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This past month or so has net Amanda and I some great deals. We’re bargain shoppers and we’re not afraid to admit that. Here are some examples of ways we’ve saved recently. Afterwards I listed some tips on saving money. If you don’t want to read about all my deals I got, at least read the tips. They have helped us tons.

Here we go…

November 23
We stand in line at 4:30am the day after thanksgiving to purchase roughly $400 worth of electronics for about $220.

That’s $180 saved thus far on $400 of stuff.

November 30
I have lunch with my mom for my birthday. She mentions that she needs to go to H&H Furniture for something. I tag along at her request. She takes me to the scratch and dent appliance section and tells me to pick out a clothes dryer. SWEET! Ours was broken and we needed a new one. I looked a bit and noticed a washer and dryer set. Retail was $900. Scratch and dent price, $500. You may scoff at the idea of buying damaged merchandise but get this… the dents were on the sides that faced each other. Once installed in the house you can’t see the dents. My mom then upped her offer and decided to buy both of them for us. Being the bargain shopper she is, she asked for a better price. She got it. Final price, $450.

That’s $630 saved thus far on $1300 of stuff.

December ?
I asked a few ladies for some help on buying Amanda a jewelry armoire. I had a $50 budget and was led to a great product for $40 on the Bed Bath & Beyond website. It seemed to be a good deal. On my way to BB&B I stopped by Target to pick up some household stuff and saw it. An armoire with over twice the capacity and better features overall. It was on sale from $80 to $50. Needless to say, I bought it and Amanda loved it!

That’s $660 saved thus far on $1380 of stuff.

December 18
Amanda and I go to Sears to look at freezers just to see what’s available. Lo and behold we find a scratch and dent 9 cubic foot chest freezer. Retail $300. Discount price $210. After some bargaining and a few tactics I got the sales guy to $180. Nice $120 dent that is purely cosmetic. If you want the whole story read here.

That’s $780 saved thus far on $1680 of stuff.

December 26
Grocery shopping can kill your budget - or lack thereof - so Amanda and I shop strategically. We look at the different sale papers from the different grocery stores in the area. All online. This way we know where to shop, which is usually a couple different places for different items. Our most recent shopping trip got us a big pack of chicken for $5 instead of $15, buy one get one free seafood (shrimp, grouper) and cereal, cheap frozen pizzas, and a lot of the usual. Total bill was $134 but we saved $67 according to the bill. We got what we needed and stocked up on things we didn’t need yet but would need soon and would be better to buy now while on sale. We had a brand new chest freezer to put it all in. It definitely pays to plan shopping trips.

That’s $847 saved thus far on $1881 of stuff.

December 28 (Today)
My mom just moved into a smaller place. She didn’t need a house for her and two boys with both of us now out of the house so she got a house sized for her. (Smart lady) That being the situation she decided to sell her dining room table and six chairs. Up until this point Amanda and I had a 30 year old table we got free from an aunt that had a couple broken chairs and didn’t have the prettiest finish in the world. We jumped on the chance to buy this $1500 table for $500. It is nice. Seriously. It has a great finish with great carvings along the edges of the surface and the pedestal. We love it.

That’s $1847 saved thus far on $3381 of stuff.

Summary and Some Tips

Obviously, Amanda and I know how to spend less and get more. It’s not a boast, just true. We studied it. We sought out these methods. Through some great books, courses, podcasts, and conversations we learned these methods and principles and more. That said, let me quickly list a few ideas to help you save money.

1. Plan. Nothing will help you get rid of your money quicker than lack of a plan. This plan can be reading the grocery store circular to see what’s on sale, making a list and sticking to it, or deciding not to buy something until it’s discounted. Example… we waited on a freezer until we found a scratch and dent. We wanted new but not new prices.
2. Shop around. By this I don’t mean to shop more but to do comparative pricing. Look around town, call around town, look online. If you’re going to buy new, pay as little as possible. It’s easy to find deals online at places like Amazon or PriceGrabber. Doing a search at those sites will help you save big on many things like electronics and housewares. I rarely buy books in town any longer. Even with shipping they usually cost less at Amazon. I get all my camera gear through deals I find on PriceGrabber. It pays to look around a little.
3. Look for discounts. Wait for discounts. Most of Amanda’s Christmas gifts were bought at 60% off retail. I got her 9 pairs of earrings instead of only a couple because of the discounts I waited on. Used or damaged isn’t always bad. Scratch and dent items are great ways to save. Used items (like tables and chairs) are easy ways to spend less. This includes cars! You could even try yard sales and auctions. We’ve done those too.

In summary, there are deals to be had, we just have to look for them.

Today during staff meeting our church elders stopped by. It’s great to know our elders aren’t some bunch of old dudes who hate youth and are only interested in their own purposes of domination… not that I’ve ever been to a church like that. They stopped in to encourage us as a staff, all 20 or so of us.

Each of them spoke to us from their hearts. Larry’s speech of sorts really hit me the hardest. He told of a Salvation Army Conference where William Booth, the founder, was supposed to speak as he usually did but was sick and thus not able make it. Instead, he sent a telegram to be read in his stead. Once it arrived it was taken to the podium and opened. Inside it read “others”. That’s it. “Others.”

So that’s my reminder to you guys as it was a reminder to me this morning. In all we do in ministry or in life, do it for the sake of others. Do it to help others. Do it to make their lives better. Do it to draw them closer to Christ.

For all of us - whether pastors, media guys, worship leaders, children’s ministers, volunteers, or whatever - it’s about THEM.

Tonight Amanda and I went to the local mall to do a little shopping for Christmas. We decided to look in Sears just to check if there were any deals to be had. Good news! There was!

We went to the appliances section to look for scratch-and-dent items. We’re not cheap, but we avoid retail prices like they were the plague. Truth be told, an appliance with a dent works just as well as an appliance without a dent in most cases. So why not save a few (hundred) bucks?!

We asked if there were any chest freezers with cosmetic defects and guess, what? A 9 cubic foot freezer with a dent on the lid was right there begging us to take it home. Not to show too much emotion I asked a couple questions and moved on down the aisle. I wouldn’t want to look like I had taken the bait and fell in love with it, would I?

The first pass put the originally $299 freezer at $209. In other words, a $90 dent. I thought that dent was worth more. I also found out that Amanda’s dad said he would pay for part of it as a Christmas present. Good news for us.

Second pass with the sales associate I asked if he could sell it to me for $150. I knew it was a low-ball, but it got the negotiations going. He said $209 was the lowest he could go. I said “Oh well”. Then he decided that he might could go lower. The might ended up being another $20 off. Good. We’re at $189 now. Still not good enough. So I decided to take another lap around the store just to think about things and to break off the flow of the associate. It’s a game I know, but it’s fun to play.

Third pass about thirty minutes later he told me that $189 was his cost. Yeah right. My hesitation sent him to the back offering another $10 off. $179 it is… sold! So I got a brand new 9 cubic foot chest freezer for 40% off. Not bad. I might could have gotten more off but that would have taken other tactics I didn’t feel like going into. I’ll settle for $179 for a $300 freezer.

Thank you, Dave Ramsey, my mom, and my small group, for helping me learn these things. I seriously suggest that anyone who can go through Financial Peace University or read The Total Money Makeover (both by Dave Ramsey) do so. The things I learned through it let me save tonight over twice the cost of the course and materials.

So next time you are faced with a retail *gasp* price, ask for a better price. Trust me, there is one.

Any good money saving stories out there?

If you attended St. Simons Community Church Sunday, you saw the video we opened our new series “Be Still” with. Travis did a great job in After Effects communicating the concept David gave us to go by.

I’ll let Travis explain it to you. From his website…

I just wanted to share another one of our videos. We are beginning a three week Christmas series this Sunday entitled “Be Still.” It is about, well, being still. You know, “Be still and know that I am God.” We saw a video at Drive Conference two years ago that made an impact on a lot of our staff and so we “adopted” their concept and made our own. The video was edited in After Effects and the graphics were created by my co-worker Chris in Photoshop.

The video will play following a prayer in the service. We will have all the lights out and wait about 8-10 seconds before we play it. That way there will be an awkward silence to get people’s attention and make the first word on the screen more noticeable. There is no audio on this video and there won’t be in the service either. If you get distracted, cut on iTunes and restart it. However, if you can’t make it through in silence, maybe you need to check on the podcasts of this series. HaHa.

Hope you like it!

View it here, YouTube, or on the SSCC website.

I feel funny about blatantly posting another’s writings on my blog but I want to ensure it will stay around even if the site I got this from goes away. That said, here’s as many creds as I can think of… RELEVANT Magazine sent an article out in 850 Words of Relevant from an author named Jason Boyett that is adapted from a section of his book called “Cheap Ways To…“.

Now on to the post.

I can’t say it better than Jason on this matter, but let me reiterate the fact that Jesus called us to minister beyond the walls of our church and beyond the people we already know. In fact, James tells us in verse 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”. Looking out for those who can’t look out for themselves DEFINES our religion.

He calls the title “Christmas In Action”. Let’s break that down. “Christmas” means “Christ Coming”.

Let’s be the hands and feet of Christ so that through us, He can come in action again.

That said, here are a few ways to make our religion effective, pure, and faultless this Christmas season.

Christmas in Action

Serving Your Community This Holiday Season

‚ÄúGive a man a fish and he‚Äôll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he‚Äôll eat for a lifetime.‚Äù No doubt you‚Äôve heard the axiom before. It‚Äôs often used to condemn no-strings-attached giving to the poor. Clich?© or not, it paints a nice picture. Unfortunately, the saying only pains half the picture‚Äîit‚Äôs great to teach a man to fish, but if the man has no fishing gear and no water nearby, how do you expect the knowledge of how to fish to do anything for him?

That’s the plight of the poor. As it is for millions of people across the planet, poverty is a problem in the United States as well. And while dealing with the problem of poverty involves “helping the poor to help themselves,” we need to remember that such a solution is long-term. What are we to do in the short-term? You can’t alleviate the problem by yourself; no one can. But what you can do is distribute some grace to your corner of the world. The thing to remember is that helping the poor isn’t just about donating money. It’s about meeting needs.

The holidays are always stressful, and it’s easy to get consumed with buying presents, traveling and spending lots of money on Christmas-related activities. But December doesn’t have to be a time that we forget about those in need. Here are several ways you can reach out to the needy this Christmas season:

HOMELESS SHELTERS
If you live in a city of any size, there is probably at least one homeless shelter that helps people with meals, beds, hygiene and other services. Most shelters welcome volunteers for a number of activities, from preparing and distributing meals to working in the business office.

FOOD BANKS
Surveys indicate up to 40 percent of people serviced by community food banks at one time or another, had to decide between eating and paying rent. If that’s a decision you’ve never had to make, why not find a way to help out? Community food banks are instrumental in assisting the poor in your community, particularly around the holidays. They employ volunteers to sort and collect salvaged food (much of which comes from area supermarkets), distribute bread, manage inventory and perform office tasks. You can help by doing the above or by organizing and giving to inventory builders like canned food drives.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Since 1976, Habitat has built in excess of 100,000 simple houses across the world for families lacking adequate shelter. A non-denominational, non-profit organization, Habitat sells its houses via interest-free mortgages. The homes are built by the homeowners themselves and a team of volunteers. If you have any sort of construction, electrical or plumbing skills, you’re exactly the kind of volunteer help Habitat needs. For those who don’t know a Philips from a flathead, Habitat projects provide a fun, unintimidating environment to learn—all the while helping a very appreciative family. Contact your local chapter, or visit www.habitat.org.

CLOTHING & NECESSITIES
Most of us have far too many clothes—in our closet, stuff we haven’t worn in years. When you run out of space, resist the urge to sell your old clothing on consignment or in garage sales. Instead, donate it to a charity like the Salvation Army or its equivalent. My wife and I worked one weekend a few years ago with a downtown women’s center, the kind of place where battered women stay until they get their lives back together. We discovered the center was always in need of decent women’s clothing, in addition to baby supplies and kids’ clothes. After that weekend, Aimee cleaned out her closet immediately. If you have a full closet or baby clothes you’ll never use again, why not give them to someone who’ll treasure them?

BE THOUGHTFUL
I know many kind people who just don’t feel right about giving money to the homeless, worrying that they may be paying for an alcohol addiction or their next drug fix. But the truly compassionate still find a way to give. I know of one elderly lady who has begun collecting coupons or gift certificates for free meals at local restaurants. She keeps them in the ashtray of her car, and is happy to pass them along to the hungry. Once, my sister, who was 16 at the time, was moved to tears by the sight of a small family on the street corner with a sign that read, simply, “hungry.” She had no cash on her, but told the family to wait five minutes. She sped home and made peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches out of an entire loaf of bread, shoved the sandwiches back in the bread sack, and returned to the family. Tears were shed on their end, too.

BE KIND
If you have a chance to interact with the needy, make a point to talk to them like you would any individual—your neighbor, a business associate, a family member. Often, there’s no better gift than the feeling of worth and civilization they feel when someone treats them like a real person. I once read a newspaper feature on the homeless, in which one of the individuals profiled said something I’ll always remember: “You don’t think I feel like crap when a generous person takes me into a restaurant and feeds me? Here I am in the clothes I wore yesterday and smelling like trash. But you can take my mind off that by speaking nicely to me and not looking down on me.”

The poor aren’t just looking for money. They’re looking for understanding, significance, a human connection—gifts to which no dollar amount applies.

To see more about ways to get involved in service projects this Christmas check out this article from Cameron.

This story was adapted from Cheap Ways To… (RELEVANT Books).