Why handmade gifts are a good idea.

Drew and his snowman scarf, Christmas morning.

I love handmade gifts, they seem to always come with a story about why and how the giver picked that particular gift and how it came to be. And of course those stories get passed down and the gift becomes more and more loved. There has been a trend in our family over the last few years where the grandmothers are making more and more things for our children that are special and handmade, not to mention personalized and custom. I have noticed that these items are treated very differently than their store bought counterparts. Take my son Drew for example. He asked his Grandma Janet (Donald's mom) for a scarf with a snowman on it for Christmas. She didn't crochet so she asked her nephews girlfriend (Denise) to do the honors, and she did a fantastic job. So Christmas morning Drew found his snowman scarf under the tree. He must have jumped up and down for 5 mins, screaming "It is my snowman scarf, it is my snowman scarf". It never finds its way to the floor, he tells everyone he meets about it and of course has to show it off. Where are the toys that his dad and I bought? In the toy box forgotten...he will probably play with them another 3-4 times and then he will forget about them completely. However I think the snowman scarf will be around until Drew is a grown man. He says he is going to give it to his child when he is grown. If you take a look around our home there are crocheted afghans, handmade hats, beautiful quilts and unique artwork, all lovingly gifted by friends and family. They all come with their own story and memory, I wouldn't trade them for anything. This year I want to spend my time creating little masterpieces to give to our friends and family, things that make their spaces more interesting and more personal. Gifts with character.

Day 6 is upon us.

I just have to say that Day 5 was hard. I did not want to stay home and save money yesterday. I had a bad attitude about it but I powered through, and whew today is 1000x better. There are hard times on this journey but staying focused on the bigger prize helps keep us on track.

With me losing weight I have learned that I am an emotional eater...and since I can't do that anymore I think I transferred those emotions to shopping. I don't have to spend a lot of money but just spending something seems to be soothing, until the regret of spending even a small amount of money frivolously sets in or I have to clean out the closets. My dear, sweet, inspirational hubby said it best today. "I would rather bite the bullet and make these radical changes now and enjoy our money in a bigger way later, than to satisfy our immediate wants and miss out on the bigger things we could have had." And by things he doesn't necessarily mean material possessions or destinations. Even though that surely is one of the perks to controlling your finances and enjoying the smaller things in life. There are other blessings that come with being a good steward of your money. You can help others in need when situations arise. You can bless God's ministry and his servants where before it may have only been a passing thought. You can retire and not be dependent on the government. You can know the joy of living in a paid for home, and enjoy your grandkids instead of working because you have to and the list goes on and on. So when you hit the hard times please power through and realize there is a greater reward at stake and you will be glad you did.

The really great thing about this challenge is the fact that my husband has gotten really excited about us being more aware of our money. When I look at it from his perspective it makes sense. We live a very traditional life. He works long hours in a local plant, while I stay home and mother our children and take care of the home. He views his job as a way to show his love and commitment to us. When we spend carefully it shows that his time and hard work mean something to us and that we cherish his gift of love. So in turn he is more excited to save, and in the long term it means that he can stop working at some point and just enjoy his family with what he worked so hard for.

This Week's Menu (January 6-12)

Dinners:
Monday: Hamburger Patties, Mashed Cauliflower, Cabbage w/rice and gravy
Tuesday: Spaghetti*, Salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese), Homemade Bread
Wednesday: Beefy Vegetable Soup and cornbread
Thursday: Broccoli Beef, cauliflower "rice"
Friday: Spiced Turkey Loin w/crockpot applesauce, sweet potatoes, green beans
Saturday: Sloppy Joes, Cole Slaw and Homemade Fries
Sunday: Sandwiches, popcorn and fruit

Lunch:
Monday: Tuna Salad w/cucumber and apple slices
Tuesday: Protein Shake made w/unsweetened almond milk (Amarissa: Jelly Sandwich and fruit)
Wednesday: Simple Salad w/ chicken
Thursday: Protein Shake w/ unsweetened almond milk (Amarissa: left over soup and grilled cheese)
Friday: Left over Broccoli Beef
Saturday: Brunch: Grits, Low Carb Breakfast Casserole, sliced fruit
Sunday: Crockpot Chili and grilled cheese

*I make gluten free bread in the bread machine for our kiddos that are gluten sensitive.
Since I am very low carb at this time I serve spaghetti sauce over baked zucchini and squash halves for myself. It is yummy and filling.

Day 5

Not alot to report...4 of our kiddos started back to school today, they enjoyed having time with their friends. Amarissa had her first full day of homeschooling, it was nice to be back in teacher mode. No money was spent, I did take the girls to Wendy's for a jr. Frosty w/coupon books I had purchased back in October. They enjoyed  the special treat.

4th Day of the Buy Nothing Challenge

There is a wonderful air of peace and excitement that has settled over our home. We have started cutting away from our society's message that you have to live in debt and it feels great. This morning my sweet hubby Donald got up and made a wonderful homemade breakfast that included muffins, oatmeal and sausage links complete with sweet tea. Later on today my parents, sister and our 2 nieces and nephew are coming over for a game night and dinner. My mother blessed me by cooking our dinner and is bringing it over. Our families have all been wonderful getting on board with our new frugal lifestyle which makes this even easier on us and has given us much more time bonding as an extended family.

We had a great evening of games and good food. Mama made ham, black eyed peas, rice and cabbage. Tina made apple cobbler and I made raisin oatmeal bread. We played UNO Attack (our family's new obsession) this evening.

Earlier today I had to make a run to get food to make it to payday. I bought Strawberry Jam (High fructose corn syrup free), a pack of garlic bologna (ewe but our kids love it) and 8 eggs, the total was $3.03, then I went by the bread store and bought Sara Lee Honey Wheat bread for $.50 a loaf because they were closing early today and were trying to move product. I stocked up with 7 loaves for $3.54. Not too shabby, $6.57 for a week's worth of lunches and toast. I'll serve with popcorn and fruit for a well rounded meal, from the pantry.

Life is in the small things.

The thought occurred to me this morning while getting ready for church that a lot of readers might be asking themselves “Why are you being so transparent with your finances and your decision to live frugally?”  The more important question to me is why not? We are living during a time where many Americans are jobless, homeless and hopeless, yet our media is pushing their wares more than ever. I sat amazed this year amid the luxury car commercials and jewelry commercials portraying gifts that cost thousands as normal. Do these things show love and appreciation more than a thought out, lovingly chosen homemade gift or inexpensive gift? The answer is no, if anything it shows less thought. Who wouldn’t love waking up Christmas morning to a luxury car in their driveway or a diamond necklace? It is however, a rare treasure to open a gift that took time and energy from the giver to create. Or to find a gift that was chosen months before from a passing comment from the receiver. I want to bring hope to those that are struggling and show others that we don’t have to go in deep debt to be happy.

The gift that inspired this article and brought the tears was a packet of Crystal Lite Lemonade given to me by my husband, why you may ask. Because since losing weight I have craved lemonade like crazy and rarely go without it, but found myself out the week of Christmas and without the funds to buy it. My husband as a very loving and thoughtful gesture bought me this small gift. It showed me that he pays attention to me and that he cares about something so small. Where are the commercials showing these types of moments? Perhaps it would bring hope to those with low funds to show that you can bless someone you love without going into debt and spending a small fortune. That there is joy found in the little things, more often than in what we think are the big things. So I challenge you this year to listen to your loved ones, pay attention to their needs and bless their socks off with something small.

3rd Day of Buy Nothing

Happy New Year to all of you. Today we are spending the first day of 2012 at Church with our Church Family. So this is an easy day of buying nothing. Breakfast was jelly toast and milk for the kiddos and hubby and I am enjoying a vanilla protein shake made with unsweetened almond milk.  We have planned pizza for dinner today (10.00 from the local grocery store). So all in all not a bad day.