God Does Provide

The news of twins last week has really turned our nice little plan for our family upside down. There are many financial, physical, time, and emotional concerns.

I was feeling sorry for myself because we also don't have parents who can help us financially. I was driving along getting pretty angry at my parents for the poor financial decisions they have made; and how now in a time of need there is no financial support. (I still love them despite that.) Then God let me know that he is also my Father and that he can provide everything I need.

At that point I decided that I needed to put my faith in God and make our finances a matter of prayer. I talked to DH about it and he thought it was a good idea. So we started praying. Yesterday, DH looked at his bank account and found extra money from his work. It seems that he won some big award that he didn't even know about.

I felt very grateful to God for providing this extra boost to us. It showed me that he is aware of the stress twins is going to put on us. But God sent the twins and He will provide.

Did You Think to Pray?

Now that I am shutting down my business, I feel that I can now really open up about my frugality in a spiritual way. God is such a big part of our lives, and I have to give him credit for many things - including my frugality.

A few months ago we were hit with the "Many major things breaking at the same time" phase in life. You know the one, several major appliances go out, you have major medical bills, etc., etc. We had been going through this, and then one day the washer stops working. It was full of laundry and soapy water.

I got everyone off to school and work. Feeling overwhelmed, I dropped to my knees and prayed to God asking him to at least fix something in my life. I then went back into the washer and felt God guiding me to the solution. I got it to work and was saved the time and money of replacing it!

I shared this experience with my dear friend who's mom was dying. She ran into a similar situation with a car. She remembered my experience and she prayed for help. Right after her prayer the car started and she could do what she needed to take care of her mom.

God knows each of us and our situations. He wants to bless us and help us. The question is - do we think to pray?

The Ultimate BOGO

Sorry about the lack of pictures (again). Things here have been a bit crazy to say the least. I have been really sick in the first trimester of this pregnancy and today I found out why....TWINS.

I usually love a Buy One Get One special, but I'm in shock over this one. Early on I said that this would be the last pregnancy and that if God wanted us to have more than four kids he was going to have to send twins. Looks like he took me up on that one. HELP.....

Forbes Friend

Today Forbes came out with their list of the top 400 richest people. My friend Richard Peery was ranked #262. (He HATES it when this list come out.) This is the man that help inspire me to be frugal. He and his family are also some of the most down to earth and loving people you could hope to meet - and also some of the most frugal. His DIL and son have 6 kids and even though they are loaded she buys their clothes at yard sales. I have many other examples from them. They are really amazing!!

*Side note, his wife's sister is married to the man who owns Marriott Hotels. Looks like they know how to pick guys :).

Worth It.

I just got this from a recent customer. It is letters like this that make all the hard work worth it.

"LOVE the coupon binder I just ordered!! I've been couponing for a couple of months, but today was by far the easiest shopping experience I've had! With my 4 year old in tow and being 6 months pregnant it was still easy to see what coupons I had and pair them up with good sales. My total grocery bill was $231 and I paid $126, getting TONS of stuff to stockpile, including dish soap for $.83 and paper tow for $4 for a big 8 pack.

Wonderful product!!!! Totally worth the money spent on it!"

Wonderful letter!

Want Spot Filled

A few months ago I blogged about the "Want Spot". The place within us that holds our wants, and that is ALWAYS filled with wants. I talked about keeping mine around a while to see if I really did want that particular thing and if I did then to see if I could get it at a reduced price.

One of my wants this past winter was an Amaryllis bulb. It costs only about $6, but it wasn't a necessity and I figured if I could deny myself that, then I could deny myself of bigger things. (I do practice saying "no" to myself too -not just to my kids. :)

Well two days ago I was offered an Amaryllis for FREE. Turn out there is a lady in my congregation that has a real knack for propagating them. She found out I wanted one and offered to give me one - which I totally jumped on. I am also going to find out how she takes care of them and maybe I can grow my own from now on.

Try it. Pick one of your wants and keep it around for a while. See what happens when you do. I think you will be surprised at how much better - and cheaper - the outcome is.

Coming Clean

I have a confession to make. I am not Super Woman. I cannot run a business, a blog, raise three young kids, be pregnant (yes it's true), have a busy husband, have a babysitting job, be busy in church work, and run my house. I am coming clean....I HAVE A HOUSE CLEANER.

It is a luxury I know, but Beth (my cleaner) is a necessity in our life right now. She allows me to focus on my Life Skills training with the DDs because I don't have to worry about the whole house being clean. She also allows my DH to take a break (somewhat) when he comes home from work. (He will send me to bed and stay up until midnight cleaning to help me. Now it is already done.) She allows for saneness in a very chaotic world.

Many people raise their eyebrows when they find out about Beth because of the cost. Remember how I said I have a babysitting job? That pays for most of Beth. Plus Beth doesn't clean DD's bathroom (that is their life skill) so that helps on the cost too. I shopped around and negotiated a fair price. And Beth is one of the best cleaners I have ever seen - and she's legal to boot!

I am SO glad that I have a house cleaner. I know that every two weeks, calm will come to the chaos and my house will be clean - at least for a few days.