So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, DO IT ALL for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Friday, November 2, 2018

Spending Month Purpose and Guidelines

So...  Last week I had this really long blog post wrapping up Me month. It was very "standing on my soapbox-ish". I usually give myself 24 hours of praying and then a re-read before I post something kind of preachy... and I'm glad I did. Beth Moore Bible study saved me on Sunday morning, so ya'll will get the less preachy/soapbox-ish version  of the conclusion to Me month later today. But for now...

Spending Month.

I took 2 weeks off this time (I'll explain more in Me month post), and that has put me in a different position than I wanted to be for spending month. It will go through the week of Thanksgiving (and Black Friday!!!), so let me outline the purpose, guideline, and fears.

Purpose: To know where all of our money is going and making sure it has a purpose and is not being wasted. To be a good steward of what the Lord has provided.

Guidelines: I will only spend money at 8(ish) locations. I will not purchase any non-essential items for myself this month.

Here are my locations:
1. Bill Pay- this is all the major (and not major) bills that MUST be paid every month. Things like house payment, electric bill, propane, phone, etc.... these all get lumped into one category.
2. Gas- I do a lot of running kids where they need to go, so I did not pick just one gas station. I can purchase gas anywhere, but only gas.  Gas stations will not be used for snacks or food, gas only.
3. Aldi- food purchases... though I don't get everything there, and it is not conveniently located to me, so I had to pick another one too.
4. Food Lion- I did not really want this to be my grocery store option... it's not my favorite. But I needed something that had long hours and was closer than a 25 minute drive. So here I am, stuck with Food Lion.
5. Local farmers/Amish- this is for food purchase also. Since food month and waste month I have really come to rely on some staples from these places and visit them often. I also think it is important to support local, so they get a spot.
6. School/Activities- I hate this takes a spot... but with 4 children in the public school system and extracurricular activities, there is always something that comes up that needs money from school, music or sports... so school/activities get spot number 6.
7. Doctor/pharmacy/dentist/orthodontist- these are necessary evils. I have three kids that see the orthodontist and if I didn't put these on here there would be a major medical emergency. I also didn't want "breaking the fasting rules" to come into play when trying to decide to take someone to the doctor or dentist.
8. Target- this is my "in case" store. I am going to try very hard not to use this store this month, but sometimes there are school projects or certain item that need to be purchased for an activity that you can't find at your local farmer/grocery store.

So... I tried to do a little prep for this month by purchasing or paying for things that I would need to during the month on the list. Landen's birthday party- pre-paid. Canvases/prints for the house- Groupon purchased. Holiday cards- already paid.  I tried to think of things I knew that would need to be done that are not fasting friendly... but I'm sure I will discover things I forgot along the way.

I also had a little girl date with my girls on Saturday. We went out to eat and did a little shopping for the baby so I could try to get a little of the impulse buy of adorable baby girl things out of my system. It was a fun little date and the girls LOVED shopping for their new little sister!



We also splurged and ate out a couple of times this weekend, knowing that we are entering a month of no eating out (again!). Side note: A lot of these fasts have required us to not eat out. I should probably take a closer look at to how that aspect of our life runs into so many different things...hmmm...

Couple of fears/anxiety:
Fear 1- Eating out. We don't do it a ton, and I'm aware it is a luxury not necessity, but I struggle with the convenience of it when I am exhausted, Eric is traveling, and there are a million evening activities. That probably means there are some pretty good lessons to learn there. Ugh. It also limits quick date options with my hubs during the day while kids are at school (on the rare occasion he is home) and meeting up for something quick with friends.

Fear 2- Christmas shopping. I've done ZERO! Black Friday falls during this fast and that is just the pits! I know this will keep me from buying a LOT of things I do not need... but again, ugh! It is also craft fair season... so many craft fairs!

Fear 3- Thanksgiving meal. I hate that I don't have the option of a better grocery store to pick up what I need to prepare how I want to prepare... but alas... Food lion and Aldi will have to do.

I guess I should also define "spending". This is money that we spend on our family's needs/wants. I do not consider money that is allocated for missionaries, sponsored children, tithing or any other donations that we make regularly (or that the Lord places on our hearts to make this month) to be considered spending. That is giving.

This month the kids and I will participate all month. Eric will participate when he is in town, it is impossible while he is traveling.

I'm excited and nervous to see what the Lord has in store for the month! Thanks for joining me on the journey!




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