Something worth sharing...

Hello friends.  It's been awhile hasn't it? I have a lot of changes in my life right now. First off, I am not currently teaching. I decided to take a year off to pursue other options and possibilities in my life.  Next, I started my own little business. It's been a really fun journey and I am really excited to share but before I do, let me start with a little background information.

2 years ago Jeremiah and I were newly married and adjusting to a lot of new things. One of those things was a joint bank account.  Both of us never really grew up on a "budget" so we didn't really understand how to spend money wisely. I mean the plastic card never tells you no!  Fast forward to February and we decided one evening to add up everything we had spent that month and it was insane! Plus, February is a short month! Needless to say, we needed a change and quick.  One evening we were walking through Sam's Club and ran across this:

We had both heard of Dave Ramsey before and knew he had done a lot for people in regards to helping them with their financial situations but I thought it was just for people with tons of debt.  Well, it's not.

We decided to buy the kit and try it out. We listened to a CD while following along in his book and working through a workbook.  Now some of you may not be able to handle his southern accent but let me tell you the guy knows what he is talking about.  He's not trying to sell you on anything super radical or crazy. Just practical money saving tips.  We were hooked.  We started the envelope system right away.  Basically each month you pull out a lump sum of all the money you are going to spend for the month. You divide it into the envelopes of your choice and that's all your allowed to spend for the month.  Makes sense right? The first few months we did this I used actual letter size envelopes and kinda felt like a dummy pulling those out at the store not to mention the fact that they would fall apart before the end of each month.  Then I found a tutorial for one to make on the internet and this was it:

It's a wallet made from oilcloth (which is like vinyl but more cute and thinner) so it won't get dirty and you can always wipe it clean.  I carried that for a little over a year and always got compliments on it.  Finally one day Jeremiah and I decided to pursue the thought of selling these bad boys.  Obviously the easy thing would be for me to make them myself but Im not that good of a seamstress so we decided to hire someone to do it and she's fabulous. The wallets come in 3 designs that I think can suit just about anyone.

My mom came up with the name Thrifty Zippers and I loved it.  I truly believe these are the best wallets for the job and not huge so they don't take up your whole purse.  We've developed our own website: Thrifty Zippers and we're also located on etsy and amazon.  You can also find a link on the side of the blog.  

I really believe in Dave Ramsey. In the 2 years we have been following his plan we have paid a lot on our house, nested away a nice emergency fun, and wrote a check for a new (used) car.  

I couldn't be happier.  We are truly blessed and I know God is the first person to thank for our blessings but being smart with them in something I can give some credit to Dave for.  

Check out my site and let me know what you think! 

P.S. I am going to do a giveaway for 1 wallet soon so stay tuned!