Gather Little by Little

One of the top 10 new years resolutions each year is something related to finances: getting out of debt, saving more money, starting a budget, investing more, etc. Many of you reading this article set one or more of these as your new years resolution(s), I did. While I don’t like resolutions, I do set goals. Ours was to continue our progress to get out of debt.

Setting the goal is the easy part, making it happen is the real measure of your commitment. Let’s face it, life throws us curve balls and we have to jump a few hurdles and maybe climb a few hills to reach the goal. Life is seldom a straight, clear and easy path.

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Photo by: nateOne

This article is part of an ongoing series where I write about Money Saving tips and strategies each Monday. You can see the rest of the series articles here.

I’m always on the lookout to save money, but I also understand that you often get what you pay for. Two years ago when I was shopping around for my first Blackberry I ran across a refurbished one that was literally $300.00 less than a new one. This to me was a huge sign to me that there must be something really wrong with it. Thus I did what I always do, I headed over to Google to get the real scoop. Turns out, refurbished products can be great deals. I called the Cingular sales department, and found out that refurbished Blackberries look no different than the new ones, and that the only difference is the warranty, which was 90 days instead of a year.

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Photo by: stan

Ever have a storm blow into your life and no matter how much you pray it just doesn’t seem to blow over as quickly as you would like? Have you ever wondered if God was really listening and hearing your prayers? I know I have, far too many times.

Last year was a very difficult year for us, and one evening, probably the worse in my life, I was praying for God’s intervention in my life. As I finished praying, a song come on our local Christian radio. It was one I had heard before, but this time I truely believe God spoke to me through the ministry of Scott Krippanye and his song Sometimes He Calms The Storm.

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One of the topics I discuss often here on Gather Little by Little is saving money. Well, I received an email the other day from a gentleman named Joel who contacted me his web site. He felt the information on his site was similar to information I publish here on Gather Little by Little and that I might be interested in taking a look at what he had to offer. Normally I wouldn’t respond to emails like this as they are generally spam or some type of scam. But the email was very personal and Joel seemed sincere so out of curiosity I responded.

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I would like to start featuring guest articles on Saturdays. If you are interested in being featured as a guest blogger here on Gather Little by Little please contact me and let me know!   I think it would be refreshing for my readers to hear from somebody other than myself everyday. So let me know if you’re interested!

Photo by: tricky.

Well, the “How do you pronounce my name?” survey hasn’t gone as I expected, nor the way my M-Network buddies would like it to have gone either. Lynnae over at Being Frugal.net was even going to send all of her readers over to vote for “Gibble”…my new nickname thanks to them! I’m thinking of recruiting another blogger to help me write articles…Their pen name will be “Bits”.

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Photo Credit: Morguefile.com

Back in October, my debit card was stolen. Working with my bank, I got it all settled, but it was very stressful. I learned a few tips and tricks though that should help you keep an eye on your debit card, watch for potential mis-use and know what to do if your debit card is stolen.

I am still working with the bank on my experience and hope to publish and update soon. In the meantime, here are some tips that I hope will help you avoid a similar experience and know what to do when your card gets stolen:

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Photo by: johnbrian

As many of my readers know, I have a large family. There are eight of us (my wife and I and 6 children). Finding a vehicle that will haul all of us together isn’t too difficult, but they are expensive. We’ve been looking since 2006 and have narrowed our choices down to either a Chevrolet Suburban or a Ford Expedition EL. There are other full-size van and SUV options, but my wife isn’t comfortable driving them and I am not comfortable with their reliability or safety ratings. Minivans, while some hold 8 people, do not do so comfortably. The Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna both are 8 passenger, but with my children being older, space is tight especially when you throw in 2 car seats. For now, whenever all 8 of us have to go somewhere, we drive two cars, our 2004 Dodge Durango and our 2001 Nissan Sentra (which is paid for).

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Photo from: Visa.com

Credit card commercials really make me mad. Credit card companies are smart and they really know how to play to your emotions. They really want you to believe that by getting what you want when you want it you will have a “priceless moment” or that “life takes Visa” and using anything else is just not cool. Here are just a few of the recent examples of the credit card commercials I am talking about:

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Photo by: Sean F

From Glblguy: This is a guest post by my dad who has been doing carpentry, home repairs and maintenance as a hobby since he was a teenager. My dad is a retired manager from IBM Corporation where he worked for 30 years. I have learned a lot from him and as a result have saved a lot of money working on my house, with some help form him of course. I hope you will too!

This article is part of my ongoing Money Saving Monday Tips Series.

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