A Day For Hope

I don't know about you, but there are days when I watch the news, listen to talk radio, and hear general conversation about "the economy" and I start to wonder why my life seems relatively untouched. Because fear is everywhere... but most days, it's the last thing I remember to feel.

Have I just drank the Kool-Aid and bought into some belief about the security of our life together - spiritually, emotionally, and financially - that is just a denial of the inevitable? People's lives are truly being touched by the changes our country's financial situation has seen over the last year or so, and you can't help but see it in the unemployment statistics on the radio and the "For Sale" signs you see when you drive down the street.

Fortunately in this time adversity, we've seen that many lives have also been changed for the better and will continue to be so. For many the touch has been a call to action. A call to take control. A call to surrender to a life of peace and hope in their finances, in their marriages, and in their everyday journey. To me, that's what tonight's Town Hall For Hope event with Dave Ramsey is all about.

And sure, I'm biased. I count that a fortune, in this day in age. We have been so blessed by the knowledge, the culture, the perspective, and the financial savvy that's been imparted to us in the time Cliff has spent and will continue to spend at Lampo. I don't regret the decisions we've made to save, to forgo the luxuries some might call essential, to give more, and to still live with so much freedom to do and pursue the things we love. I don't think you reading this or anyone could fault us for that.

But Town Hall For Hope is so much more than a rallying cause for the "way of Dave Ramsey" - it's about someone who cares about people and is committed not to selling a product but to infusing hope into the lives of America that he's willing to go out on a limb and say the things that are so counter-culture that you can't help but think he's crazy. And he doesn't care. And I love that about Dave, and I love that about most of the 250-or so employees (my husband included) plus their spouses who remind me everyday that being weird is so good.

I could go on and on with my own personal perspectives on what tonight means to me and the hope that we have been praying for just over a month now will be infused into people's lives. Into hundreds of thousands of people's lives. But I would challenge you - if you have the time, are just now finding out about this, and aren't already planning to go - find one of the 6,000+ locations closest to you that is broadcasting the evening this evening at 8PM (Eastern) / 7PM Central / 7PM Pacific and go. Bring a friend or your family. And if you can't find a location nearby or are locked to your couch for some inexplicable reason, watch or listen.

This is a day... a year... a lifetime for hope. If you're looking for some, I can guarantee you'll find some tonight if you go.

Oh, The Places We'll Go

I had gotten kind of used to this sticking around town thing.

But then...

a couple weeks back, we booked flights to visit our family in Virginia Beach. Thus, the countdown began. (Now) Sixteen days to hanging with the ones we love, a change of scenery, possibly warmer weather, and a mini-vacay. I am very excited about this quick visit home - time with Mom and Marcus (and maybe, hopefully, Cee!), lounging with the kitties, a Terragator trip, 7-11 Slurpees, bowling... I can't wait!

And then today, with the reminder of a soon-ending SWA sale, we finally booked flights out to Southern California to visit Aaron (who, if you remember, is in Navy Seals BUDS training out in Coronado) over Easter weekend. He is Cliff's nearest and dearest friend since the days they had chili-bowl haircuts and sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children." They talk a couple of times during the week, but it's just not the same as being present. We've been wanting to get out there for awhile to visit him, not only because we've missed him a lot but also because he could use the encouragement.

It doesn't hurt, either, that it's beautiful out there and that I've never actually been to San Diego. Just thinking about seeing Aaron, palm trees, the Pacific Ocean, In-n-Out, a BJs Pizookie, the beach, driving from Orange County to San Diego with the windows down, flying into Las Vegas at night (for a layover), the Zoo (and maybe SeaWorld), photoshoots, and strolling the Gaslamp District has brought so much sunshine into my day. 50 days and counting!

And don't even get me started on our week-long second anniversary trip we're planning to the Northwest in late July. I could barely sit still if I let myself think too much about it all!

I am so grateful that in all of our planning for savings and managing our finances, that Cliff and I have made a commitment to saving monthly for travelling - both "Family Travel" and "Vacation Travel" (and that doesn't even include our "Marriage Weekend" which is also used for some travel). If we didn't do that, I feel like there would actually be stress associated with stuff like this but instead, I get to experience nothing but sheer joy (the security gland in the pit of my stomach stays safely at rest). That doesn't mean we don't hunt for good deals, though, because then it's an opportunity to spread more of it around.

We're working on planning a trip to Maryland here in the next couple of months too, so Southwest, you better get with the program!

Zero-Based Budgeting, Work-Style

I have taken for granted how long Cliff and I have been on a system of zero-based budgeting for our monthly income and expenses. Having dreamed and planned for a few months before we actually got married, we've been doing it this way since the day we said "I do." Sure, we've had a few bumps along the road but it's never really that difficult for us to get to zero. Some expenses have been fixed for so long and we've had the freedom to increased certain areas that the bottom line is never hard to find.

As for work, it's a totally different story. It's zero-based budgeting but for an entire year. And not only that, but I can only guess and estimate (or simply, guesstimate) so much about what will be done in the next fiscal year (which starts in my biggest expense month... June) based on what's been done in this current year. Not to mention, the paper trail has been sometimes really difficult to follow.

But I've been plugging and chugging and dreaming and envisioning and cutting and padding and researching and crying and pulling my hair and drinking too much coffee and spending more time on Excel than I thought was humanly possible and I've finally done it. I've gotten down to zero while staying flat and making the huge chunk of money I get to work with next year... well... making it work for me and for the students and for the betterment of the institution.

And goodness knows how glad I am that in the world of personal finance, what Cliff and I choose to do with our money affects just the two of us and not nearly fourteen-hundred incoming students, as well as their parents, plus a little more than a hundred student leaders. (And here is where I pause for just a moment and freak-out at the gravity of what I've gotten myself into...) And that we get to reconstruct every month if we'd like to... and not once a year.

Oh, and did I happen to mention that this is just the first round of tweaking in the budget preparation process that happens as we get closer to June 1? Here we go!

Even When It's Messy

Whatever your opinions may be, Cliff and I find such counsel in John Eldredge's words. The Lord has used them time and time over to speak to and to affirm some of the things going on in our hearts. Even his post, today, resonates with exactly where my mind has been and wants to journey in the coming days.

Today, I have found myself wavering between a new found joy in my work, particularly during one of the most mentally stressful seasons here, and wondering where that frustration and resentment went that I finished out last week with. I knew a lot of the negativity towards my current task-load that I was expressing to other people wasn't what was truly way down deep, but I could only get so far before the "agreements" came tumbling out of my mouth, shooting me straight into the complaining, whining, whambulance bucket. And not only what I was saying about my work but my abilities to do and to accomplish.

And today, I just knew that wasn't the case. That's got to be the truth since I'm here at work almost an hour after our office closed and I'm not upset about it. I've been working on budget forecasting for my office all day and it's still been good day. It's all in my attitude and where I let my thoughts go. And sure, sure, I'll give myself some slack because last week wasn't the time of month you'll usually get the best side of me. But aside from then, I have no excuses.

I love my work, even when it's messy, and don't let me tell you otherwise.

SOLD!

To another guy at work!

Who knew we'd end up loving Lampo that much more for being not only the source of our latest car buy and financial investment, but also the tool that helped Cliff sell the Jimmy off, today?! He posted on the work forums yesterday and got the first bite later in the morning. Sure enough, he let the guy test drive it a bit this morning and when he got back, Cliff said goodbye to his beloved red sports utility vehicle and hello to a pocket full of cash. I guess in a company of 230-some employees with a culture and philosophies like it has, it's not hard to wheel and deal in the business of buying and selling a good, reliable, and inexpensive vehicle.

Can't say we're not a little sad, but when Cliff put his tags on the Jeep for the last time tonight, it was hard to not also be sublimely happy at the same time. In a week and a half, we upgraded six years, gained 40,000 miles, and have everything to show for it.

And besides, it's not like Cliff can't just stroll up beside the ol' Jimmy in the parking lot at work anytime a wave of nostalgia comes over him...

P.S. This picture is from nearly two years ago, and was the night we purchased our kayaks and strapped 'em to the top of Cliff's car the first of many times. Good, good memories.

Our New Baby

Okay, so maybe it's less like a baby and more like a child.
And no, not the human sort nor the animal kind.

Today... we bought a car. Crazy!

Nothing fancy, but an incredibly reliable and well taken-care-of black 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport with 94,500 miles, good mpg, and well... it's a Jeep.

And as we've put away for a new (to us) car over the last couple of months (knowing Cliff's '94 GMC Jimmy would someday need a new home) Cliff has only kept saying, "man, I'd love to have a Jeep again" (he had two Cherokees as a teenager). And guess what type of car I wanted when I was a teenager, but never got? A Jeep Cherokee. So, it's kind of like a dream car - only our version of a dream is probably different than others. Why? Because we paid with cash and saved a couple of hundred bucks off the market value - thanks to a sympathetic and kind fellow Lamponian selling the car.

The funny thing is, we haven't been looking all that hard or seriously. But this morning at 8:43, a Lampo Forum post was sent to Cliff's e-mail and there she was... in all her beauty.

We've traded phone calls back and forth all day, both Cliff and I and the seller. Cliff made the final decision on the buy sometime this afternoon (after taking a test spin). We drive her home, tomorrow and she'll join the ranks of our other 2001er, my little Honda Civic.

Now, we'll take our stab at selling a car for the first time. I have to admit that'll be a little sad, especially when I think about Cliff picking me up for the first time for our first date, and then our first kiss and all our roadtrips to Cleveland and to the beach in that great little SUV. Oh, the memories.

Anyone in the market for a well-loved Jimmy? Sigh.

Instead of a black lab, we got a black SUV. I guess that'll have to do for now...

House Goals Revisited

Okay, so sometimes I feel like this is all I talk about.

But then... then I realize it's actually only (almost) all I think about and aside from updating the chart and posting about reaching our goal last year, it's really not an overdone subject.

So on that note, I thought I'd let you all know we made some changes to the goals we set last year for this year for the house. Seeing as we hit an unexpected jump ahead towards the end of the year and ended up saving 153% of our goal of $8,000, we've rethought what our stretch might be for this year. You know, the thing that makes you - when you're standing on your tippy toes - have to jump just a little bit to get it?

Here's what our goals were (for a recap):

End of 2008 = $8,000
End of 2009 = $43,000 (having saved $35,000 in the 2009 fiscal year)
End of 2010 = $93,000 (having saved $50,000 in the 2010 fiscal year)
End of 2011 = $160,000 (having saved $67,000 in the 2011 fiscal year)

Here's what they are now:

End of 2008 = $12,212
End of 2009 = $50,000 (having saved $37,788 in the 2009 fiscal year)
End of 2010 = $100,000 (having saved $50,000 in the 2010 fiscal year)
End of 2011 = $160,000 (having saved $60,000 in the 2011 fiscal year)

So, that little $7,000 difference might not seem like a big deal but it's enough that we're super-charged about doing what it takes to get there. Going into this year knowing we were already $4,000 closer to where we need to be kind of made me a little too comfortable. You might think, "Well, what's wrong with that?" or "Why don't you just go ahead an buy a house already while the markets are down?"

But comfortable isn't the point of all of this. I mean, eventually it will be. But this is supposed to be hard. This is supposed to not make sense to everyone and this is supposed to be something that, for the time being, we work our butts off to achieve.

And like we've said before, just because we have goals and plans doesn't mean we don't know that just about anything can happen - for the good or for the detriment of what we believe is our mission, financially speaking, for right now. But while we've got the opportunity and the determination to do this, I think we'll just keep moving right along...

Taxes, Like Whoa

So. Here's the deal. Cliff does really well at work and that, thank the Lord, translates into a pretty decent salary and commission checks. And this is money that we have, to no credit of just our own, been very careful with from the start - we paid off debt, starting saving and investing, and have truly learned the value in giving. We have realized, with his particuar situation, that taxes can get really cumbersome, though. Month to month, we've seen a larger and larger portion taken from his checks. It gets a little frustrating. We've balked and moaned, not understanding why someone who works so hard sees upwards of 25% going out of his paycheck every month to... well... I won't even go there.

And now? With me working... here's where the gut-check comes in. I got my first direct deposit statement today and almost threw a mini-fit at the amount of money that was taken out. And it's not as though I've never gotten taxed before... just never this much. I have quickly joined the ranks of Cliff and now we're in this boat together, wondering whether we like it very much at all.

Now don't worry, I get taxes. What I don't get is this amount of taxes and for what justifcations. Because it takes no account for the individuals. It's all the numbers. And maybe that's a little too idealistic, but come on.

I guess getting my first "big-girl" paycheck has me thinking even more significantly about these sorts of things. And I'm just wondering... why?

Suh-Weet

We did it!
"What?" you ask.
I'll let you figure it out.
I want you to work for the answer.
Not too much hunting and pecking, required, really.
Except, possibly for you subscribers who will have to visit the blog to see.
And those, my friends, are the most clues I'll give you.
Because scavenger hunts are fun.
No really, they're a blast.
And you're smart.
Have fun!


p.s. I love symmetry.

BTW... RE: FPU

Gosh, I love abbreviations.
Okay, not really.

I just realized we forgot to tell you about the significance of last night (besides Cliff's first post!). It was Graduation Night for the FPU class we've been facilitating for the last thirteen weeks! Woohoo! In this class we had a young couple with a 9 month-old, a mom and her twenty-something year-old son, and three wonderful women who, as a group, paid off $16,550 in personal debt (not including houses) and avoided $401,000 in credit card offers.

It's always fun to finish out the "semester" with stories of how the curriculum has affected everyone's lives and to reflect on how far they've come. It was a unique experience for us, after facilitating a class made up completely of friends in the spring, to host one in the community and to have such a variety in backgrounds, dispositions, etc. We definitely look forward to the next opportunity we may have to teach another!

In Case You're Interested

Life is busy here in the Neeley camp with the world of both economics and politics. Lampo is a regular on our daily program, but this whole Belmont Debate thing has added a lot more than we bargained for to our schedule. Not enough time to write an actual post but copying and pasting is easy. Big things are happening over at Financial Peace Plaza, and for those of us wondering about our present economic situation, I thought I'd share.

First, Dave's making another round of appearances...

Today:

At 3:40pm CDT, Dave will be on FoxNews’ “Your World with Neil Cavuto”

At 4:25pm CDT, FBN’s “Happy Hour”

At 5:37pm CDT Michael Berry on KTRH Houston

At 6:20pm CDT, FBN’s “America’s Nightly Scoreboard”

At 7pm CDT, FoxNews’ “O’Reilly Factor” to talk about the bailout and answer questions O’Reilly is getting. (This interview is taped)

Also at 7pm CDT, Dave will be doing his show live on FBN

At some point between 8pm and 9pm CDT, Dave will be part of a panel discussion on CNN’s “Larry King Live” talking about the bailout and the economy

During the 9pm news, Fox 17 in Nashville will air an interview with Dave about the economy.

Tomorrow:

At 5:30am CDT, Dave will be on FoxNews’ “Fox & Friends”

At 6:05am CDT Atlanta: 640 WGST Randy Cook

At 6:50am CDT Portland: KEX 1190 AM The Morning Update with Paul Linnman

At 7:10am CDT Nashville: Ralph Bristol on WWTN 99.7 FM

At 7:20am CDT Houston: KTRH Morning News with Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard

At 7:30am CDT, ABC’s “Good Morning America” for a panel answering viewer questions

At 7:35am CDT Kansas City: KCMO 710 AM Chris Stigall

At 7:50am CDT Charleston: WSCC 94.3 FM Kelly Golden

At 8:20am CDT San Antonio: KTSA 550 AM Trey Ware

At 8:35am CDT Grand Rapids: WOOD 1300 AM (Rick and Scott)

At 8:50am CDT Tampa: WWBA 1040 AM Dan Guidert (Gui-dare)

At 9:05am CDT Salt Lake City: KNRS 570 AM Bob Lonsberry

At 9:20am CDT New Orleans: WWL 870AM/105.3 FM First News with Monica Pierre and Bob DelGiorno

At 9:30am CDT, “Rick & Bubba”

At 10:50am CDT, FBN’s “Fox Business” with Dagen McDowell and Brian Sullivan

At 12:30pm CDT, FBN’s “Fox Business” with Stuart Varney

At 3:34pm CDT, FBN’s “Bulls & Bears”

At 7pm CDT, he’s doing the FBN show live again.


Okay, so there's that and... well... you just have to check this out for yourself because it's quite interesting and we think a rather, well, common sense solution that might add some unique perspective to what's happening in Washington (and Wall Street, for that matter) and that we can be a part of, if, of course, you believe in it.

That's all for now!

I Love Freedom Fridays

But I especially loved today's.

Okay, I just had to share this, because we are SO proud of our friends Brian and Heather. Brian and Cliff work together at Lampo and Heather has become a sweet friend of mine over the last year or so. Over coffee, we have shared stories and perspective on life that is quite refreshing.

They called in to the show today (from the lobby of Financial Peace Plaza, where Lamponians work) with their girls Taylor and Avery to celebrate their "FREEEEEEDOM!" and it was awesome. $106,000 in 3 years is astounding enough. But knowing their story, I was so incredibly overwhelmed with emotion as I listened in... it was incredible.

Way to go guys! You are an example that it takes an overwhelming amount of love, patience, and gazelle intensity to get it done, and simply that it can be done.

It's That Time Again

Well, school is starting soon...

"What school is she talking about, because I thought this chick was done?!" You're right, I am. At least, for the time being. But that's not the kind of school I'm talking about. I'm talking get-to-the-basics, common sense, in your face, financial knowledge school otherwise known as Financial Peace University. And we are ever students in that school, but have the awesome opportunity to be facilitating our second class of the year starting in a week with our class orientation... and then for the next thirteen weeks after that. "Goodbye, Tuesday nights. Hello, financial freedom!"

Lampo employees are offered the opportunity to teach a class on-site which is open to both those who work there and to the general community. I guess this time around, Cliff (who eagerly put his name in the hat) was fortunate to be one of the few selected. So, technically the responsibility is his and I don't have to be there. But I want to be, at least as much as I can, because daggumit we're a team! And we do this well together and I like being able to share both of our perspectives of how we make all of this work and what the Lord has done in us through this process.

So, if you're interested, registration is still open and we'd love to have you!

Not a Martyr, Yet - Part III

Well, I got a response.

Mrs. Neeley:

I received your letter in regards to the confrontation you and your husband had with one of my branch managers. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I apologize that you were subjected to this at one of my locations.

Our goal at U.S. Bank is to deliver the absolute best customer service to you, our client, as well as to ensure you are given solutions to any financial need you may have now or in the future. After speaking with [the branch manager] about this, I feel that we did not act appropriately as your financial institution. While Mr. [Dave] Ramsey's teachings may conflict with [the branch manager's] personal opinions about financial management, it is not his place to debate, or to argue this with our customers in a place of business, especially in the manner in which he did.

I regret that this has happened, and assure you it has been addressed with my employee. I appreciate your continued loyalty to our company, and again thank you for bringing this to my attention.

Sincerely,

[the Vice President/District Manager]

I left out names, because I don't feel particularly like mud-slinging (though it wouldn't be hard for you to do the detective work and figure it out). But that's not the point. We were quite satisfied with the letter, but what else was he going to say, right?

Well, at least we made our case known so hopefully Mr. Branch Manager will think twice about doing the same thing again. So, there.

Not a Martyr, Yet - Part II

Okay, I finally have a chance to write again. Imagine me sitting on a stool with a dinner tray pushed up against the window, computer resting on the sill and a stack of books underneath. This is what I do for love. Because love means your husband's ancient PC laptop that doesn't even work but was "cutting edge" when it was issued to him at West Point is sitting on its monstrosity of a "stand" on the real desk you actually own and would rather to use.

Can't wait to get that economic stimulus check because then our savings for this baby will be complete. Anyone know of a good recycling program for old honkin' Dells?


Now, onto the "Publix U.S. Bank Branch Manager and Cliff Showdown 2008". I left you hanging, didn't I? Well, about 30 minutes later Cliff returned home in one piece, no black eyes, and was noticeably calm. Here's how he said things went down...

Cliff approached the sweet teller-girl who's face fell when he introduced himself by describing me and the earlier altercation. Even teller-guy who was on the phone the entire time I was there chimed in with "Oh, Dave Ramsey, right?" It turns out Mr. Branch Manager had learned his lesson regarding public debates and kindly requested Cliff enter his office after the two were introduced. I much appreciate my husband's willingness to put aside his fervor for Dave Ramsey and let the guy know he wasn't there to defend him. He was there to defend me. Not that I needed defending, as he explained, since I'm "strong, educated, and passionate person." He reiterated those were two separate issues and that the D.R. matter was least important. What was important though, was the "inappropriate manner of conversation that took place" and the fact that his wife "left the Bank upset because of a Branch Manager who crossed the line."

Mr. Branch Manager said he had no qualms with Dave Ramsey (HA!) and that he was simply "inquiring" (how about berating me?) about his program because he has many customers and if something works, he'd love to pass along the information. He emphasized repeatedly, by interrupting Cliff, that he had not been inappropriate (then explain teller-girl apologizing when I left...) and that his branch was the numero uno (my words) producing branch in the area. Cliff said that's all well and good, but in the service industry the perception of a customer is in some fact, reality and when someone walks away feeling violated and certain they'll never return to a location, there is a distinct problem. Cliff requested a business card and told Mr. Branch Manager he would give it 24 hours before he decided whether or not we would take it a step further and make a complaint with the regional president.

So, now we're drafting a letter. Because in my mind I can only think of those families that cling to Dave Ramsey's philosophies as a last resort. For so many people, his words, his advice, and his plan offer hope. What if that situation had not taken place between me and the Branch Manager, but one of those families that feels as though the carpet might be pulled from underneath them at any moment? I could just imagine the defeat and the destruction that could do to someone. And by an individual who has NO RIGHT (in that setting) to interrogate and belittle someone for their financial choices?! I can't fault the guy for having strong opinions, certainly, but when someone comes to your bank to withdraw their own money, who are you to ruin their evening?

I mean, really.

We Did It!

Five months and seventeen days after writing a check to Vanderbilt to pay off my student loan a year early, we are now on Baby Step #4.

(If you're not a Dave Ramsey fan/listener/watcher/even enemy, you might not know what the heck I'm talking about. Here's something that might lend a little insight.)

Our version involves setting aside $1,000 from my August paycheck for our initial Emergency Fund (Baby Step #1), using a good chunk of what was left over from the loan I took out for my first year of grad school plus a matured CD and Aug/Sept/Oct paychecks to pay off $11,500 in student loans, which was our only debt (Baby Step #2), and we have just finished saving our "fully-funded Emergency Fund" of six (and a half, technically, because Cliff thought a little extra couldn't hurt) months worth of expenses equaling $13,000 (Baby Step #3). We did that by setting aside everything from my paychecks besides what we set aside for taxes (my self-employment) and Cliff's "investing" portion that we started preparing for when he gets to start his 401K next month.

And man, it feels great! And still... strange.

When we look around, we realize we're doing things differently. And different is great in so many ways, and difficult in others. I think, for us, this is character building. Delayed gratification... devising a plan and following it... building patience. Because... really... if we wanted - that loan payment could still be looming ahead with the knowledge that our interest rate "won't be that bad" and "emergencies never happen" so why have an Emergency Fund? Instead, we could have nearly $25,000 to go buy a house (considering that's a larger down payment than most people shell out these days) or a brand new car or something else that might make us feel good for a little while but will probably bring us more stress and financial unrest in the end.

We're trading a lot of what many today see as the requisite features of being young or being married (or being young AND married) for something a little more. A little more safe. A little more peaceful. A little more challenging. And dare I say, wise? I don't know.

But it works for us. Is working for us. And is changing the lives of so many people close to us... my mom, Cliff's parents, Cliff's siblings, Cliff's best friend and his parents, our friends from our Sunday School class, and the list goes on. It's exciting and rewarding - in so many ways.