with scurried schedules, the stress and pressures of life we say and do things we don’t mean to.  Be willing to admit when you’ve made a mistake, be willing to apologize, listen to each other and think on the many reasons you love each other.  It's never too late to talk through a situation and resolve hurt feelings.  Maybe you had a fight in your early days of marriage, if you still want to cry when you think about the event, you should schedule uninterrupted time to talk it through with your spouse.

Thank you for reading!

Our First Fight
We were married in May of 2003.  We were both twenty one years in age, looking back now we were so very young, my thinking then why wasn’t I married sooner.  It is amazing how you age and grow and until then have no clue of what adult life is like even though you think you have it all figured out.

We went to New York City for ten days for our honeymoon.  My fiancé took the lead in planning our honeymoon, we both agreed where we wanted to go but we agreed he would handle the details, obtaining reservations, tickets to attractions and the itinerary.  My personality is a go with the flow type, I’ll go anywhere, eat anything, just tell me what the plan is and I am good to go, and surprisingly my husband and I are actually both quite like that.

We planned on visiting all the popular tourist sites, The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building, visit the Site of the Twin Towers, Take a Helicopter tour of the city, Watch A Broadway Show, we had tickets to view the Regis and Kelly Show and so much more.  I had visited New York City once before, this would be my husband’s first visit.

I am not a big sports fan, growing up my father was a HUGE Raiders Fan he drug us to practice games, autograph signings and all things Raiders and any other sporting event that he could squeeze in.  While courting I had gone into great detail of my then hatred for sports to my fiancé, but I was aware that he liked sports and when he brought up that he wanted to go to a baseball game while we were on our honeymoon I happily obliged.  Remember those first days when you are just happy to be together and it doesn’t matter what it is that you do.    

I also knew my husband had an interest in music, he plays the keyboard on our church praise and worship team and worked at a radio station in our early days of marriage, so when he discussed wanting to see an off Broadway musical production, where they played music on trash cans and ordinary things I happily obliged as well, like I said I’m pretty much up for anything except jumping out of an airplane (which my husband has done). 

Along the way on our honeymoon I would mention, let’s eat here, or let’s look in this shop and my husband would frequently suggest something else, no let’s eat over there, let’s go to this shop instead and I just followed never saying a word.  After this taking place a number of times it started to bother me.  I didn't say anything though I didn’t want to fight on our honeymoon and I had this picture in my head of don’t be a nagging wife.  Looking back and after being married a while I now know, I should have expressed what I was feeling and thinking instead of holding it all in.  How was he supposed to know what I was feeling if I just kept smiling and going along as if I were happy.

So here we are down to our last couple days on our honeymoon, I made a suggestion to visit a store and he was ready to go do something else.  Tears started to flow down my face and I here am crying walking in one direction in the middle of New York City with no idea how to get back to our hotel room and my husband who is supposed to protect me, love me and take great interest in me is walking in the opposite direction.  To his defense, when I began to cry and he asked what was wrong, I wasn’t really divulging any information.  What was he supposed to do when I refused to tell him what was wrong and why I was crying.  In my defense it was my honeymoon I didn’t want to complain and tell you how I felt you weren’t taking any interest in my feelings, desires and preferences and how I thought he was being a selfish jerk.  Why didn’t he see what I needed?  I had these thoughts; is this what marriage is going to be like?  He gets to decide everything we do and doesn’t care what I think or desire to do.

He did end up meeting back up with me, walked us to the hotel room where I told him what I was feeling, but we didn’t really discuss every detail, he said he didn’t realize that he was making all the decisions without me and we flew back home hand in hand excited to see our apartment together but inwardly I was still feeling hurt and he was still feeling clueless about what happened back there. 

Gratefully I attend a church where we had pre-marital counseling and had set up an appointment to meet with our pastor after our honeymoon to discuss the wedding, honeymoon and how we were doing.  We discussed our first fight with our pastor and he offered priceless wisdom and insights on the entire thing.  He talked us through our fight, which I am eternally grateful for.  If we had not talked this through, and I harbored those thoughts of “he is selfish” “he doesn’t care about my desires” it would have set up our marriage for failure or at the very least an unsatisfying and unfulfilling relationship. 

Our pastor pointed out to me that my husband Jeff is second to the last child in a family of six children.  Up to that point my husband had never had much experience in making all the decisions and taking the lead.  With older siblings sometimes the younger ones don’t always get that opportunity.  Here he is getting married, taking care of his new bride; he embraced taking charge and leading and was enjoying making the decisions.  He wasn’t trying to be selfish; he was caught up in the moment and excitement of it all and I wasn’t trying to give him the silent treatment, I was trying to avoid a fight, I didn’t know how to express myself without feeling like I was nagging him. 

Because we were able to talk this through and see both perspectives of where we were coming from we were able to forgive and forget, I say again forgive, not just brush it under the carpet and move forward.  In marriage and life forgiveness is key.  Our spouse will not always please us and do everything right in our eyes.  And after eleven years of marriage I now know there is a difference between talking through a situation and forgiving each other compared to just accepting a situation but harboring and pondering on negative thoughts about your spouse’s attitude, motives or choices. 

In growing through this we have been able to apply what we learned in that meeting to other situations in our life.  Take a step back, look at the situation from both people’s perspectives, don’t read into why someone is doing something or making that decision.  Talk it through with an open heart listening to your spouse’s thought process and decision making process. 

If you are getting married I strongly encourage pre-marital counseling.  Even if you are not a member of a church, many churches or other organizations offer these services.  If you are married I recommend when having a disagreement allow someone else who is not going to take sides discuss the situation with you both.  It helps to take a step back and see situations from a different vantage point.  It doesn’t matter how long you have been married there will be times when you don’t understand how your husband is thinking or what he is doing and vice versa.  

It is not healthy to bottle up your feelings and think you have everything under control on your own, talk things through, talk things out loud and walk in true love and forgiveness.  I’ve made mistakes as a wife, he’s made mistakes as a husband, and there will be more mistakes in our future.  We need to remember that we are in this together and my spouse is not the enemy.  We don’t wake up in the morning intending to hurt each other.  Sometimes with scurried schedules, the stress and pressures of life we say and do things we don’t mean to.  Be willing to admit when you’ve made a mistake, be willing to apologize, listen to each other and think on the many reasons you love each other.  It's never too late to talk through a situation and resolve hurt feelings.  Maybe you had a fight in your early days of marriage, if you still want to cry when you think about the event, you should schedule uninterrupted time to talk it through with your spouse.

Thank you for reading!
Read more »
I have heard wives say he doesn’t put any effort in why should I.  I have heard husbands say if she wants to go on a date she should plan one and tell me where to be.

I want to encourage you to see the value of just spending time together.  Throw out all expectations!  I heard a statement that is very true “Expectations ruin relationships.”  When we expect what the other person in any relationship should or should not do and then it doesn’t happen that way we are disappointed, discouraged and have thoughts of giving up. 

Sometimes as wives we expect our husband to plan every date night, he should sweep us off our feet like in the movies; when that doesn’t happen we feel like date night is not as exciting as we would like it to be or think “what’s the point”.

Sometimes as husbands you expect your wife to plan the babysitter, pick the place to eat and feed the kids before date night and the night out becomes more work than your wife wants to participate in.  These types of expectations cause some couples to not date at all.

Throughout the years I have had some of those thoughts myself I wish he would, why doesn’t he do this or that.  Throw out the idea that either the husband should do it or the wife should make it happen.  It doesn’t matter who plans date night recognize the value of keeping your love alive.  Remember the scene in the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” Oh, no. Our love fern. It's dead.  You let it die. Are you going to let us die?  The point I’m trying to make is someone has to plan date night to make it happen.  If that means you as the wife has to plan it every time, take joy in at least it happens and at least you get some quality time together don’t focus on the fact that you have to do all the work. 

Without complaining you can positively make your husband aware of the fact that you would love for him to plan a date night and surprise you.  If he takes you up on your offer, great, but if he doesn’t don’t be discouraged and stop dating. Maybe you the husband plan all the date nights and you wish your wife would add more input.  Without complaining and pointing the finger, just let your spouse know that you would really enjoy and be grateful if the next date night they would take the lead.  But guess what maybe it’s just not what they do, so should you give up and stop dating…NO!  Maybe your husband has a lot of things going on at work and he has all the pressure of providing for the family that he just isn’t thinking about planning date night.  Or maybe your wife is overwhelmed with the children who demand a lot of time and energy that she doesn’t want one more thing that she has to do. 

At one time in our date night adventures, due to my husband’s later work schedule I had to pick the kids up from school, feed the kids dinner at home, clean up dinner before I left the house, drop the kids to the sitters house, then meet my husband somewhere.  After a nice dinner I had to drive by myself to go pick up the kids from the sitter and drive home with tired whinny kids in the car and I remember thinking this is not fun for me.  I had that moment where I thought I don’t want to do this next week; I’d just rather stay home and have a pizza and game night with the entire family, that would be much easier for me.  I chose to remember how important our alone time is.  I chose to focus on how much I enjoyed the time spent with my husband and that even though he just got to show up to dinner it was worth it, we were worth it. 

A Surprise Night out, Planned by my Husband!
A few weeks back my husband planned a surprise night out on a Wednesday evening when our date night is typically Friday.  He lined up the sitter, he told me we were going to dinner at a family member’s home, he had me pick him up from work and when I arrived he said he’d drive, well, he drove not to where I believed we were going, instead to one of my favorite restaurants The Cheesecake Factory.  What a nice surprise!

Remember every single date night can’t be like the fairy tale love stories we watch on the big screen.  Realize that even if you just went on a walk around the block together, holding hands and not even saying a word, the time you spent together is priceless.  Why do we put these expectations on ourselves and our spouses of what date night has to be.  Remember the first days you were in love, where you didn’t care what you did you just wanted to be together.  Remember the times when you really talked about nothing but just listened to each other breathe. 

I remember a time when my husband (he wasn’t my husband yet) came to run audio for an exercise class that I attended just so he could be with me.  I remember a time when I listened to a music cd that he had made me that wasn’t exactly my style or what I liked to listen to but because he made it I listened to it frequently.

In writing this I am reminded that it doesn’t matter what we do, or where we go, or who plans all the details just as long as we are together.  Be happy together, not disappointed because it’s not what we expected or thought it should be, but just happy to be together. 

If you haven’t taken the plunge and started your date night I hope that after reading this you will make it happen, no matter what exactly that is, as long as it’s the two of you together even if it’s with no agenda and nothing to talk about.

If you are like us we enjoy getting the kids bathed and in bed at night so we can have a couple hours together just hanging out or watching a show that doesn’t include animation or talking animals, but that is not the same as our date nights together so don’t make the excuse that well we spend every night together eating dinner or watching our favorite show.  Date night is important and once you begin having them they will become a necessity and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.

Just get started!  Your date nights can evolve and improve over time.   Throw out those preconceived expectations of what date night has to be and just plan to be together.

Remember date night’s help you communicate with each other and keep your intimacy alive, date nights help you stay current with each other and fan your flame, so does it really matter who plans date night, no just as long as it happens.

Thanks for reading!

www.BlogAboutItAll.com

Should the Wife or Husband Plan Date Night?
I have heard wives say he doesn’t put any effort in why should I.  I have heard husbands say if she wants to go on a date she should plan one and tell me where to be.

I want to encourage you to see the value of just spending time together.  Throw out all expectations!  I heard a statement that is very true “Expectations ruin relationships.”  When we expect what the other person in any relationship should or should not do and then it doesn’t happen that way we are disappointed, discouraged and have thoughts of giving up. 

Sometimes as wives we expect our husband to plan every date night, he should sweep us off our feet like in the movies; when that doesn’t happen we feel like date night is not as exciting as we would like it to be or think “what’s the point”.

Sometimes as husbands you expect your wife to plan the babysitter, pick the place to eat and feed the kids before date night and the night out becomes more work than your wife wants to participate in.  These types of expectations cause some couples to not date at all.

Throughout the years I have had some of those thoughts myself I wish he would, why doesn’t he do this or that.  Throw out the idea that either the husband should do it or the wife should make it happen.  It doesn’t matter who plans date night recognize the value of keeping your love alive.  Remember the scene in the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” Oh, no. Our love fern. It's dead.  You let it die. Are you going to let us die?  The point I’m trying to make is someone has to plan date night to make it happen.  If that means you as the wife has to plan it every time, take joy in at least it happens and at least you get some quality time together don’t focus on the fact that you have to do all the work. 

Without complaining you can positively make your husband aware of the fact that you would love for him to plan a date night and surprise you.  If he takes you up on your offer, great, but if he doesn’t don’t be discouraged and stop dating. Maybe you the husband plan all the date nights and you wish your wife would add more input.  Without complaining and pointing the finger, just let your spouse know that you would really enjoy and be grateful if the next date night they would take the lead.  But guess what maybe it’s just not what they do, so should you give up and stop dating…NO!  Maybe your husband has a lot of things going on at work and he has all the pressure of providing for the family that he just isn’t thinking about planning date night.  Or maybe your wife is overwhelmed with the children who demand a lot of time and energy that she doesn’t want one more thing that she has to do. 

At one time in our date night adventures, due to my husband’s later work schedule I had to pick the kids up from school, feed the kids dinner at home, clean up dinner before I left the house, drop the kids to the sitters house, then meet my husband somewhere.  After a nice dinner I had to drive by myself to go pick up the kids from the sitter and drive home with tired whinny kids in the car and I remember thinking this is not fun for me.  I had that moment where I thought I don’t want to do this next week; I’d just rather stay home and have a pizza and game night with the entire family, that would be much easier for me.  I chose to remember how important our alone time is.  I chose to focus on how much I enjoyed the time spent with my husband and that even though he just got to show up to dinner it was worth it, we were worth it. 

A Surprise Night out, Planned by my Husband!
A few weeks back my husband planned a surprise night out on a Wednesday evening when our date night is typically Friday.  He lined up the sitter, he told me we were going to dinner at a family member’s home, he had me pick him up from work and when I arrived he said he’d drive, well, he drove not to where I believed we were going, instead to one of my favorite restaurants The Cheesecake Factory.  What a nice surprise!

Remember every single date night can’t be like the fairy tale love stories we watch on the big screen.  Realize that even if you just went on a walk around the block together, holding hands and not even saying a word, the time you spent together is priceless.  Why do we put these expectations on ourselves and our spouses of what date night has to be.  Remember the first days you were in love, where you didn’t care what you did you just wanted to be together.  Remember the times when you really talked about nothing but just listened to each other breathe. 

I remember a time when my husband (he wasn’t my husband yet) came to run audio for an exercise class that I attended just so he could be with me.  I remember a time when I listened to a music cd that he had made me that wasn’t exactly my style or what I liked to listen to but because he made it I listened to it frequently.

In writing this I am reminded that it doesn’t matter what we do, or where we go, or who plans all the details just as long as we are together.  Be happy together, not disappointed because it’s not what we expected or thought it should be, but just happy to be together. 

If you haven’t taken the plunge and started your date night I hope that after reading this you will make it happen, no matter what exactly that is, as long as it’s the two of you together even if it’s with no agenda and nothing to talk about.

If you are like us we enjoy getting the kids bathed and in bed at night so we can have a couple hours together just hanging out or watching a show that doesn’t include animation or talking animals, but that is not the same as our date nights together so don’t make the excuse that well we spend every night together eating dinner or watching our favorite show.  Date night is important and once you begin having them they will become a necessity and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.

Just get started!  Your date nights can evolve and improve over time.   Throw out those preconceived expectations of what date night has to be and just plan to be together.

Remember date night’s help you communicate with each other and keep your intimacy alive, date nights help you stay current with each other and fan your flame, so does it really matter who plans date night, no just as long as it happens.

Thanks for reading!

www.BlogAboutItAll.com
Read more »
When thinking of living on a budget or putting a budget together many people dread the thought, the process and think of only restrictions.

Budgeting brings you freedom to live intentionally, and accomplish things you desire to achieve.  Be that a family vacation you’ve been dreaming about, purchasing that piece of furniture you have been eyeing, living debt free and so much more.

This post is to encourage you that you can budget and stick with it!  If you have never budgeted just get started!  Do you know what you spend to operate your household each month?  Start there, don’t set any parameters, do what you always do, except, write everything you spend down.  This way you know what you actually spend on groceries, gas for your vehicle and utilities. 

It amazes me how many people I come across that don’t know what their utilities cost, they just go through life paying what they pay and living paycheck to paycheck wondering at the end of each month where did all my money go? 

I remember years ago when my husband and I had strayed from budgeting, we went back and reviewed our spending for that month.  We had spent more on going out to eat then we did our entire grocery and household items, we were shocked.  It wasn’t eating out at fancy restaurants either; it was fast food and those stops for a smoothie. 

When you track your spending habits, it helps you evaluate what is really important to you and has you contemplate are those restaurant trips desired more than going on a family vacation.  Do you really need one more new dress more than that new car you want to save for.

 I like to budget the old fashioned way, pen and paper.  I track our spending by writing it down in categories.  Our consistent monthly bills are already set and don’t change for example (rent/mortgage, utilities, vehicle maintenance, insurance bills, etc.)  The things that fluctuate are your grocery spending, your entertainment spending i.e. date nights, eating out, movies and extracurricular activities.  Those are the things that you have most control over and can change, improve, find more frugal ways to achieve which in turn will give you more money (without any change in your income) to apply towards debt or to save for that “thing” or family vacation.

If you are tech savvy or really great with apps there are a ton out there to assist you in budgeting here is a link I recently came across that has a great list of budgeting apps http://www.everythingzoomer.com/best-apps-for-your-budget/#.VBhv_fldXkU.   I like apps and technology but when it comes to tracking my spending, maybe it’s just what I am used to but writing it down each week works best for me. 

That is the key, find what works for you.  Can you set a day each week to go on-line to your bank account and track everything you spent that week or would having an app on your phone work better for you.  Many people use planners these days, many planners have a place to track spending right there for you, or at the least blank pages where you can allocate space for tracking your spending. Regardless of what method you use, you must track every penny you spend.

A major key in budgeting is consistency; as long as you are going to look at your budget each week and be aware of your spending then I find most people can make a budget work for them.  It’s when you have no idea how much you have spent the past two weeks that you find yourself in trouble.

Once you have evaluated what you spend your money on then move forward and set your parameters of what you want to spend where and most important you’ll know what your “actual” income is and what your “actual” outgo is and where you should be spending and not spending.  When you see the numbers it will be less of a restriction thinking mindset and more of I am taking control of my finances and this is what I want to spend my money on.

I hope this post encouraged you to get started and quit avoiding looking at the numbers.  If I can budget who grew up knowing nothing about budgeting and who had parents who didn’t budget then anyone can budget. 

I will post more information and more “how to” on budgeting in the future, please feel free to e-mail me at theblogaboutitall@gmail.com if you have any questions or anything specific you would like me to target in regards to budgeting.

Thanks for reading!

www.BlogAboutItAll.com

You can do a Budget
When thinking of living on a budget or putting a budget together many people dread the thought, the process and think of only restrictions.

Budgeting brings you freedom to live intentionally, and accomplish things you desire to achieve.  Be that a family vacation you’ve been dreaming about, purchasing that piece of furniture you have been eyeing, living debt free and so much more.

This post is to encourage you that you can budget and stick with it!  If you have never budgeted just get started!  Do you know what you spend to operate your household each month?  Start there, don’t set any parameters, do what you always do, except, write everything you spend down.  This way you know what you actually spend on groceries, gas for your vehicle and utilities. 

It amazes me how many people I come across that don’t know what their utilities cost, they just go through life paying what they pay and living paycheck to paycheck wondering at the end of each month where did all my money go? 

I remember years ago when my husband and I had strayed from budgeting, we went back and reviewed our spending for that month.  We had spent more on going out to eat then we did our entire grocery and household items, we were shocked.  It wasn’t eating out at fancy restaurants either; it was fast food and those stops for a smoothie. 

When you track your spending habits, it helps you evaluate what is really important to you and has you contemplate are those restaurant trips desired more than going on a family vacation.  Do you really need one more new dress more than that new car you want to save for.

 I like to budget the old fashioned way, pen and paper.  I track our spending by writing it down in categories.  Our consistent monthly bills are already set and don’t change for example (rent/mortgage, utilities, vehicle maintenance, insurance bills, etc.)  The things that fluctuate are your grocery spending, your entertainment spending i.e. date nights, eating out, movies and extracurricular activities.  Those are the things that you have most control over and can change, improve, find more frugal ways to achieve which in turn will give you more money (without any change in your income) to apply towards debt or to save for that “thing” or family vacation.

If you are tech savvy or really great with apps there are a ton out there to assist you in budgeting here is a link I recently came across that has a great list of budgeting apps http://www.everythingzoomer.com/best-apps-for-your-budget/#.VBhv_fldXkU.   I like apps and technology but when it comes to tracking my spending, maybe it’s just what I am used to but writing it down each week works best for me. 

That is the key, find what works for you.  Can you set a day each week to go on-line to your bank account and track everything you spent that week or would having an app on your phone work better for you.  Many people use planners these days, many planners have a place to track spending right there for you, or at the least blank pages where you can allocate space for tracking your spending. Regardless of what method you use, you must track every penny you spend.

A major key in budgeting is consistency; as long as you are going to look at your budget each week and be aware of your spending then I find most people can make a budget work for them.  It’s when you have no idea how much you have spent the past two weeks that you find yourself in trouble.

Once you have evaluated what you spend your money on then move forward and set your parameters of what you want to spend where and most important you’ll know what your “actual” income is and what your “actual” outgo is and where you should be spending and not spending.  When you see the numbers it will be less of a restriction thinking mindset and more of I am taking control of my finances and this is what I want to spend my money on.

I hope this post encouraged you to get started and quit avoiding looking at the numbers.  If I can budget who grew up knowing nothing about budgeting and who had parents who didn’t budget then anyone can budget. 

I will post more information and more “how to” on budgeting in the future, please feel free to e-mail me at theblogaboutitall@gmail.com if you have any questions or anything specific you would like me to target in regards to budgeting.

Thanks for reading!

www.BlogAboutItAll.com
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Do you know anyone who is pregnant or has children?  Know a daycare or church looking for toys for their children’s programs.  Share this information with them.  Upcoming Huge Sale Event!

Just Between Friends is a place where hundreds of local families recycle their gently used kid's clothing, toys, baby equipment and maternity items at 50% - 90% off retail prices. Events benefit Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

You can find Children’s, Teens, Maternity items, everything from toys to books to clothes.  Most items are 50-90% off!

If you like them on Facebook there is a GET IN FREE pass (Free Admission Pass valid on Opening Day only) you can use at the Roseville Children's & Maternity consignment event September 26-28 at the Placer County Fairgrounds, 800 All American City Blvd. JONES HALL (enter at Lot C) off Washington Blvd in Roseville. Show on your phone or print and share with your friends! 
Where: Placer County Fairgrounds, 800 All American City Blvd., Roseville, CA
When: September 26th through the 28th
  Friday, 11a-5p ($2 Admission)
  Saturday, 9a-1p (FREE Entry - New Arrivals)
  Saturday, 5p-8p (FREE entry - 50% OFF sale starts)
  Sunday, 9a-1p (FREE entry 50% OFF sale)


Link for more information: www.roseville.jbfsale.com for details, directions and photos of the event.

Thanks for reading!
www.BlogAboutItAll.com 

Huge Local Sale Event

Do you know anyone who is pregnant or has children?  Know a daycare or church looking for toys for their children’s programs.  Share this information with them.  Upcoming Huge Sale Event!

Just Between Friends is a place where hundreds of local families recycle their gently used kid's clothing, toys, baby equipment and maternity items at 50% - 90% off retail prices. Events benefit Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

You can find Children’s, Teens, Maternity items, everything from toys to books to clothes.  Most items are 50-90% off!

If you like them on Facebook there is a GET IN FREE pass (Free Admission Pass valid on Opening Day only) you can use at the Roseville Children's & Maternity consignment event September 26-28 at the Placer County Fairgrounds, 800 All American City Blvd. JONES HALL (enter at Lot C) off Washington Blvd in Roseville. Show on your phone or print and share with your friends! 
Where: Placer County Fairgrounds, 800 All American City Blvd., Roseville, CA
When: September 26th through the 28th
  Friday, 11a-5p ($2 Admission)
  Saturday, 9a-1p (FREE Entry - New Arrivals)
  Saturday, 5p-8p (FREE entry - 50% OFF sale starts)
  Sunday, 9a-1p (FREE entry 50% OFF sale)


Link for more information: www.roseville.jbfsale.com for details, directions and photos of the event.

Thanks for reading!
www.BlogAboutItAll.com 
Read more »
I used to spend around $400 a month on groceries and another $200 a month on household products (toiletries, diapers, laundry detergent, etc.)  Since I began couponing I spend $300 a month on both groceries and household items together and some months I only spend $200 for our family of 5.

Four years ago a group of my friends at church started couponing and telling me how much money they were saving on groceries.  I was excited to get involved and give it a go.  I had used “a” coupon before but nothing like what I was about to do.  So I went out purchased a “coupon binder” bought 4 copies of the local Sunday newspaper at the Dollar Store and was ready to save my family some money!

Well very soon into couponing I realized this was crazy!  I spent my entire Sunday afternoon clipping coupons to organize by category in my “coupon binder”.  Then in between dropping kids to school, going to work, and everything else we moms do I was constantly on the internet looking for coupon deals and making quite a few trips to the local drugstores and grocery stores to snatch up the best deal.  This was not working for my family or my sanity.

Instead of quitting, I modified it to work for me.  I looked for tips online to make this easier; I got ideas from friends and found out what was working for them.

The “coupon binder” method is great because you can take your binder with you every time you go to the store, and if something is on clearance or on sale that wasn’t in the ad or the online coupon blog, you have your coupons with you and you can snatch up some really great deals, but it’s time-consuming. 

My coupon file crate.
Here are some tips if you are just beginning to coupon or like me desire to coupon but not be an “extreme couponer”.  I file my coupons in a file crate by date.   You don’t even have to look through your coupons each Sunday, just purchase them and file them away.  Then let someone else do the work for you.  I follow or as my husband says “stalk” PantryOverflow.com.  You then go pull that week’s coupons clip the ones you need and you’re done, go shop and save some money, sometimes lots of money. 

 Diana the curator of this site is local to me so all the deals she posts I know are available at the stores near me.  Diana at Pantry Overflow will tell you each week’s deals, and what date to find the matching coupons and she will even posts which coupons are coming out Sunday before Sunday rolls around, so you can decide if you want to purchase newspapers that week.  If you follow her on Instagram and Facebook, you can see deals she picks up at the local stores before she even posts them to her blog.  So every Wednesday when most Grocery Store sales begin visit PantryOverflow.com and plan your grocery shopping trip.
Another great idea (and I do quite often) is go through the coupons on Sunday when you purchase them, clip ONLY the ones you know you will use, and put them in a mini purse size organizer, so you have those with you whenever you shop.  I frequently keep the coupons for my kids’ favorite cereal, kids’ drinks and snacks with me but the other coupons I don’t clip until I hear of a deal for those items.  If you have the time to go through the local grocery ads and match coupons  to what’s on sale then do that, I don’t want to invest that much time in this couponing lifestyle. 

With coupons you can purchase name brand cereal for .25 cents a box, you can get high quality name brand makeup and hair products for super cheap and even FREE, and you can ALWAYS get toothpaste for FREE.  I tell people even if you coupon just for cereal and kids snack foods for school lunches you will save a bundle and it is well worth it.  So head on over to PantryOverflow.com and get started today. Don’t feel guilty for getting items for free or at crazy low prices enjoy the savings.  If you don’t want to have a stockpile of items donate them to a local food bank or share your extras with family and friends.

My Keys to couponing:
  • Purchase your coupons every Sunday. 
    • If you miss a week and a few weeks later there is a sale but you need the coupon from the week you missed you might regret it.
  • File your coupons by date.
  • Download Ibotta a digital form of coupons on your phone.
  • Download the Coupons.com App.
  • Follow coupon sites to find the deals. 
  • Don’t run out for every deal, it will come around again, coupon deals come in cycles.
    • Consider the gas you spend, the time you spend and cost of coupons, if you don’t watch it, couponing can end up costing you more money then you planned.
  • A big key is if you currently spend $400 on groceries each month, continue to use that $400 for your couponing then whatever is left over at the end of the month, use the extra money to apply towards debt, or to save for a family vacation.  Because many times, if you don’t do that, the money you used to spend just gets absorbed or spent other ways and you don’t really see the difference.
  • Only buy what you use!  Don’t get caught up in “but it’s free” and then the item sits in your garage or you are trying to give it away to everyone you know.
  • Choose one drugstore and one grocery store to start with and watch the savings add up.  Then as you get a handle on couponing you can add to that or pick your favorites.  (Mine are Target, Safeway & CVS).
  • Purchase 1 copy of the Sunday newspaper for each member of your family.  I started with 4 to begin with, but now subscribe for 6 copies, delivered right to my door each Sunday.
  • Use your coupons and savings to bless others.
    • When you get a great deal on something share with family members or neighbors who maybe out of work or going through a tough financial time.  Send some of the fancy hair products you purchased for pennies to your friends or family in a care package. 
    • You can get great deals on kids’ toys and games that you can use for Toys for Tots and other organizations to help make a difference!
Thanks for reading! Want to try Ibotta a digital way to save, coupons right on your phone, no clipping or cutting download here https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/1005cd3f?friend_code=qygfhq.

How I cut my Grocery Budget in Half

I used to spend around $400 a month on groceries and another $200 a month on household products (toiletries, diapers, laundry detergent, etc.)  Since I began couponing I spend $300 a month on both groceries and household items together and some months I only spend $200 for our family of 5.

Four years ago a group of my friends at church started couponing and telling me how much money they were saving on groceries.  I was excited to get involved and give it a go.  I had used “a” coupon before but nothing like what I was about to do.  So I went out purchased a “coupon binder” bought 4 copies of the local Sunday newspaper at the Dollar Store and was ready to save my family some money!

Well very soon into couponing I realized this was crazy!  I spent my entire Sunday afternoon clipping coupons to organize by category in my “coupon binder”.  Then in between dropping kids to school, going to work, and everything else we moms do I was constantly on the internet looking for coupon deals and making quite a few trips to the local drugstores and grocery stores to snatch up the best deal.  This was not working for my family or my sanity.

Instead of quitting, I modified it to work for me.  I looked for tips online to make this easier; I got ideas from friends and found out what was working for them.

The “coupon binder” method is great because you can take your binder with you every time you go to the store, and if something is on clearance or on sale that wasn’t in the ad or the online coupon blog, you have your coupons with you and you can snatch up some really great deals, but it’s time-consuming. 

My coupon file crate.
Here are some tips if you are just beginning to coupon or like me desire to coupon but not be an “extreme couponer”.  I file my coupons in a file crate by date.   You don’t even have to look through your coupons each Sunday, just purchase them and file them away.  Then let someone else do the work for you.  I follow or as my husband says “stalk” PantryOverflow.com.  You then go pull that week’s coupons clip the ones you need and you’re done, go shop and save some money, sometimes lots of money. 

 Diana the curator of this site is local to me so all the deals she posts I know are available at the stores near me.  Diana at Pantry Overflow will tell you each week’s deals, and what date to find the matching coupons and she will even posts which coupons are coming out Sunday before Sunday rolls around, so you can decide if you want to purchase newspapers that week.  If you follow her on Instagram and Facebook, you can see deals she picks up at the local stores before she even posts them to her blog.  So every Wednesday when most Grocery Store sales begin visit PantryOverflow.com and plan your grocery shopping trip.
Another great idea (and I do quite often) is go through the coupons on Sunday when you purchase them, clip ONLY the ones you know you will use, and put them in a mini purse size organizer, so you have those with you whenever you shop.  I frequently keep the coupons for my kids’ favorite cereal, kids’ drinks and snacks with me but the other coupons I don’t clip until I hear of a deal for those items.  If you have the time to go through the local grocery ads and match coupons  to what’s on sale then do that, I don’t want to invest that much time in this couponing lifestyle. 

With coupons you can purchase name brand cereal for .25 cents a box, you can get high quality name brand makeup and hair products for super cheap and even FREE, and you can ALWAYS get toothpaste for FREE.  I tell people even if you coupon just for cereal and kids snack foods for school lunches you will save a bundle and it is well worth it.  So head on over to PantryOverflow.com and get started today. Don’t feel guilty for getting items for free or at crazy low prices enjoy the savings.  If you don’t want to have a stockpile of items donate them to a local food bank or share your extras with family and friends.

My Keys to couponing:
  • Purchase your coupons every Sunday. 
    • If you miss a week and a few weeks later there is a sale but you need the coupon from the week you missed you might regret it.
  • File your coupons by date.
  • Download Ibotta a digital form of coupons on your phone.
  • Download the Coupons.com App.
  • Follow coupon sites to find the deals. 
  • Don’t run out for every deal, it will come around again, coupon deals come in cycles.
    • Consider the gas you spend, the time you spend and cost of coupons, if you don’t watch it, couponing can end up costing you more money then you planned.
  • A big key is if you currently spend $400 on groceries each month, continue to use that $400 for your couponing then whatever is left over at the end of the month, use the extra money to apply towards debt, or to save for a family vacation.  Because many times, if you don’t do that, the money you used to spend just gets absorbed or spent other ways and you don’t really see the difference.
  • Only buy what you use!  Don’t get caught up in “but it’s free” and then the item sits in your garage or you are trying to give it away to everyone you know.
  • Choose one drugstore and one grocery store to start with and watch the savings add up.  Then as you get a handle on couponing you can add to that or pick your favorites.  (Mine are Target, Safeway & CVS).
  • Purchase 1 copy of the Sunday newspaper for each member of your family.  I started with 4 to begin with, but now subscribe for 6 copies, delivered right to my door each Sunday.
  • Use your coupons and savings to bless others.
    • When you get a great deal on something share with family members or neighbors who maybe out of work or going through a tough financial time.  Send some of the fancy hair products you purchased for pennies to your friends or family in a care package. 
    • You can get great deals on kids’ toys and games that you can use for Toys for Tots and other organizations to help make a difference!
Thanks for reading! Want to try Ibotta a digital way to save, coupons right on your phone, no clipping or cutting download here https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/1005cd3f?friend_code=qygfhq.
Read more »
My Kindergartner
When your kids start school they have to memorize a variety of things.  They need to know their home address, home telephone number, spelling words and so much more.

I am going to share what I do to help my children remember their weekly memory verse.  You can use this technique for anything.

My children currently attend private school and every Monday in their homework packet is a memory verse from the Bible, they need memorized by Friday.

Don’t get too excited it’s nothing fancy, I’m no Martha Stewart but it works.  Of course if you are crafty or want to use your computer you can change it up to make it work for you.  I have friends who create songs and hand motions to help their children memorize.  As a busy mom of three boys this is what works for us, it’s simple, it’s quick and usually within 3 days they have their memory verse memorized. 
Last weeks memory verse.

When we are at the dining room table doing homework on Monday I simply write out their memory verse on two pieces of paper.  One copy goes in our car the copy with both children’s memory verse on one sheet of notebook paper.  This way every time we go to school, to church, or the grocery store we recite their memory verse together.  The other copy goes in their bedroom.  For my kindergartner I simply tape the piece of paper on the wall next to his bed.  I also use some symbols/pictures to help with larger words.  For my second grader I place it next to his bed, quite often he will read it on his own when he’s getting in bed, waking up, or even going upstairs to play.

You can watch my son reciting last weeks memory verse right here:
http://youtu.be/8ZVSHbRouDs

Well there you have it; I hope this helps you and your family.

Thanks for reading!



www.BlogAboutItAll.com

Helping Your Kids Memorize
My Kindergartner
When your kids start school they have to memorize a variety of things.  They need to know their home address, home telephone number, spelling words and so much more.

I am going to share what I do to help my children remember their weekly memory verse.  You can use this technique for anything.

My children currently attend private school and every Monday in their homework packet is a memory verse from the Bible, they need memorized by Friday.

Don’t get too excited it’s nothing fancy, I’m no Martha Stewart but it works.  Of course if you are crafty or want to use your computer you can change it up to make it work for you.  I have friends who create songs and hand motions to help their children memorize.  As a busy mom of three boys this is what works for us, it’s simple, it’s quick and usually within 3 days they have their memory verse memorized. 
Last weeks memory verse.

When we are at the dining room table doing homework on Monday I simply write out their memory verse on two pieces of paper.  One copy goes in our car the copy with both children’s memory verse on one sheet of notebook paper.  This way every time we go to school, to church, or the grocery store we recite their memory verse together.  The other copy goes in their bedroom.  For my kindergartner I simply tape the piece of paper on the wall next to his bed.  I also use some symbols/pictures to help with larger words.  For my second grader I place it next to his bed, quite often he will read it on his own when he’s getting in bed, waking up, or even going upstairs to play.

You can watch my son reciting last weeks memory verse right here:
http://youtu.be/8ZVSHbRouDs

Well there you have it; I hope this helps you and your family.

Thanks for reading!



www.BlogAboutItAll.com
Read more »


Did you know Sunday, September 21st 2014 is National Back to Church Sunday?  This is a great opportunity for me to share with you how I started going to church.

Growing up I was raised catholic, we were not active Catholic Church goers.  We attended church on major holidays and a few times throughout the year.  As a young teenage girl many times I would walk to the closest Catholic Church to my home and go on my own, I had this draw to church and God and didn’t really understand it. 

In my sophomore year in high school, a friend and I were planning on going to a school dance.  Due to my parents weekend plans I had to spend the night at her house to attend the dance.  My friend said if I spent the night at her house, I had to go to church on Sunday with her family which was fine with me.

In attending church with her that Sunday, I felt the pastor was speaking directly to me, about my life circumstances and situations.  After the pastor was finished preaching he gave an altar call for anyone to come forward who would like to accept Jesus in their heart.   I didn’t fully understand at the time the great gift that had been presented to me but I went to the front and prayed with the pastor to receive Jesus as my Savior.  From that day forward my life changed dramatically for the better.  Kindly my friend Angela and her parents would pick me up every Sunday and take me to church. 

My mom was familiar with the Christian faith because her mom, my grandmother attended a Pentecostal church in Texas.  My mom would often ask me if I knew what I was getting involved with and she didn’t understand my desire to go to church every week. 

I was attending church for about 3 months praying for my parents to find Jesus as their personal Savior just as I had.  In December my parents were going out to celebrate their Anniversary.  My mom told me I needed to stay home to babysit my brother and sister on a Friday night that the church was having a special prayer meeting.  Another family in the church offered to take my siblings and I to church that night.  My mom wasn’t sure about the whole thing but she agreed. 

My parents were at a local restaurant enjoying happy hour and had plans to go dancing afterwards; that is how they spent most weekends.  They ended up leaving the restaurant and went home. 

We arrived home pretty late and she wondered what we had been doing at church for such a long time.  I wondered what they were doing home so early.  My mom said their drinks were watered down and they felt weird to be out drinking while their kids were at a church that they had never even visited.  My parents told me they were going to visit on Sunday and see where I had been going all this time.  That Sunday my parents gave their heart to Jesus and our lives have never been the same.    I will elaborate on future blog posts.

I take this opportunity to invite you to church, if you have been and stopped attending or maybe you have never been.  Take a step of faith and find out what this faith thing is all about.  Choosing God and faith has been a decision that I have never regretted. 

Family Community Church, North Highlands, CA
If you are in the Sacramento area I invite you to attend my local church Family Community Church, 6331 Watt Avenue, North Highlands, CA 95660, you can also view services on-line via live stream at www.familycc.org right from the comfort of your own home thank God for technology.   

Service times are Sundays at 11 AM & 6 PM and also Tuesdays at 6:30 PM PST.  I also recommend that you ask God where to go to church.  How do you do that? You simply ask God, yes just like you talk to a friend, ask Him to lead and guide your family to a church and He will, with an inward leading sort of how your conscience guides you and speaks to you.  A church will stand out, or all of a sudden you’ll end up talking to someone about a church, I have seen it happen many times.  

If you attend church regularly I encourage you to use this opportunity of National Back to Church Sunday to invite someone to attend church with you, share your story of how you found faith with someone else.

I don’t believe the action of attending church alone will change your life, but rather it’s an encounter with God that changes your life and although you can have an encounter with God anywhere it is in attending church regularly that will develop your relationship with God. 

Why I attend church:
  • I attend church to learn about God and the ways of God, to develop a greater relationship with Him.
  • I attend church to set apart time to recognize life isn’t all about me but something and someone much greater.
  • Church gives me a sense of community; I enjoy meeting new people and learning from their life stories.
  • Attending Church gives my children the opportunity to choose faith.  To know they have a Heavenly Father who can love and care for them better than their father and I.

God loves you and has a plan for your life.  Know He longs for you to look to Him and talk to Him about anything anytime.  You don’t have to know all the “right” words to say, just share from your heart and know He hears you.  You don’t have to clean up your life before you come to Him; He is in the fixing and cleaning up business.  Just come as you are.

Bible Verse John 3:16 reads “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Here is a simple prayer to receive Jesus as your Savior.

Dear God I know I'm a sinner, I ask for your forgiveness.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. Come into my life Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and wash me from all sin, shame, and guilt.  In Jesus Name I pray.  Amen

 Thank you for reading my story.
www.BlogAboutItAll.com

National Back to Church Sunday


Did you know Sunday, September 21st 2014 is National Back to Church Sunday?  This is a great opportunity for me to share with you how I started going to church.

Growing up I was raised catholic, we were not active Catholic Church goers.  We attended church on major holidays and a few times throughout the year.  As a young teenage girl many times I would walk to the closest Catholic Church to my home and go on my own, I had this draw to church and God and didn’t really understand it. 

In my sophomore year in high school, a friend and I were planning on going to a school dance.  Due to my parents weekend plans I had to spend the night at her house to attend the dance.  My friend said if I spent the night at her house, I had to go to church on Sunday with her family which was fine with me.

In attending church with her that Sunday, I felt the pastor was speaking directly to me, about my life circumstances and situations.  After the pastor was finished preaching he gave an altar call for anyone to come forward who would like to accept Jesus in their heart.   I didn’t fully understand at the time the great gift that had been presented to me but I went to the front and prayed with the pastor to receive Jesus as my Savior.  From that day forward my life changed dramatically for the better.  Kindly my friend Angela and her parents would pick me up every Sunday and take me to church. 

My mom was familiar with the Christian faith because her mom, my grandmother attended a Pentecostal church in Texas.  My mom would often ask me if I knew what I was getting involved with and she didn’t understand my desire to go to church every week. 

I was attending church for about 3 months praying for my parents to find Jesus as their personal Savior just as I had.  In December my parents were going out to celebrate their Anniversary.  My mom told me I needed to stay home to babysit my brother and sister on a Friday night that the church was having a special prayer meeting.  Another family in the church offered to take my siblings and I to church that night.  My mom wasn’t sure about the whole thing but she agreed. 

My parents were at a local restaurant enjoying happy hour and had plans to go dancing afterwards; that is how they spent most weekends.  They ended up leaving the restaurant and went home. 

We arrived home pretty late and she wondered what we had been doing at church for such a long time.  I wondered what they were doing home so early.  My mom said their drinks were watered down and they felt weird to be out drinking while their kids were at a church that they had never even visited.  My parents told me they were going to visit on Sunday and see where I had been going all this time.  That Sunday my parents gave their heart to Jesus and our lives have never been the same.    I will elaborate on future blog posts.

I take this opportunity to invite you to church, if you have been and stopped attending or maybe you have never been.  Take a step of faith and find out what this faith thing is all about.  Choosing God and faith has been a decision that I have never regretted. 

Family Community Church, North Highlands, CA
If you are in the Sacramento area I invite you to attend my local church Family Community Church, 6331 Watt Avenue, North Highlands, CA 95660, you can also view services on-line via live stream at www.familycc.org right from the comfort of your own home thank God for technology.   

Service times are Sundays at 11 AM & 6 PM and also Tuesdays at 6:30 PM PST.  I also recommend that you ask God where to go to church.  How do you do that? You simply ask God, yes just like you talk to a friend, ask Him to lead and guide your family to a church and He will, with an inward leading sort of how your conscience guides you and speaks to you.  A church will stand out, or all of a sudden you’ll end up talking to someone about a church, I have seen it happen many times.  

If you attend church regularly I encourage you to use this opportunity of National Back to Church Sunday to invite someone to attend church with you, share your story of how you found faith with someone else.

I don’t believe the action of attending church alone will change your life, but rather it’s an encounter with God that changes your life and although you can have an encounter with God anywhere it is in attending church regularly that will develop your relationship with God. 

Why I attend church:
  • I attend church to learn about God and the ways of God, to develop a greater relationship with Him.
  • I attend church to set apart time to recognize life isn’t all about me but something and someone much greater.
  • Church gives me a sense of community; I enjoy meeting new people and learning from their life stories.
  • Attending Church gives my children the opportunity to choose faith.  To know they have a Heavenly Father who can love and care for them better than their father and I.

God loves you and has a plan for your life.  Know He longs for you to look to Him and talk to Him about anything anytime.  You don’t have to know all the “right” words to say, just share from your heart and know He hears you.  You don’t have to clean up your life before you come to Him; He is in the fixing and cleaning up business.  Just come as you are.

Bible Verse John 3:16 reads “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Here is a simple prayer to receive Jesus as your Savior.

Dear God I know I'm a sinner, I ask for your forgiveness.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. Come into my life Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and wash me from all sin, shame, and guilt.  In Jesus Name I pray.  Amen

 Thank you for reading my story.
www.BlogAboutItAll.com
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In the future I will blog about budgeting and saving money. Most of the concepts for budgeting, saving, planning, and finances I have learned by attending classes and seminars.  I have taught classes on budgeting at my local church and I have also been a facilitator for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. 

When I hear of local events or things that can help you in your family life I will be sure to pass it on to you. That is why I wanted to invite you to this seminar.

Saturday, September 13th there is a FREE class on Finance!  You can attend if you live local or view on-line at www.billkrause.com.  These classes take place once a month for more information call: (916) 334-7711 or visit the website to register to view on-line. 

On this same website under the Media Tab you can find free downloads of the very budgeting and finance forms I use each month for my personal budget.  Also in the downloads section there are tools for business, time management and many other great resources.

I hope to see you there and since you’ve seen a picture of me on-line you’ll know how to find me, come introduce yourself, I’d love to meet you.


FREE Financial Freedom Class
Date: Saturday, September 13th, 2014
Time: 8:45 AM to Noon PST
Place: 6331 Watt Avenue, North Highlands, CA 95660

More information: www.billkrause.com or (916) 334-7711.

FREE Local Finance Class
In the future I will blog about budgeting and saving money. Most of the concepts for budgeting, saving, planning, and finances I have learned by attending classes and seminars.  I have taught classes on budgeting at my local church and I have also been a facilitator for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. 

When I hear of local events or things that can help you in your family life I will be sure to pass it on to you. That is why I wanted to invite you to this seminar.

Saturday, September 13th there is a FREE class on Finance!  You can attend if you live local or view on-line at www.billkrause.com.  These classes take place once a month for more information call: (916) 334-7711 or visit the website to register to view on-line. 

On this same website under the Media Tab you can find free downloads of the very budgeting and finance forms I use each month for my personal budget.  Also in the downloads section there are tools for business, time management and many other great resources.

I hope to see you there and since you’ve seen a picture of me on-line you’ll know how to find me, come introduce yourself, I’d love to meet you.


FREE Financial Freedom Class
Date: Saturday, September 13th, 2014
Time: 8:45 AM to Noon PST
Place: 6331 Watt Avenue, North Highlands, CA 95660

More information: www.billkrause.com or (916) 334-7711.
Read more »

Fridays are date nights for my husband and I, since tomorrow is Friday I thought I’d share my story of how we began our weekly date nights.  For the person not wanting to read a lot, you can scroll down to the very bottom for tips on starting and implementing a date night with your spouse. 

My husband and I have been married for 11 years, about 2 years ago a friend had shared with me that her and her husband were starting a weekly date night and I thought to myself that sounds great, but how do I work that in my budget, how do I plan that with 3 little boys at home, it seemed impossible to do every week.  My husband and I went out 1 time a month or every other month at the time we started talking about having a date night every week.  Once we discussed it and realized how needed it was we made it happen.  We realized that with work, home life and all other extra activities in our life we needed to carve out that space to have uninterrupted time to talk and connect with each other.  Many times there were things that we “meant” to discuss or share with each other that just didn’t happen with busy schedules and everything else life throws at you.

Thankfully both our parents live near us, so they happily agreed to help babysit, which made getting  the kids taken care of the easy part.  We still didn’t see how we could work it in our budget every week when we first began.  Date night can be expensive going to dinner and a movie or doing some other activity together adds up quick, so we started where we were at.  We planned date nights in our home, we would drop the kids off to one of our parents, and go back home and prepare dinner together and have a nice peaceful dinner without anyone asking for more milk or having to get up and get a towel for that same milk all over the floor I just mopped that morning.  These are priceless times to share together, with the busyness of everyday life, it’s nice to sit across from each other and look into each other’s eyes and just breathe and enjoy the moment, enjoy a “hot” meal (mom’s you know how that is), to enjoy each other’s presence without being climbed on by your little ones (those are great moments too I know).

It is amazing that since committing to a weekly date night, what at one time seemed impossible now we cherish and look forward to each week and it has become very much part of who we are and what we do.  Also worth mentioning, since we made up our mind about the importance of date night, we have it in our budget, at different times we have been blessed by others or through work have won prizes and give-a-ways with gift cards and different date night activities.  It just goes to show when you purpose and prioritize something, it happens, make room for date night and it will become possible.

So I encourage all you couples out there to commit to do a date night and start where you’re at.  If you don’t ever date, then start with once a month or every other week.  If you already date once in a while step it up and commit to a weekly date night.  And don’t look for excuses of why it can’t happen, look for ways to make it happen.  Think outside the box and don’t try to do it alone.  A date night can be done on any size of budget.  If you have kids and can’t afford to pay for a babysitter, ask family and friends to help.  You can trade babysitting services, or trade goods and services for babysitting time.  If it’s currently not in your budget to spend a lot on restaurants and activities.  Look for buy one get one free coupons, cook in your home, prepare a picnic dinner or lunch that you can have at a local park.  If you have school aged children and can meet for lunch that takes care of the babysitting situation if you meet for lunch.  With the day and age we live in with the internet, Google, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, there are plenty of ways to find witty ideas to help with date night.  So get brainstorming and planning your next date night.

Also want to encourage you couples who don’t have kids don’t exclude yourself from date night, it’s more than just getting away from the kids, it’s about investing in your relationship, keeping the flame alive, getting out of the daily life routine and truly embracing each other’s presence distraction free. 

After reading this blog post don’t just talk about date night, schedule them, make it happen, your marriage relationship is worth it, it’s just like a garden if you don’t tend to your garden weeds grow in, insects try to come and pick at your fruit.  So carve out time for each other and do some tending.  Recognize the needs you each have for conversation, praise from each other, quality time making memories together that will shape your relationship for your lifetime.  Life goes by too fast, before you know it, it will be 2015, don’t let another week or month go by till you get around to each other.

I’d love to hear from you readers about your date nights, what works for you, and if you don’t date and still need some help, comment or e-mail and I and fellow readers I’m sure will help with ideas to spur you on in dating your spouse.

Text or e-mail your spouse right now, get the conversation started “Let’s go on a date this week!” 


Tips on Starting and Implementing Date Nights:
  • Get Started – schedule it, put it on the calendar!
  • Put it in your budget!  When you receive gift cards or other gift certificate items, use them for date night.
  • Think outside the box it doesn’t always have to be dinner and a movie.
    • Cook a special meal at home, or have a picnic in the living room or backyard.
    • Attend free local community events together (example many communities host nights of music in the park or movies in the park or dance classes and other recreational programs)
    • Exercise together; go on a walk, shoot some hoops at the park, etc.
    • Explore your local city together, many times we get in the rut of shopping at the same mall, going to the same nearby restaurant, get out and explore what is in your local city.  Research what your town has to offer.
  • Do hobbies together, if you don’t have one, try something new.
  • Have a time of goal setting together, dreaming together, or planning the next family vacation or family event.
  • Get other’s involved; you don’t have to think of everything on your own.
    • Start a date night babysitting swap with other couples, friends and family members, you watch their kids for their date night and then they watch your kids for your date night, a win for both couples.
    • Ask your single friends and family members who don’t have kids if they’d like to come to your house and practice with your kids ;-).
    • Ask the older generation people in your life who maybe there grandkids live across the country or maybe they don’t have grandkids yet or just have one to help, this could also be a blessing to someone who doesn’t have family near and sometimes feels lonely.
  • Be Flexible!  You might have to change up the day some weeks; you might need to meet for lunch due to another event.   The intention is to connect with your spouse not always talking about kids or work (the business of life and family) but dreaming and planning your future together and keeping your relationship current.  Each of you changes over the years, your likes, dislikes, hobbies.  Take the time to invest and study each other, have fun dating after marriage!

Dating Your Spouse

Fridays are date nights for my husband and I, since tomorrow is Friday I thought I’d share my story of how we began our weekly date nights.  For the person not wanting to read a lot, you can scroll down to the very bottom for tips on starting and implementing a date night with your spouse. 

My husband and I have been married for 11 years, about 2 years ago a friend had shared with me that her and her husband were starting a weekly date night and I thought to myself that sounds great, but how do I work that in my budget, how do I plan that with 3 little boys at home, it seemed impossible to do every week.  My husband and I went out 1 time a month or every other month at the time we started talking about having a date night every week.  Once we discussed it and realized how needed it was we made it happen.  We realized that with work, home life and all other extra activities in our life we needed to carve out that space to have uninterrupted time to talk and connect with each other.  Many times there were things that we “meant” to discuss or share with each other that just didn’t happen with busy schedules and everything else life throws at you.

Thankfully both our parents live near us, so they happily agreed to help babysit, which made getting  the kids taken care of the easy part.  We still didn’t see how we could work it in our budget every week when we first began.  Date night can be expensive going to dinner and a movie or doing some other activity together adds up quick, so we started where we were at.  We planned date nights in our home, we would drop the kids off to one of our parents, and go back home and prepare dinner together and have a nice peaceful dinner without anyone asking for more milk or having to get up and get a towel for that same milk all over the floor I just mopped that morning.  These are priceless times to share together, with the busyness of everyday life, it’s nice to sit across from each other and look into each other’s eyes and just breathe and enjoy the moment, enjoy a “hot” meal (mom’s you know how that is), to enjoy each other’s presence without being climbed on by your little ones (those are great moments too I know).

It is amazing that since committing to a weekly date night, what at one time seemed impossible now we cherish and look forward to each week and it has become very much part of who we are and what we do.  Also worth mentioning, since we made up our mind about the importance of date night, we have it in our budget, at different times we have been blessed by others or through work have won prizes and give-a-ways with gift cards and different date night activities.  It just goes to show when you purpose and prioritize something, it happens, make room for date night and it will become possible.

So I encourage all you couples out there to commit to do a date night and start where you’re at.  If you don’t ever date, then start with once a month or every other week.  If you already date once in a while step it up and commit to a weekly date night.  And don’t look for excuses of why it can’t happen, look for ways to make it happen.  Think outside the box and don’t try to do it alone.  A date night can be done on any size of budget.  If you have kids and can’t afford to pay for a babysitter, ask family and friends to help.  You can trade babysitting services, or trade goods and services for babysitting time.  If it’s currently not in your budget to spend a lot on restaurants and activities.  Look for buy one get one free coupons, cook in your home, prepare a picnic dinner or lunch that you can have at a local park.  If you have school aged children and can meet for lunch that takes care of the babysitting situation if you meet for lunch.  With the day and age we live in with the internet, Google, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, there are plenty of ways to find witty ideas to help with date night.  So get brainstorming and planning your next date night.

Also want to encourage you couples who don’t have kids don’t exclude yourself from date night, it’s more than just getting away from the kids, it’s about investing in your relationship, keeping the flame alive, getting out of the daily life routine and truly embracing each other’s presence distraction free. 

After reading this blog post don’t just talk about date night, schedule them, make it happen, your marriage relationship is worth it, it’s just like a garden if you don’t tend to your garden weeds grow in, insects try to come and pick at your fruit.  So carve out time for each other and do some tending.  Recognize the needs you each have for conversation, praise from each other, quality time making memories together that will shape your relationship for your lifetime.  Life goes by too fast, before you know it, it will be 2015, don’t let another week or month go by till you get around to each other.

I’d love to hear from you readers about your date nights, what works for you, and if you don’t date and still need some help, comment or e-mail and I and fellow readers I’m sure will help with ideas to spur you on in dating your spouse.

Text or e-mail your spouse right now, get the conversation started “Let’s go on a date this week!” 


Tips on Starting and Implementing Date Nights:
  • Get Started – schedule it, put it on the calendar!
  • Put it in your budget!  When you receive gift cards or other gift certificate items, use them for date night.
  • Think outside the box it doesn’t always have to be dinner and a movie.
    • Cook a special meal at home, or have a picnic in the living room or backyard.
    • Attend free local community events together (example many communities host nights of music in the park or movies in the park or dance classes and other recreational programs)
    • Exercise together; go on a walk, shoot some hoops at the park, etc.
    • Explore your local city together, many times we get in the rut of shopping at the same mall, going to the same nearby restaurant, get out and explore what is in your local city.  Research what your town has to offer.
  • Do hobbies together, if you don’t have one, try something new.
  • Have a time of goal setting together, dreaming together, or planning the next family vacation or family event.
  • Get other’s involved; you don’t have to think of everything on your own.
    • Start a date night babysitting swap with other couples, friends and family members, you watch their kids for their date night and then they watch your kids for your date night, a win for both couples.
    • Ask your single friends and family members who don’t have kids if they’d like to come to your house and practice with your kids ;-).
    • Ask the older generation people in your life who maybe there grandkids live across the country or maybe they don’t have grandkids yet or just have one to help, this could also be a blessing to someone who doesn’t have family near and sometimes feels lonely.
  • Be Flexible!  You might have to change up the day some weeks; you might need to meet for lunch due to another event.   The intention is to connect with your spouse not always talking about kids or work (the business of life and family) but dreaming and planning your future together and keeping your relationship current.  Each of you changes over the years, your likes, dislikes, hobbies.  Take the time to invest and study each other, have fun dating after marriage!

Read more »

Looking back to 09.11.2001 I remember being glued to the TV.  I remember holding my loved ones closer to my heart.  I remember praying for America, our Troops and our President with great fervor.  I remember praying for people I had never met who lost loved ones that the Prince of Peace would comfort them.  I remember my church being filled with people being drawn to church and prayer.   As you look back and remember today pray for America, pray for our Troops, pray for our President and pray for those who have lost loved ones, but not only on this day or when tragedy strikes but as often as you will.
I am grateful that my church offers many opportunities to gather and pray.  I attend a Tuesday morning and Thursday evening prayer group that faithfully every week prays for America.  If you are a church attender or not, pray for America, if you only say grace at meals, take a moment to pray for America, if you can't remember the last time you prayed today's a great day to start.  Talk to God just as you talk to a friend and pray.  Pray for our leaders (President, Vice President, Congressional Leaders, Supreme Court Justices, our Governor, Police & Fire Chief's, County officials, Pastors and Leaders of education) ask God to grant them wisdom to act with integrity.  Pray for our Military that they have courage and dependence on God.  Pray they have Divine protection and protection and support for the families they have left behind.  Pray for Chaplains who deliver hope and spiritual strength.

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God."  
President George Washington 1789

Remember 09.11.2001

Looking back to 09.11.2001 I remember being glued to the TV.  I remember holding my loved ones closer to my heart.  I remember praying for America, our Troops and our President with great fervor.  I remember praying for people I had never met who lost loved ones that the Prince of Peace would comfort them.  I remember my church being filled with people being drawn to church and prayer.   As you look back and remember today pray for America, pray for our Troops, pray for our President and pray for those who have lost loved ones, but not only on this day or when tragedy strikes but as often as you will.
I am grateful that my church offers many opportunities to gather and pray.  I attend a Tuesday morning and Thursday evening prayer group that faithfully every week prays for America.  If you are a church attender or not, pray for America, if you only say grace at meals, take a moment to pray for America, if you can't remember the last time you prayed today's a great day to start.  Talk to God just as you talk to a friend and pray.  Pray for our leaders (President, Vice President, Congressional Leaders, Supreme Court Justices, our Governor, Police & Fire Chief's, County officials, Pastors and Leaders of education) ask God to grant them wisdom to act with integrity.  Pray for our Military that they have courage and dependence on God.  Pray they have Divine protection and protection and support for the families they have left behind.  Pray for Chaplains who deliver hope and spiritual strength.

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God."  
President George Washington 1789
Read more »

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