No Amount of "Stuff" Will Make Us Happy

It's perfectly okay to want shiny new things if we don't get over our heads or let it go to our heads.  Evaluate the desires of your heart.....why do you want the item, what's the motive for wanting the name brand item? 

A friend of mine planted the seeds to this very question almost two years ago that now have a great new meaning.  I was being convicted about carrying around my Coach purse after Chris and I finished Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and I made the comment that I would buy "knock offs" to save money.  She helped me reexamine my heart and realized that the only reason I was carrying my Coach was to "keep up with The Joneses"  and I made the decision right then and there enough was enough.  I have been content with my cheaper purses since.  But, to be honest, my Coach purses have remained in my closet collecting dust since because I didn't have the heart to get rid of them. 

In my new effort to save money and simplify our lives and declutter, I came across the purses that have been taking up so much space in my closet and my heart.  I am so excited to announce that last night I sold one of my Coach purses on Ebay and now have a nice contribution to our construction fund and a joy in my heart.  It's amazing how the more you get rid of the better I truly feel.  I'm learning the important lessons of Hebrew 13:5 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have."

Washable Produce Bags

8/24/2012 I stopped using produce bags awhile ago except for my greens and it grosses Chris out.  He thinks that everything should be in a bag....including bananas.  Such a waste of bags that just end up in our landfills, so I decided to make my own.  I bought a sheer curtain panel on clearance for $4 and I used less than half to make 6 bags.  Here's step-by-step directions if you would like to make your own as well.

Underestimated My Ability To Change

 

8/22/2012  I guess I underestimated my ability to change.....I didn't think I could be held accountable on a daily basis so I chose to check in weekly but I have done so many things so far I figured I should share or Friday's post might turn out to be a short novel. 1) Kelly mentions a website on her blog that lists the "Hall of Shame" of cleaners. I switched to organic cleaners a long time ago.....but I have to admit that I still was using Comet for my kitchen sink and the bottom of my shower and it was one of the offenders for having chemicals known to cause cancer, asthma and reproductive disorders!! I immediately got rid of the bottle and followed Kelly's advice to use dish soap and to my amazement it works wonderful!! 2) We are almost at the end of August which means winter rates on propane will be here in a few short weeks so I scheduled to have my tank topped off on Friday since we are at 20% and I saved us $0.20/gallon!

3) Chris' favorite jeans have a huge hole in the knee and near the pocket and any one who knows me knows that I normally would throw them away and use that as the perfect excuse to run to the mall! Instead I picked up a cool cami jean patch and they now look better than new (I'll post a pic).

 

4) Although I switched to organic facial cleanser/moisturizer awhile ago, I was spending a small fortune, so I switched to 100% Pure Organic Honey on Sunday and I love it and I've saved us approximately $50/year!

Simplifying the Menu Board

8/17/2012  Each week Chris and I sit down and come up with the menu for the week and each week we write it down on a Post-It and hang it on the fridge.  I've come to realize a) what a huge waste of paper and trees and b) what a waste of money (and anyone who knows me knows that I have to buy the pretty ones which cost more.....please don't judge, I'm working on this).  I was at the store to but the $5 worth of supplies to make one and I found one that's meant to hang in your locker (thank you back-to-school supplies) for only $0.88!  It's totally not my style.....peace signs and tye dye but see I'm working on saving money :)  By making these small sacrifices each shopping trip, I'm saving our family a little bit of money each month that will equal to a lot of money over the course of the year.