Thrifty Thursday - Save Money on Having a Baby
Written by W. Ryan Burns · May 1, 2008
Wow, with the announcement of our Seminary Meme winner I almost forgot it was Thursday…
This item is something I stumbled across several months back (when uninsured) and we thought Just a Gal might be pregnant. While I knew, if that was the case, that God would take care of us, I couldn’t help jumping on Google to try and find out how to afford a pregnancy without insurance.
That is when I found the MaternityCard. The gist of the card is that, while not insurance, you get insurance prices at the doctor. See, crazy as it sounds, insurance companies get to pay less for the same services that out-of-pocket people pay. Therefore, if you don’t have insurance you not only have to pay yourself, but it is more expensive… The maternity card seems to be a good solution. Basically, you still have to pay for everything, but having this card allows you to get discount (insurance) prices on your service (check out the savings potential).
Now, most seminaries require you to have insurance, so this might not be an issue for you (actually, all seminaries require insurance) but, none the less, this is a thrifty site to remember for the future, should you or anyone you know need it.
Seminary Meme Winner - Chuck
Written by W. Ryan Burns · May 1, 2008
Note: Chuck, please use the contact form so I can get you your prize.
Congrats go out to Chuck (aka, Chuckles, Chucklebunny, Chork, Chubbs, Charlie Bucket, Bucket, Bucket-Boy) who was the winner of our April Seminary Meme Competition. For answering 6 simple questions, tagging 5 other people, and being the name Just a Gal drew out of my Windies hat, Chuck gets to go on a $100 spending frenzy at Eisenbrauns.
For the inquiring minds in the group… here are Chuck’s answers (oh, and if you wanted to know, he attends Asbury Seminary):
What class do you think has most impacted your spiritual life?
Wow…so far, probably OT720 Biblical Archaeology. Getting to dive into the physical remains of the Old Testament world has been amazing for helping me digest the biblical text.
What seminary professor has been the most influential while in seminary?
Gah…I think this is really a tie between Dr. Richter and Dr. Dongell, though I’m tempted to lean toward Dongell.
What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced in seminary?
Adjusting to being back in school full-time while my wife works full-time to support us. There have definitely been moments of tension there.
What has been the greatest reward you’ve experienced in seminary?
Primarily, being connected with an amazing local congregation in which to worship. This has been a huge time of refreshment and spiritual renewal for me.
What are your plans after seminary?
I’m hoping to go on to PhD studies somewhere (right now looking at Notre Dame) for Early Church studies/Patristics.
How many times have you been asked question #6?
5,636,220,184 times. Exactly.
Again, congrats to Chuck and, of course, MANY thanks to our generous sponsor Eisenbrauns!
Thrity Thursday - Great Commentary
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 24, 2008
Ok, we’re seminarians and we love books. I don’t often recommend books here as I’m sure you already have a backlog of books on your “to be purchased” list. However, I came across this amazing resource that is at an amazing price and thought it was worth sharing.
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament is edited by D.A. Carson and G.K. Beale and is a comprehensive commentary of EVERY old testament reference in the new testament. For every reference there is a detailed explanation of the context from which the verse appears in the Old Testament, as well as its use and implication on the New Testament text. It is a truly amazing resource.
Now, the really sweet deal is that I found it at BUY.com for $31 (List is $54)… but wait, it gets better… if you use google check-out and it is the first time you’ve ever used it then you save another $10! That means you can get this amazing resource for $21. Worth every penny and then some if you ask me.
So, if you’re interested, check it out:
Seminary Student Tax Deductions
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 11, 2008
I did my taxes online last night using TurboTax. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad. In the past I’ve always gone to a CPA since I had my own business, was a minister, and other crazy tax issues… however, this year with the move I decided to just do it myself since I didn’t have a CPA in our new town. The decision worked out quite well. TurboTax had a great interface and guided me step by step… best news of all… REFUND!!! I really didn’t see that one coming.
If you haven’t filed yet, remember you only have 4 more days!!!
So, one thing that all seminarians should know is that you have some GREAT tax breaks available to you. Here is the IRS publication (always fun to read) on how you can get a deduction from your education expenses. Essentially, you can deduct up to $4000 of “Tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at an eligible postsecondary educational institution, but not including personal, living, or family expenses, such as room and board.”
Besides that deduction there is also a Lifetime Learning Credit available. Now, I’m not a CPA so I don’t really understand the relationship between the two options you have, however, I know that you can’t take both of them… That is why it is really great to use a CPA or a program like TurboTax. You simply plug in the information and it determines what is best for your situation.
So, if you haven’t done your taxes, get on it! And remember to take advantage of the tax breaks your education provides you.
Thrifty Thursday - Coupons
Written by W. Ryan Burns · April 10, 2008
It might just be me, but while attending seminary I’ve noticed that money is tight. For this reason I’ve decided that I’m going to try and start a new weekly section for goingtoseminary.com called Thrifty Thursday. Every Thursday I’ll try and post links and items that will (in theory) help us save a buck or two.
Today’s Thrifty Thursday item is coupons! I read somewhere that a common trait among millionaires is that they use coupons. Now, most of us seminarians aren’t millionaires but I think we can take a cue here and apply this easy lesson. One resource for tons of coupons is the Entertainment book. Now, while yes, it does cost $15 it is really worth the investment. You literally get hundreds of great deals from restaurants and businesses in your local area. Typically, if you use just 1 or 2 coupons then the book pays for itself.
If you are interested in checking this out, the website even has a place where you can plug in your zip code and find out what type of coupons are available for you. With the price being $15 and FREE SHIPPING, this is a Thrifty deal worth looking into.
Along with the Entertainment book there are numerous online coupon sites. Here are just a few to check out:
*Disclaimer - Yes, if you buy an entertainment book I get a few bucks from them as an affiliate. Not only will you be helping yourself, but helping me too… isn’t that nice!
iPods of March Competition WINNERS
Written by W. Ryan Burns · March 15, 2008
Today was a bad day for Julius Caesar… however, for 3 (actually 4) goingtoseminary.com readers, it is a very good day.
Before I announce the winners, I wanted to say thanks to every who played. The competition got pretty fierce towards the end as MANY people began to fight it out for the 25 points for “most creative.” Since there were so many good ones, I wanted to share some of them with you:
Bradley (who doesn’t have a blog) runs a used/new online bookstore has decided to drop some goingtoseminary.com business cards in every order for Christian titles he ships:
Christopher from Rendezvous With God started a Facebook Group, 1000 people for GoingToSeminary.com
Jeff over at deTheos went for the cute factor by getting Dutch in on the act.
Andy, from Life at Patience Corners got an entry in at the 9th hour as he sported Going to Seminary on his motorcycle. I even got a chuckle out of the file name, “going-to-seminary-real-fast”
Now all these are great and I appreciate the time and energy you put into it. It was really fun to see what all you came up with. However, I’d have to say that the winner for most creative was actually a tie. These two guys took creativity and ingenuity to the next level. 25 points are awarded to Jake from cafe de soiree who actually made a commercial for the blog:
And 25 points to Paul Fuller from Approaching North who actually created a facebook application for goingtoseminary.com.
Also, you’ll notice that I’m now on facebook (thanks to Paul) so, feel free to friend me.
Creative honorable mention goes to Christopher from Rendezvous With God for his going to seminary commercial. However, I suspect that he got his idea after seeing Jakes when I posted it on Facebook and thus I couldn’t award him the creativity points even though I really dug the commercial.
Now, the question on everyone’s mind… who WON?!?!?
The results are as follows:
1. Bradley (no blog) - 60 points - Winner of an iPod Nano
- Made an announcement to 6 of his classes at Liberty
2. Paul (Approaching North) - 33 points - Winner of an iPod shuffle
- Made the Facebook Application, added a banner, and 5 links over 5 days
3. Jake (cafe de soiree) - 32 points - Winner of $25 iTunes card
- Made the commercial, added a banner in his sidebar, added a banner on his links page, wrote a post about the site
Honorable Mention:
4. Jon (Live. Work. Play.) - 29 points - Winner of $25 iTunes card
- One link, one banner, 10 fliers hung on the campus of Fuller, sent me pics of the fliers, announced it his Homiletics class, and passed out fliers to students. For all his hard work and for being so close in points I’ve decided to give Jon a $25 iTunes card as well.
Well, there you have it. The iPods of March competition has come to an end and I’m already plotting for next months competition… what prizes await us in April? I don’t know… However, if your holding your breath for iPods again then get ready to pass out 
Your Seminary Blog Could Win You $10,000
Written by W. Ryan Burns · March 2, 2008
Oh Happy Day!
Good news bloggers, someone FINALLY wants to pay you. The folks over at college scholarship are hosting scholarship competition for BLOGGERS!
Everyone rush over and drop in your application. Now, the scholarship isn’t awarded until October but, hey, go ahead and get your entry in… then you’ll forget about it… until you get the $10,000 email!
Educational Debt Payments After Seminary
Written by W. Ryan Burns · February 25, 2008
Sorry to post another dismal post about debt, but it is a harsh reality we need to wrestle with.
As stated before, this information comes from a survey conducted by The Association of Theological Schools (ATS). The survey questioned 5,113 graduates from the 2006-2007 school year, covering 130 seminaries.
Today, we look at what the Educational Debt Incurred at Seminary translates to on a monthly basis. Of the 5,113 seminary graduates, here is how much their monthly educational debt payment will be:
MONTHLY EDUCATIONAL DEBT PAYMENT
42.4% - None
15.9% - Less than $200
21.1% - $200 to $349
11.7% - $350 to $499
7.9% - $500 to $1,000
1.1% - More than $1,000
Now, something I failed to mention the other day was that this is STRICTLY educational debt. Who knows how much those payments will be if it were to include credit cards or car payments.
This is a big burden that you must truly weigh when you think about seminary.
Educational Debt Incurred at Seminary
Written by W. Ryan Burns · February 23, 2008
I was reading the results from survey conducted by The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) this evening and was fascinated by some of the findings. The survey was conducted on graduating students from member schools of the ATS and included 5,113 graduates representing 130 member schools (so, yeah, a good sampling).
Over the next week I hope to post some of the stats that came out of the study. Don’t worry, I know we’re all busy seminarians, so I’ll break it down into bite sized nuggets.
Also, I’d like to say that this information I’ll post from this survey is pretty important to think through, especially if you are considering or just starting seminary. We have a chance to see and hear what people who are finishing this journey have to say… we’d be wise to listen.
Tonight’s post is on the stats concerning Educational Debt Incurred at Seminary. Out of the 5,113 graduating respondents, these are the percentages for the amount of educational debt they incurred while in seminary.
EDUCATIONAL DEBT INCURRED AT SEMINARY
46.4% - None
11.1 % - Less than $10,000
13.2% - $10,000 to $19,999
9.9% - $20,000 to $29,999
7.6% - $30,000 to $39,999
11.7% - More than $40,000
Two observations:
- WOW! Almost 50% graduated with NO debt. THAT is great.
- WOW! Almost 20% graduated with $30,000 + in debt. THAT is not great.
With the average Senior Pastor salary paying about $37,000 for pastors fresh out of seminary… $30K in debt is a BIG deal. Now, I’m not throwing stones at anyone who has a loan or debt (I have some). But you must be aware that vocational ministry is not a lavish position. Incurring large amounts of debt in seminary will add a huge amount of stress to a very stressful job… and if you don’t think being a pastor is stressful… then go talk to one.
Money and Flowers
Written by W. Ryan Burns · February 11, 2008
Strange how stressed we get about money… or maybe that is just me… right?
As Christians aren’t we supposed to look at the flowers of the field and see that God clothes them is splendor and be reminded that he will also take care of us who are of far more worth than a flower (Matthew 6)…
I think I need to plant some flowers outside my office window because I forget that fact all too often.
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