Learning to Live with Less

 

Good Morning!  Wow, it has been so very long since I have sat down to do a blog post.  To be honest, I was not sure if I would ever do one again.  I have debated for the past couple of months of giving up my blog.  Things have been kind of tough for our family financially lately and I have just been down about it.  Sitting down to do my blog was not really giving me any enjoyment like it used to either.  So I took a break and I have found that I have missed posting and reading other blogs as well.  So I am back!  Happy to be too!

Over the past couple of months we have been dealing with money issues like I mentioned above.  My husband and I have talked many times in the past years about cutting back and watching our spending.  Well, it did not happen and now we are in a position of “Do it now or things are gonna get really bad!”  So, we have been cutting back our spending on things like eating out and shopping.  I sat down in July and calculated we had spent over $500 eating out that month.  Ugh!  Needless to say, it was time for a change around here. 

I am not going to say that this has been easy for our family to do.  I did not realize how much we depended on eating out and just running to Target to buy stuff.  I knew my husband and I were guilty of always doing this but our kids have been affected too.  Over the past few weeks they have said things like, “I want to go get something to eat.  I’m so hungry!  I can’t wait to get home!”  and “Please can I just get that one thing!  It’s not fair I can’t have that toy.”  Oh my GOSH!!!!  Trust me there has been a lot of this talk and boy, do I feel guilty.  Guilty for being an example of constant want and not necessity. 

So, we are learning to grocery shop better.  I am still learning this, so no advice from me!  Cutting back on extra shopping is tough as well.  I just try and go to Target once a week now.  I really try and put more thought into my purchases as well.  Asking myself, “Do I really need that right now or can it wait?”  or “Do I really need this item at all in our home or for myself?”  This is what it has taken for me to think about the money I am spending.  It can be tough but it has to happen for our lives to get back on track.  It is worth it if we can reteach our children that living with less is a good thing.  Live in the moments and enjoy each other instead of all the stuff around us.  Not that all stuff is bad!  We just need a lot less of it in our lives. 

Have a great day everyone!