Frugal lessons learned from football -- yes, football.

Dear bloggy friends,

Forrest Gump says, "Life is like a box of chocolates." I say, "Life is like a football game!" If you know me, you know I love football -- especially Ohio State! I have compared my faith to a football game. My family to a football team (my husband is at quarterback. I'm his number one receiver. The kids, depending on their moods are either offensive linemen, helping us make the next first down. Or, they are defensive madmen, slowing us down!) It seems our financial plans fit the scenario too. When we are young, newly employed and/or newly married, we think the world is ours. We think we're invincible and can never lose. Can you hear the chant, "We're number one. We're number one!" Unfortunately, our opponent, Debt, whose key players are: greed, selfishness, unbudgeted, and impulsive, thinks the same thing. Without a good gameplan, debt steals the ball of life and runs the other way. Score: Debt, 7 - Us, zero! It happens again and again. Before the first half ends, debt runs up the score: Debt, 35 - Us, still zero. Ohhh.

We get quiet, tense, and worried. Like a losing football team, we sit on the bench, face in hands, shoulders sagging. Dejected. Demoralized. Defeated. Team Debt gloats in ruining our life and enthusiasm. Can you see it? Team Debt on the far sideline, fist-pumping and high fiving? It breaks my heart!

The best defense, of course, is a good offense (at least in the game against Debt). If we don't get into debt in the first place, debt can't win. My husband and I made some tough choices early in our marriage. We bought with cash. We didn't settle, buying cheap things on credit card in the moment when we knew we wanted something specific. (We were married 13 years before we had an entertainment center. Really!) We cut up our ATM cards after realizing we weren't good with them. We thought, "Ready cash? All the time. Sweet!" (You can read the details of that lesson here) Bottom line: we couldn't manage the ATM card and we didn't want it running our lives, so we chopped it up into little tiny bits and threw it away. Forever! ATM cards did not fit our team strategy!

What do you do, though, if you've lived on the defensive and are losing the game against Team Debt?

First of all, don't give in! Once the mess gets so big, it's easy to quit trying. I've watched many lopsided football games, always marveling that the obvious loser comes back for more in the second half. Like scrappy dogs, they come out fighting. I still remember "The Comeback" -- when the Buffalo Bills overcame a 32 point deficit to the Houston Oilers to win their playoff game. Truly, amazing! We couldn't believe our eyes! You can do the same thing! Consider this moment your halftime. No matter how big the deficit, head into the locker room with your "team" (that's your family) and come up with a new gameplan. Choose now to "Go. Fight. Win!"

What can you do:
1. Cast the vision. Great coaches give inspired speeches at halftime, giving the team focus, confidence and hope. Do the same with "your team." Encourage your family to commit to debt free living. Help your family see the improved quality of life you'll have if you change your ways. The reality is, if the whole team doesn't help, you can't win. Kids can handle the truth. They'd rather eat peanut butter every day than watch their parents fall apart, fight, and worry. Really!

2. Change the game plan. Great coaches make adjustments at halftime. They change their strategy to address what the opponent is throwing their way. Do the same with your family.

• Reevaluate your need for cable TV, magazine subscriptions, prepackaged snack foods, bottled water, and gourmet coffee shop coffee. This is not an exhaustive list. What else can you get creative with?
• Ladies, if your husband can give up cable sports, you can give up professional mani-pedis and hair color! We all go gray sometime, let's just be real about it!
• Embrace left-overs. I have two teenage boys. They are always hungry. Always! With some help and encouragement, they have learned to eat the left-overs after school rather than pull something new out of the pantry. Regularly we have "clean the fridge" dinner nights. Anything previously prepared is fair game and it's first come first served. We eat those left-overs and don't throw them away anymore! Tons of money saved... or at least not dumped in the garbage can.
• Consolidate errands. Running a car is expensive, so plan. Keep a list of errands you need to do on the refrigerator, such as "Lowe's - fluorescent lights for laundry room. Walmart - return outfit that was too small. etc." When the errands start to line up, then do all of them at once. Some advanced planning saves you money AND time! Awesome.
• Grocery shop with coupons. We regularly save $20-50 per week using coupons. Some cautions, though. Don't clip coupons for items you wouldn't normally purchase. Make a list -- and stick to it!
• Turn the temperature up a couple degrees in summer (we keep our A/C at 76 in the summer and turn it down only if we have guests). Turn the temperature down in winter (we keep our heat at 68 degrees).
• Set budgets for clothing, eating out, etc. and stick to it. Teach kids about budgets and refer back to the budget when they ask for items not on it. Our older two kids have a clothing allowance for the year ($250, which includes shoes, underwear, coats and clothes). Anything else they want, they have to save for -- birthday gifts, mowing lawns, babysitting, etc. They don't ask for much anymore and they are learning how to live frugally! Honestly, we have a harder time "sticking to it" than our kids do. Remember, though, this is the football game of life. Do you want to win the game?

3. Celebrate the success. When a football team makes a great play, the whole team knows it and celebrates instantly! Do the same with your team. At the dinner table, share a temptation you faced and overcame! Praise kids for wise choices. Offer a monthly report to the family highlighting the reduced debt. Celebrate the success along the way, just like a football team does. It's true. Success breeds more success. Get that momentum going and watch your family win!

May God bless you with wisdom, patience, and passion to live a life free from debt!

Will you do it? What strategies does your family use?