I don't know if any of you watched Oprah today...I'll be the first to admit, I'm not usually a big fan of hers. But, I saw a preview of today's show, and knew that I HAD to record it so I could watch it uninterrupted. It was ALL about ways to save money, to not live beyond our means, to cut bills, look for bargains, take vacations in your backyard, rent dvds from the library, plan meals based on what's on sale....TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A BIG FAMILY, AND STILL LIVE COMFORTABLY. I am just so encouraged....our country is in financial crisis, but there are SOME things that we CAN control. This doesn't change our quality of life, it enriches it, it makes the most of our available resources. A family was interviewed, they had four children, and ONE salary of $58,000 a year. The mother could cook a meal for her family of six for $4. It was just so great. One thing to cut is our energy bills....UNPLUG ALL your appliances when you're not using them. Even appliances plugged in, and not turned ON will still eat away at your utility bill (ie the TV.) Little by little, this adds up. So, I've gone around and unplugged EVERYTHING! I had no idea how many things I had plugged in that I NEVER use. If we want to watch tv, we'll just have to plug it in....turn on the light....just plug it in.
We have been using the envelope system for several months now. When Tony gets paid, we take out a set amount of cash and divide it among envelopes: Groceries, Gas, Sweetie Fund, Car Overflow, and Grocery Overflow. Grocery fund includes groceries, diapers, and eating out. Sweetie Fund is my and Tony's personal "allowance." This can be used to rent a movie, buy a coffee, go out, buy the kids a toy/treat, gifts, etc. Anything left over at the end of the month goes into the overflow envelope for things like oil changes or car maintenance. Get this...THIS IS THE FIRST MONTH WE HAVE HAD GROCERY OVERFLOW! I can not believe it. I was a bit skeptic when we started LIVING Advocare, thinking, "is this something we can afford right now!?" But, ya know what...we have been SAVING money! We just aren't buying the crap food we were buying before. We are eating whole foods, eating better, not buying soda, candy, garbage foods...and instead, supplementing our bodies with healthy vitamins, minerals, and BETTER food! And, the best part...we have money left over. I am just amazed. I was having such a hard time budgeting, and not running out of money towards the end of the time period. There would be 4 days left until Tony would get paid, and the grocery envelope would be empty...and I had NOTHING planned/available for dinner. Now, don't get me wrong, we've been doing this for a long time, so I know that I am getting better at budgeting. But, I know that we have been saving so much as well. I am just so excited. I hope I can continue this and that we'll have left over money next month too.
All of this financial crisis can be so stressful and overwhelming. It has in some way impacted ALL of us. I know some very DEAR friends who have been DRAMATICALLY effected by all of this. It breaks my heart.
I am just so encouraged by today's show...there ARE little things we can do in our own home to cut costs and maybe even get ahead and SAVE in this scary time. Every little bit helps right?
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I think it is a VERY wise thing to do to take some time to analyze areas where we can "cut back". I also am not a big fan of Oprah, but if an idea on her show can be used to help us be better stewards of what God has given us then that is a good thing. ( I won't even go into all I think of what she is doing personally, but let's just say that after listening to a series on Spiritual Warfare it seems to me she fits all the criteria of being a false prophet. But that's another issue... :)
I know most don't want to hear it but with Jeremy being in the profession that he is in I get an earful about all that is wrong with our economy. (I won't be surprised if he comes home from work one day with some canned food, a goat, a gun and tells me he just bought 100 acres in the sticks. :) Kidding! Sort of...)
From a biblical perspective there has been some serious disobedience and likely there is going to be some serious discipline. Interestingly enough, the pastor of the church we are visiting posed this question recently, "What is wrong with praying to be humbled?"
We are all about praying for blessings but humility is a very worthy quality that I know I am in serious need of. This might be a prime oppurtunity for the church to learn some...
I LOVE the envelope system. We have been doing that for about 4 years and it has worked well. We have a grocery one, a "personal" envelope for my and Jeremy's (and for what the kids' might need) spending money, and a deposit to savings. That way if I charge something online I can pop the money into envelope and have it waiting in our credit card savings account already when the bill comes. We do charge gas since we are pretty fixed in the places we go, but I have made a serious effort to stay home 2, 3 OR 4 days a week which has been a big change for me in the last year.
I think it's great to share ideas of how we save $$.. Interestingly enough getting rid of buying "junk" seems to be healthier for our bodies, checkbooks and our hearts. I do feel like God has been challenging us as of lately to not just be worried about our own comfort. That as His Hands and Feet we are still responsible for others. Things may be getting tight for us all, but saving money is key to keep us out of debt, but also to ensure others are taken care of.
I was convicted by this statement by Frances Chan recently, "We have a serious problem when our standard of living becomes more important than others actually living..."
I know I can get consumed by my own comfort, stupid little things that are so selfish (hmm...the way my washer and dryer doors open into each other and make it very hard to do laundry for a family of five. :) But then again I HAVE a washer and dryer. And others don't even have water to turn on. I don't want to forget that; I wonder if it's easier to forget it when times are good or times are bad??
On a different note, Becky, I'd be interested in some posts on how what Advocare specifically is, what supplements it is providing to your diet, etc. I looked at the website and it was confusing to me. Also, it seems like it doesn't allow processed foods which I have found to be a HUGE thing in making me feel better. Do you think the Advocare itself is more connected to your overall feeling of health as opposed to just stopped all the junkie stuff? Just curious...I'd love to hear more about what you think because I DO think our bodies are abused by all this junk we are constantly putting in it...if only the junk wasn't so yummy! :)
The plug in thing has just been brought to my attention also recently in a magazine so I have been working on that.
Also like Willow said, I have really been looking at my thoughts. Even this morning... we have a smoothie maker and the dispenser is broken (but you can still pour it out) and I was thinking...hmmm I need a good blender but then I told myself.. "You know what? This works fine and if I start using it more often and it really becomes a pain then I can just add that to my Christmas list." I am trying to think this way so much more often.
Our finances are in the worst place they have ever been and for so long I have wanted to give up "living like the JOnes'" and NOW I finally am! I just live WITH MY Jones (my son) instead!
I am starting to think with this connection of MOm blogs we can change the world!!!!
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