Day 10: Ugh! The Grocery Store

I really need to plan meals and buy groceries. We're getting dangerously low. Not dangerously close to going hungry, just dangerously close to falling in to the eating out trap. We still have some organic sirloin steak and a huge roast my mom gave us when we were there for Thanksgiving. I don't usually roast or grill meat, so I've been avoiding it. I think today's the day. I need to pull out my recipe books or get on line and figure out a mouthwatering method for cooking the beef. If I don't we're sunk tomorrow after church. Ten days down, 21 to go.

Day 9: Spending vs. Investing

My friend, Tarah, invited me to speak at a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting today on the topic of "Ten Easy Ways to Go Green". Since I was diagnosed with liver disease and we've gone from two incomes to one, I've become much more interested in detoxing my body and house and in saving money. As I finalized my presentation last night, I realized once again how good stewardship (of personal resources like time, energy, money and possessions, and of God's creation) and frugality are the building blocks of a simple, generous life. I can't explain exactly how it happens; I just know that it does.

After all, what good is money if it's only used for things that break, blow away or burn down? We all have two choices. We can either spend our money on wants and whims or invest it in something that will live forever - people's souls. I feel so blessed when I can take part in helping an abused child go to summer camp, sending missionaries halfway around the world, donating diapers to young moms at the crisis pregnancy center or providing meals for the homeless in my city.

Money is amoral, and it isn't powerful in and of itself. But, in the right hands, it can be an instrument of blessing and comfort for stricken souls all across the globe. Maybe that's what this whole frugality experience is really about, that sinking sense that I'm foolishly spending, instead of wisely investing, the money God has entrusted to me for a few short years on earth. The economy might be rocky right now, but I know one thing for sure: using money to bring life and love to God's children is always a safe investment.

Day 8: Little Numbers Make a Big Difference

My sister called me last night to tell me she and her husband have canceled their home phone service too. She also downgraded her Dish Network plan with a total savings of about $60 per month, or $720 per year. After scrutinizing her spending habits this week, she's also decided to go cold turkey on her Pepsi slush habit and not color her hair for six months. I heard hope in her voice and the satisfaction that comes with feeling in control instead of powerless. Because the amounts were relatively small on a monthly basis, she said she'd never really thought about how they all add up to a big drain on the checkbook and her emotional energy. But she's making a big change, one baby step at a time. Bravo, Amy!

I used up the last drop of that hideous body lotion this morning. Now I get to treat myself to one of life's little luxuries - Arbonne Unwind body lotion. I found three sample size bottles that my mom had given me last Christmas. It's botanically based, the scent is intoxicating, and it moisturizes better than anything I've ever tried. Now let's see how long I can make these 2-oz. bottles last.

Day 7: Define "Need"

It's amazing to me what we, in this culture, and I, in particular, consider "essentials". After all, we made a pact - that we would only buy essentials for one month, just 31 short days. Yet, I found myself at the Batteries Plus counter today paying for a new cell phone battery. Granted, my cell phone is my only number now that we've done away with the home phone, and the schools might need to contact me, and the cell phone battery has been freaking out for a couple of months now. (See how easy rationalization is? I'm the master.)

Standing at that counter, my heart sank when I considered that 90% of the world can't get TRUE essentials, including food, clean water, and life-saving medication, as easily as I can get a life-draining cell phone battery. I felt wonderfully blessed and woefully burdened all at once.

We officially added the first item to our "30 Day List": a new American flag. We took our Christmas flag down, and it's time to fly Old Glory again. But, she's looking a little ragged. Approximate cost: $20. Truly a small price to pay to display our love for this country and to honor the people who have died protecting our freedom.

Day 6: Snacks, Snacks Everywhere

I took the kids to see our neighbor in the nursing home right after school which had "disaster" written all over it. They're usually hungry and grouchy, understandably, at that time of day. So I knew we would all be tempted to swing through our favorite ice cream place, conveniently located just down the street from the nursing home, and devour four 79 cent cones. You'll be happy to know that I avoided disaster by planning ahead. Snacks to the rescue! Before I left the house to pick them up, I grabbed a water bottle, grapes, string cheese and a box of graham crackers. Victory! We did stop by the grocery store on the way home to get some snacks for their lunches. Probably not the healthiest options in the world, but more nutritious and less expensive than school lunch.

Day 5: Does Coffee Always Smell That Good?

I visited my 98-year-old neighbor in the hospital today, and I swear the coffee cart in the lobby was screaming my name. I don't even drink coffee, but it smelled so good I almost succumbed to the $4.00 a cup scam. It was a close call, but I just picked up the pace and speed walked out the lobby, puffing my cheeks with held breath and trying not to look too obvious.

Sad to say we've already broken the no eating out rule. Steve was the offender, but in his defense, he was planning on coming home for lunch. But he found out this morning a friend of his is in the hospital, so he decimated the budget by squandering $2.12 in the Wendy's drive thru. I guess he can get a pass since he was actively involved in visiting the sick.

I really want to buy some new body lotion for my lizard skin. We're using up the half empty bottles we've had since last winter, and now I remember why this particular bottle never got used. It's terrible! But, I'm choosing dry, scaly legs until every drop of that horrible stuff is gone. It's the principle of the thing.

We'll be watching the Fiesta Bowl (and the 4,000 KFC, Subway, Hardee's, Pizza Hut and McDonald's commercials) tonight. I'm sure they won't affect us at all. Nerves of steel.

Day 4: Our First Sunday

We've told the kids about our January plan, but our son was none too happy when Daddy informed him we were not eating at a restaurant after church today. He was craving McDonald's or Mexican, not lame leftovers at home. We were all hungry and the thought of cleaning up yet another kitchen mess didn't appeal to me. But we stuck to our guns, heated up leftover spaghetti and bread, snacked on grapes and carrots and topped it all off with peanut butter pie and vanilla ice cream. We left the mess until after "family nap", but we all agreed it was worth the $30-$40 that we saved.