You see that little picture up there? Yeah, the one with words in it? Yep, I made that for my oldest daughter, Oregano to hang on our kitchen wall as a reminder of true obedience. Well, it backfired. Here's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I've been having some struggles with Oregano being disobedient lately and I ran across this wonderful little tidbit from one of the Duggar's books, I believe it was The Duggars: 20 And Counting. I've read two of their books, both really, really inspiring and helpful. (Remember, the picture up there?) I thought, YES! I am going to teach Oregano a lesson on obedience today based on this wonderful breakdown of what it really means to be obedient.
1. Instant, without hesitation.
2. Cheerful, without attitude
3. Thorough, complete the job.
4. Unconditional, no objections.
Oh, what a joyful day it was. I was sinnnnnging, I was soooo joyful! I've hit the jackpot of all obedience lessons to teach. What a wonderful day it was! And you know what? The lesson was wonderful, Oregano was able to really grasp what this obedience thing is really all about. It has truly helped me with Oregano a lot. What I didn't expect was how it would challenge me. Yep. Me.
It wasn't but a few days after I taught this lesson to Oregano, that the Lord confronted ME with it. Our wonderful church, West Point Church, asked us to give out invitations to our Christmas Eve service. I had planned on giving it to family and friends. I'm not so good at handing out things and talking to complete strangers. Well, wouldn't you know it I had one in my back pocket on my way into an orthodontist appointment, yes, I have braces. As I was getting out of my truck the Lord spoke to me and asked me to hand one to a lady who was parked next to me. I hesitated for a quick second and the Lord said, "Obey me, instantly." Whoa! Wow! "Yes Lord!", and I did. It was a real big check for me. If I want my child to obey me, to ultimately obey God I have got to follow through with complete obedience myself. I have got to obey: instantly, cheerfully, thoroughly, and unconditionally. I learned big time that day. Something that I find myself learning over and over again. Being a parent is more about me becoming who I want my children to be more than anything else: I cannot expect them to be something I am not. I should be the first to do the changing, rearranging, and, in this case, obeying.
So, what lesson have you taught your child that has backfired on you? I'd love to hear your stories!
Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way they should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it." I think, in this case, I am the child and God is training me!
In Him,
CH
I LOVE to save a penny. I LOVE it when I find an amazing deal on something I need. I think everybody finds good deals here and there, BUT are you willing to take a few extra steps to save a penny? Well, I am and here are a few ways that I do just that.
FIVE out of the norm ways I save.
1. You know those grocery bags you throw away when you get home? Those little bags that you don't want to fuss with? I keep those and use those as garbage bags. Yes, I take a few more trips to the garbage can, but I don't mind burning a few extra calories throughout the day. I only use a big garbage bag when I have house guests. The thought of buying garbage bags to literally throw in the garbage BUGS me beyond belief.
2. We all grab fast food from time to time. We eat and then throw away the napkins and leftover sauces, mainly because we don't want to deal with them. Now, I save all my napkins and sauces. Last year I collected enough ketchup packets to almost fill a ketchup bottle. If you go out to eat a lot, save your napkins, you may not have to buy as many rolls at the store.
3. One of my favorite things to do, when it's warm, is to line dry my clothes. I actually enjoy stepping outside, performing a mindless task, and getting a breath of fresh air. It does my mind good and helps out the pocket book as well. I don't always have the time, nor does the weather co-operate for me to dry all of my clothes this way, but when everything lines up, I'm outside putting clothes on one.
4. I take anything that is given to me. Especially food. Even if it's weird, like someone else's leftovers. Yep, I will eat them. If it's something I don't know how to cook I will look up the product and figure out how to cook it. I never say no, for two reasons, if I do they will stop asking me if I want things and two I can almost always use what they are wanting to get rid of. If I don't, I will keep it for a few months and if it's time to let go I will ask if they want it back or if I can pass it on to someone else in need.
5. I ALWAYS pick up change when I see it on the ground. I don't care if it's just a penny and I don't care where it is, okay, maybe not in a public restroom.
There are more abnormal ways I save, but I'll spare y'all all of them for now. Muahahahahahaha!
Here are 18 practical ways to save money. One thing you will see me list a lot of, are homemade products. I found that my grocery budget was being EATEN up by cleaning products and learned quickly that I could make my own very cheaply.
1. If you don't want to spend hours clipping coupons, just take a peek at what's in there each week. You'll end up saving a little money on things you really do need.
2. Keep a list of places you need to go for a few days and hit them all at once to save a buck or two on gas.
3. Make your own laundry detergent. You may say, this is not practical, but after you see the BIG impact it has on your wallet it will quickly become practical. I'm talking hundreds of dollars saved a YEAR!
4. Make your own fabric softener.
5. Make your own dish-washing detergent.
Side note: Yes, you will have to gather some ingredients you do not have, but write out a list of what you need and collect them as you see them. Or if you want to start saving immediately, get to work! After you make a batch or two it becomes second nature. Your clothes last longer. And you will NOT want to spend all that money again buying ready made.
6. Make as many cleaning products as you can. This will save you a ton of money, I promise. You may spend a little bit on good essential oils, but they last a LONG time and it's worth getting the good stuff.
7. Turn off electronics when they are not in use.
8. Force yourself to cook. You can find some pretty quick meals to make when you are tired or in a hurry.
9. Eat the leftovers.
10. Basically, stop going out to eat as much as possible.
11. Thrift stores can have really good quality clothes. Take a day, drive around and see which one has what you're looking for and regularly visit that one throughout the year. TIP: Buy off season. Pants in the summer, shorts in the winter...they mark them down!
12. Ebates,, no joke. This is not a scam nor am I being paid to advertise this. Anytime I order online, I go through them first and earn cash back. January 26th will mark 2 years and I have earned $199.31 real cash back. It's worth the extra 30 seconds to use them. I enjoy getting my cash back throughout the year and use it on odds and ends that that didn't fit into the budget.
13. ALWAYS use coupons when ordering online or in store IF you absolutely cannot buy used. If you don't have one, wait until one becomes available or see if you can print one.
14. Learn how to mend your clothing. Seriously, learn how to put a button back on, how to stitch up a hole, how to fix a zipper. It doesn't take much skill and it will save you a bundle.
15. ALWAYS, ALWAYS see if you can fix what is broken before replacing and ALWAYS see if you can fix the problem yourself before paying someone else to do it. You'll be surprised at how many things can be repaired and repaired by you!
16. Buy reusable sponges to wash your dishes. Yes, you have to wash them, but I gotta tell ya, I love not having to buy disposables at the store.
17. Stop using paper napkins for everything. Get yourself some rags or make some from old clothing. I have some microfiber towels, well, quite a few, that I bought 3 years ago (My MIL gave me some of hers as well.) and they are still in very good condition. I may use 1 roll of paper towels every 4-5 months, if that.
18. Shop closeouts and stock up, but only if it's items that you will use and need. I truly enjoy stocking up on closeouts and not having to pay full price for a particular item for a long time.
What do you do to save money? Share your tips and ideas in the comment section. Thanks!
I didn't implement all of these things at once. That would've been overwhelming to me, but over time I have been able to discover easy ways to save money so that our future can be more secure and so we can give more. So, don't feel like your climbing a mountain, take one step at a time. Need encouragement? I'm a great cheerleader.
Join me in truly being good stewards over our money and really ask God how he would have you save and where He would have you spend your money this year. Don't look back with regret.
In Him,
CH
"Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil."
Proverbs 15:16
I know this scripture points mainly to materialistic things, but I'm going to stretch it a little bit today. Okay?
I am a wife, a stay at home mommy, a homeschooler, a seamstress, a cook, etc, etc. You get the picture right? Truth: I've been overwhelmed, a little snippy with my girls, forgetting more than usual, unable to focus on important conversations, not listening well and couldn't figure out why. So, here I am, 4 months after starting homeschooling, finally having a light bulb moment. That light bulb moment came from reading a blog (Which, I can't seem to find at the moment to reference.), remembering something I read in a book, and rereading this scripture this morning. Here's the break down and my conclusion.
The book: About eight months ago I read the book Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst, I've posted about it before. She wrote about having to subtract something from your life before you add to it to prevent overload and becoming overwhelmed. Well, wouldn't ya know it, I did it again! I added homeschooling and didn't subtract ANYTHING! Homeschooling has been amazing and it has been the absolute right choice for our family in our current season of life. I knew it would be time consuming before I went into it, but WHY, WHY didn't I remember Lysa's words!
The blog: Hopefully I can find it again to reference it for you. Electronics = distractions and eat up waaaaaaay to much of our time. It is not necessary to check Facebook 257 times a day. It is not necessary to read every online news article It is not necessary to text for 3 hours a day. It is not necessary to watch 5 hours of t.v. I wasn't this bad, but you get my point. Things with screens need to lessen their role in my life.
The scripture: Simple, it's better to have little, because when we have much there is much turmoil. To expound, the more we add to our lives, the busier and more stressed we become. The less we have to organize, plan, create, do, the more peace we have in our lives. Which also equals to better quality time with our family and much more time focused on God. I know we have certain obligation to fulfill and there will be busy times in our lives, but it shouldn't be constant.
So, the conclusion. Less sewing. It was a hard choice, but my brain demands more space for homeschooling and I don't mind giving it more. Less electronics. This is difficult because most of my communication with Mr. Hagge is via Facebook, but I've got to slack off and trust God will have me check it at the right times. But, more music! I've noticed, since turning the t.v. off more, that music brings great peace to my house. I know there will be more changes to come, but I foresee a peaceful year for me and my girls and if I happen to have a ton of extra time on my hands, then I will sew a garment or two, but not full time.
That's it, that's my story and my song of taking away, simplifying and being present with those around me. I hope these words have inspired you to take away before you add more and prayerfully considering what you add before you do.
In Him,
CH
