Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

It has been and continues to be a difficult time for the economy of our nation. Every day the news reports are chaotic with the falling stock market. The world economic structure is starting to rattle and shake as well. I watch and wonder “What to do?” I know that I am not one of the richest people, so I don’t have anything invested, we also can’t afford to loose much. What I have noticed along with the gas prices is that my grocery budget has sky rocketed. The dollar just doesn’t purchase as much as it used to.

Over the years we have learned to live very frugal as a family. We have made some choices that required sacrifices. I chose to stay home and raise our sons and not work or work odd jobs that didn’t pay much except a little spending cash. Now that the guys have grown up I have had some days when I wonder if we made the right choice, based on my lack of experience and feeling like I have very few employable skills. In another post I talked about adding the skills I learned as a MOM to my resume’, knowing that I learned enough skills to be the CEO of my household, and thinking I just might have obtained the skills to run a company.

Anyway, as I watch the news and hear the reports of people trying to “cut back” I realize we have already done some of the work to live within our means today. We are driving cars that are paid for, we are diligently working to pay off the credit debt we have and are getting very close. Our home that I have at times been so frustrated about living in for 20 years is close to being paid off. So for now as the economy shakes we are doing okay.

I watch my sweet son and new wife make the transition to married life and adjust budgets from singleness to the Responsibilities of family life, and I am sad for them because it is such an unstable time. I am also thankful that they are having to evaluate their priorities now in a new frugal way and to learn to live simply before they make any major house purchases.

It is time to simplify our lives as a nation and pay attention to the way we live. To acknowledge our over spending and get prepared for the days ahead. God is faithful and I believe He is trying to get us to move back away from excess so that as the economy goes amiss we will be living on safer ground.

Don’t be afraid, it is time to choose to spend wisely and to teach our children that not every thing we want is a necessity. We have so much everyday and we have so much we really can live without.

I laughed a couple of weeks ago when a question came up in a small group, “What can you not live without?” I chuckled because I can avoid the grocery store until I run out of dog or cat food, milk, bread or toilet paper. The toilet paper causes a panic when we get to the last roll. So my really have to haves are pretty basic.

I know I am living well and I have a roof over my head, we eat three + meals a day, we are clothed properly and our health is good. Their are many people in our city, nation and world that don’t have their basic needs met, so the economy is causing great hardship for them. So as the finacial instability of the economy begins to worry me I need to focus on keeping in sight the blessings I have and not fret that I can’t buy that new house, new car, all the clothes I want or even stop at Starbucks everyday.

I am not making light of the situation, but I know that it could be worse. We may have to control our spending, but is that really such a bad idea? We just might benefit from living a simpler more frugal lifestyle.

I am rich beyond measure,

Tanya