Money, Money, Money

Whenever I hear about newlywed couples financing new or newish used cars with the excuse of “we needed this”, I want to take them by their shoulders, shake them and yell, “Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!” Early in our marriage John and I made this same mistake. We paid the stupid tax that Dave Ramsey talks about. People go buy a car that they can’t afford naively thinking that it is necessary. Truth is, it is not. There are very good and extremely safe used, inexpensive cars that can be bought for thousands and thousands less. Saddling oneself with a hefty car payment just does not make sense. We’ve learned (through mistakes) that this is true. We paid for four years on our Ford Explorer before selling it when we moved to Bremerton. Was the car fun to drive? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Absolutely not.

Now, I look at the old car(a stable and safe car) we drive as a badge of honor and wisdom gained. We have no car payments and no debt except the mortgage (we will have John’s school debt, which we plan to pay off ASAP).

Recently, I found out that my sister and brother and their families would be taking a trip to St. Louis at Easter. This is something I would love to do. This is something that I cannot do though, without having the money saved for a trip like this. No amount of coaxing or subtle guilt trips should persuade one into doing something that financially would cause a family instability. And we do not want to borrow money from family for a trip. When I have the cash—and I said CASH—no credit card charges, I will go in a couple of months.

I encourage all those sticking to a budget (a necessity) that you owe no apologies or explanations to anyone for the choices you make for the financial well-being of your family.

For great practical and common sense tips on getting out of debt, check out Dave Ramsey's site and his Seven Baby Steps.

Farm Share

Last spring we bought half a share in a local farm. For $300, we got to pick up fresh veggies, greens and herbs each Wednesday for 24 weeks. Many people are doing this, as it supports local farmers, and those who buy a share receive fresh and pesticide free vegetables. We also signed up to cut fresh flowers from the U-cut garden. Having a beautiful bouquet on one's table was such an added bonus. This add on was $60 which came to about $2.50 per bouquet. After a day's work in an office, getting to stroll through a huge flower garden, scissors in hand was most wonderful.

And you get to meet the farmer, Nikki Johanson, who is about as down to earth as they come.


Check out this link to learn more about buying a farm share and supporting your local food growers.

Day of Fasting and Prayer

I think I'll be joining in this day of fasting and prayer. Hopefully, the RC and LC members will, too.

Chimacum Cafe

As part of John's belated birthday gift, I took him to the Chimacum Café which is about a 45 minute drive from Bremerton. A coworker told me about the place and said how big the portions were and how good their homemade pies are. Apparently, one woman makes all the pies and one of the favorites is the blackberry pie. Mind you, this pie is not made with the blackberries we saw all over the place here which are large and seedy. Her pie is made with the small and practically seedless blackberries which are now hard to find. While we didn't taste the pie, we did enjoy a delicious breakfast (I took home half of mine), and really loved the drive out there.

The drive to the small town of Chimacum gives the eyes a real treat. Driving north on Highway 3, you cross the Hood Canal Bridge, which is a highlight of the trip for me. The Olympics get a little closer and one gets a different view of them. You slowly wind your way down to the Beaver Valley and see wide open fields, some with small farms and cows, another one with bison. Jill sat in the backseat taking in the sights and smells and stared at the cows.

The Chimacum Café is not fancy. Rather, it is a casual atmosphere with good comfort food where our waitress kept our coffee mugs filled, and the kitchen served up some delicious breakfast fare. We plan to go back there again to try the lunch or dinner and some of that pie. Here's a good article about this nice little place.

9253 Rhody Drive
Chimacum, WA 98325
(360) 732-4631

Lent

As I've posted before, I love Lent. However, I also have a sense of humor. Thanks to Ellen for sending me this picture. Happy Lent to everyone!

In Memory of Robert Susil

Gwyneth Susil and Jonathan Hansen have written beautiful remembrances of Robert Susil. God bless his soul and his family. Remember them today in your Ash Wednesday prayers and sacrifices and hug your spouse a little extra.

Broken Record

There are very good points made on the latest posting at Life After RC. If I had a nickel for every time I got the line, "The Pope loves the Legion," (in response to the scandal) I would have a lot of nickels. Please, Fr. Reilly, turn off the talking points.