How 'Bout Them {non} Apples?

After church last Sunday night Les noticed something wrong with his iPhone.  It seemed to be swelling and coming apart.  We don't upgrade our phones very often and our current phones for well over three years old.  His was an iPhone 5, mine was a 4.  I checked our online AT&T account to see what our upgrade options were and was hit with sticker shock!

Our mission on Monday began at the Apple store.  The problem with Les' phone was the battery was swelling.  The best they could do was to replace Les' phone with another iPhone 5 for $80.  I would keep my old one. Upgrading both of our phones would be about $60 a month for two years (roughly $1400) in addition to our current bill of $90 a month.

Stop number two was the Verizon store.  They could switch us over to an identical plan for $75 a month.  They had Motorola phones that we could get for another $10 a month per phone for two years ($240).  The switch was looking pretty compelling.

Stop number three was Best Buy.  A friend had recommended we shop there.  We were greeted at the door and said we needed help with mobile phones.  We waited and waited...  There were other customers in the area and an employee finally came and helped them.  When he was finished with them he didn't even acknowledge us, but walked away.  Bye bye, Best Buy!

Stop number four was Costco.  They also had the $75 a month Verizon plan but they had a promo going and we were able to get two Samsung Galaxy J3 phones for FREE!!  There was no reason for us not to switch.

We are super happy with the decision and are already enjoying the Android experience.  We're really not anti Apple, but they did not give us a compelling reason to stick with them.  The phones came with 16GB of internal storage but Les was able to get SD cards with an additional 128 GB and install them on our phones himself.  Our biggest challenge is getting our music from iTunes to Google Play.  How about them {non} apples?!

What kind of mobile phone do you carry?  Any great Android apps I might be missing?

May 22nd ~ Change (Photo a Day)

$1.44 in change to be exact!

Christian Stewardship Seminar

Our church has been blessed to have Bro. Mayer from Buford, Georgia with us teaching about Christian Stewardship.  The topic is so important, but one that many try to run from.  Christian Stewardship is more than just tithes and offering, as Bro. Mayer puts it "Stewardship is About Relationship."  When we finally get that God owns it all, we will change the way we handle our finances.

Our session on Sunday evening concluded with the topic cars.  Buying a new car on credit versus buying a used car with cash.  The savings over the course of 5 years is tremendous.  Conservatively, about $30,000!  Les and I couldn't help but chuckle about our darling Saturn.  You know, the testimony that we drive?  We did the best of both when we bought our Saturn - we bought it new, but we paid cash for it.  TWENTY YEARS and over 300,000 miles later, we are still driving that car!  I've said it before and I will say it again, God has blessed our car to keep running.  He was rebuked the devourer in regards to our car many, many times.  His faithfulness never ends.

Bro. Mayer is a school teacher and is graciously using his Spring Break to be with us. And for a topic that can be very cut and dry, he has made the sessions extremely interesting.  His interpretation of some of Jesus' parables has brought new insight.  I thought it was funny that a couple of the ideas he gave regarding saving money at the grocery store (don't go hungry and always take a list) were the same ones that Weight Watchers advocates!   Save money and your waistline, win-win!

Money Matters

Les and I have been giving a Bible study to a young couple in our church. A few weeks ago we took a break from the Exploring God's Word study to talk about finances. Their first child is on the way, so they asked us to help them with budgeting, offerings, etc.


One of the things we shared with them is how we handled "fun" expenses when Les and I were first married. You know, the fun stuff that you want, not needs like groceries, gas and utilities. We were both working full time to make ends meet, plus trying to save for a new car. That new car that we still drive 19 years later!


At that time Les was into skiing instead of cycling. I wasn't into either. Very early in our marriage we decided that when one of us spent money on something fun, that was just for them, the other could do the same. In other words, if Les took a ski trip, I got to spend what his lift ticket, gas, lodging, food, etc. cost on something I wanted. Of course this didn't apply to things we did together - trips, eating out, etc.


This worked great for many reasons. One, the person wanting to spend couldn't just think of themselves. "These shoes are on sale for $25!" No, those shoes will cost $50 if you decide to buy 'em. Lift ticket $60? Nope, $120. It also kept the person who hadn't spent from being resentful. "Oh, you spent $100 on a new suit jacket? Great! I can buy that new dress and purse I've been eyeing!"


It's always been "our" money - not his and mine. He's always made more than me. The current income from my four piano students certainly doesn't cover my shoe habit! But I've never felt the need to hide any expenses from Les either. We were also able to weather the storm of two months of unemployment last year because we have stayed on the same page when it comes to spending. At that point all fun spending was on hold.

It's worked for us. How do you handle "fun" purchases?