Finances Update

Phew…   I’ve been really busy lately and a lot has happened.   I’ve spent the past month trying to sell almost everything I have to raise money for me to survive next year in SLI.  Between rent, gas, food, Emergency funds (eg. Car repairs) and such, I expect I’ll need at least $6,500 (USD) to live next year.  In addition, I need finances to buy a car with decent gas mileage.   I’ve been selling a lot of coins on eBay, but I canceled a lot of my listings on eBay after I sold a handful and realized that shipping costs are a lot higher than I expected and I am almost losing money selling them.  I have sold a few larger items that my parents left behind from Texas to sell.  Those are the things where a lot of my current funds have come from.   I am thankful that God gave me the idea to put a donation box out on my garage sale, since that raised an additional $100.   God has said He will provide and I am trusting that.  He will provide, enough said.  

I was able to sell all my silver for $2,500 and a few other valuable things on craigslist.   Here and there God keeps funds coming in somehow.   He keeps me trusting Him that’s for sure.   I’m still trying to sell a number of items and hope to get some more funds there.   My mom decided to sell her car here in Illinois instead of having me bring it down to Texas.  So she said that If I sell it (for a price that she wanted or more) then I can have 10% of what I sell it for.   Praise God: He sold it less than 24 hours after I posted it for sale.   I sold it for $1,850, so that gave me an additional $185 towards my goal. 

I was hoping to get $2,000-3,000 for a car (in addition to the needed $6,500), but I don’t foresee that now.  I’m just praying that God will provide a cheep good gas saving car.  I found another Toyota Echo on Craigslist down in Texas.  It seemed almost perfect, low miles, great condition and all that, except it was $4,500.  I prayed about it and a little while later, my mom found another Toyota Echo on Craigslist down in Texas that was only $2,700, and after talking to the owner, she said the lowest she would take for the echo was $2,200 (it needed about $4-500 in repairs).   I really like that one and really want it, except I only have about $1,000 in my “car fund”.    Then my dad’s pointed out that his friend was selling his VW Passat (diesel).   It has 250,000 miles and is really nice.  I really like it and think it would be a great car.  His friend said “make an offer”, but I don’t think I can offer enough to get it, without God’s help.  At first I didn’t want it; I wanted an echo.  But God’s changed my heart to want it – He’s good at that.   So I was thinking I would offer him around $1,500 for it, but I don’t even know if I can afford that now.  Sigh…. I don’t know, God’s got some plan that I don’t know, all I know is that He wants me to trust Him.  He will do what He said He’ll do and He said He will provide.  He will provide.  

I haven’t found a job over the summer, so I’ve assumed that my job is trying to sell my stuff.  I don’t like selling my coin collection though.  It’s tough.  The coins that I’ve collected for years that I believe will be worth something 10, 20 or 30 years down the road, I am now “forced” to cash them in for face value cash in this financial need.   I haven’t cashed them all in yet, and I hope I don’t have to.  I’ve cashed a few hundred dollars in so far out of this collection.   Worst-case scenario, I could probably cash in anther few hundred dollars, but I really don’t want to do that.  I’m praying that God will provide in a different way than that. 

God is Good!