HAPPY SABBATH

I Love this talk so very much!  It is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITES! Now every time I buy something I  ask myself, "Why I am buying it"?  "What is my intention"?

It's helped me immensely!  Maybe it will help you too. :)



That was just a tid-bit.  To read, watch, or listen to the entire talk(which I HIGHLY recommend) go HERE.

My Newest Addiction

"One man's junk is another man's treasure." -unknown

I may or may not be 100% addicted to this show!!!  Yep, pretty sure I am! :)

Craft Day

"Frugality without creativity is deprivation." --Amy Dacyczyn

Got together with some of my favorite girls and had a craft day.  We made the cutest little flower wall decor that are made out of book pages!!! They are so very cute and didn't cost a thing!!!  Now that's THRIFTY!

 **Do you want to make one yourself?  Check out the tutorial HERE.

How great would these be at a wedding? Um, YES!

Mr. Goodwill Hunting

"I feel good about taking things to Goodwill and actually, I do like shopping at Goodwill. It's so cheap that it feels like a library where I am just checking things out for awhile until I decide to take them back." 

 ~ April Foiles
 

On the rare occasion that I actually get to watch day time T.V. (like when I'm folding laundry or ironing and such) 'The Nate Berkus' show is one I love to tune into.  Yesterday they  did a segment on decorating a room on a $300 budget and only using second-hand items.  As you know this was right down my alley.  You have to check it out!  Go to the video HERE. It is only a short clip and doesn't show the whole segment, but you should get the point that thrifting is AWESOME and saves you SO much money, and you can still have an AMAZING looking home too.

A blessing or a curse.

"I am having an out of money experience." ~Author Unknown

I have to admit that I have not always been a THRIFTY girl.  I've always liked getting a good deal , but I wouldn't say I was exactly "THRIFTY". GASP...I know right!  But like many of you out there, this recession has forced me to face reality.   Before, I would buy all my kids clothes at  Name Brand stores, and wouldn't necessarily wait for them to go on sale first.  I'd buy what I wanted, when I wanted it.  Why wait? We would eat out more often then not, or, we would eat out of a box.  I'm embarrassed to say that in the first 5 years of marriage we didn't even go through a 5lb bag of flour.  I can't believe I just admitted that.  But it's true.  Thankfully I've come a LOOOOONG way in the last 4 years.  Because of the recession I have been, not so gently, pushed in the right direction as far as finances go.  I use to think: "Why me?  Why do I have to go through this?  Why? Why? Why?"  Then one day (or maybe more gradually then I thought) I woke up.  I had my light bulb moment!  Why NOT me?  Instead I started thinking "What should I be getting out of all this and what was I suppose to be learning?"  I learned to tell the difference between a "want" and a "need".  I learned how to cook.  I mean really cook!  From scratch!  I'm talking, home made bread and rolls, noodles, and soups (not from the can!).  I learned what is truly important in life.  I learned that it actually was, and is, possible to be poor and happy.  I learned that there is so much more out there that is more important then money.  I learned the JOY of being truly "THRIFTY".   Life is good people!  Life is good!  I am SO HAPPY to have gone through the struggles that I have gone through.  Otherwise we would still be eating from a box; we would be living off our credit cards and wonder why we still weren't as happy as we could be.   I'm not saying that everyone needs to be like me or go through what I went through to learn these lessons.  You are all probably much smarter than I am in the first place.  I'm just saying that I have an AMAZING Heavenly Father who knows what I need, and knows what lessons I need to learn, so that I can become the best version of myself.  So not having money has become a blessing to me, not a curse.   It is funny (and slightly sad) that it took me a good two years to figure it out.  But I can honestly say that I know Someone is watching over me and even though I can't see the "BIG PICTURE" of my life, I know that they can, and I need to trust in that. So this "curse" became exactly what I needed to bless me for the rest of my life.

Peace vs Pieces?

Never spend money before you have it. The rule which I wish to see you governed by through your whole life, of never buying anything which you have not the money in your pocket to pay for. Be assured that it gives much more pain to the mind to be in debt, than to do without any article whatever which we may seem to want."
-Thomas Jefferson   

How? How?  Is the question I am asked when out shopping with friends/family.  How can you not buy things?  How can you be so strong?  This quote sums it up perfect for me.  I finally got to the point where I would rather have PEACE in my life then PIECES of clothing(or whatever).  Yes I like to look good, but you know what I like even more then that?  Feeling good.  I love the feeling I get when I DON'T buy that item and I DON'T put it on a credit card, and I DON'T pay interest on it.  I LOVE the feeling I get when I can say "You don't own me!" to whatever item is there taunting me to buy it.  I LOVE IT!  I can be strong!  I can make the choice whether to buy or not to buy.  Whether I have PEACE in my life or not.  So go out make your choice and BE strong!!!!

Thoughts in my Head

"Being frugal does not mean being cheap! It means being economical and avoiding waste." --Catherine Pulsifer

I do not consider myself a cheap person.  In fact I really do have expensive taste.  Often I find myself flipping through the Pottery Barn catalog dreaming of what I could do with all that amazing stuff.  But then my daydreams are ripped back into reality with a glimpse of the PRICE.  Ouch! Or walking through Nordstrom's and The Gap only to find myself once again shocked at the prices but longing for something amazing to wear.  I LOVE TO SHOP!  But with a dwindling paycheck, a goal to get out of debt, and a ever growing pull to stop being so wasteful, I had to change my mindset.  So I started shopping "Thrift".  I started digging through junk to find that one spectacular find; the one where I can't wait another second to call my sister for her pant size, because I just found a pair of "Big Star" jeans for $7, and they look brand new.  Or, to drive over to a friends to show them my very "loved", $3 chair that I can't wait to get a coat of paint on.  Or, the joy on my kids face when I find them a bike, or dollhouse that cost less then buying a 'Happy Meal'.  I just get excited people.  I get excited about THRIFT, about being FRUGAL, about saving that dime so I can put it towards helping others, or making memories with my family.  That is what life is all about, not who has the newest, nicest stuff; not about who spent more on their shoes or their handbag; it's about family, friends, and for me, my Savior Jesus Christ.  So that is why I LOVE THRIFTING.  It lets me spend my money on what really matters while helping keep things out of the landfills and while providing me and my home a one of a kind look.

Before and After:

My $3 chair from a thrift shop. Worth every penny don't you think?

I think this little girl has some of her Momma in her. She spotted this little goodie from a mile away. It was all folded up in it's cute little carrying case, and she still saw its potential. Or maybe she was just sucked in by all that PINK.  She's truly a girlie girl.  We paid a whopping $3 for it.  JACK POT!