In college

It started out that I was a host and would receive a portion of the tips (commonly called the server’s “tip out”), in addition to my hourly wage, for the work that I had done that evening. It was nothing much, maybe $20 for the 4-5 hours that I had worked, but it was certainly a reflection of the overall dining experience that our customers had received.

Then I became a server and the stakes were even higher because I was receiving a lower hourly wage and how I did on an evening was largely dependent on the tips I received. Obviously the better the service I gave, the better I did in tips. What I didn’t realize prior to becoming a server in a busy restaurant, however, it just how hard a profession it really is.

You have to be on top of your game at all times. Guests must be greeted promptly, orders need to be 100% accurate, beverages need to be refilled constantly, food must be delivered on time and as ordered… you get the idea. This job is not for the timid, and the more you embrace the fast pace of the job, the more successful you are.

I no longer work in the food service biz, but much of what I learned in that position I’ve really hung on to in my work in college admissions. Most importantly,

The higher the level of customer service you provide, the more you will be blessed in return.

Now, this probably shouldn’t be the main reason that you seek to serve other.  That should come from deep inside your spirit, the part of your heart that wants to give so that others have a better life. But nothing irks me more than the thought of a tippable (spell check indicates this is not a real word) employee not receiving what’s due for the level of service they’ve provided.

When we go out to eat (not too often, but frequently enough) this is always as the forefront of my mind. The funny thing is, because of my background, the bar of service for a great tip is probably lower than others’. It doesn’t take a grand affair to impress Julie and me, you just need to do as best you can.

In many ways, my tipping threshold starts at 20% and goes up and down based on the quality of service. So average gets you an above average tip, in my book anyway. Oh, but if you’re really spectacular, I want to bless you big time, because waiting tables is a hard job.

Positions requiring customer service usually pay less than they should.

Are you seizing this opportunity to bless another?
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Photo Credit: eprater // Creative Commons

• Hugues, the director, along with some of their medical staff will load a bus full of water, food, basic medicines, and triage supplies.  They’ll make the 10-15 hour drive to Port-au-Prince and treat the wounded and sick and give away supplies.  While there, they also plan to search for several of their former students that were in the capital city looking for jobs.
• Another mission of their trip to Port-au-Prince is to bring back Ouaniminthe locals that have no way to get back or have had any contact with their families.
• Water and other necessities have heavily increased in price since the earthquake, and with all banks closed, cash is inaccessible.
• Over the next several weeks and months, many Haitians will migrate North to find a new place to call home.  Ouaniminthe will be one of those towns that will receive new residents, and with it, new needs.  Children will need homes and schooling; many will need medical attention.  Through the Institution Univers and Univers Medical Clinic, COCINA hopes to meet those new needs.

Whether it’s to COCINA or other organizations such as the American Red Cross, please consider doing what you can to help this hurting country.  And above all else, please keep them in your prayers.

COCINA is an organization that we are passionate about supporting.  It all started about 10 years ago when I went on a mission trip to Ouaniminthe, Haiti, a town just over the Dominican Repulic border.  As we walked across the wood bridge that brought us into Haiti, I was astonished at the smells, the sights and the sadness in this poor country.  But the town of Ouaniminthe has a bright spot in it and that bright spot is Institution Univers, a private Christian-based school.  In a country where education is limited and under-resourced, this school is teaching kids not only basic skills, but the skills necessary to turn a impoverished town into a self-sufficient community.

In the last decade since my first visit, the school has grown considerably, graduating its first class of 15 students, 6 of which earned scholarships to go on to college. In addition, a medical building has been constructed and is fully-functioning.  In a quiet town without much activity, COCINA is busy waking up the futures of generations to come.  And we get to be a part of it.

Not to mention that donating couldn’t be easier.  We send a monthly amount through PayPal which will track our charitable giving for tax purposes.  Check out their website www.haiticocina.org or find your own organization to give to.  Knowing that your money fed the hungry, healed the sick and sent kids to college is worth more than anything money can buy.
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We want to hear your giving stories! If you’ve got one you’d like to share, email it to us, and we’ll be sure to feature it as a future guest post.

Our solution was to fill each other’s stockings with “odds and ends”-type gifts.  The stockings are handmade by my mom and have always been a special Christmas decoration around the house.  Since we’re past the days of our parents filling our stockings, we decided to do it ourselves.  For the month of December, Andrew and I forfeit our fun money from the budget to buy each other’s gifts.  That way, I don’t feel like I’m paying for my own present but instead know that Andrew had to sacrifice his apps and Taco Bell runs to buy something special for me .

So what kinds of things do we fill the stockings with?  Last year they were filled with things like Burt’s Bees Chapstick, Every Man Jack Face Lotion, popcorn seasoning, our favorite SET card game, and gum.  Nothing too extravagant—just little things that say “I thought you might like nacho-flavored popcorn.”  And this year’s stockings?  I can’t tell you that!  We’ll have to wait and see…

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Want to see our official stockings?  They’re right here!

We had to share the wallpaper below, since it’s the intersection of two things which we know and love, Hope (get it?) and the principles that guide the way we think about money:

Make it (or one of the others) your desktop background—if you’re working on the computer all day, you’ll be glad for the not-so-subtle reminder!

Step #1: My Christmas Wish List

Julie’s family had been using My Christmas Wish List for some time before we met in 2007.  It’s a website that allows you to create your own Christmas list to share with others, who then have the opportunity to mark items on your list as purchased or as something which they are planning to purchase.  It essentially eliminates duplicate gifts and also ensures that the items you receive are things you actually want.

We use MCWL in a “Secret Santa”-style format.  We draw names (on both sides of the family), set a monetary limit, and go to town!  With a total of 8 siblings + spouses + kids on both sides, this also means that everybody doesn’t have to buy gifts for everyone else.  This makes sense to us, as most of us are working professionals and don’t necessarily need anything when Christmas time comes around.

Step #2: Google Doc

We do an all-cash Christmas, so we try to keep pretty good track of what we plan to spend (our budget) and what actually gets spent.  To that end, each year we create a Google Document with the following columns:

Person   |   Target Price  |   What?   |   Where?   |   Actual Price

It’s the same principle that guides the way we do business regularly: make sure we know where our money is going before it even goes anywhere.

Step #3: Never pay full price (if possible)

‘Tis the season for deals, right?  We take advantage of sites like Retail Me Not (coupon codes for online shopping) and Beat My Price (set a price target for an item, and they’ll go out to the major sites to make sure you find the best price) to ensure that we are getting the very best deal possible.  We also plan to make one big Amazon order every year, since people are usually asking for books, music, and movies and TV shows (affiliate links), although increasingly we’re getting closer and closer to being able to order our entire Christmas list from Amazon!

So that’s our plan! It’s a lot of fun to bless our friends and family during this time of year, but more importantly, the time when we remember the One to came to give us His ultimate blessing.  Our obedience should be reflected in blessing others all throughout the year, not just at Christmastime.  This obedient heart may best be summed up in Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel, found in Luke 1:38,

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

Blessings from Julie and I for an awesome Christmas holiday!  We thank you for being a part of ours.

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NEW THIS WEEK: Be sure you check out our brand-new Facebook fan page!

As you can see, we had a monster entertainment center that was taking up a good portion of our smallish living room.  We donated that item to a local resale store, Ditto, which benefits the Christian schools in our area (we’ll even get a little tax benefit from that).  Then we needed to come up with an arrangement that would best accommodate the big green chair-couch (on the left).  Here’s what we came up with:

It turned out pretty well, and we’re even getting the chance to use our IKEA chair in a better way as well.  The green monster found its way to the near center of the room, and does a nice job of making some separation between the living and dining room.  Although we decided to forego a Christmas tree this year, we do have our handmade stockings (handcrafted by Julie’s mom) hanging below our windowsill:

The new TV is great!  Watching movies in high-def is excellent, and more than anything, our new living room seems to be making better use of the space.  Not a typical blog post from us, but we hope you’ve enjoyed it!

One of the options that we’ve installed is something called GoodSearch (branded “you search, we give”), a specific search engine (powered by Yahoo) that makes a small donation to a charity or school of your choice every time you use it.  The donation is in the neighborhood of a penny per search, but if you use the web as frequently as we do, this may start to add up for your chosen charity.  In fact, once you register the charity you’d like to search for (center of the home page), you can even find out how much they’ve benefited from other searchers over the last year.  With the Firefox toolbar option, using GoodSearch is something you can build right into your web experience.

The quality of the search seems to be pretty much on par with that of most search engines, although you may have to get used to it if you’ve been using something else like Google for a time.  Bottom line: it will get you where you’re going, and you’ll be blessing your chosen organization.

Another opportunity the site offers is a sister program called GoodShop, which makes a donation to the charity of your choice based on purchases made through the site (similar to how Upromise helps you save for your child’s education).  You’re able to make purchases through Amazon, Apple, and the like, and GoodSearch passes on a portion of their referral income to your designated charity.  So, give it a try—someone will be glad you did!

We’re actually kidding—Julie and I have really enjoyed putting together the budget spreadsheets that we use on a monthly basis.  They will probably continue to evolve (we’ll update as changes are significant), but we’d like you to be able to use them as you see fit.  All of them include emergency fund and net worth calculators as well. Feel free to edit and share them as you please.  Also, if something doesn’t seem to be working quite right, leave a comment, send us an email, or send us a reply on Twitter, and we’ll get it fixed.

There are versions for both single and married households, and they are available in both Microsoft Excel and Apple Numbers formats.Single Household

Our Budget, Single Household (Microsoft .xls format)
Our Budget, Single Household (.zip file containing Apple Numbers format)

Married Household

Our Budget, Married Household (Microsoft .xls format)
Our Budget, Married Household (.zip file containing Apple Numbers format)

NOTE: These aren’t meant to replace the type of counseling or budgeting that a professional could provide. If that is the type of service you are looking for, we recommend looking at the coaching and classes available through Dave Ramsey.

Who are we? You’re probably not interested in all of the boring details, but we’re Andrew and Julie, and we live in a great little town called Holland, Michigan. We both attended Hope College, an excellent private, liberal arts college, located in Holland as well. The two of us had all kinds of mutual friends, but never met until we got set up (yup) a couple years after we had graduated. I asked Julie out, she said yes, and the rest is history. We love hanging out with friends, playing games, running, and the Food Network.

Our money story really began when Julie’s parents gave us a CD (remember those?) to listen to on the way home from Thanksgiving in 2007. It was a live recording of Dave Ramsey talking about his “baby steps” system. We had never heard this approach to money described in quite the same way, and it was clear that is was something we wanted to put into practice as much as possible as we prepared to get married. We’ve already worked through Baby Steps #1 and 2 (if you’ve heard of them) and are crushing #3 as quickly as possible.  More on this in posts to come!

This site is about taking your hard-earned cash and putting it to work for good. We’ll share the basics we’ve learned about budgeting, finding deals on stuff you’re gonna buy, investing, giving, faith and money, and talking to your spouse about money (eek!).  It’s stuff that everybody is thinking about (particularly in America right now) and we’ve found it to be really interesting. So interesting, in fact, that here we are, blogging our little hearts out about it.

Do we have all the answers? Heck no! But we’re trying to figure it out, and we’re hoping you’ll join us for the ride.  So, let’s kick this thing off!  We’re glad you’re here…