LIVING ON LESS and LEARNING MORE!
(this is going to be the title of my cheesy self-help book i'm going to write one day!)


yesterday i was talking to a friend of mine and he asked me a very interesting question:

"do you wish that you would have stayed at your job as a nanny and been more sure of your income and your hours?"

my response was immediate:

" well, i know i am doing the right thing, i am following what i feel is right for me and what i was prompted to do. i feel like these trials i have faced over the last few months have been so important for me to learn, so i guess the answer is no!"

it got me thinking though. i remember back to the days of novell, where every paycheck was over $3000 and placed inside my bank account--i was free to do anything i wanted with it! i was also only paying $250 in rent each month and had very little else in debt. i remember being blessed with the ability to travel and do fun things- to help friends and family that needed it. i felt so free. not a care in the world. and pretty much i seem to always have been taken care of, by way of money. i haven't ever had to do much worrying in that dept- and for that i feel so blessed.

but what happens to that same girl, when she is thrown into a different scenario. she is challenged with not only the defeat of knowing that even though she is working like crazy, missing out on fun outings and trips with friends, it's also cutting into church activity and a social life, she is only paid 1/2 of what she is used to getting every week. all of a sudden those unexpected tickets and bills seem to weigh heavily-- now it turns into, how is she going to feed herself and what if something really dire were to happen and she needed to go to the hospital or something, what then? and then for weeks she is asked to look at a pile of checks that have plenty of money in them, but she can't deposit them and is forced to wait.

well let me tell you what happens to her- lest ye start thinking that this is an attempt at receiving pity.

she learns some of the most valuable lessons she has experienced, to date. she first and foremost learns that she has a Father in Heaven who is there in the details of her life. guiding and directing each problem and choice. she feels the love of her parents and family as they are there to listen to her fears and even send food all the way across the country (even a big bag of candy, cause her dad knows that she has a sweet-tooth just like he does). she is amazed by the amount of friends here that have shown up on her doorstep to help, to support and to laugh a little with her. she has learned that although she will never need a lot of money in her life- she can see by how not being wise with it can make you prisoner to it and will always stand in the way of what you really want to be doing in life. and last and most importantly, she has learned how to do one of the hardest things for her to learn-- to ask for help.

and so here i am with all of these great lessons in my back pocket. and those who know me, know i already and pretty frugal, but now that the paychecks and even tiny-er than before, it's been a fun challenge to see just how little i can live on.

no car at the moment- so no payment or insurance (or random shopping therapy trips to target)
cheap rent (and believe me you get what you pay for)
no credit cards
PB&J for breakfast lunch and dinner!
cell phone usage during the hours of 9 pm and 2 am (just kidding- i'm an early to bed kinda girl so don't call me late at night!)