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Anniversary Post 1

Anniversary Post 1. Sharing ideas and tips from our family in budgeting, tithing and keeping bills organized. Simple and handy information for a family who wants to be good stewards of their finances.

Anniversary Post

I cannot believe we are celebrating thirteen years of marriage together, feels like we just said our “I do’s”.

There are so many things I wish I would have known at the beginning of our marriage that I know now. So many mistakes that could have been avoided, a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings and shed tears. So I thought I would do a post on things we have learned over the course of thirteen years in hopes that they are a blessing to some else. So many of you gave back feedback for the other personal posts and it’s so humbling that God can use someone as simple as me and take the things God has been teaching me, and speak to your hearts as well. May His name alone be praised, I am nothing but a saved sinner.

If I were to compile everything into one post, you’d be overwhelmed, as would I. So over the next few weeks I will be doing three posts; Post 1) The wise and faithful steward of finances, Post 2) Making a marriage work, Post 3) Keeping the marriage alive, dating your husband.

Before we dig in, please be advised this isn’t me teaching, instructing or giving professional advice. This is just taking what WE have learned over the years and humbly sharing the information so that another family may possibly be blessed by it.

budgeting4
the wise and faithful steward of finances-

Regardless whether it’s you or your spouse that makes the purchases for the family and pays the bills, have you considered that you may be living outside of your means or not a wise steward of your finances. From experience, we have seen budgeting our family’s income and expenses have made such a difference, and really puts our spending into perspective. I speak about this so passionately because I remember we had no guidance at the beginning of our marriage. Almost everything we learned was from many, many mistakes and no way of knowing how to fix them and we tried over and over until it worked and reading many, many books. If I were to ask you how much of your income goes to coffee runs, groceries, tithing, bills and the list will go on. Can you give me a total for each? Those of you that cannot give a total, let me challenge you!. Take a month and without changing your means of spending, keep each receipt and at the end of the month, calculate the totals. I tell you, you will be shocked at your findings.

We as Christians are called to a unique way of living. Yes, we are to care for our families but when the time comes and we stand before God, things we accumulated over the years won’t mean anything. That’s kind of sad and disappointing in a way. Our clothing, things in our homes, kids’ toys, shoes etc. will mean nothing and not a single item will be taken with us. Of course, we all need to live but when we really strive to put the Kingdom of God first, we see a drastic change in our spending. When we, as a family, decide this is what our family “really” needs, our life becomes less “me and us” centered and more “Christ-centered”. We then have money to give to the poor, the widows, the orphans, the missionaries and all it took was some serious prayers as a family and changing our lifestyles. No, I cannot feed every poor child or support every missionary, that isn’t what I am saying. We can, however, become wise stewards of our income and together as a body of Christ make a difference in the kingdom of God and not accumulate more stuff.

Most importantly, with the way we spend our finances, we are building up the next generation of Godly men and women who will strive to carry on what we have begun. It’s so important for us as parents to show our children that clothing, toys, and anything else of this world will not completely fulfill us. No matter what kind of vehicle I drive, or brand of clothes I wear or the amount of it, none of that will completely satisfy because someone will have something nicer or more of it. Our fulfillment comes in Christ and Christ alone. So when our child from a young age knows that satisfaction doesn’t come from having every desired toy but giving to those that are less fortunate and understanding to live within the will of God is fulfillment, that’s powerful. In the New Testament, it says that Cornelius was devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God as was everyone in his household. He was teaching his children to give, to sacrifice to help. That kind of lifestyle that has less of “me” and more of “Christ”. Can you remember a single outfit, purchase, toy or any other spending from five years ago that means a lot to you now? A few things may come up but it won’t mean a lot, yet so much time is dedicated to shopping and money doing it.

Lastly, when it comes down to it when we see that our spending is what keeps our husbands/ourselves away from our family it is almost heart-wrenching. For me to have an income to pay for that purchase that I truly don’t “need”, it’s almost like I am forcefully sending my spouse out to work, that really puts things into perspective. If I, as a wife, am a wise steward and purchase only what is really necessary, my husband will be home helping me raise our children and be an active father, husband, and member of the church. That’s powerful! When we as a body of Christ will spend less on us, it will inspire other families to make a change. My children will grow up knowing that one less toy, or coffee run, or one less trip to McDonald’s will slowly add up and have daddy at home. Our children begin to not say, mom, I want this toy for my birthday but from a young age when they walk into the store with you, they say daddy, mommy is this in our budget, can we purchase this, or will this keep daddy at work an extra few hours for me to have this unnecessary purchase. It changes our mindset. I cannot tell you a single outfit from 5 years ago I truly find fulfilling in now, and what I spend on today will mean little in 5 years from today. But having my spouse at home helping raise my children, doing things together as a family, supporting God’s people will impact not only me or my husband but build up children who will be wise stewards of their money and warriors for the Kingdom of God. The more children hear this isn’t what we need now, the more accustomed they become to the idea and it becomes who we are as a family. It becomes their lifestyles as well, one they will continue with their family.

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tithing-

Oh man, I could write a book on this one! God blesses our families with so much more than any of us deserve. I heard a phenomenal discussion the importance of spending/tithing. The speaker said, yes, we read that tithing is 10% of our income and I completely agree, but I want to give you a different perspective. Giving 10% is almost an obligation, God is looking at your heart and asking what are you doing with the 90% you have leftover. I remember hearing that and for weeks it was on my and my spouse’s heart. It rang so true and it was during this time we really made some serious changes to the way we spend money. We decided to live within our means and be faithful to God in our giving.

We also heard a superb testimony about a guy that wanted to be faithful to God in his giving. He said, Lord, I want to keep our way of living the same, but, if you increase my income, I will increase my giving. So before long, his income increased. They as a couple decided to give God 20% of their income and keep 80% of them. Before long, their income increased again. They began giving 30% and keeping 70% and they were living the same lifestyles. In the end, he said, brothers and sisters we are now living on 10% of our income and giving God 90% and we have not changed our way of living, just our way of giving. I know this is not for everyone, it takes two decide this huge commitment and implant it into our family and children’s hearts. I will tell you though, we decided this with my husband and our lives are blessed more and more each year. My husband is the only provider for our family (my blog is a hobby). We are able to have him go on several mission trips a year out-of-pocket, support ministries, have our children attend a Christian school and he works less now than when we decided to be faithful to God with our giving. I am not at all saying look at home amazing we are, oh NO! I am saying there is power in being faithful to God in our giving. There were times when after we would give God his portion and do all of our commitments, there was little left for our family. It’s amazing to see God come through every time and bless us with just what we needed in the nick of time. If God can walk us through this with 5 children, he can lead your family as well. When we are low, our children, with us, go to God and ask him to fulfill our needs. They learn firsthand and see how faithful God is. It’s not just a pretty verse in the Bible, but a lifestyle to live by.

During World War 2 a family had a few missionaries knock on their door. They had many children but knew they needed to feed the missionaries. They gave the last of their food to the missionaries, leaving their family with nothing. The children didn’t complain but knew they had nothing for dinner. The father called the family into a different room out of earshot of the missionaries and prayed fervently for a way to feed their families and went about their day telling the children God will provide. Before dinner was served they heard a knock on the door. As they opened it there stood a dog with a bag in his mouth. When they opened the bag, there were several loaves of warm bread and a big chunk of meat. This story always brings tears to my eyes. Our children have so much. Yet, at times we struggle with not purchasing the toy the child “thinks” he absolutely must have in his tantrum.

Budgeting

spreadsheets-

As you see in my other personal posts, I LOVE spreadsheets. So I will break down and give a quick overview of my spreadsheets and how I use them. Those of you that could benefit from them, e-mail me ([email protected]) or comment below and I will get them to you with a more in-depth explanation how I use them and share my pictures. Spreadsheets make my life so simple and I spend very little time calculating because everything is broken down so well. If you are not a computer kind of person, we can set up a time and Skype together. I will go step by step over everything I have and it will change your life, it surely has changed ours.
Bills-
I have a spreadsheet for each month that lists all of our bills. I am able to see what needs to be paid on one page. There is space for me to note how each bill is paid and form of payment used. Should I ever need to know how much was paid for something a few months back, I just easily go through my spreadsheet folder and look up what is needed? It’s absolutely fabulous. I have a folder with a name for each bill that needs to be paid and the hard copies are kept in there. At the end of the year, they are filed and put away and a new year begins.
Tithing-
I keep a spreadsheet with every amount we tithe (give). It tracks to whom funds are given and keeps balances.
We have a separate bank account for our tithing. We use this account to write checks out for tithing, make withdraws and deposit money into. Keeping this separate from our personal accounts has made life so much easier. Should I ever need copies or backtrack I just look at our statement of this bank account. I keep track of every amount we tithe, yes to the few dollars. It helps make sure nothing was missed. In the beginning of our marriage, we just stored our “tithing” in an envelope. Before long, I would need a $20 and take it from there and forget to document it, or forget to put a certain checks tithe in there and it wasn’t right. We want tithing to be our priority and not an if I have enough this month Lord and the time doesn’t seem to come for months.
Income-
I have spreadsheets and folder that tracks all of our income. At the end of each month, I have a total and calculate the amount that needs to be tithed and transfer it to my tithing spreadsheet. I then know how much we need to give. This way we able to see on paper where we are and where we should be.

budgeting-

We will take a few numbers and work with them. Provider(s) makes $500 dollars a week, this will give a family a $2,166 income (average). Without budgeting money may be spent unwisely, credit card debt accumulated and out of control spending may occur. Let’s break it down for with an example.
$500 a week x 52 weeks (in a year) and divided by 12 months (some weeks have 5 months).
Gives an average of $2,166 income for the month.
Say the expenses on a monthly basis are as follows-
$217 Tithing, rounded (this comes first)
$108 savings (God forbid an illness or something catastrophic happen, and the provider cannot provide for the family. Christian financing experts say at least 3-6 months of income should be comfortably in savings).
$650 rent
$100 insurance home and auto
$150 electric
$100 phone
$500 food (dining out, fast food, coffee stops included)
———
There are $341 dollars at the end of the month to spend. Having things broken down really shows me what I have. We as smart steward of our finances really should be living within that $341.
Credit cards are great if you can pay it off at the end of the month and have points accumulate for rewards (the purchase that you made for $150 dollars will not be $150 if paid off monthly and interest accrued).

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Last example, something God put on my heart as I have prayed for this post. Living within your means and learning to budget is really having the fruit of the spirit in us bring forth fruit (Gal 5:22).
Love- God is love, and us becoming more like him and having a love for humankind and become Christ-centered and giving to other instead of us, me, me. It’s no longer and oh no, we again need to give 10% of our income, but, I cannot wait to see who will be blessed by our tithing. Instead of buying that 15th purse I don’t need honey let’s support that large family in our church and anonymously send them a gift card via mail. Giving then becomes contagious because you love as God loves.
Joy- Being joyous in this decision. I will have less but I am so joyful that I will be giving more.
Peace- Having peace that regardless what happens, God has my finances under control.
Long-suffering- Sometimes it will mean some long-suffering to live within our means. Yes, that purse I want is on sale but still out of my budget, I will hold off until I can comfortably purchase it and it won’t hinder our family. <Have a week of living like our brothers and sisters who are in third world countries. Simple dinners, no dessert, no fancy drinks, no snacks. Children become more grateful as do we.>
Faithfulness- Being faithful in this decision and sticking it out with God’s help.
Self-control to tell myself this is not what I need and will not purchase. Even if it means I have to make myself leave the store empty-handed.
Joy, being content and joyous in living within our means and what the provider(s) can provide our family with and not what I want to live like.
Such a beautiful illustration, isn’t it?

I hope, pray and pray again that this post was a blessing to you. That you will prayerfully consider giving more to the body of Christ and less of me and us. If any of you are over your head in credit card debt and just cannot seem to find your way out, there truly is a way and God wants you to be debt free. E-mail, I will share you my some testimonies of how one can get out of debt with God’s help. Having substantial debt (especially credit card debt) can really way heavy on a marriage.

tips for spending less-

-SET GOALS and Budget plan. Track and see what is your biggest spending and work on it.

-Ask yourself, how will this purchase impact my family and do I truly need it?

-If you ever have an overdraft fee or late fee, don’t be afraid to call and ask for it to be waived.

grocery-

Plan out your meals and go grocery shopping with a list.
Go grocery shopping on a full stomach, statistics show you as less inclined to spend if you are full.
Only go through the isles that are only on your list.
Don’t buy more groceries than you can consume. Clean out pantry often.
Clothes/Shopping-
Do online shopping, saving on gas and time away from family.
Resist urges to shop whenever, shop for what you need and leave (practice self-control).
Make a list of what needs purchased and only go into those aisles.
I truly believe shopping can be an addiction, sometimes, we have to pray for God to give us freedom from it, just like any other addiction.
Pay with cash.
Give your spouse your receipts when you are done shopping, keep each other accountable.

What are some of your tips for living on a budget, spending less, giving more or tithing? I absolutely love to hear your feedback. Maybe someone else will be blessed by your comment, so please comment away.

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102 Comments

  1. Yaayy. Another personal post. I just love these. Is there anyway there can be a printer version like the recipes? Thank you, thank you. Thank you.

    1. Evana. Thank you for being so sweet. Honestly, I am not really sure how to make it printer friendly, I will e-mail you a PDF version. You can print it that way, I think it’s two pages. Thank you for stopping by.

  2. Thanks so much for this reminder! God has been stirring in my heart for some time now about our finances and specifically what I spend on and it’s time to get it under control… Our income has increased and our giving has not. We are always joyful givers and we love to help where we can, but we can be more faithful in our tithing. I am such a guilty mess! I will be praying about this, I need forgiveness and guidance to not go on repeating this bad habit. Also, what do you think about spending money on others? I find myself feeling obligated to buy friends and family wedding/shower/birthday gifts and it adds up! How do I show them a Godly example while giving them a gift on their special occasion?


    1. Hello Kitti. It’s so beautiful to hear that you love to shower others with gifts. It’s when greed and the love of money is strong that can really be harmful. Being a Godly example is a constant struggle for all of us or else we wouldn’t need Christ.
      In our family, my spouse and I decided how much we would be giving to the different occasions that will be a nice gift but within our comfortable budget. It REALLY does add up and we as smart stewards of our finances really need to keep track of that.
      Example: Both of our parents are still alive. I have 11 siblings and they all have children (hubby is an only child). We agreed to an amount we ALWAYS give our parents for b.days and an amount for Christmas (and it’s the same for both parents, it wouldn’t be fair if I always gifted my mom with a $100 gift and his with $50). I cannot possibly give every sibling a gift for their birthday or else it would really hard our finances. I love every sibling dearly, but, say I would give each sibling a $40 gift plus both parent’s, that is like $600 on gifts a year (JUST for b.days) plus all the other occasions. I only give my closest sibling a yearly gift and the rest only if they are having a party and we get invited to it. Same with our children, we just cannot purchase expensive gifts every birthday, it’s unhealthy and will hurt our finances.
      Same with Christmas, I heard this beautiful illustration from a friend and we stick to it. Jesus got 3 gifts for Christmas and our kids will not get more and they are not expensive gifts or else it takes the purpose of Christmas and turns it into it’s all about gifts and Christ is somewhere very, very far. Last year a comment on my blog was so touching, she said they skip kids’ gifts for Christmas one year and purchase gifts for the poor instead with that money. I ABSOLUTELY loved that, so this year our kiddos will get 1 little gift and we are making small gifts with cards of the good news of Jesus and taking it to visit the elderly in the nursing homes as a family.
      There have been times when my girlfriends would be going out for a birthday and I just wouldn’t go, not because I dislike her, my family is what’s important and at the time and extra $60-$80 dollars (gas money to go, plus dinner, plus gift) was just not what we could spend. I don’t have to explain myself, just kindly said Thank you for the invite but I just cannot make it this time, Happy Birthday.
      It’s almost like learning to say kindly say no, it’s so painful and I really dislike that word but I must know how to do that or else comes a time and people begin to abuse you.
      The only thing we should feel obligated to give it our faithful giving to God. The rest is what works within our budget and doesn’t harm our family’s finances. Not sure if that was helpful at all or not but something like that.

  3. I can barely wait, 3 posts?. So excited. Happy Anniversary to you guys, 13 years is a lot.. May God bless you with so many more. Also in your next posts, can u please share about mother Inlaw hard relationships? I remember reading a comment you wrote but keep looking and can’t find it. Thank you for pouring your heart out. =)

    1. Veronica, You are so sweet. Thank you. I thought you guys might be sick of me by now. I sent you an e-mail about the mother-in-law situation.

  4. wow i need this. but what if I cannot save money. seriously its like no matter how hard we try not me or my husband are good at saving. any tips for that? its embarrassing but so true. it really is scary if something happens and he loses a job, no idea how we would live.

    1. Note: I am not a financial expert so this is just my humble opinion, which may be wrong.
      Hello Luiza. Nothing embarrassing about that. We all have things we struggle with and have a hard time getting over. For one it may be shopping, another raising their voice at the children, another pride, another gossip, etc. Life is life and it seems as soon as you conquer whatever your dealing with, a new battle sticks it’s ugly head in your path. I must say, I am rather proud of you. It takes guts to say I am not sure how to do this. There is so much power when we admit I just cannot do this alone. I have learned life’s biggest lessons when I surrendered my insecurities and struggles and asked for help or advice and mentors to keep me accountable. There are several things you can do.
      -Open up a savings account in a bank and don’t get checks or a debit card for it, you are less likely to withdraw funds. When you get a paycheck try to set something aside, even if it’s $20 dollars.
      -Team up with your hubby and hold each other accountable for your spending. Figure out what your most unnecessary spending is. Is it eating out, clothing, purses, fishing gear (haha), etc. Once you figure out what is draining your pockets most, together figure out how you can change the situation. Ex: Pack lunch if you didn’t before. Include sweet notes for him. Get creative with his packing, it will only build your marriage and save money in the process, winner winner!
      -Make a goal. Ex: This is what we want to have saved up in this much time. So if in 5 years you want to have $10,000 set aside, in 2.5 years you should have $4,000 and that would mean in a year about $2,000 about $167 a month. Having a goal gives you something to look forward to. It helps you keep on track and push yourself. If your goal is to have $10,000 and you don’t fully make it, you will definitely have more than if you don’t try at all. .
      -Most importantly really pray together with you husband and ask God to help you. There is so much power in prayer! He wants you to be debt free, enjoying life and being faithful for His Kingdom in your finances and he will bless the desires of your heart. He will soften your heart and you will begin to see how beautiful it is to be wise in your spending. We serve an amazing God.
      -It’s okay if it’s hard in the beginning. ALL CHANGES in life are difficult at first and uncomfortable. You can do it though! If you saved your first $100, celebrate and encourage your spouse. Tell him how proud you are of him. A man loves it when his woman praises him. “Honey, I am so proud of you for our first $100, you are so smart and committed, I couldn’t have done it without you”. That will spike his ego like no tomorrow, he will do anything to continue hearing that from you. Or surprise him with a post it note in his wallet saying this is to our first $500 saved, you’re the best.
      Will be looking for an e-mail from you in six months with a picture of you celebrating your progress. Blessing to you and your hubby.

    1. Oksana,
      You’re too kind. A smart man learns from his mistakes, a wise one learns from the mistake of others. I think it’s a matter of learning from mistakes and not all that wise for me. Spreadsheets sent to your email.

  5. First of all…. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! Wow this was a great post. It was an encouragement for me and my family. It is truly a blessing to give to others through tithing I am glad that we started this early on in our marriage. It’s always better to give than to receive! I really like the spreadsheets idea. I keep track of bills on a desk calendar but I feel that a spreadsheet type of method would be more beneficial to keep track of when, how and what was payed. Thank you for this post. It was a bigger motivation for me as I have been trying to drastically cut down my personal spending in these last few months. God bless!

    1. Mrs. Tkach, Thank you so much for you sweet comment. Try these spreadsheets, I tried so many different methods but these really, really are helpful. I know what you mean about cutting down on the personal spending. It’s a battle I went through about 6 years ago, it was a hard battle but won with God working on my heart and really opening my eyes to what that really is. Oh what a relief when it’s no longer a burden but is under control (for the most part). BLESSINGS to you and if with God’s help He can set me free, He can do the same with you, you GO GIRL! P.S. spreadsheets sent.

  6. First of all, Happy Anniversary!!! Many more years and blessings! Thank you for this wonderful and encouraging post . I would love to have a copy of your spreadsheet. Thank you:)

  7. Happy Anniversary Valentina!!!
    I really appreciate your blog and all of the encouraging personal posts. This particular post has again reminded me of how important it is to give. Thank you !

    I would like to have the spread sheet as well.

    1. Lenachka, Your kind words of encouragement are so sweet and TRULY appreciated. Sometimes I feel a tugging and keep questioning whether it’s something that needs to be written and comments like yours really are special. Thank you. P.S. e-mail sent.

  8. Happy anniversary and Thank you so much for the post>Can you please send all of the spreadsheets. Thank you.

  9. Happy Anniversary!!! Here’s to 13++++++ and maybe 5 more kids 🙂 we celebrated our 13 this year too. Your post is so spot on. I think we all learn as we go in our marriage…I look back at some things in our early years and it’s hard not to laugh…expectations were high and there was a lot of disappointment let’s put it that way. I believe in giving back 100% whether time or money. My parents were huge on that and it’s something that stayed with me and I hope to do the same with my kids

    1. Agree with you totally hon. But the good thing is we learn, grow, move on and try to not repeat those mistakes (though we will face new ones). You’re such a beautiful mama and I bet your kids will soak all you have to share in like a sponge.

  10. Great post! May I please have a copy of your spreadsheet? Thank you very much and May God bless your beautiful family:)

    1. Thank you, thank you for the blessing and may God bless your family and loved ones as well! E-mails sent.

  11. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this important topic.
    May God bless your family and I believe you’re a blessing to many. 🙂
    Could I please have all of the spreadsheets too. Thank you.

    1. Ksusha, Thank you so much for the encouraging comment. I am so humbled and grateful that the things God has been working on my heart about is a blessing to others, praise God. Blessings to you and your family as well. May your walk with Christ be strengthened this upcoming year and may you be a blessing to others!
      Spreadsheets sent! Any questions, e-mail me back.

    1. Irinochka, thank you so much for visiting our family’s blog. We are happy to have you hear. Spreadsheets sent.

  12. Wow I really needed this post. I can admit I spend so much more than We can afford, and every time I say to myself I’ll stop I’m still not able to put it under control. I need to start a budget and pray for my addiction. Agree with you on giving and tithing(learned a new word today 😀 ) I believe it’s better to give than receive, I wanna do something like that with my kids this Christmas too. Can you please send me the spreadsheets would really appreciate! Happy Anniversary two!!:-)

    1. Yelenka. Wahoo to learning a new word. I am so so happy that what I have went through and what God has helped me change was a blessing to you as well. Don’t we have an amazing Father who takes such good care of us. As long as a person has breathe, he can still make try to change. You can do it my friend and especially with a new year coming up, how convenient!
      E-mail sent, no question is too silly, if I can answer it I will e-mail you back.

  13. Wow you read my mind, I’ve been working the last few weeks on setting up a new year resolution, and budgeting was one of them. I would like to get a copy too. Thank you for all your great posts.

    1. Anna. So so happy that this post I’ve been writing for months coincided with your new years resolution, it’s amazing how God works. Many blessing to you and your loved ones in this new year and that all of your resolutions come to be!
      E-mail sent

  14. Happy anniversery! May God bless you with many more. Thank you so much for this post. Can you please send me all the spreadsheets? Thank you!

  15. Happy Anniversary dear Valentina ! I enjoy reading your blog, especially personal posts. It is really a blessing to see how love of God and His wisdom shines through your life and your posts ! Glory to Him!
    I do keep track of our income,donations, bills and spending in the notebook for many years. ( I am not such a computer person.) But I would not mind to look on your spreadsheets, to learn your way ! 🙂 Thank you so much for your desire to be open and share your life experience ! Many God’s blessings to your precious family !

    1. Thank you so so much Natasha for you beautiful comment, my cheeks turned a bright red from reading it. You are right though Glory to Him, I am no different then every single people that read these posts.
      E-mail sent.

  16. Great post, but it really concerns me how come for 2 adults and 4 kids you’re spending money on food only $500.00 ? Is where you leave food cheaper there comparing out our state or what ?

    But i totally agree wise finance is a key to a successful marriages. Sometimes married couples fights for non wise spending. thanks for a great post

    1. Greetings Ziz’ka,
      Thank you bunches for your concern but I’m not sure if you didn’t see that those figures were just an example and nothing to do with out family (we actually have five kiddos.
      Agree with you, finances can really affect a marriage for the good or bad!

      1. oh, I am so sorry, I haven’t seen it. I thought that how much you spend. I was like what ? Yeah, but fifth one is a still newborn baby ( I hope you’re still breastfeeding not buying formula because it is really expensive). I got so scare from your post that I am spending so much money for food, so I went to USDA food trading prices as of this month, and got a little bit relief, now after you told me that it doesn’t belong to your family it is even more relief.

        Yes, sure I do need pay attention. lol

  17. Valya,
    I really enjoy your blog. You are truly a blessing to many!!! I always look up and learn from families like yours. Having God in first place in a family is the biggest happiness. May God bless you and your family abundantly! I would love to have your spreadsheets 🙂 . Thank you so much for all that you do.

    1. Yulichka,
      Your comment is so sweet and touched my heart!. Unfortunately, we are not really someone to look up to, I promise, we are not different than you, we are all trying to figure out this thing called life. Abundant blessings to your family as well; blessings to you as a wife and mamma, to your hubby may he love you with all of his heart and may your children respect you, be obedient and walk in the Word all the days of their lives.
      E-mail sent.

  18. Love your blog!!! I actually have never left a comment to anyone’s blog and you are the first 🙂 I think that’s because I truly find a Woman that fears the Lord! I am amazed how you can care for a hubby and 5 kids and care about all of us woman… It’s truly a big blessing to have an example like you Thankyou so much!! I would love to get a spreadsheet please Thankyou:))

    1. Ira, Oh my how special I feel, that is the nicest thing to say. I promise I am no different than you though, well maybe just the fact that I have a blog, hehe. Truly appreciate your support my dear sister in Christ.
      E-mail sent.

  19. Hello! My name is Tatyana and I just wanted to say that I’m so blessed to run In your blog! I love your blog and go there almost daily to see if you post anything! The most I love is your personal life stories! Please share those more often cause those are blessings as for me as to other people!! God bless you and your blessed beautiful family! May I please ask you for favor? Do you mind sending me those sheets ( I would prefer all that you send to people ;)) specially about budgeting, your last post? I would really appreciate it!!! God bless you guys once more! Thank you sweetie!

  20. In my family I am taking care of finances. After buying house, remodeling it, and of course my school loan, I need to pay close attention how much we’re spending. I always tough that I have spent ok amount for food, but I have realized that I am spending way too much on food for family of 5. Our total spending of food equals to family of 7 with top $ amount per person (USDA). I was shocked. Since now, I am taking closer look of what I am buying and closer look how much we’re spending on food. I have realized that one trip to BJ’s was my two weeks total amount of food I need to spend. But it always gone in few days. Thank you once again for your post. By the way, can you email your spreadsheet to me as well. I just want to review it and maybe make few adjustments.

    Thank you

    1. Ziz’ka, Yup, definitely agree! Once you start tracking you spending, it’s almost like a rude awaking to how much it needs to be adjusted, but it’s never too late to start doing so. I, as you, take care of all of that. It takes such a load off of my hubby, he works OH SO HARD and it brings me so much joy to take that load off of him so he can come home and spend time with his kiddos and me!
      E-mail sent, any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I may not know all the answers but if I do know, I will definitely share the info!

  21. Amazing post!
    Good management of finances is crucial!
    thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us!
    Congratulations on your 13th Anniversary! The Lord bless your family and your relationship. May he fill you home with everlasting peace, happiness, and abundance!
    P.S. I would really like a spreadsheet! Thank you!!

    1. Elena, THANK YOU for visiting and your comment. I share what I have learned but unfortunately, still have SOOOOO much to learn, such is life. Thank you for the wonderful blessings for our family, they are so appreciated and we wish the same upon your family!
      E-mail sent.

  22. Oh dear 🙂 Happy Anniversary!
    It’s a blessing to read all of your posts 🙂 Thank you for having such an open heart and being a great example for me 🙂
    I thank God for sisters like you in this world. Valyush, you have a beautiful family 🙂
    Blessings to you all.
    I would love to have spreadsheets too 🙂
    Thnx a lot girl

    1. Olga, You are really sweet and I thank you so much for the beautiful comment. I promise though, I am NO different than you, not at all. However we as sisters in Christ really can help build each other up and learn from each other. I have learned SOO much for myself and our family from listen to and reading other peoples stories and learning from them and seeing what can be applied to my life. So wonderful knowing there are so many other women (like yourself) that desire to be a better mom and wife.
      E-mail sent.

  23. Thanks Valya! I am grateful for the response to my comment and questions. It got me thinking about my intentions when gift giving… Kudos to you and your little family for planning to give on Christmas rather than receive. My family usually spends thousands on one another during this season, gifts piled so high you can’t see that Christmas tree… this year we are forgoing all gifts to one another and have adopted two families in need. You should see what these children are asking for… socks, pajamas, coats and sheets. Really puts things in perspective when kids these days want the latest tech gadget or name brand clothing. Thanks again! Merry Christmas!

    PS. For my and my hubby’s parents, we wanted to give them gifts they would enjoy, not necessarily purchase for themselves, and be useful… we have been buying them one piece of cutco knives set for each occasion; now they have a large collection of all sorts of knives, and kitchen utensils that will last forever and can be passed down as an heirloom to whomever they choose. On the rare occasion that we do not give them a piece of cutco merchandise they are disappointed! Lol.

  24. Thank you for this post. It reminds me to reprioritize some of the things that I buy. Also thanks for the tips on how to accomplish that task.

    Do you mind sharing your excel files with me?

  25. LOVE this post! One sad part thought is that I want to give the 10% to God but what do you do if your husband does not agree on this subject? And I would love those spreadsheets!


    1. Nata,
      I love your heart and that you would like to give to God and that is what God wants, us to give willingly and with a joyous heart. (You don’t want him to give out of obligation.) We as wives, however, are to submit to our husbands 1 Pet 3:1 (I know that isn’t what we always want to hear). As you read in Post 2, when there is something we don’t agree with our husband and want change, we must leave that to God. If I was in your shoes, I would really pray about it for several days, then talk to him and tell him you would love for your family to tithe but you, as a submissive wife are submitting to his decision not to God as his authority, you will be praying God will soften his heart on this matter (say that in the most loving way possible, without putting him down or make yourself sound superior). When we submit our desires to our husbands we truly are giving God authority to work on our behalf. I would leave the issue alone and not nag him, that’s just trying to help God. Prayer, prayer and God will work in such a miraculous way, he will come to you apologizing and asking you to start a tithing together. I say this so passionately because this has been the case in our marriage on SOOO many occasions, with both of us. Something I needed change and was too stubborn to admit and he took that prayer to God and God worked on my heart in His amazing ways. And say a situation comes up and you feel God putting on your heart to help someone, you could still lovingly ask “honey, I really would like to help this family, would you mind if we did that”.
      I’m not sure if that was helpful at all or not but I will be praying for your my friend and cannot wait to hear back from you with amazing transformation in your hubby’s heart!

  26. Wow i am in awe of your wisdom. Thanks for sharing i have been looking for spreadsheets for my life ever since we got married 10 years ago! Im a visual kind of person so i like to see the whole thing in front of me. Ive tried making one my self and it was just coming out the way i wanted it to be. Im not really excel friendly! Anyway i would love to get a spreadsheet emailed to me. And i so aprreciate your hard work in making one up and sharing with all of us! God bless you and you family!

    1. Nastia, you are way too kind. Don’t feel very wise, just made a lot of mistake and learned from them, hehe. I sent you and e-mail, looking forward to hearing back from you.

  27. Happy and blessed New Year to you and your dear family. I love your blog and I can’t wait for you post a new recipe or a word of wisdom, although I can only imagine how difficult is to keep up with 5 kids and run a blog. Thank you for your work. I admire you and give all the glory to God.
    On a side note, could I get a copy if he spreadsheets you use for budgeting?

    Thank you kindly, Adriana

    1. Oh how I LOVE your name Adriana, it’s so so beautiful.
      I so appreciate your comment, it’s so encouraging and thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Yes, it is a challenge to work on the blog, especially with our kiddos. That is why my posts are unfortunately few and far apart. I wish I could post more frequently but my family is priority.
      I am no different than you, I promise. I am about as simple of a person as they get.
      E-mail send.

  28. Valentina,
    I stumbled across this post and God really spoke to me through you, thank you! God Bless you and your family!

  29. Thank you so much for this post! Love it so much, May God bless your beautiful family Valush, you have such a beautiful heart, and such an inspiration! I would love the spreadsheets please:)

    1. Diana, Thank you for your sweet comment and I must humbly agree, God sure has blessed us with cute kiddos, they get daddy’s good looks (thankfully, hehe).
      I am so grateful to God, you were blessed by this walk of life God took us through! P.S. E-mail sent.

  30. Very good post. I really enjoy your blog and you sharing your experience. Glad I ran accross it. Would love to get your spreadsheets and adjust mine. I love working with Excel. Budgetting is something I have always wanted to do, but its having my husband on the same page what makes it a little harder. We are both not very good with saving, although we love giving and tithing. I hope this year we can do something about improving our ficances and becoming better stewards of what God gives us. After getting pregnant with third child and quiting work, its been hard adjusting spending since husband is the only provider now.

    Thank you and God Bless you and your family.

    1. Larisa, I just loved your comment and your openness and being “real”, you’re awesome. If no-one has told you that lately, there you have it, Larisa is awesome! I completely can sympathize with you on just about everything, as you can see through this post, this is a journey God walked us through as well. I sent you a LENGTHY e-mail (just warning you) and am super excited to talk to you more in private. BTW, congrats on the third munchkin. Aren’t they a loads of fun (and non stop work, mammmaing, take all the energy of you, but ya still over them like nothing else) Blessings with adjusting life to a new member and especially being a stay-at-home mama. Come to think of it, I used to work part-time and quit when I got prego with our 3rd, oh us twinsies, us. Okay I am off to bed, my husband has been on a mission trip for 2 weeks now, kind of felt like I was having an adult conversation here. Hehe, we will end here! I promise. (I’m so weird)

    1. Guest, Aww thank you so very mucchooos (in a deep Spanish accent, you know, because I took Spanish in high school and remember a few words and that’s kind of cool, or not, oh my. haha). Spreadsheets sent!

  31. Hello Valentina. Your post about budgeting really affected my family. Thank you so much for it. God sometimes uses the most unusual ways to speak to us. After reading this post we watched Dave Ramseys programs and starting budgeting our income. i would really appreciate if you could email me the spreadsheets. Thank you. God bless your family.

    1. Yuliya, I am so so glad God was able to speak to your heart through this post, it really has nothing to do with me. I read and listen to Dr. Ramsey and well. We have been extremely blessed by his ministry. Praise God for raising up such men and teaching us through their work!

  32. Valentina thank you for the great post! Can you please email me all off the spreadsheets? Thank you so much!

    1. Tanysh, So happy God was able to speak to your heart with what he is speaking to mine about! That’s awesome.
      E-mail sent. Let me know if anything wasn’t clear!

  33. thank you for your personal posts! I like how you tell from your own experience, not from “teachers”! Thank you for you hard work! May God reward you for that!

    Would mind sharing your spreadsheets with me as well?;)

    1. Yes, Valentina I agree. I always relate most when it comes from someone’s experience. One cannot truly understand how hard it is without an arm, unless you don’t have one. I cannot truly feel what it’s like for woman in third world countries, I have everything. That is why I try to always write post from my life because those are the most real!. So glad you appreciate that.

  34. Hi Valentina, Thank you for putting up these posts. I would appreciate if I could get the excel workbook from you.

  35. Thank you so much.
    Is it possible to have the spreadsheets emailed to me as well?
    Thanks

  36. Hello!
    I have a question about tithing. When you set apart the 10 percent who do you give it too? Do you tithe to the church or use that 10 % to help someone in need? Also you wrote about tithing at the end of the month tell me more please. I’d love a spreadsheet. ?
    Thank you!

    1. Hi there Lenachka, looking through the Bible, tithing 10% really should be to the local church if it functioning correctly and has many outlets for spreading the Gospel/widows/helping missionaries, etc. Unfortunately, the church that we go to isn’t exactly the best in that field. Therefore, we do not give all of our tithing to our church. We give a portion to the church but the remaining we pray and distribute the funds as we feel God puts on our heart. (I will send you an e-mail about this with more info.
      I also sent you an e-mail with spreadsheets, let me know if it’s confusing and if you need help.

      1. You know, that is the exact same question my husband and I have. We don’t feel like we should be giving all out tithe to the church, but honestly have no idea where and what to do w it. We could be very impersonal and send it to one of the huge ministry’s but we want to be more personal. If you have any ideas that would be so lovely for you to share! That’s one thing also I feel like our churches don’t teach very much about…

        1. E-mail me personally at (valentina at valentinascorner dot com) and I’ll share what we do.

  37. You are so inspiring! I love that you take the time to share with others what God has taught you. You are an amazing women, thank God for people like you!
    Can you also send me the different speed sheets that you use? I would love to get more organized with my papers also!

    1. Ruthie, You are so sweet (cheeks blazing pink). I promise however, I am no different that you. Just probably have made more mistakes and had to learn from them, haha. E-mail sent. Any questions, let me know.

    1. Hi, Tatyana. Thank you kindly. We are actually finishing up a much-improved set of spreadsheets and I will be posting them in a new post with free print versions. Stop back in a few weeks. Thanks for visiting our online home.