I would like to start by apologizing to all our faithful readers out there. Thank you to all of you who have emailed or commented asking about our well-being. We truly appreciate the concern. The past few months have been crazy (almost insane) at our house. I'm really not sure were to start so what I'm going to do is just list out some of the crazy stuff with a few photos.

• Mammoth garage sale
  
• Sold car and have not bought another one yet (going on 2 months with one truck!)

• Painted house
• Built a fence

• Cut down a tree
• Went on a much needed vacation
  

• Tending my enormous garden and added more landscaping

• Grandfather's health is not good so lots of trips home
  
• Canning lots of goodies
• Daughter broke our camera (at least she dropped it while waiting in line instead of from 100 ft. in the air)

• Worked to help get legislation passed to help promote local foods
• Working on potty training and trying to stay sane with my 2 1/2 yr old

• Running the 6 yr old to summer camps (with the one truck)

• Be there for a friend who's baby will die shortly after birth (anencephaly) early this fall
• Restore a vintage Gibson guitar

• Mr. Not the Jet Set has had an injured hand/wrist all summer
  
• And last but not least, trying to act like it's summer break!

As you can see a lot has been happening. Things have started to slow down a bit so I'm going to try to expand on some of the fun projects that have been going on. I've also had a few money and stewardship posts that I'd like to write in the near future.

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We have made it no secret that we are not fans of the current FICO scoring process. But what do you do about it? How can you change the industry standard? Well ladies and gentlemen, this might be our one chance to make a difference. Here is my plan and how it came about.

I live in Michigan and have been know to write letters via email to my elected officials. Even if I'm confident it will land on deaf ears at least I know that I tried my best. These emails have added me to all of my reps. mass emailing lists so I get to hear what issues they are working on. Today I received an update email from Senator Levin discussing the Financial Crisis investigation hearings he is helping to conduct. In the email he talks about the next three hearings. One of them is for the credit rating agencies.

This got me thinking. What if Senator Levin's office received lots of emails and phone calls from Americans who felt that the current FICO score was inherently bad? Would it make a difference? Would it shed some light on the problem? Well, there is only one way to find out.

Let's let his office know that we are sick of the FICO score games. We want to be judged fairly and accurately. Below is a copy of the email I sent Senator Levin's office today. Feel free to use my text or to create your own message. To contact Senator Levin click on this link. Then select "position on an issue" followed by "economy/taxes". If you happen to have a senator from your state on this subcommittee please send the same message to your senator.

Dear Senator Levin,

I received your email entitled "My Hearings Investigating the Financial Crisis‏". I found both your email and your statement very insightful. I was also glad to see that there are three more hearings in which you will look at others who had a role in the Crisis, especially the credit rating agencies.

The current FICO scoring criteria forces consumers into making poor financial decisions if they want to maintain a high FICO score. This is extremely dangerous for families and our country’s economy. The reason it is so dangerous is that it does not take into account four key factors: income, savings, investments, and net worth. How could you honestly say that someone is able to pay back a car loan, mortgage or monthly rent if you don't take into account these four factors. Instead the score is solely based on 5 debt factors. This forces consumers to stay in enough debt that it keeps them from ever being able to live beyond paycheck to paycheck.

Senator Levin, I strongly urge you to consider the ramifications of allowing the credit rating industry to continue to abuse the American people. The formulas that they use to judge one's ability to pay their bills are in need of reform. They need to be based on the person’s entire financial picture not just their current debt load. If properly restructured it would encourage Americans to be wiser with their money. This would help to prevent another financial crisis.

Thank you for taking my opinion into account.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Not the Jet Set

I would also welcome other bloggers to link back to this post and non-bloggers to feel free to email this to like minded people. Let's make a difference!

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Can you really define the Mr. and I in just one or two words? This evening we were trying to figure out what word best describes our lifestyle. In the end we really were not sure what word describes us the best.

If you are new to the blog here are some pointers to help you answer the question.

• We live debt free (minus a small mortgage) on one modest income
• Catholic/Christian
• Cloth diapers
• Cloth napkins
• Grow most of our food
• Backyard chickens
• DIY's to the max (using greenest materials we can afford)
  
• and much more as you can tell by our blog

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There are several Etsy sellers who are now offering items that will have a portion of their profits donated to Haiti relief funds. If you are an Etsy shopper search for the key word "Haiti" to see all the great products available as charity items.

Through the end of February (and maybe longer) all of my items in the shop will have half of their gross profits donated to Hearts with Haiti's earthquake relief fund.

Shop responsibly, shop with a cause.

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It feels like I have been missing for two months but it really has only been two weeks. Things will get back to (our) normal after this Saturday's craft show. It has been a very busy couple weeks finishing projects for the show, working on potty training, an have kids at home because of school closers due to flu outbreaks. Anything but normal!

Starting next week you can look forward to some great posts, reviews and giveaways! I don't want to give to much info away but I think that you will enjoy having me back.

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Be sure to tune in later for our Two Cents Tuesday post (and leave your two cents, too!), but first I want to direct your attention to a guest post we wrote for Matt at Debt Free Adventure on Tithing Our Time. It's a new concept that we've been considering and finally pulled together.

So head on over to Matt's site and and give it a read. Be sure to leave a comment, as we'd love to hear your thoughts. While you're there check out some of Matt's posts and don't forget to subscribe.

Here are some posts not to miss at DFA:

• Tithing our Time (shameless plug)
• Credit Cards - Close 'em Shred 'em & Forget 'em!
• Wise Use of Paid off Credit Cards? You Decide.
• Easy and Frugal Homemade Granola Recipie
  

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Posting has been a little light lately - Ok, it's been 6 days. Fret not -we're still here.

Life has just had us feeling a tad under water lately, and that's ok, it happens from time to time.

The Mrs. is up to her knees in apples as she spends her days making and preserving applesauce for the year. It's a ton of work, but she will survive it and be back soon with more inspiring posts.

I've been laboring in the garden every non-rainy chance I get, trying to finish the fence and grape arbors for the garden makeover. 300 feet of fence takes time when you do it from scratch. I've also been trying to wrap up other fall yard work before all the nice days get away from us.

But not all of our time has been spent away from the computer.
Here are some things we have been working on that you can look forward to in the coming weeks:

• Raw milk - how deliciously illegal is it?
• The truth about debit cards - just the facts, ma'am.
• Part 2 of our look at Roth IRA conversions
• We're prepping several guest posts for other blogs
  
• And tomorrow.... an update on Vacation or Bust 2009!

photo from Flickr

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Well I want to hear your two cents! That is why we are starting a new series here at Not the Jet Set. Every Tuesday we would like for you to share (via linky or comment) your two cents on living on a not the jet set budget. We will start the series this coming Tuesday, Oct. 13th.

You can link to posts that are related to living on a tight budget. This could be anything from ideas to save money around the house or garden, DIY home repair, using cash envelopes, to planning your low cost vacation. We do ask that you refrain from linking to posts about weekly store deals, contests, paid ads and the like.

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What a great question! It seems like a simply answer would do, but really, I'm a complicated person. Just ask the Mister. I'm a Gemini by birth and the twins in one person is so true in my life.

I grew up in the Midwest on our family's farm. Growing up in the middle of corn fields with out friends close by, you learn a lot. How to work, be creative, go without, live simply and most importantly that God and family are the most important things in this world and the next.

Those same values have always stuck with me. The Mr. and I are high school sweethearts. After finishing college in our home state we decided to take a leap of faith and move to Austin, Texas. We enjoyed 5 great years in Austin and even started our family there. Then it was time to move closer to family. That is when we ended up in SW Michigan in a small town on Lake Michigan. Three years later we are still here and enjoying it.

I've done about everything. I've been a working mom, working at home mom, and now a stay at home mom. I've done all sorts of volunteer work from mission work in Haiti to teaching Financial Peace University at our local church. I've traveled all over the USA, but I love staying home too. I have more hobbies then one could count, but I can't sit still so I guess they keep me out of trouble. My true loves (besides God and my family) is gardening and sewing.

I love gardening for several reasons. First, I feel like I'm being a true steward of God's creation. He gave us this beautiful earth for us to take care of. If we take care of it correctly we will have everything we need. So I feel like if I'm doing my best to garden organically and allow nature to do it's thing, I'm doing what God wanted us to do. The second reason is that it is a way for me to provide the healthiest food for my family and the environment. There is no question about were our food came from.

Sewing has always been close to my heart. My dear grandmother taught me how to sew when I was little. I wanted to learn so bad, but my mom would not teach me because she was afraid I would hurt myself (I'm a lefty). So off to grandma's house I went. Every summer I would spend time at her house learning to sew and working on 4-H sewing projects. When ever I sew an item I'm proud of I think of my grandma. It also gives me the creative outlet that I need. If I'm stressed I always reach for a sewing project. The sound of the sewing machine helps me to forget my worries.

Just to add to the complicated person that I am. I'm also a very thrifty person AND an environmentalist. My five year old is already haggling at garage sales and then crying when we drive by an area where they are cutting down live trees. I can tell she spends a lot of time with me. LOL

As complicated as I am, I really do strive for simplicity in life. Living the "Less is More" life style. Well, I don't want to bore you with more talk about me. Just take a look at our posts to see who I am. I don't hold back much other then our "real" names!

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We're trying something new. You'll quickly notice the added links at the end of posts we have 3 images with links to related posts.

At the moment:

1. The linked posts are not necessarily related
2. The links are showing up at the end of posts and between posts

We're working to resolve the coding issues - please bare with us. In the meantime, give the links a go.


Update:: The fine folks at LinkWithin corrected the issue, and their crawler has now parsed our site, so the widget is top notch now. Enjoy!


Comments?

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I grew up on a family farm. Unless you were raised on a farm it is hard to explain what it is like to be a farm kid. You learn so much about life and gain a true since of responsibility from a very young age. I would not trade it in for the world. However, it was not always easy. Thankfully there are groups like Farm Aid that help support farmers in need and help to get laws passed that protect farms not big corporations.

When I saw that they were doing a photo contest I knew I had the perfect picture to share with the world. This is a photo I took of my father and two daughters. They are having a blast riding with their papa and you can see the wind turbines working hard in the background. Please take a few minutes and visit the Farm Aid website. I'd love it if you voted for us, but really, I would just like you to support farmers by voting. Thanks!

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This summer I feel like I have been neglecting our blog. The Mr. has been picking up the slack while I've been MIA. Thanks honey!

Our youngest daughter is just shy of 1 1/2 years old. When our oldest was this age I traveled for work and the Mr. was a part time stay at home dad while she at day care the other half of the time. Things just sort of flowed and I didn't have to worry about things. This time around I find myself clueless about our toddler's behavior. Her personality is very different from her sisters and it has been 5 years. So while I've been "quiet" online, I've been busy reading book I can get my hands on that deals specifically with this age.

So far the most helpful one is called Me, Myself and I- How Children Build Their Sense of Self by Kyle D. Pruett, M.D.. I'm still reading it but it has given me some great insight as to what is going on in her little brain and how I can change my parenting style so that we can have a peaceful home.

Until I finish my research on parenting a toddler you might notice a little less posting from me. But no fear, I'm still here doing what I've always done, just not blogging about it.

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What a week! Starting last Thursday we have had several bad storms come through our area of the country. Thanks to the strong winds and heavy rain we were without power for part of the time and were without internet from Thursday night until about an hour ago.

Thanks to a couple extra posts the Mr. had already written you didn't notice us missing... yet. Since we are now trying to play catch up we might be a little light on posting over the next 10 days or so. We just thought that it would be nice to give you a fair warning.

Also, I have not forgotten about the giveaway. I just emailed the winner and will hopefully hear back from her soon.

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You may have noticed the banner on the far right. The Mrs. was downright giddy when she got the email from Dave's group regarding this one-time event. It wasn't even a question of if we would do it, but rather would we have enough space to open it to the public. Within 24hrs of getting the email, we were one of 1500 sites signed up to host the even live via satellite.

"But what exactly is a 'Town Hall for Hope'?"

Good question. Hit the link, and I'll tell you.


The state of our economy is no secret. It's bad - no one will dispute that. For nearly a year, the pundits and reports tried to scare us all into believing that we were in a recession and heading into a depression. All the while consumer confidence dwindles.

It doesn't help that all the jokers on CNBC are spewing terrible advice, and opportunists like Suze Orman are coming out with books specifically for 2009 (pssst! Suze! If your advice were any good, it wouldn't change with the wind. Just so you know.) Uncertainty, fear, doom/gloom.

Fear has been beaten into us. Day after day. News cast after news cast. Dave is sick of it. So are we. America is a nation that has lost it's hope.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when desire comes, it is a tree of life.
-Proverbs 13:12

On April 23rd, be ready for a big dose of desire. Ready to stop participating in the recession? During the Town Hall for Hope, Dave Ramsey will be speaking for 30 minutes about today's economy. He'll look at a historical and even biblical perspective as well as looking at the hard numbers. Then, and here is where it really gets good, he's going to be taking your questions - by phone, email, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube... and any other way they can sort out.



Are you participating in the recession? Will you be attending the Town Hall? Hosting?

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... after a rather gargantuan effort - Not the Jet Set 2.0

The new template is up and in beta release. [If you happen to find a dead link or something we missed, drop us a line. Thanks!] The new version sports a cleaner look but the same great content you've come to know and love.

Hit the jump for a full list of what's new and what you won't find anymore.

• The Blogger bar is gone - Instead you'll find some quick links across the top and a search function integrated just below the logo.
• A Fuller Disclosure - Our new goals have been added, old ones are still visible.
• Twitter - The Mrs. is on the twitter scene. Follow her through her busy days with the big blue t
• Add only this - the 'add this' button has long been a part of this site and is now the only integrated way to bookmark and share.
• 3 Columns Plus - Our new layout sports 3 columns with space for advertisers, including our very first - Auntie Em's Sewing Room.
• Classic Comments - We tested JS-Kit and Intense Debate comment systems. Both had their positives, but were also not without issues. You'll find neither on the new template as commenting shouldn't be a chore.
• Downloads, Buttons - They're still here. Check out the links across the top.
• Subscriptions - Drastically cleaned up. RSS, Email, still here and easy to find.
• Much ado about labels - The Mrs. has gone through and given the labels a good scrub with a mixture of Borax and white vinegar. Apparently they had gotten quite messy. Previously all personal finance posts were lumped together. Now you'll find them broken up into things like Budgeting 101, Our Family's Finances, and Work Life.
  

There is probably another couple dozen things we have cleaned up, overhauled, tweaked or adjusted. But those are the big ones.

Let us know what you think!

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Today Ashley at Wide Open Wallet graciously posted a guest post written by our own Mr. Not the Jet Set. The post is called No Raises in 2009. If you want to hear the latest news on the Mr.'s employment head on over and check it out.

While you are there check out some of the other great posts Ashley has written. She stays true to her blog's name and has a wide variety of posts all related to her personal finances.

Thanks Ashley!

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After lots of discussion and numerous inquiries, we have decided to allow a small amount of advertising on our blog. We will allow a limited number of ads, giveaways, and product reviews each month.


To kick start this new adventure we are offering two different advertising specials.

• Buy a 30 day ad spot and get your second month free.
• If you do a product review AND giveaway we will give you a free ad spot for 30 days.
  

For info on pricing, guidelines, availability and format, please email us at ads.on.notthejetset[at]gmail[dot]com .

These specials have ended. To find out what our current specials are please contact us.

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Thanks to horrible case of the stomach flu I will have to postpone Day 4, the kitchen, portion of this series. I ended up in the emergency room from dehydration Tuesday early morning and needed two bags of IV fluids. Now that I am home I have slept for over 24 hours with just a few brief 5-10 minute periods of awake time. I'm still extremely weak and now our oldest daughter is home sick from school with a different bug!

Hopefully I will be able to work on the kitchen by the end of this coming weekend. Maybe by Monday I will be able to post about my kitchen de-junking adventure. However, you might notice a drop in the number of posts during the next few days. As I'm out of commission and the Mr. is busy being Mr. Mom at home with the baby and us two sickos.

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