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Budgeting – Finance Week

October 11, 2011 in Family, Goals, Productivity, Revolution Church with Comments Off

Its FINANCE WEEK here on the blog. This past Sunday, I shared a message called “Flip my Finances” as a part of our “Flip My Life” message series.

Each day this week on the blog, you will find great financial tools, videos, etc to help you kick start the changes that you want to make when it comes to your money.

Today: THE “B” WORD – BUDGET.

I used to be scared of the “B” word. But then I learned that a budget is really just a PLAN. When you budget, you’re spending on paper and on purpose, before the month begins. Many people view a budget as a straight jacket that keeps them constrained. But that is just not true. A budget allows you to spend your money intentionally.

And best of all, when you do it and stick with it, you’ll actually experience more freedom than before. My family actually found more money once we got on our budget and stuck with it!

These tools are incredible and come from the man that straightened out my finances: Dave Ramsey.

First, I would encourage anyone out there that feels like they are losing with their money to take Dave’s 13 week “Financial Peace University” course. This guy is the real deal. He has helped hundreds of thousands of people pay off their debt, live generously and invest wisely!

One of the first steps I shared on Sunday that we have to take in order to flip our finances is a seemingly simple task: MAKE A BUDGET. Here are some simple budgeting tools with instructions for you to download in PDF form.

  • Here is a sample “quickie budget” you can use. This is a great way to get a quick start! Or if you are a tech geek, you can use Dave’s new online tool here.
  • Here is a sample “monthly cash flow” plan. This is the one we run the finances with in our home.
  • And last, if you have “irregular income” then this one is for you. If your income varies greatly from month to month, don’t buy into the lie that you can’t budget. YOU CAN.

Here are some pointers once you get cracking on your budget:

  • Give it three to four months to start working. It won’t be perfect the first time you do it.
  • Spend every dime on paper before the month begins.
  • Over-fund your groceries category. Most people underfund that category.
  • If married, spouses need to do the budget together. The preacher said “… and you are ONE.”

GO MAKE A BUDGET. GET TO FLIPPIN’!!!

I’ll see ya tomorrow!

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Baby Steps – Finance Week

October 10, 2011 in Family, GOD, Productivity, Revolution Church with Comments Off

Its FINANCE WEEK here on the blog. This past Sunday, I shared a message called “Flip my Finances” as a part of our “Flip My Life” message series.

Each day this week on the blog, you will find great financial tools, videos, etc to help you kick start the changes that you want to make when it comes to your money.

Today: BABY STEPS.

Here are the first few steps anyone can take to get out of debt and start winning with their finances. My family has done this system and I can personally say that it works! (from Dave Ramsey’s baby steps)
STEP ONE: SAVE $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is for those unexpected events in life that you can’t plan for: the loss of a job, an unexpected pregnancy, a faulty car transmission, and the list goes on and on. It’s not a matter of if these events will happen; it’s simply a matter of when they will happen.

STEP TWO: Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball System

This is how my family paid off ALL of our debt. List your debts, excluding the house, in order. The smallest balance should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about interest rates. For a great online debt snowball tool click here. You need some quick wins in order to stay pumped up about getting out of debt! This system provides those wins along the way.

STEP THREE: Save 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings

Once you complete the first two baby steps, you will have built some serious momentum. But don’t start throwing all your “extra” money into investments quite yet. It’s time to build your full emergency fund. Ask yourself, “What would it take for me to live for three to six months if I lost my income?” Your answer to that question is how much you should save.

Use this money for emergencies only: incidents that would have a major impact on you and your family. Keep these savings in a money market account. Remember, this stash of money is not an investment; it is insurance you’re paying to yourself, a buffer between you and life.

This is a good start! Check back the rest of the week for more info on how to FLIP your FINANCES!

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CadillacZak Recommends

May 11, 2011 in Productivity, Technology with Comments Off

This week I recommend…

EVERNOTE.

Evernote is a collection of software and services that allows users to collect, sort, tag and annotate notes, files and other miscellaneous information. I literally use it to run my entire life right now.

Trying to find a recipe? Evernote.
Doctor report or prescription information? Evernote.
That picture of uncle bob last Christmas in the goofy sweater? Evernote.
The idea I recorded myself talking through that I thought I’d never use? Evernote.
Traveling and need a good place to keep hotel, flight & itinerary info? EVERNOTE!

You get the point…

PDF’s, audio files, pictures, documents, excel sheets, screenshots, text files, design work, task lists, html code…its all in evernote. I even take pictures of or scan in handwritten notes because Evernote has full handwriting recognition. For example, if I wrote out a note that included the words “Revolution Church Vision” Evernote would later find it in any search with those words. Or if I took a picture of a billboard that had the word “Life” on it, Evernote would even recognize that text right out of the picture!

I even use it to catalog all my sermon research, mind maps, outlines, ideas, illustrations, stories and more.

Truly amazing!

AND…ITS…FREE!

And the best part of all…its all in the cloud so I can always access any of my information from my phone, computer, ipad or even any computer connected to the internet.

I know I’m a little nerdy this week, but seriously…if you aren’t using Evernote, you are making your life harder than it should be.

Here are a few Evernote posts, tips, tricks, etc:

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Christmas Light HACKS

December 1, 2010 in Creativity, Family, Productivity with 1 Comment

Each year I get a lot of great comments on my Christmas lights. Thank you. I work hard on it.

Right after the “great lights Zak” usually comes some comment like “too much work blah blah blah…whine whine whine…I didn’t put lights up.” So, I thought I’d share my Christmas lights hacks to help you out a little. They aren’t much, but they’ve made a BIG difference for me.

BEFORE you buy. When buying Christmas lights for your yard, make sure they are made for outdoor use. Most Christmas lights are indoor / outdoor, which work fine outdoors. You just want to make sure they will be safe to use even in bad weather.

BEFORE you open. When you get new lights, pull them out of the box and plug them in to test them BEFORE you unwrap and unroll them. A strand of lights is IMPOSSIBLE to put back into the box. This way, if the strand is bad, it will go back into the box easily for a fast return at the store.

Storage. After Christmas, roll up each individual strand and put it in a wal-mart sack. Pack them flat on top of each other in a box or rubbermaid tub. Sure you can buy all kinds of special storage tubs for $25 that hold 5 strands…or you can do this for free, get the same result, and store way more lights in a smaller space. Best of all, your lights won’t be a tangled ball.

Hanging lights on the house. Use shingle clips. They are dirt cheap. I ONLY use this kind…they hold tight, even in the wind.

xmas lights2Hanging lights on tall trees. You don’t need a HUGE ladder. Just a stick and screws. This is how I put my lights in the trees. Check out the pic. When it comes time to take the lights down, DO NOT yank on them. I tore up a tree pretty bad one year doing that. Use the same PVC stick to get the lights down.

Get ‘em while they’re cheap! There is no need to pay a lot for lights! Be sure to hit the sales after Christmas day and get lights for 88 cents a strand instead of $8 to $12 each. You will have to store them for the year, but you’re probably storing a bunch of Christmas junk already anyway. :)

Buy a timer. The BEST Christmas light display investment I ever made was buying two timers. I got them on sale after Christmas one year dirt cheap. December is such a busy time of the year that often you may not be home to turn the lights on or off manually. Hook them up to a timer and let it do the work for you. I usually set mine to be on from 5:30pm-midnight and then again from 6:00am to 7:30am.

Hope these little tips help you out next year!

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