Live Debt Free

Pay off debt. Save. Give. Live your mission.

ChristianPF.com – A Review

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In a continuing effort to make Debt Free Adventure an excellent, Bible based, Personal Finance blog I am participating in the Problogger 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge.  I am a little behind in the challenge, but I figure it may take me longer than 31 days to complete all the tasks, which is fine since I am also continuing to write regular articles in between.

The task for today is to analyze a successful blog in my “blogging niche” of Christian Personal Finance, or as I like to call it, Biblical Personal Finance.  I have chosen to review ChristianPF.com for several reasons that I will state more specifically below.  First though, let it be stated that this is not going to be the ultimate thorough review of ChristianPF.com, but more of a simple breakdown of a few of the things that I believe make CPF one of the current leaders in its niche, and how I can use this information to improve Debt Free Adventure.

Here are a few of the simple reasons I am impressed with Bob Lotich’s website, and with Bob as a blogger.

  • Bible based – Bob writes all of his posts from a biblical & Christian point-of-view.  His salvation & commitment to Christ is relevant throughout his entire website.  This is a key component for comparison with Debt Free Adventure because I most definitely want my readers to notice that DFA content is being delivered through the filter of the Word of God.
  • Strategy & dedication – From my perspective Bob works hard to strategically serve his content to his readers.  The website did not “just happen”.  Just as the big bang theory is a bit of a stretch, the idea that a blog can just “come together harmoniously” without a lot of hard work, preparation & dedication is also a ridiculous concept.  As a fellow blogger, I can see the work, thought, care, & follow-through that have gone into making CPF what it is today.  With DFA I am striving to turn it into a complete user experience.  I want people to come & never leave.  CPF gives me a good basis of comparison for this model.
  • Reader focused – CPF is a very “reader oriented” blog.  The layout is very impressive, especially since the new CPF redesign was released a few months ago.  There is also a forum at CPF which is forthcoming at DFA.  As soon as I finish the architecture & framework of the forums I plan to release them to the public & am excited to have everyone have at it!  The thought of interacting more thoroughly with everyone on DFA excites me very much.  I love being able to provide a platform for reader interaction, especially on this topic of biblical finances I am so passionate about.
  • Driven – I suppose since CPF was able to bring the author a full-time income after being in existence for only two years is a telling tale.  Quality content does not write itself, so it is quite apparent there is a passion behind the content contained on the pages of CPF.  As you may have read before around here, passion is a main driving force behind DFA.  I have utterly failed if a reader leaves my site without being made painfully aware of the passion I have for Biblical Personal Finances & Debt Free Living!
  • Thorough – Bob’s articles are very thoughtfully laid out.  The information was not compiled in 15 minutes & you can tell Bob spends a good amount of time on most of the CPF articles.  I believe it gives the reader a greater feeling of security knowing they are being presented with information someone has thoroughly researched.  Ah…if only there were more time in a day!  I strive to study & read as much as I can regarding the topics I pen.  I find it quite ironic that I study ten times harder now than I ever did in high school or college!  Why?  Because it is my passion!  I need to continue writing knowledgeably and thoroughly, and I need make sure I am resolved in my opinions before I bother giving them.
  • Balance – On CPF there is a good balance between financial information and bible information.  Of course I believe the two should never be separated, but of course there needs to be balance in the delivery of the content.  I hope to learn to balance my writing more & more as time goes by.

Here are a few points I deem very important to blogging success, how CPF has performed relative to those points, and how I might improve on them.  I believe the following things have a direct correlation to success, all of which I need to consider implementing, improving, and/or expanding upon.

  1. Post frequency – It looks like it took Bob about a year before he was posting an average of one article per day.  Due to the several benefits daily posting frequency delivers I am aiming to hit the mark of at least 1 post per day from here forward.  Currently, at four months old, it looks like I have averaged about one every other day, so I need to double posting frequency.  Now that I have the DFA theme built, I should be able to spend more & more time on content.
  2. Post quality – I like to think I only put out high quality posts, but I’m sure that could be debated!  Please know that I set the bar high for each & every post.  I would choose not to write at all rather than willingly post low quality material.  CPF seems to follow this same guideline, and I believe its popularity is a testament to that.  Again, because the majority of the Debt Free Adventure infrastructure is already up & running and design is now strong, I will be able to focus less on blog design and more on high quality content.
  3. Post integrity – It is my aim to publish only honest and accurate information.  I answer to a higher power who does not allow me to do things “just to make a buck”.  It is my goal to bring every aspect of DFA under the perfect scrutiny of God’s Word.  It is apparent to me that I ought to follow God’s Word not only concerning my finances, but also in every other area of my life.  If my conscience is not clean, then I have nothing.  Simply put, I am a servant of the Lord who is working to become debt free & to help you do the same.  I see this same frame of reference in Bob’s writing, which makes it a joy for me to read his articles.

I suppose the best barometer for how Bob approaches his blog comes from Bob himself.  One of the more excellent & thorough articles I have read on the subject of blogging exists on ChristianPF.com.  In a recent article he lays out how he makes a living with his blog.  This is an especially excellent read for anyone interested in earning money with a blog, but is also a crystal clear view of Bob’s successful writing style.  I have spoken with Bob at length about the referenced post, which he said took him a very long time to complete.  In my opinion, his time was quite well spent there.  I would like thank Bob for writing it, and also for being an inspiration to a lot of bloggers including myself.

DFA exists to help you become debt free. If there is something you like or dislike; something you would like to see more of or less of, no matter how trivial it may seem to you, please let us know.  The best way for us to improve for your liking is to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. If you have been reading but have never commented, I encourage you to do so now.

Help When Overwhelmed by Personal Finances – DFA Tip of the Week – 4/13/2009

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There are many ways to reduce costs in our every day lives, so to help do just that each Monday I will post a money saving “Tip of the Week”.

“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.” Luke 19:17

This weeks tip involves…Getting Started.  I want you to consider the following quote, then read the rest of this article.  By the end you should be well equipped to get started on your very own Debt Free Adventure!

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!”  ~Lao Tzu

The Trap…

All of this Personal Finance business can be overwhelming!  Debt repayment vs. Reduce Monthly Bills vs. Saving & Investing, etc.  While all of these topics require your necessary attention, it is important that you do not focus on everything all at once.  You need to start somewhere, so here are a few tricks you can employ to get yourself started without falling into the trap of idleness.

Tips to Avoid the Trap…

To get your finances in order break them down into the 3 following main groups:

  1. Debt Repayment – Make a simple list of all the “consumer debt” you have including auto loans, credit cards, department store cards,  student loans.  Write down each debt, how much you pay toward it each month, and then add the debt of each up to come up with your total debt amount.
  2. Monthly Expenses – Write down all your monthly bills and how much each costs you per month (if amounts vary, come up with a guesstimate average).
  3. Savings and/or Investment Accounts – Make a list of all your savings accounts and investment accounts and write down how much you contribute toward each.

Once you have the above completed you are REALLY CLOSE to having created your very own budget!  That is the next step…finish these steps to complete your budget:

  1. Write down your monthly income – Do not budget weekly, bi-weekly, or any other way…budget monthly.  Write down how much monthly income you have from all sources.
  2. Write down all outgoing expenses – In a 2nd section, copy the information you compiled above regarding your monthly debt & expense costs and jot them all down and subtract them all from your income.
  3. Add any other expenses – You may have forgotten to write down groceries, gasoline, etc.  Figure any other expenses you have each month and add them to your “outgoing expenses” section to arrive at the total amount you spend each month.

Now that you have your first rough draft budget done, go celebrate by eating a cookie, dancing the jig, or doing anything else to express the joy you feel that comes from getting started on the path toward financial freedom!  When you are done dancing and eating dessert, look over you budget one last time to make sure you didn’t forget anything.  Ask your spouse to proof-read it as an additional check to see if you have left anything out.

Now commit to the following…

Now that you have your budget, you have your expenses, debt, income, & savings all written down and can start to wrangle everything in.  Commit to the following:

  1. Give 10% to the Lord – Read my Testimony to the Tithe and see how the Lord promises to bless you if you give, but also promises your indebtedness will continue if you do not.
  2. Contribute any amount to savings automatically – Transfer any amount, no matter how small, into your savings each month.  Even if it is just $20/month, make a promise to yourself that you will pay yourself that $20 instead of paying it in interest to some big bank.  Try to make this an automatic thing.  I HIGHLY recommend switching your banking to Capital One 360 to make all this easier.  Read about how I use Capital One 360 for debt repayment and emergency fund savings…and remember…this is all spoken from personal experience!
  3. Reduce your monthly expenses – follow my advice and work to reduce each of your monthly expenses, but do so one at a time.  Commit to calling one service provider a week to see about either switching, reducing your plan, or discontinuing that service altogether if possible.
  4. Tweak your budget – Your budget is a “living document” and should be given attention on a weekly basis.  Think about how you can reallocate your money after you reduce your monthly bills as we discussed above.  Continue to contribute more and more toward your debt repayment, and I advise you to focus the majority of your funds on this until your debt is greatly reduced.  Once your debt is considerably lower, begin contributing more toward your savings each month.  I currently employ a 75/25 plan where 75% of my available funds go toward debt repayment and 25% go toward savings.  Do what works for you, but again…I urge you to focus the majority on debt repayment!

Follow these simple steps to get started and remember to break tasks into their respective groups and tackle things one at a time.

Memorize the following quote:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!”  ~Lao Tzu

Click here to see all our past DFA Tips of the Week.

Weekly Christian Wisdom – Personal Finance Christians – 4/9/2009

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Each week I post at least five helpful articles written by Christian personal finance authors from around the web. I pray the Lord uses these weekly posts to help others to draw others closer to Christ and closer to a debt free life.

This Weeks Helpful Articles…

  • Pete from Bible Money Matters saved us a bunch of time by doing valuable research on a government program Making Home Affordable Refinance & Loan Modification possible, and gives us the information we need to see whether or not we qualify.  ~@MoneyMatters
  • Bob at Christian Personal Finance talks about how to control spending by placing control of our spending in God’s hands & not our own.  ~@christianpf
  • NCN gives us 6 ways on how to avoid overdraft fees, which can save you so much if implemented as NCN lays out in his article. ~@NCN
  • Jay Peroni shares a story on the importance of contentment.  This is one of my favorite lesson topics because it can help any person be happy in any situation regardless of how much or how little they have.  ~@jayperoni
  • Mark Biller with Sound Mind Investing teaches us how to create your Own Personal Financial Plan.  Although this article is far from new, the wisdom it gives us is timeless.  ~@SoundMindInvest

My Thoughts…

All of these articles are excellent resources for Christians to pour over & glean wisdom from.  I praise God for men & women who utilize the Internet as a tool to spread the wisdom of God’s Word!

DFA is passionately dedicated to helping others break the bondage of debt using biblical principles.