New Toys and God's Abundance

Troy has been telling me about this guy called Dave Ramsey for a long time. Actually when I first met Troy, he was leading a bible study by written by Dave Ramsey. You could do a search for Dave Ramsey to see what he's all about if you don't already know. He's basically a financial advisor who has a radio program and writes books and speaks at conferences.

With all that being said, I'm hooked on this guy, Dave Ramsey. I listen to his radio program nearly every day at work via Dave's website. And needless to say, I'm working on getting out of debt, which I feel is God's best for my life.

Troy is working on getting out of debt too, but unfortunately I'm a little more hardcore serious about cutting back and living like a minimalist for a couple of years so that we can be completely debt free (including the house) in 5 years. In all reality, it will take us a bit longer unless a miracle happens. There are some incidentals which need to be paid (examples: braces for our 2 older kids, tires for the car).

So here are some steps we're taking to get the ball rolling:
#1 We've cut off our cable
#2 We've signed up with a different internet provider who has given us faster speeds and lower monthly payments
#3 We purchased an antennae for local TV shows
#4 We've purchase a Roku (streaming internet box) at a reduce price with Playon, so that we're still able to watch the Nascar races when they are playing on ESPN, instead of a local network
#5 We shopped around for cheaper insurance (both home and auto)
#6 Not that this counts, but we both are trying to get life insurance so if something were to happen to one of us, the other would be financially cared for. (I have to laugh because I'm having some issues getting life insurance because of all the traveling I've done in the last 5 years: Tanzania, Romania, Dominican Republic, & Nicaragua) They seem to frown upon the fact that I travel outside of the US so often. Who knew?
#7 I've been a coupon queen for quite a few years now, but that's just a consistent way to save money on groceries, shoes, clothes, and eating out
#8 We're working towards living on one of our income, and putting the other income all towards debt and mission work. Allowing God's abundance to flow through us, instead of stopping it for our personal gain.

Here's are my personal obstacles: I keep finding these deals which I can't seem to not purchase:
#1 I got a Archos G9 80 tablet for $40. The normally sell for $170.
#2 I found a Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Android 3.0+ for $18 at Target today. It normally sells for around $50. So I'm $58 into my tablet/keyboard combo, but now I have the capability of updating my blog, sending emails and keeping up better with my calendar in less time and effort than trying to use my phone. I'm really pleased with this little tablet and this full sized keyboard. I'm using it to type this blog update and it's AMAZING. But now I'm good for a while again without any new gadgets. :-) We'll see what the next item is that I can't live without.

So what are you doing to be more financially responsible?