 This blog post may contain affiliate links. Read on to enter my giveaway for your own copy of this new book! Thirty Days to Glory centers around Catherine Benson, who longs to do one great thing before she dies...and Elmer Grigsby, who hopes to stay seriously drunk until he slips out of the world unnoticed. Against a Christmas backdrop, Catherine searches for purpose while fighting the infirmities of age and the best intentions of her children. She gains support in the battle from her faithful housekeeper and her quirky friends known as the Glory Circle Sisters. Elmer isn’t supported by anyone, except maybe his cat. When he opens the last whiskey bottle of the month, he knows it is time to shuffle down to the post office and pick up his government check. Somewhere in his fog, Elmer knows he was once a better man. That is why he stays in the fog. When their destinies intersect one Tuesday in December, they both discover it is only Thirty Days to Glory. About the author:
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| If you want to spend time in the Smithsonian museums, view the Declaration of Independence, and tour the U.S. Capitol, without standing in lines for hours, you will probably want to avoid May through August, peak touring season. |
| If you want to spend Independence Day at our nation's capitol, then you'll want to be in D.C. in July. You may be miserable with the heat and humidity, but you'll definitely be patriotic! Summer months are hot, humid, and sticky. |
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| If you want to do a lot of outdoor activities while in D.C., like kayaking, hiking, golfing, and fishing, then you would probably enjoy the spring and autumn months more. Spring and fall are very pleasant, with low humidity, comfortable temperatures, and plenty of sunshine. In March, you can enjoy the appearance of the cherry blossoms along the Potomac. Hotel rooms are at a premium, though, and airfares tend to be higher. This is also a popular season for protest marches. Graduations in May also bring crowds to the city. |
| If you want to see Washington, D.C. decked out in all its Christmas glory, and you enjoy snow and ice skating, then December is the best month to travel. Keep in mind that January and February has the least predictable weather in D.C. While winters are generally mild, plan accordingly, as the city often gets several snowstorms each year. The Presidential Inauguration ceremony, held every four years in January, will also bring out the crowds. Some museums and galleries may also close for inclement weather such as a snowstorm. If the federal government offices close for bad weather, many area attractions follow suit. |
After reading lots of advice online, we decided to spend time in Washington, D.C. from October 19-26. Here's why:
- The weather was still warm during the day, but not hot. We had lots of nice sunshine, and only about 18 hours of clouds. We literally only felt 2-3 drops of rain the entire week!
- Humidity wasn't going to be a problem. Oregonians don't know what humidity is, and we decided that our week in D.C. wasn't the week we wanted to learn about humidity. Ha!
- Evenings and mornings would be cool, but we were fine with that.
- We knew we would observe some school groups touring some of the sites, but it wouldn't be overwhelming.
- We knew that tourist season was officially over, so we wouldn't be waiting in line for three hours to view the U.S. Constitution or The Declaration of Independence.
Washington, D.C. is a popular place to visit from mid-March through mid-June, and again from mid-September through early November, although we rarely saw tourists in mid- to late-October.
Events to consider as you make your vacation plans include the Capital Pride Festival, rallies and other events on the Mall, the Marine Corps Marathon, and conventions. You can see a calendar of upcoming conventions on the DC Convention Center website. Our last day in Washington, D.C. was the day before the annual Marine Corps Marathon, and the Metro transit system was jam-packed!
We were told we'd find the highest hotel occupancy rates and prices during March through September, as well as during the business week (Mondays through Thursdays).
Maybe due to the government shutdown that resolved itself three days before we arrived in D.C., it was quieter than normal, but we felt October was a very enjoyable, less stressful time of year to travel around the D.C. area.
- high season: March to mid-June; mid-September to mid-October
- low season: July to mid-September, January to February
- shoulder season: late June, November to December
The Washington D.C. Convention & Tourism Corporation recommends booking your trip four to eight weeks in advance before arriving. Also, last-minute rates can provide good savings, should you decide to take a trip on short notice.
Plan to spend more during peak spring and fall travel months, particularly during cherry blossom season and graduations. Special events such as the Inauguration will also drive up airfare prices.
Either advance planning (one to two months ahead) or last-minute sales will provide the best hotel rates. Check hotel company websites to see if online-only prices or sales are being offered at participating D.C. properties. If you're planning on visiting during a major convention, try to book even earlier to make sure you get a decent rate (as well as a room).
This page may contain affiliate links.
Willow is so excited that the Over-the-Top Circus has finally come to town!
The only problem is, that when left to her own devices, she can’t say “no” to some good things.
On the way to the show, she is distracted by enticing treats and fun that she just can’t turn down. Willow arrives late and is sad to find that not only has she has run out of time, but money, and she won’t be able to enjoy the pink cotton candy she’s been dreaming of.
Willow is given valuable advice and a second chance and is ultimately taught the lesson that sometimes in life you have to say “no” to good things to end up with something great!
A preview of the book:
About Shine Bright Kids:
The Shine Bright Kids series provides children and their families with a relevant framework to help instill solid values and teach the importance of making good choices. The series teaches principles including: using good judgment, taking responsibility, self-control, having a positive attitude, and demonstrating perseverance. Check out their website at www.ShineBrightKids.com for free reward charts, activities, and other parenting resources.
About the author: (Recognize the last name, "Ziglar"?!?!?) Hint: think "Zig Ziglar"!
 | Christy Ziglar, financial planner, mother of twins and niece of legendary motivator and the world’s original optimist, Zig Ziglar, is bringing the same timeless wisdom and ageless advice to an entirely new, younger audience through her new Shine Bright Kids picture book series. |
Can't-Wait Willow is such a darling book! The theme is so clear to children and adults, and yet this sparkly, fun book with its beautiful artwork just stands out as a wonderful character-building book for children. Take a look at the sparkles! They just glisten on the front cover:
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 | Watch for the cute, yellow star on each two-page spread of the book. You'll probably notice something interesting about the star as the pages are turned! You'll also find some free printable coloring pages - and a lot more, at the www.AlwaysShineBright.com website: |
Let's hold the giveaway for this darling new book, Can't-Wait Willow!
To enter this giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below.
The Can't-Wait Willow book giveaway ends on Monday, November 18th, 2013 at midnight (Pacific time).
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
...and please read the requirements for entering, below, because if you're the winner, and you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll be checking up on you! :) Ha!
The Can't-Wait Willow book giveaway ends on Monday, November 18th, 2013 at midnight (Pacific time).
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
...and please read the requirements for entering, below, because if you're the winner, and you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll be checking up on you! :) Ha!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
If you can’t see the Rafflecopter form, there may be a glitch with Rafflecopter, or you may need to update Flash on your computer. First, try opening this webpage in a different internet browser. If you still can't see it, you may need to update the Flash on your computer, here. (Hint: just make sure to uncheck the box that says, "Yes, install McAfee Security Scan Plus - optional", unless you want this on your computer.)
I received a copy of this book for review purposes, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based solely on my experiences while reading this book.
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support.
I received a copy of this book for review purposes, but was not compensated financially in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based solely on my experiences while reading this book.
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support.
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Washington, D.C. and the word "frugal" probably shouldn't be used in the same sentence together, right?
As our family began to plan "the best homeschool field trip ever" - a trip to Washington, D.C. - I frequently read that it would cost a fortune to spend time in our nation's capitol.
People mentioned to me how expensive meals are in Washington, and how it's almost impossible to find safe lodging under $200 per night.
Gulp.
Over the next few months, I'm going to be sharing with you about my family's recent trip to Washington, D.C., what we did to save as much money as possible in order to make this trip, and how we saved money during the trip.
I'll also be sharing a 7-day travel itinerary so you can have an idea of how much you'll be able to see in one week's stay in Washington, D.C. Of course, you can adjust this to fit your own needs and the amount of days that you'll be staying in D.C.
We saw an amazing number of memorials, museums, and historical sites within seven days' time. When we've mentioned to our friends all that we saw, they're surprised! I'm going to let you know how we did this, and the order we did it.
Of course, your mileage may vary, as you may have some different factors within your own family, should you plan a trip to D.C. on your own:
As our family began to plan "the best homeschool field trip ever" - a trip to Washington, D.C. - I frequently read that it would cost a fortune to spend time in our nation's capitol.
People mentioned to me how expensive meals are in Washington, and how it's almost impossible to find safe lodging under $200 per night.
Gulp.
Over the next few months, I'm going to be sharing with you about my family's recent trip to Washington, D.C., what we did to save as much money as possible in order to make this trip, and how we saved money during the trip.
I'll also be sharing a 7-day travel itinerary so you can have an idea of how much you'll be able to see in one week's stay in Washington, D.C. Of course, you can adjust this to fit your own needs and the amount of days that you'll be staying in D.C.
We saw an amazing number of memorials, museums, and historical sites within seven days' time. When we've mentioned to our friends all that we saw, they're surprised! I'm going to let you know how we did this, and the order we did it.
Of course, your mileage may vary, as you may have some different factors within your own family, should you plan a trip to D.C. on your own:
- the distance you live from our nation's capitol
- the ages of the children in your family
- the ability of your family members to walk at least several miles each day
- the amount of money you have to spend on your trip to D.C.
- finding the best flight for your family's needs
- safe and inexpensive lodging
- how to use the Metro (DC's MetroRail subway system) to your advantage
- clothing and attire
- how to pack a week's clothing in a small carry-on bag (no checked baggage fees!)
- a seven-day itinerary that can be adjusted to meet your needs
- eating inexpensively in Washington, D.C.
- the most reasonable time of year to travel to D.C.
and more!
Left to right: our friend Joanne, me (Julieanne), Brittany, Kelsi, and my husband, Elmer
Just to give you a taste of all that we saw in our week-long adventure to Washington, D.C., here's a list of what we did:
- Mt. Vernon (home of George Washington)
- National Mall Memorials (all of them!)
- U.S. Capitol Building
- Library of Congress
- White House
- Union Station
- Pentagon and 9/11 Memorial
- Iwo Jima Memorial
- Fords Theatre Museum
- National Archives
- National Art Gallery
- Manassas battlefield of the Civil War
- Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson)
- Arlington National Cemetery (watched changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns)
- Arlington/Lee House
- National Museum of the American Indian
- National Air and Space Museum
- National Museum of American History
- National Museum of Crime and Punishment
- National Museum of Natural History
- National Postal Museum
- The Smithsonian Castle
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Albert Einstein Memorial
- The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- The National Cathedral
- The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (where money is printed)
- The Orkin Insect Zoo and Butterfly Pavilion
I'm going to let you know right up front that if it wasn't for our friend, Joanne, coming on this trip with us, we would never have been able to see all that we were able to see and do in one week's time. Joanne had previously traveled to Washington, D.C. FIVE TIMES (!!!), so I had jokingly asked her if she wanted to be our tour guide.
She said, "Yes!" We were very excited to have Joanne along for the trip, not only for her friendship, but also for her knowledge of the DC area. It was so helpful to have someone along who had navigated the big city before and knew it well. I'll be sharing with you many of Joanne's tips for having the best week ever in D.C.
If you think your family may never be able to finance a week away from home like this, with airline flights involved, that may be true. We were able to do this, by God's grace. Our children, at ages 13 and 15, had never flown on a commercial airplane, and the last big trip (driving by car) we took as a family was in 2008 (five years ago). I'll let you know how we managed to make this trip. Maybe some of our tips will work for your own family! Stay tuned for more. :)
She said, "Yes!" We were very excited to have Joanne along for the trip, not only for her friendship, but also for her knowledge of the DC area. It was so helpful to have someone along who had navigated the big city before and knew it well. I'll be sharing with you many of Joanne's tips for having the best week ever in D.C.
If you think your family may never be able to finance a week away from home like this, with airline flights involved, that may be true. We were able to do this, by God's grace. Our children, at ages 13 and 15, had never flown on a commercial airplane, and the last big trip (driving by car) we took as a family was in 2008 (five years ago). I'll let you know how we managed to make this trip. Maybe some of our tips will work for your own family! Stay tuned for more. :)
Read all of my helpful tips about staying frugally in Washington, D.C.!
Vacations to locations like Washington, D.C. aren't cheap.
Our daughters came home from TeenPact (not an affiliate link), a hands-on leadership school for Christian students, in April 2013.
TeenPact's mission " is to train youth to understand the political process, value their liberty, defend their Christian faith, and engage the culture at a time in their lives when, typically, they do not care about such things."
Well, TeenPact's mission had a huge impact on Kelsi (15) and Brittany (13). When they arrived home, all they could talk about was making a trip to Washington, D.C. as a family!
Our daughters came home from TeenPact (not an affiliate link), a hands-on leadership school for Christian students, in April 2013.
TeenPact's mission " is to train youth to understand the political process, value their liberty, defend their Christian faith, and engage the culture at a time in their lives when, typically, they do not care about such things."
Well, TeenPact's mission had a huge impact on Kelsi (15) and Brittany (13). When they arrived home, all they could talk about was making a trip to Washington, D.C. as a family!
Hey, girls, how do you want to finance this trip to D.C.? (Good question, right?)
This blog post is a bit lengthy, but I hope it will inspire you to come up with some great ways to help pay for a family vacation like this.
We began to brainstorm about how we could come up with additional funding to pay for a family "fieldtrip" to Washington, D.C. We're a single income (lower "middle class") family. We became debt free in July 2013, except for our house payment each month...but in our area, food budgets are quite high, especially for those who eat healthy, whole foods.
(To prove this, we spend more money each month on groceries/paper products/health-beauty products than we do on our house payment. Ouch. We also live in a low-income neighborhood, which may help explain why food is more expensive than our house payment. ☺)
I don't have a smart phone; I rarely buy things for myself. I only get highlights in my hair twice a year...sometimes, only once a year. My husband and I have purposefully lived frugal lives since we married 18 years ago, in order to enable me to stay at home with our children.
While we use a credit card for items on which we'll be reimbursed, like our church Awana ministry (my husband is the Awana Commander at our church), we generally pay cash for everything else.
Other than our annual winter trip to a beach house shared with my parents and some of my aunts and uncles, held in the winter because the rates are so much less expensive, and a 3-day trip to Seattle in October 2012 to stay with friends, we hadn't traveled with our girls since 2008 (five years ago).
Our ideas were:
This blog post is a bit lengthy, but I hope it will inspire you to come up with some great ways to help pay for a family vacation like this.
We began to brainstorm about how we could come up with additional funding to pay for a family "fieldtrip" to Washington, D.C. We're a single income (lower "middle class") family. We became debt free in July 2013, except for our house payment each month...but in our area, food budgets are quite high, especially for those who eat healthy, whole foods.
(To prove this, we spend more money each month on groceries/paper products/health-beauty products than we do on our house payment. Ouch. We also live in a low-income neighborhood, which may help explain why food is more expensive than our house payment. ☺)
I don't have a smart phone; I rarely buy things for myself. I only get highlights in my hair twice a year...sometimes, only once a year. My husband and I have purposefully lived frugal lives since we married 18 years ago, in order to enable me to stay at home with our children.
While we use a credit card for items on which we'll be reimbursed, like our church Awana ministry (my husband is the Awana Commander at our church), we generally pay cash for everything else.
Other than our annual winter trip to a beach house shared with my parents and some of my aunts and uncles, held in the winter because the rates are so much less expensive, and a 3-day trip to Seattle in October 2012 to stay with friends, we hadn't traveled with our girls since 2008 (five years ago).
Our ideas were:
- Hold a garage sale
- Mom finding a part-time job
- Find new ways to cut back on our current spending
- Rob a bank
How did things go? Well, we prayed about making this kind of trip. That was the best idea! If it wasn't within God's plan or will for us to make this trip, we didn't want to travel there.
If you know anything at all about me, you'll know right away that robbing a bank wasn't an option. At least, not for long!
I don't feel led by God to work outside of my home, other than a few days I work in the spring, and several times a year helping to provide homeschool testing in my county. The Lord has always taken care of our true needs without me having to go back into the full time workforce. I'm so grateful for that!
We looked at our budget, and found that while there wasn't a lot of wiggle room, there were a few things we could do. While this may not be popular with some families, we made these decisions:
I realize that some of you are already living as frugally as this, and still may not be able to find the funds to go on a trip to Washington, D.C.
We still didn't see how we could set aside enough money for four plane tickets, 7 nights of lodging in the D.C. area, food expenses, and entrance fees to some of the activities.
It was time for a garage sale!
If you know anything at all about me, you'll know right away that robbing a bank wasn't an option. At least, not for long!
I don't feel led by God to work outside of my home, other than a few days I work in the spring, and several times a year helping to provide homeschool testing in my county. The Lord has always taken care of our true needs without me having to go back into the full time workforce. I'm so grateful for that!
We looked at our budget, and found that while there wasn't a lot of wiggle room, there were a few things we could do. While this may not be popular with some families, we made these decisions:
- Only eat out once a month, and generally inexpensive dining, at that (think Subway); before we began planning this trip, we would generally spend about $40-$50 per month on eating out. (This includes grabbing Chinese food from the Safeway deli; we're not extravagant spenders on eating out.) We reduced our "eating out" budget to around $20 per month.
- Only purchase clothing that was absolutely essential - for the next six months. That meant almost no "back to school" shopping; I think I bought the girls 1-2 tops and one pair of jeans, if that. We always shopped at second-hand stores, first. We replaced socks, and bought about 1 pair of shoes per person in this time, to replace worn or "too small" shoes, but that was it.
- Any other "I want this" purchases were curtailed. If our girls wanted items that weren't true needs, they knew they would have to use their own spending money on them. That's generally how it is in our household, anyway, but we tightened up even more. It worked well!
I realize that some of you are already living as frugally as this, and still may not be able to find the funds to go on a trip to Washington, D.C.
We still didn't see how we could set aside enough money for four plane tickets, 7 nights of lodging in the D.C. area, food expenses, and entrance fees to some of the activities.
It was time for a garage sale!
I've heard some people say that it's not worth it to have garage sales. We hadn't held a garage sale for about 10 years, so we figured it was worth giving it a try.
Items that we no longer use are generally given away or donated on a regular basis to a local organization - because we don't like clutter, but we did have an attic that needed going through, as well as some closets and drawers.
It took us about two weeks to go through everything in our home, sort and bag small items, price everything, and set up our tables. We borrowed banquet tables and card tables from friends and relatives, and then spent a fair amount of time arranging items by type, in a visually appealing manner. We labeled items clearly and carefully, and we were willing to drop the prices except for two items (a very nice student guitar that was too small for our girls, and a child's bicycle, being sold at our garage sale for some friends of ours).
We bought four very large "garage sale" signs at Walmart so they would be highly visible, posting them on busy intersections near our house. These were under $5 for all four large, waterproof signs.
I spent a good 45 minutes very clearly writing out the dates/times of our two-day garage sale with a new black Sharpie pen, as well as drawing a black directional arrow on each sign, pointing in the direction of our house.
Hint: write large enough so that anyone driving by can quickly see the date, time, and address of your garage sale. If you're not sure how large to make your letters, write a few words on a piece of scratch paper, and hold it 20 feet back from someone else to see if they can clearly read it as they walk by.
I also advertised our garage sale on Facebook (to friends/family only), on Craigslist.com for our local area, and on our private local Yahoo group for homeschooling families.
Items that we no longer use are generally given away or donated on a regular basis to a local organization - because we don't like clutter, but we did have an attic that needed going through, as well as some closets and drawers.
It took us about two weeks to go through everything in our home, sort and bag small items, price everything, and set up our tables. We borrowed banquet tables and card tables from friends and relatives, and then spent a fair amount of time arranging items by type, in a visually appealing manner. We labeled items clearly and carefully, and we were willing to drop the prices except for two items (a very nice student guitar that was too small for our girls, and a child's bicycle, being sold at our garage sale for some friends of ours).
We bought four very large "garage sale" signs at Walmart so they would be highly visible, posting them on busy intersections near our house. These were under $5 for all four large, waterproof signs.
I spent a good 45 minutes very clearly writing out the dates/times of our two-day garage sale with a new black Sharpie pen, as well as drawing a black directional arrow on each sign, pointing in the direction of our house.
Hint: write large enough so that anyone driving by can quickly see the date, time, and address of your garage sale. If you're not sure how large to make your letters, write a few words on a piece of scratch paper, and hold it 20 feet back from someone else to see if they can clearly read it as they walk by.
I also advertised our garage sale on Facebook (to friends/family only), on Craigslist.com for our local area, and on our private local Yahoo group for homeschooling families.
We made homemade chocolate chip cookies, and sold those as well, keeping fresh plates of cookies on the table where people paid for their purchases. They ALL sold quickly. Woot!
Would you believe that those nickels and dimes added up quickly to end up paying for two plane tickets?
Elmer and I were able to purchase our round-trip plane tickets from the Oregon to Washington, D.C., thanks to our garage sale earnings.
We were so surprised!
In our minds, spending about 20 hours of combined time (including the garage sale itself) was entirely worth it. Wow! Several people mentioned to us that our garage sale was very organized and neat/clean. We think that helped us do as well as we did, although the full credit goes to God.
Would you believe that those nickels and dimes added up quickly to end up paying for two plane tickets?
Elmer and I were able to purchase our round-trip plane tickets from the Oregon to Washington, D.C., thanks to our garage sale earnings.
We were so surprised!
In our minds, spending about 20 hours of combined time (including the garage sale itself) was entirely worth it. Wow! Several people mentioned to us that our garage sale was very organized and neat/clean. We think that helped us do as well as we did, although the full credit goes to God.
We also did something that some of you may find controversial.
We asked our girls to buy their own plane tickets.
The truth was, we figured out that even with all of our efforts, we wouldn't be able to buy all four plane tickets. At $380 per person ($1520 altogether), we knew that the girls were going to have to pitch in to help pay for their plane tickets.
They did.
My girls teach private music lessons after school, several days a week, so they saved their money for five months in order to help buy their plane tickets.
You may think that's cruel. They were willing to do this, and showed their dedication to the idea of a family trip to a historical city, by putting their money where their mouth is.
Over the next few months, my husband and I will probably pay them back for all but maybe $100 of the plane tickets. We wanted to know how dedicated they were to making this trip happen, and they showed us they were ready to make the commitment and to share the financial burden of the trip
We asked our girls to buy their own plane tickets.
The truth was, we figured out that even with all of our efforts, we wouldn't be able to buy all four plane tickets. At $380 per person ($1520 altogether), we knew that the girls were going to have to pitch in to help pay for their plane tickets.
They did.
My girls teach private music lessons after school, several days a week, so they saved their money for five months in order to help buy their plane tickets.
You may think that's cruel. They were willing to do this, and showed their dedication to the idea of a family trip to a historical city, by putting their money where their mouth is.
Over the next few months, my husband and I will probably pay them back for all but maybe $100 of the plane tickets. We wanted to know how dedicated they were to making this trip happen, and they showed us they were ready to make the commitment and to share the financial burden of the trip
We prayed for the Lord to show us some miraculous ways to help our trip become a possibility.
God tangibly provided extra funds in unusual ways:
There were other ways that money showed up, in smaller amounts. Every dollar counted! So we set the money aside, week by week, month by month.
We ended up with exactly what we needed to make this trip, debt-free. God is amazing!
Note: on our trip, we did use our credit card for all of our out-of-town purchases. However, we transferred the funds from our savings account to the VISA card as soon as we arrived back home. Well, okay, the next day - we were pretty exhausted the night we arrived home!
I'll summarize our fund-raising like this:
God tangibly provided extra funds in unusual ways:
- The natural gas company sent us a letter that we had too much money built up in our account, due to the drop in price of natural gas (we pay the same amount each month, year-round). Bummer - they owed us a refund around $150!
- My name was randomly selected by Fred Meyer's monthly survey program to receive a $150 gift card for their store...so we used this toward groceries and budgeted for $150 less on our groceries one month.
- My husband hadn't received a bonus from work since September 11, 2001...twelve years. He received a small bonus in May and October, before our trip. We were stunned!
- We dogsit for friends for free, as a part of community service. One of our friends gave us $100 toward our trip for dogsitting for their sweet dog for one week, even though we insisted that we couldn't take the money gift. Wow!
There were other ways that money showed up, in smaller amounts. Every dollar counted! So we set the money aside, week by week, month by month.
We ended up with exactly what we needed to make this trip, debt-free. God is amazing!
Note: on our trip, we did use our credit card for all of our out-of-town purchases. However, we transferred the funds from our savings account to the VISA card as soon as we arrived back home. Well, okay, the next day - we were pretty exhausted the night we arrived home!
I'll summarize our fund-raising like this:
- Figure out how much money you'll need for this kind of trip. Remember that it will always cost more than you expect.
- Decide how you can reduce your budget, and what you can do to help earn or set aside a little extra money.
- Do NOT go into debt in order to have a family vacation. Have a "cash only" policy. Debt is not worth it, nor is letting your regular monthly obligations go by the wayside, just to participate in a " I want this" trip or item.
- Pray about whether the Lord wants you to go on this trip - or not. Be willing to accept His answer.
- If God wants you to go, He will make a way. You may need to wait six months or six years, but when it is within His timing, He will provide.
- Expect little miracles, if it's God's will for you to make the trip!
I'll be sharing useful tips on staying and eating frugally in D.C. in the weeks to come, so if you haven't signed up to receive my blog posts via email, please do. You'll find the email sign-up on the right hand side of this page, in the pink box.
Read all of my helpful tips about staying frugally in Washington, D.C.!
 Low Carb Mocha Frappé |  Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Frappé |  Low Carb Iced Coffee |
Many of you have enJOYed viewing and printing off some of the coffee-flavored beverages that my family and I have shared here with you on Joy In Our Journey.
I thought it would be fun to share three of our favorites here with you, all on one printable page, for you to easily place into a page protector in a 3-ring binder...which is what I'm currently in the process of doing with many of my "Trim Healthy Mama"-friendly recipes and other low-carb, healthy recipes.
I imagined myself being able to fill up this binder over a few days' time...but now I realize it's just easier for me to add to my binder a few recipes at a time.
So! Here you are! A full printable page for you to download and print off for yourself - and for your own recipe binder!
Note: Those of you receiving this blog post via email subscription may need to click through to the actual post to view and print off the coffee recipes page. Click on the image, below, to open up the PDF document containing the coffee recipes.
 | If you're using the Trim Healthy Mama way of cooking, or another low-carb or low-glycemic style of eating, you may enJOY taking a look at my new Visual Shopping Guide for Trim Healthy Mama...a photographic shopping list of ideas when you are grocery shopping. |
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.
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