Archives for August 2020

Were Entirely Ready to Have God Remove All These Defects of Character

August 31, 2020 By Deanna 3 Comments

In recovery programs, there are typically 12 steps that are worked which result in a level of freedom. In my personal experience, I have found these steps bring me closer to God, sanctification, and my fellow sisters and brothers.

Working the steps is an ongoing process that is never quite done. Just like we will never be perfectly holy on this side of heaven. However, by working steps, we can get healthier, and most importantly closer to the Lord.

Step 6 states that we were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character (emphasis added). Being ready is really the keyword here. Could God actually remove all of our character defects? Sure, He could easily do it but when we look at many biblical examples, that rarely happens.

Having a “thorn in our side” may actually cause us to be wholly reliant on God versus prideful on our own accord.

Step 6 is often described as the step which separates the boys from the men. That is because it’s tough, it takes maturity, and humility that few boys possess.

Shopping for Automobile Insurance

August 24, 2020 By Deanna 2 Comments

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Every six months our car insurance policies come up for renewal. Sure the easiest thing is to just renew it and forget about it. However, since my debt pay off journey and my general interest in personal finance/ financial independence began, I look for the best deals. Maybe shopping every 6 months is not necessary but I would argue that shopping your automotive policy once a year is a prudent exercise.

It takes a little extra time but it can be a worthwhile exercise. I had been with the same insurance company, Allstate, for years and I liked them. However, when I decided to shop them and found I could save over $100 for a new 6-month policy if I switched to Progressive. I made the switch.

Now, I shop it every renewal or at least once a year. Although, my progressive rates have remained competitive for three years so I almost didn’t shop it this renewal, but as you’ll read on, I’m so glad I did…

Helping (not Enabling) Family Members Financially

August 17, 2020 By Deanna 6 Comments

Today’s post is somewhat of a continuation of last Monday’s post. However, this one is geared at helping family members with living expenses rather than end of life expenses. Additionally, I touch the difference between helping and enabling our loved ones.

I still stick to the basic rule that if you are convicted to help a family member financially, consider it a gift rather than a loan.

Gifts come with fewer expectations for both parties. Moreover, if you are gifting someone the money, you may be more inclined to be careful in considering how to help them.

That being said, I’ve thought of some ways, we can help family members who are struggling financially. These ideas will be more likely to make sure the money goes where it’s intended.

How to Best Help Family with End of Life Expenses

August 10, 2020 By Deanna 1 Comment

Sometimes we get our finances to a good place where we feel peace but we may still have family members with financial woes. We may have convictions to help them but I find there is a fine line between helping & enabling.

A reader presented the following question to me, “how does one manage someone else’s issues so they don’t become YOUR debt?” To give a little more context they were specifically speaking about in-laws who may need help with the end of life expenses.

This is a really great question and I suspect may affect many of us. This article is geared to inspire thought on how to best help our families with end of life expenses. My article next week is geared at how to help family members in ways that aren’t enabling.