Thrifty Thursday

It is possible to be thrifty without feeling deprived and I'm sharing ideas in this summer series. If you have an money-saving idea, consider sharing it on your blog and leaving your link at the bottom of this post. The only rule? Share what you know. If I've never personally tried an idea, I won't write about it. The same goes for you, but don't assume an idea is too simplistic. It could be new to someone or it could re-inspire someone else!

The muggy days of summer are upon us and though the children love to soak up the rays, I'm cautious about letting them stay in the sun too long in the heat of the day.  Therefore, many summer afternoons are spent sucking on popsicles and playing quietly in the house while Benjamin naps.  How do the children stay occupied day after day during the summer?  My frugal tip for this week is: Limit yourself to simple toys.  Blocks and balls are not only for babies.  Children can imagine up amazing activies with a few simple items.  On a recent afternoon, I left the three older children with instructions to play with the blocks while I settled Benjamin in for his nap.  When I returned, they had built a fantasy city that kept them occupied for the rest of the afternoon.  (And by 3:30, they were ready to toss the blocks back into the basket and line the books back on the shelf in favor of a few laps around the sidewalk on their bicycles!) 

Peace, Be Still

It was late in the evening when the rumbles started.  It started in the distance-- the sky booming under its breath. Then flashes of light burst through the slits in the blinds, illuminating the darkened dining room.  We scrambled to unplug appliances and gather candles as the storm gathered strength.  Rain clawed at the windows and then suddenly, all went dark.  Brian dug up the only flashlight with working batteries while I stumbled into the kitchen to put dirty glasses in the sink.  Then the lone beam lighted out pathway up the stairs for bed. 

But another gentler sound joined the chaos of nature.  A soft whimper met my ears and I made my way to Benjamin's side.  He sat up on his knees in bed, eyes bleary, whispy hair sticking up in all directions.  His Buzz and Woody T-shirt clung to his sweaty chest and he reached for me.  I attempted to settle him back in bed, singing a lullaby and rubbing his hair back into place.  Still he whimpered.  I gathered him into my arms and settled him into bed with me.  While the storm raged outside the window, while the wind howled with a blizzard's vengeance (though it was still 85 degrees), while the sun-dried leaves brushed against the window screens, Benjamin closed his eyes and fell into a care-free slumber. 

As He often does, the Lord choose to speak to me in one of the vulnerable moments of the night.  Just as Benjamin surrendered all his fears in the comfort of my arms, HE wants me to do the same with Him.  He doesn't want to me to be calm after the storm.  He wants to be to rest in Him in the midst of the storm. 

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Read more: Things That Go Sniff in the Night

                   A Night of Grace

Thrifty Thursday

It is possible to be thrifty without feeling deprived and I'm sharing ideas in this summer series. If you have an money-saving idea, consider sharing it on your blog and leaving your link at the bottom of this post. The only rule? Share what you know. If I've never personally tried an idea, I won't write about it. The same goes for you, but don't assume an idea is too simplistic. It could be new to someone or it could re-inspire someone else!

Are you always as surprised by the increase in stamp prices as I am?  It seems as though in recent years, the price increases just as I am getting used to the old rate!  My solution: buy Forever Stamps in bulk.  Each year at income tax time, we buy a large quantity of Forever Stamps and keep them with our mailing supplies.  If the postal rates goes up during the year, it doesn't effect us because we already have our supply of stamps purchased at the old, cheaper price.  While this usually amounts to only 1 cent per stamp, over the course of the year the pennies add up, not to mention that it helps us use our time frugally since we are not running out to the post office each time we mail a birthday card or a bill.  I will admit, though, as much as I hate to spend money unnecessarily, I bend my policy at Christmas and buy Christmas stamps no matter how many booklets of Forever Stamps are stacked in the house.  I am a sucker for pretty mail in December! 

Thrifty Thursday

It is possible to be thrifty without feeling deprived and I'm sharing ideas in this summer series. If you have an money-saving idea, consider sharing it on your blog and leaving your link at the bottom of this post. The only rule? Share what you know. If I've never personally tried an idea, I won't write about it. The same goes for you, but don't assume an idea is too simplistic. It could be new to someone or it could re-inspire someone else!

This week's tip is a lot of fun!  Save your coins.  Because we pay for everything with cash, we have a lot of spare change and it is our general habit to empty our pockets and wallets when we get home.  We've chosen to keep pennies, nickels, and dimes in a box in our bedroom.  When we have accumulated quite a pile (usually $15-20), we roll the coins and cash it in for dollar bills.  Most of the time, we use the money for something fun like going out for icecream or a yardsaling outing.  When we rolled the coins a few weeks ago, we tucked our savings into the summer movie envelope.  We've chosen to keep our quarters in a large separate container and let them pile up much longer.  It is amazing how much money can accumulate!  Several years ago, we saved enough to pay for our hotel room on an overnight family trip.  Another year, we took a day trip to a local resort town with our savings.  Saving coins is a super easy way to fund little extras that otherwise may not be possible!

Mondays are for...

                                       

...sharing stories...

...and giddy-ups and whoas.

Mondays are for waiting and watching for Daddy...

...and favorite foods.

Mondays are for making cards and asking Daddy to help...

...and enjoying the sandbox after the heat of the day.

And Mondays are for staying up just a little past your bedtime even though Mama knows Tuesday morning comes bright and early.

Read more:  Sundays are for...

                      Saturdays are for...

What is Worthwhile?

In the dull winter months, the months when the brown grass was wrapped in a unusually thick coat of snow...in those months, I asked for inspiration and direction for my words.  Some of you expressed interest in me sharing my personal blog-reading criteria and I neglected to addess that.  This week, this week where the green grass is decorated in a veil of clover flowers...this week, Kathi, gave me a gentle nudge to finally sit down and touch on this topic.

Time is precious and with four little ones beneath and around my feet, I need to use it wisely.  One area that can really zap my time is "playing" on the computer.  Sure, there is wonderful information out there.  Words that pour out of a heart and into a blog post have touched and strengthened me, but as with anything else, even the good can be bad in high doses.  (I love broccoli, but I can't make a diet off of it!)  This is what I do:

1) I only follow a small, small list of blogs.  This mainly contains the blogs of people I know in real life: my mom, my sister, my very close friend...   It also includes a blog of a like-minded mama and a mama whose words never fail to bless and a couple others.  When blogger tells me that these blogs have new posts, I always take the time to visit and read.  

2) All other blogs I read on a free-time-only basis.  Many days, I do find time to browse extra blogs.  When the kids are enjoying an afternoon snack at the table, I will often jump on the computer to check e-mail and read a blog or two.  After the kids are in bed for the evening and Brian is busy reading or watching a movie, I will sometimes snag a chunk of time to blog-read for pleasure.  I keep a list of blogs I enjoy in my favorites so I can access them easily.  This list includes a reliable site for easy family-friendly recipes and another like-minded mama.  It includes the sister of a friend and the first blog I ever read.  It contains a mama in a similar situation and a homeschooling mama.  While this list is much longer that my "follow" list, I only allow myself to take the time to indulge in it when I truly have nothing else that needs doing.

Maybe in another season of life, my standards will change.  Maybe I will cut back on what I am able to read.  Or maybe I'll read more but comment less.  Or maybe I'll be able to add to the list of blogs I follow without feeling I am taking away from more important duties.  Remember, we are all walking in different seasons and each season requires its own thinking and own limits.  Prayerfully consider what is best for you.

Thrifty Thursday

It is possible to be thrifty without feeling deprived and I'm sharing ideas in this summer series. If you have an money-saving idea, consider sharing it on your blog and leaving your link at the bottom of this post. The only rule? Share what you know. If I've never personally tried an idea, I won't write about it. The same goes for you, but don't assume an idea is too simplistic. It could be new to someone or it could re-inspire someone else!

My tip for this week is pay with cash.  It really helps control spending when you see the dollars leave your hands!  We do not have a credit card and we reserve our debit card for our twice-monthly grocery trips, the occasional online purchase, and emergencies.  All other expenditures are paid for with cash.  We have a weekly spending allotment and we keep cash envelopes for regular expenses such as gas.  We have a Christmas envelope that we add to throughout the year that is dipped into only for Christmas purchases, and we have are currently slipping extra dollars into another envelope in an effort to save money for a family trip to the movies this summer.  This system involves a high amount of self-control, but it also saves quite a few impulsive bucks! 

Things That Go Sniff in the Night

The night was quiet.  Brian was watching a basketball game on TV and I was sitting here, as I am now, working on a post for my blog.  Suddenly, a whimper cut through the stillness of the upstairs.  I sat for a moment, ears trained to distinguish which of my children was in distress by simply listening to the tone of the sleepy cries.  "Owen," I whispered with a sigh, putting the laptop down on the coffee table.

Owen.  The little blonde boy who occupies many of my daytime moments.  The little one who looks up with blue eyes through unbelievably long eyelashes, often stained with tears, and asks repeatedly if I'll play a game...read a book...find a green crayon...build a tower.  Owen.  The child who still would rather I feed him his dinner so he won't have to put the yucky foods to his own lips.  My boy who is so sensitive to tastes and feels and smells.  The little one who can't sit still until I cut the offending tags from his shirt and who can identify anything I am cooking by smell-- even something so smell-less as peas. 

This Owen who requires so much of time during the day is now asking of my time in the late night, too.  But my mother's heart is drawn to him.  I tiptoe into his room, careful not to step on a stray toy or kick the Lego box as I make my way to his bed.  In the dark, I can see the fresh tears drip down his babysoft cheeks and fall on to the comforter below.  "Owen," I say.  "What's wrong?"  I get no answer beyond another sniff.  "Do you need to use the bathroom?"  Still no answer, but I gently lift him onto the floor and lead him to the potty.  No words escape his lips, but I know my son and I know, with only his whimpers, what he needs.  I lift him onto the toilet and wait until he is done, then walk him back to bed and tuck him in.  Still no words have left his mouth, but tears no longer leave his eyes so I sense all is well again. 

It is in these routine mothering moments in the quiet of the night that the Spirit pricks my heart, showing me how like my children I am. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

And in those moments, I thank my Father for those times when all I have is a whimper, a groan, a sniff of pain, and yet HE still knows my voice and HE knows what I need and HE gently lifts me and carries me and makes it all right again.

Thrifty Thursday

It is possible to be thrifty without feeling deprived and I'm sharing ideas in this summer series. If you have an money-saving idea, consider sharing it on your blog and leaving your link at the bottom of this post. The only rule? Share what you know. If I've never personally tried an idea, I won't write about it. The same goes for you, but don't assume an idea is too simplistic. It could be new to someone or it could re-inspire someone else!

My tip for today is invest in a set of hair clippers!  We bought a set about five years ago for less than $20 that included the clippers, 8-10 different size guide combs, and scissors.  While I have no training in cutting hair, cutting little boy hair with clippers is a breeze.  With the guide combs attached, you can't make a mistake!  I use a 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch guide on most of the hair and use a 1-inch guide on the top.  Trim around the ears carefully with the scissors and I'm done.  I figured that within two home haircuts, I had recouped the money spent on the clippers.  And using the scissors, I've always cut Maddie's hair, too, until recently when she wanted a Kit haircut and I had to admit that style was beyond my limited skill!  (Confession: I've even cut my own hair several times, though that was taking a risk.)