You made it black to make it green?

Okay, so my wonderful hubby should probably be writing this post because I don't get it.  Rather than spend money on chemicals or sod, he burned our grass! When he told me the plan, I thought, "he must be really frustrated with our lawn"! But, according to him, our grass is dormant so really he just burned the weeds away, giving the grass the space it will need to grow and spread so that it will be more full. Sounds brilliant to me and certainly saved the money he could have spent on fertilizers, weed killers, and such. This may have to be a two-part post so I can show you in the summer the beautiful green results (hopefully)!

My new favorite card!

When I drive to FL...or really anywhere...I get an audio book to help me stay awake!  For years I have used Cracker Barrel's rental system. This is a frugal experience because rather than purchasing audio books, you can rent them by the week. You pay for the book up front, but when you turn it in you get all but $3.50 back (per week kept). $3.50 is certainly better than $30.00 for an audio book!  HOWEVER...I discovered that the local library also has audiobooks!  One library card ($2) and now I can check out audiobooks for FREE! The library also has numerous other opportunities for frugality: books, internet, movies, etc...  Tap into your local library system: they have so much to offer!

Diligence, not laziness

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; so shall your poverty come like a prowler, and your need like an armed man. Proverbs 24:33, 34

A prowler...an armed man: these are not things we want and we're powerless to resist them when they set their eyes on us. If we don't work...if we aren't diligent in all that God has called us to do, then we'll find ourselves in the same position: with poverty at our doorstep and needs overwhelming our lives. See, God does and will provide. Time and again, I've seen Him do it in our own lives. But, I truly believe that He will provide as long as we are doing what we are supposed to do, what He has called us to do*, and are doing it to the best of our ability. God's not going to bless our laziness any more than I reward my students for theirs. If they don't do their work, they fail. If we don't do ours, we'll experience failures too. It's time we quit expecting God to just "work everything out" and blaming Him when it doesn't. It's time we, as a Christian society, get up and get busy!



*Understand that getting a job...or a second job...or a new job...or extra work...or whatever may pop into your mind as you read this, may not be what God is asking you to do! Sometimes God wants to use others to provide for you as you fulfill his will. As in everything, You must be lead by the Spirit. God is our source of fulfillment. Hard work alone will never create success in life. Sure, it may create money, but not success. Diligence, when united with God's promises, is unstoppable!

Make it Yourself!

A delicious dinner made right in our own home.  Okay, so it's not the most nutritious thing, but this isn't "Portraits of Nutrition"!  The point I'm making here is that we had all of the ingredients with the exception of baking powder because mine was expired (but Sam got some for about a buck)! We had a new and exciting chicken and waffles experience, which I've been wanting to try for years, without the expense of going to Gladys and Ron's. The waffles were homemade whole grain and were SO much better than store-bought could ever dream of being, and literally cost us the price of baking powder to make. Your taste buds do not have to sacrifice because of frugal-living. Hear me: you do NOT have to live off of hamburger helper! (Can I get an amen?) Just be creative: type some main ingredients that you have on hand into Google and see what comes up, think back to what grandma used to make, or search five-ingredient meals. I think you'll be surprised at what you can do if you have the staples and some time (or, in this case, a few amazing friends who will come to your house before Bible Study and cook while you're stuck in two meetings after work)!

Where has all the money gone?

This is a really important part of the process: the budget. This is where you sit down and take a look at just where your money has gone and should be going.  It's where you get the reality check and start to understand just why you're so broke!  God's so good and has provided all along the way and we're trusting that He will continue to provide as we make changes, based on His guidance. I'm reminded of the song my friend Debbie sings "Make me a blessing" because that is our desire. We don't need stuff, but we do want to be able to help people!

Mismatched Tupperware

I cannot believe it.  This one hurts a little, guys.  My desire would be to have all matching just like those on the right. But the truth is, we have lots of leftovers in this house that we take to work or send with others, so we need lots of tupperware. Some day I'll be all matching again because it makes me smile, but for now: frugality will triumph!

No longer "tagged" as a teacher

I used to have an educator tag...now I have a standard GA tag.  The rates went up so we saved $35 per car by not having special tags!

Changing My Life

My amazing hubby and I have decided to make some changes in our lives. One of these is going to be getting ahead of the money game. We want to have money not only to be able to live comfortably, but to bless others in the process!  So, one way we're making this happen is by making small changes in our lives that will help us to save some money here and there.  After all...a penny saved is a penny earned!   ...And if we put that penny into savings, then a penny saved is MORE than a penny earned!

I hope you'll laugh with/at us as I chronicle some of the random things we are doing in effort to save a penny where we can. Some of them may seem ridiculous, but that all come with the price of sacrifice. Just like every time I pass up a great pair of shoes, it hurts just a little bit. So, laugh away...and get some ideas about how you too can save a penny!