Sunday, May 29, 2011

Scripture Sunday - Proverbs 22:26

Be not thou one of them that strike hands, 
or of them that are sureties for debts.


Proverbs 22:26

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Co-signing a Loan

Be prepared now because you will most likely face this scenario at least once in your life.

A parent, one of your kids or grandkids, a co-worker, a good friend or ward member will need a car or a house or something else that inspires them to apply for a loan and they will not have enough credit history (or GOOD credit history) to be approved for the loan. This endeared person will come to you and ask if you will co-sign for them on the loan. When they do, you are to scream, yank at your hair, and run as fast as you can past them.
OK, the hair-yanking is optional, but the rest of the instructions still apply.
 
Never, ever co-sign for anyone. If someone needs a co-signer on a loan, it is because the bank, using its calculations and statisticians, does not believe the primary debt signer is ABLE to pay the loan. In this case, to be "sure" that the bank will get its money back, they ask for a co-signer, or "surety".

Surety is a person who is legally responsible for the debt, default, or delinquency of another. We know it by its modern-day name, a co-signer.

What do the scriptures have to say about surety, or co-signing?
Proverbs 11:15
He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.

Here we learn two things:
1) Co-signing for a stranger will hurt you.
2) Hating debt or refusing to co-sign (or cover someone else's debt) is a smart thing to do.

"Hey, Adhis- but that's talking about strangers. I would never do THAT! I was thinking of my grandson who wants to buy a truck. And my sister who is just starting out and wants to buy a townhome."

Let's keep reading in Proverbs.
Proverbs 17:18
A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

Here we learn two more things:
[1]Someone who is ignorant (void of understanding) enters a contract (striketh hands, like shaking on a deal) [2] to become a co-signer for a friend.

In the future, I will talk more about cosigning, but for now, the most important thing to know is:

Do not ever co-sign on a loan!

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Stay-at-Home Queen

Right before I married my husband, I was laid off from the dotcom I had just moved to Salt Lake City for. From that (crushing) point on, my husband and I decided to live on one income. While this was a very difficult transition for me, the journey allowed me to learn that a woman at home also brings economic value.

She plans meals, nurtures good health habits, comparison shops, and maybe coupons to stretch a dollar. She creates a home environment of order, beauty, and a welcoming spirit. She arranges social events for fun and for relaxation. She reads and learns new skills and policies to empower herself and her family. She keeps up on her neighborhood news to help lighten the mental or physical load for another woman. She stimulates her mind with good books and inspiring stories to grow her talents and prepare for her mission outside of home.

There is power and real value in a woman who brings honor to her royal position at home. A dollar behaves as $5. A homemaker becomes an astute business woman. A cottage rises up like a castle.

Friday, May 13, 2011

The Case of the Missing Blog Posts

That's odd. I published two blog posts this week, and they are currently nowhere to be seen.
Anybody see either of them this week before they disappeared?

The curse of Friday the 13th strikes again!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Scripture Sunday - Alma 56:48


And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers,
saying:
We do not doubt our mothers knew it.


Alma 56:48



(Happy Mothers' Day to all women with mother hearts!)

Friday, May 6, 2011

Frugal Friday: Re-use Gift Wrap

 This tip was submitted by 
rissa roo
"When I receive a gift for Christmas or my birthday I reuse the gift bag that it came in. And I also use the wrapping paper that some stores put in your bag when shopping."

Who among us doesn't have a bazillion gift bags? After two baby girls, my family is not surprised when even Christmas gifts from me come in pink bags!

Like rissa roo, I also re-use tissue paper. I just crumple the sheets up and shove them in the gift bag. If the thought of wrinkled paper makes you swoon, try this tip.


Set your iron on the lowest setting (silk setting on my iron) and iron the tissue paper.


Just a couple swipes makes the paper look at lot nicer.



You can spend as little or as much time ironing paper as you'd like. But as for me and my house, we will serve with wrinkles.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The Love of Money

It never ceases to amaze me whenever I run across the tightly-held sentiment that money is evil. The speaker of the thought typically shuns money like mere possession of it will thrust them directly to Outer Darkness. Do not pass go, and for sure do not collect $200, you scrooge! I've even heard it said that a good person becomes evil when he comes upon a lot of money. (What is "a lot"? Is there a magic number?)

Why is there this perception? Let's go to the origin of the phrase.

1 Timothy 6:10 states,
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Some people read that scripture and immediately pair the word "money" with the word "evil" when they should actually be pairing "Love of" with "evil." And they seem to completely ignore "coveted after". Love of money is the root of all evil.

Why is the love of money evil? Not just evil, but the root of evil? It conflicts directly with two of the 10  commandments:
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3).
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (Exodus 20:4).

When I think of the love of money, I picture someone who modifies their schedule, activities, thoughts, and conversation to align with the acquisition of money for the purpose of magnifying their own desires. This person would not have to be wealthy; someone who is middle class or poor can become obsessed with the acquisition of money and covet that which others have.

When our minds are constantly on money, where we'll get it, where we'll spend it, how we'll wear it or drive it, we are too occupied to think of God, how we'll serve him or praise him. We have some other god in the throne of our mind. The preoccupation with, the love of, the obsession with, the coveting of money is a root to evil because, if not uprooted, the distraction from God can sprout into a plant that begets other evil fruit, some of which are mentioned in others of the Ten Commandments.

In actuality, we can replace the word "money" in 1 Timothy 6:10 with nearly any object. The love of gadgets is the root of all evil. The obsession with physical fitness is the root of all evil. Anything that we love more or devote more time to than serving God can be rooted in evil, not because the object (or person) is evil, but because obsessively directing our thoughts toward anything that is not God himself creates a new god that can distract us off the path. (Satan is tricky, too, in that he can distract us with multiple things instead of one sole obsession to make us too busy to worship God. That's a different topic.)

After several financial setbacks, President Heber J. Grant later prospered and used his wealth to help individuals, families, the Church, and the community. He said:
“While I have worked hard for Cash, you know, as do all my friends that have a full knowledge of the innermost sentiments of my heart, that Cash has not been my god and that my heart has never been set on it, only to do good with what might come into my possession. I most earnestly desire that I may always feel this way.”

If you're working on your stewardship in financial matters, you've got the green light to become educated in money. Learn how God wants you to use money in your life and in the lives of those entrusted in your circle of influence. Learn how to keep money in harmony with God. And for that matter, keep anything else that temps you to spend more time with it than is healthy in its proper ranking on the priority list.

Go on and prosper in the land and give all glory to God.

And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands. (1 Nephi 2:20)

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Scripture Sunday - Job 11:18


And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;
yea, thou shalt dig about thee,
and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.


Job 11:18