Spending Fast

Over the last month, I have felt like God was dealing with my heart in the area of spending. I have gotten relaxed about my spending, not extravagant, just relaxed. The changes of this past year to our family have often led me to choose the easier, more expensive route in many cases. My relationship with money has always been something that has created fear, frustration, and temptation for me.

So, I have been seeking what God wants me to do about all of this. I feel like He is asking me to give up spending for a while. For now, I am starting with the month of Jan. As the end of the month approaches, I will evaluate and pray about what my next step shall be. Rick is joining me in this endeavor.

Here are the rules I have established for myself. For the month of January, I will only spend money on needs. What qualifies as needs? Food, household items we can't live without(toilet paper, diapers, etc.), gas, bills(mortgage, utilities, etc.) Any money that we have budgeted for other things like entertainment, clothing, spending money, etc. will all go into an account so that we can determine how much we have saved. I am also hoping to significantly lower my grocery spending this month to be able to save even more. I want to shop very little and spend very little and see how this impacts me. All of the money saved will be used to pay off adoption debt.

The funny thing is that it is has already impacted me quite a bit in leading up to this time. I have seen myself feeling fearful that I might need something and not be able to buy it. I have found myself tempted to buy some things now so that I will have them for the month. The hardest part for me will be the bargain shopping. That is how I make our income work for our family. I buy things on clearance. Whether it is stocking up on food when it is cheap, or buying clothes for my kids on clearance. I am not going to do that this month. Even yesterday, I felt a bit frantic as I realized that Bath and Body Works is having their Semi-Annual Sale. I was thinking that if I shopped online, I could buy the stuff before the deadline. Then, I realized what I was doing. I didn't buy anything and I am glad.

We are making one exception. Sam has a bday this month. We are going forward with our original plan to celebrate and not taking away his "friend party" for this year.

There you have it. I am going to blog about this experiment throughout the month. I will share the good, bad, and the ugly. I am just asking God to use this sacrifice to develop my character and draw me closer to trusting Him more.