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Shared Mar 1, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: A Family Vacation to Texas

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We Paid Cash: A Family Vacation to Texas

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We paid cash!

A testimony from Carolynn who blogs at My Little Bit of Life

Last summer my in-laws offered to pay for hotel stays if we went on a family vacation to Texas — leaving us to be responsible for gas, food, and activities. My husband and I really wanted to go because it had been five years since our last vacation, but we wanted to make sure we could pay cash.

The Plan:

  • We sat down and estimated how much it would cost in gas to get there.
  • We researched activities that we thought our family would like and their cost.
  • I signed up to receive daily e-mails from deal sites like Groupon and Living Social for the cities we would be visiting.
  • We wanted to have $1000 for our vacation and we had about nine weeks to save for it, so we had to save $225 per paycheck.
  • I set up a separate checking account with its own debit card and started transferring money into the account on payday.
  • We also made a “vacation envelope” that I would put a few dollars in, here and there, if we had a little extra in a budgeted category.

The Results:

We had a great time on vacation and we were really able to enjoy it and make some wonderful memories, knowing that we would not be paying for this vacation once we returned home!

Carolynn is a stay-at-home mom of four, ages ranging from 6 years to 18 months. She used to teach, but now blogs about parenting, pregnancy, coupons, finances, teaching, and crafting at My Little Bit of Life.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 29, 2012 comment

How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It! (Part 4)

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How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It! (Part 4)

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, if you did your homework yesterday, you now have a written routine created for your family. Way to go!

A Routine Only Works if You Follow It

Just having a routine written down on paper is not enough. You actually have to stick with it!

Now, like I said yesterday, you don’t have to follow your routine perfectly for it to make a big impact. But you do need to use it as a guideline on a daily basis. Even just following 75-80% of it almost every day can mean a world of difference in your home and life.

Here are four suggestions to help you stick with your routine:

1. Add One New Thing Every 3 Weeks

If the concept of a routine is completely new for you, don’t try to overhaul your life all at once. Slow and steady changes in the right direction will result in much more lasting and long term changes. As I’ve often said, moving in the right direction–even at a microscopic rate–is still moving forward.

I recommend adding one new habit every three weeks. Start with a morning routine and stick with that for three weeks. Then add in an evening routine and stick with it for three weeks. Finally, add in an afternoon routine and stick with that for another three weeks.

Once you’ve got your routines down, try filling it in by following your entire written routine. If that’s too much to add all at once, go back to just adding in one or two new things to your routine every three weeks.

2. Create a Checklist

I’ve found it really helpful to print a new routine for each day of the week to follow and check off as I complete each task. This might just be the Type A in me, but there’s something about checking off things from a list that helps to keep me on track.

If you don’t want to mess with having a new page for each day, you could print and laminate your routine and use a dry erase marker to check it off. And then just wipe it clean at the end of the day.

Or, if you’re more of a techy person, you could use some type of online program on your computer or smartphone. I use the To Do App for my daily to-do list (this is separate from my standard routine) and think it could easily be set up to have a standard routine to check off each day if something a bit more high-tech appeals to you.

However, don’t try to make it more complicated than it needs to be. A simple list printed on scrap paper with a pen to check it off can work just fine. What matters most is not how high-tech or elaborate your system is, but that it inspires you to follow through with your routine!

3. Get An Accountability Partner

If you feel like you’re not disciplined enough to stick with a routine on your own, find an accountability partner to help keep you on track. Maybe it’s a friend who checks in with you via email every afternoon. Or a neighbor who pops by every afternoon. Or your spouse who checks in with how your day went at dinner. Maybe you form a group of online friends on Facebook to keep each other accountable. Or perhaps you do something entirely different.

Think about what would most motivate you to stay accountable and then get that accountability system in place. No excuses; just do it!

4. Reward Yourself For Sticking With It

Create milestones to celebrate along the way. This inspires you to keep at it when you don’t feel like sticking with it. Plus, life is just a lot more enjoyable when you make time to celebrate your successes!

What ideas do you have for motivating yourself to stick with your routine?

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 29, 2012 comment

2012 Goals: February’s Update

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2012 Goals: February’s Update

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

In early January, I shared about my Goals for 2012 and promised an update at the end of each month. So here’s February’s update:

Personal
Read through the Bible in a year. {I’ve been keeping up with this faithfully}
Read through the 24 books on my 2012 booklist. {I’ve almost finished my February books plus read quite a few other books!}
Listen to 12 audiobooks. {Finished February’s audiobook.}
Run in at least one 5K race. {Almost finished with week 6 of the Couch to 5K program.}
Complete the Couch to 10K program.
Tackle 12 Do-It-Yourself Projects. {I’m making homemade Naan this week–hopefully!}
Focus on one habit per month. {I made early bedtimes a big priority in February and got so much more sleep this month. Still working on consistently getting up at the same time each day.}
Learn to use my new DSLR camera (huge surprise Christmas present from Jesse!!) & improve my photography skills.
Take at least one photo a day and put together a page every week for my Project Life album. {I almost have all of February done.}
Memorize Colossians using the plan and free download here. {I’m almost caught up with this.}

Marriage
Go on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise. {Done–read my recap here.}
Go on two Marriage Retreats (overnight trips sans children for planning, talking, goal accountability).
Have monthly date nights. {We had one date in February plus the cruise.}
Read four books together. {We’ve read a few more pages of one book together so I guess that counts for something!}
Read at least 3 books on marriage. {Almost finished with Rekindling the Romance–loving it!}

Children/Homeschooling
Continue regular dates/outings with each of the children individually. {I didn’t do so great at this with the cruise and us being sick this month. I’ll try again in March!}
Continue Grace and Truth memory book. {The children memorized four more verses plus two verses to a hymn this month.}
Ice-skating lessons for all three children. {The children just finished their first round of classes and we decided to go on to the next round because they all enjoyed them so much!}
Swimming lessons for all three children.
Finish second grade, begin third grade with Kathrynne. {Plugging away at this!}
Finish kindergarten, begin first grade with Kaitlynn. {Plugging away at this}
Start preschool with Silas.
Go on at least one field trip every month. {We didn’t get to go on a field trip because of the cruise and sickness.}
Go on at least one family vacation.
Finish at least 15 read-aloud books. {We’ve almost finished five read-alouds so far this year.}

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family
Write at least two handwritten notes every month to encourage someone. {I wrote & mailed three handwritten notes this month.}
Continue being involved in our local church, homeschool group, young couple’s group, and blogging accountability group. {Ongoing}
Continue with weekly get-togethers with both sides of our extended family. {Ongoing}

Business/Blogging
Continue to take Sundays off from blogging/business work. {Ongoing}
Continue keeping strict Office Hours for the business/blogging time each day. {Working on this–making a tiny bit of progress!}
Switch to a paperless planning system. {This is going well for me, though I’ve decided I’m probably never going to be 100% paperless for all things.}
Follow my weekly blogging plan. {I didn’t do this perfectly in February, but I adhered to it somewhat.}
Plan blog posts out at least a month in advance. {Not quite there, but I’m at least being much more intentional with my blogging this year than I’ve ever been before!}
Write and schedule blog posts at least a week in advance. {Making some headway with this, though I’m far from where I want to be!}

Financial
Continue to tithe 10% of our income. {Ongoing}
Give generously to needs in our community and around the world, as God prompts us. {Ongoing}
Pay cash for a new-to-us vehicle to replace our family’s van. {We were able to finish funding our vehicle fund this month. Now we’re starting to look at vehicles and hoping to find something in the next few months. We’ll see!}
Finish saving for and purchase a rental property with cash. {We were able to set aside some for this in February.}

How Are You Doing on Your Goals for 2012?

If you’ve posted goals for 2012, I’d love for you to post an update on how things are going and share your link in the comments. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to just leave your update as a comment. Let’s encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 29, 2012 comment

Donate Plasma and Earn Money While Saving Lives

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Donate Plasma and Earn Money While Saving Lives

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by Mary

One easy way to earn an income is donating plasma. Now, before you all say “EWW!” and stop reading, hear me out…

Yes, I realize that plasma collection centers don’t always have the best reputations. And, for some of them, this reputation is rightfully earned. However, most of them (like the one I work at, for example) certainly do not fall in to this category.

Our donor population, for example, is made up of mostly college students, soldiers, and locals who are simply looking for a way to put extra cash in their pocket while doing something that helps people.

Here are a few things you should know if you are interested in earning a little more money in this way.

It is a perfectly safe process.

Plasma donation is highly regulated by the FDA, as well as several other agencies. (Many of our medical staff employees have told us that we have more regulations than hospitals they have worked at).

When you donate, you only come in contact with sterile supplies. All lancets, sample collecting tools, and supplies for our machines are brand new and thrown away after each use, eliminating any possibility of transmission of a disease.

Now, that being said, there are some people who aren’t not suitable for donating due to health reasons. This is why every donor goes through a screening and physical process consisting of medical history, examination, and testing of a sample of blood.

And, for this reason, it is crucial that you are fully honest with the employees so they can be sure you are a suitable candidate. Also, each center is overseen by a licensed physician and there is always a nurse on site.

You are saving lives.

I mean this quite literally. Plasma is filled with proteins and clotting factors. These can be used to help people with primary immune deficiencies, certain protein deficiencies, clotting disorders, burn victims, babies born with hemolytic disease of the newborn, shock victims, and the list goes on and on.

For most of these conditions, there is absolutely no synthetic substitute for plasma, which is why it is in such demand — these people would either die or have a significantly reduced quality of life without these donations.

The money you earn is worth it.

You go through a screening process and then sit in a bed while you read, watch a movie, or surf the Internet for about an hour and get paid for it. The amount you earn per donation varies by location, company, and the weight of the donor, but our center pays anywhere from $20-$50 per donation, and you can do this twice a week! That is quite a chunk of change in your pocket!

Yes, I know this incoming earning ideas isn’t for everyone; but I really encourage you think beyond rumors you have heard about the process and check it out for yourself, for your own good and for the sake of the people you could be helping.

If you are interested, find a plasma center in your area and check it out.

Because plasma centers are run by separate companies, there is no one good way to find a center in your area. But, if you just run a google search “plasma center in (your town)” you should be able to find one easily if there is one around you.

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 29, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: Inexpensive advertising ideas for a home business?

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Ask the Readers: Inexpensive advertising ideas for a home business?

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Danielle:

I have recently started a cupcakery and bakery from my home. I am trying to grow my business, but am out of ideas for advertising without having to spend a lot of money. I have started a Facebook page, and that has helped, but would like other suggestions. Please help! -Danielle

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 28, 2012 comment

How to Develop a Routine That Works–and Stick With It (Part 3)

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How to Develop a Routine That Works–and Stick With It (Part 3)

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Before I get into this post, I wanted to remind you that I share this to help those of you who are struggling with organization in your life. If however, life is going smoothly for you or you just don’t need something else added to your life right now, just skip over this post, okay? The last thing I want to do is heap guilt or more things to do onto your plate!

Once you’ve determined your big rocks and mapped out the basic framework for your day, it’s time to plan the Time Blocks in your routine. Here’s how I recommend doing that:

1. Start With a Time Budget

Take your list of priorities and follow the instructions in this post to come up with a time budget for the 24 hours in your day. (See my time budget from 2010 here for an example of how this will look.)

2. Arrange the Order For Your Day

Once you have your time budget created, take those blocks of time and put them in a set order for the day. Do not stress over doing this perfectly, just think of how to order the time blocks so things would flow fairly smoothly in your home.

For instance, here’s what my current routine looks like:

My Current Routine

Up, Bible, coffee
Run
Shower, dress
Clean up bathroom/bedroom, start laundry
Blog
Children up, baths, hair fixed
Breakfast, Bible Time, clean up kitchen
Chores, switch laundry, dinner out from freezer
Homeschooling
Reading together
Lunch, read alouds
Afternoon Routine
Homeschooling
Blogging
Free hour
Dinner, Bible Time
Evening Routine
Time with Jesse, read

3. Make Sure to Include Margin Time

If you’ll notice, I have an hour of free time built into my routine. This gives some “padding” in the routine to allow for the inevitable interruptions and things that come up throughout the day. Plus, it also provides a time block for extra projects.

4. Keep It Simple

Don’t make the mistake of trying to pack your day so full that you end up overwhelmed and burnt out. It’s better to do fewer things and actually finish them, than to attempt a massively-long list and end up frustrated. Stick with the basics and don’t forget to focus on the big rocks first.

5. Don’t Worry About Following it Perfectly

We never follow our routine exactly. I view it as a guideline, not a strict slave master. It’s there to keep us moving in the right direction, but it can be shifted and rearranged somewhat depending upon how the day is going.

Now, if you start shifting things too much, you’ll defeat the purpose of having a routine, but do give yourself some grace and don’t feel like you need to follow it to a tee or you’ve failed. Good enough is always better than doing nothing at all.

6. Keep Tweaking It

A good routine is like a good budget: you keep tweaking it as your needs and life changes. If something isn’t working, change it!

Practical Application

1. Sit down and create a time budget.

2. Take your time budget and your big rocks list and develop a simple routine for your day. Type it up so you can easily tweak it, as need be.

If you create a routine or already have one, I’d love to have you share yours in the comments section.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to stick with your routine, now that you’ve created it! 🙂

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Shared Feb 28, 2012 comment

Q&A Tuesday: What do I do with all the outgrown baby and kid stuff?

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Q&A Tuesday: What do I do with all the outgrown baby and kid stuff?

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m trying to declutter my home. I have two children, a daughter (5) and a son (1 1/2). My husband and I aren’t sure if we are done having children.

So what to do with all the outgrown baby and kid stuff? I gave away all of my daughter’s girly stuff to friends of ours who had a baby girl. But there’s the crib that my son will soon outgrow, the stroller, baby car seat, bouncers, Bumbo, baby toys, baby clothes (I kept the neutral ones), cloth diapers, and my maternity clothes.

Currently it all sits in my basement in plastic storage bins. But it piles up! I’ve really gotten rid of a lot, donating to a maternity resource center and passing things along. But what I have left still takes up a lot of space.

If you’re not sure whether your family is complete, how do you handle all the outgrown baby, kid, and maternity stuff?

-Jessica

Great question, Jessica! And I think the answer will look different for different people. But here are some of my thoughts:

1. Get Rid of Everything You Don’t Love

If you didn’t use it repeatedly with your last child, there’s a very good chance you won’t be using it much with your next. Instead of letting it hog up storage space, pass it on, sell it, or donate it.

2. Get Rid of Everything That Isn’t In Good Shape

Don’t hang onto clothes or baby items that are worn out, stained, or ripped. Ditch items that are broken or have missing parts–unless you’re absolutely sure you will fix or replace the parts should you need them again. If you’re not 100% sure you’ll go to the effort to fix or repair an item, don’t hang onto it.

Better yet, if you want to hang onto something and it needs repair, go ahead and just fix it before putting it in storage. If you’re not willing to go to effort to fix it now, there’s a good chance you won’t be motivated to fix it when you need it, either.

3. Consider Whether It’s a Necessity

If you don’t have a lot of storage space, only keep the basic necessities. In my Having a Baby Without Breaking the Bank series, I wrote:

First off, we must start by asking ourselves, “What does it really take to raise a baby?” I believe our society has become so materialistic and consumer driven that we hardly know how to even think in basic terms.

Aside from lots of love and nurturing, here are the essentials I believe you truly need:

–Clothes (For starting out, I think you can get by just fine with around six onesies, six sleepers, a few pair of socks, a few hats, and 4-6 blankets.)

–Bed (unless you’re planning to co-sleep)

–Car seat

–Stroller

–Diapers/wipes (either cloth or disposable)

(And if you are unable to nurse–as I know happens on occasion, or if you are adopting, you would also need to add formula to this list.)

And that’s about it, folks. Seriously. There are other things that are nice to have, such as a swing, a sling (or ERGO), a few nicer outfits for baby to wear out of the house, a diaper bag, and so forth. But none of those things are absolute necessities.

4. Calculate How Much It Would Cost to Replace

If you love it and used it repeatedly with your last baby, ask yourself how much it’s worth. If you could easily and inexpensively replace or borrow something, it might not be worth hanging onto it for months or years–especially if you’re not sure you’re going to use it again.

5. Assess Your Storage Space

If you’re really short on storage space, pare down to the basic minimums. It’s just not worth it to keep items you aren’t using if you don’t have anywhere to store them.

6. Create a “Lending Library”

If you’re not using an item, you might as well loan it out to someone who could be using it. That way, you’re not having to store it, it’s not sitting somewhere unused, and it’s saving someone else from having to buy it!

Do you hang onto all your outgrown baby items and maternity clothes?

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 28, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

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Do-It-Yourself: Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Life Blessons shows you how to make homemade whole wheat hamburger buns.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 27, 2012 comment

This Week’s Gluten-Free Menu (and anyone have great gluten-free lunch ideas?)

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This Week’s Gluten-Free Menu (and anyone have great gluten-free lunch ideas?)

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I didn’t completely follow the menu plan last week since we were sick. I just didn’t feel like cooking at all, so we made it through Thursday and then I gave in and Jesse brought home takeout on Thursday and Friday evenings. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and not feel guilty. 🙂

At any rate, I didn’t do my freezer cooking plan, so I moved some of that to this week.

Does anyone have great gluten-free, dairy-free lunch ideas? I feel like I’m running out of inspiration–we’ve been doing a lot of eggs, veggies, and fruit recently and I feel kind of stuck in a rut.

Breakfasts

Cereal, orange juice
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (we’ll sub the chocolate milk for homemade chocolate almond milk)
Fresh orange juice, cereal
Coconut Flour Waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit
Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins
Cereal
Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, fruit

Lunches

Scrambled eggs, carrot sticks, salad (for me), gluten-free cookies
Hard boiled eggs, sweet potato chips, applesauce
PB&J on rice cakes, carrot sticks, apple slices
Egg & Potato Hash, veggies
PB&J Milkshakes, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 2

Snacks

Fruit/veggies
Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
German Fudge Bites

Dinners

Meatloaf, potatoes, steamed broccoli, gluten-free bread
Crockpot Chicken Fajitas, fruit
Goulash, tossed salad
Crockpot Chicken Tacos (we’re going to serve the chicken over corn chips with taco fixings)
Dinner out
Dinner with extended family x 2

Freezer Cooking

Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
German Fudge Bites

What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 27, 2012 comment

10 Weekly Goals

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10 Weekly Goals

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Last week all of us were sick at one time or another (or all week long!), so I had to set aside some of my goals for the week and just focus on taking care of the sick ones and getting well myself. I’m grateful that we are finally on the road to recovery and am hoping to get back to more normal life this week!

Last week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading In Grandma’s Attic and read at least 3 chapters of Corrie Ten Boom aloud to the children.

2. Begin our Countdown to Easter study as a family.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

Personal Goals

4. Finish reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess and Rekindling the Romance: Loving the Love of Your Life.

5. Complete week 6 of the Couch to 5K program.

6. Start listening to The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.

Home Management

7. Finish going through house from top to bottom and clear out clutter.

8. Finish Andalutheean Knitted Dishcloth.

9. Make Homemade Naan.

Business Goals

10. Finish writing article for MomLifeToday.com and RooMag.com.

This week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading The Boxcar Children and read at least 3 chapters of Corrie Ten Boom aloud to the children.

2. Continue our Countdown to Easter study as a family.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

Personal Goals

4. Finish reading Rekindling the Romance: Loving the Love of Your Life and Leadership As An Identity.

5. Complete week 6 of the Couch to 5K program.

6. Listen to at least one hour of The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.

Home Management

7. Implement our tweaked morning, afternoon, and evening routines.

8. Finish Andalutheean Knitted Dishcloth.

9. Make Homemade Naan.

Business Goals

10. Outline my talk for the MomLife Bootcamp in March.

photo credit

How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!

You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Feb 27, 2012 comment

How To Be Content With Less

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How To Be Content With Less

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

The following is a guest post from Tessa of The Recreational Word Slinger

Before I got married, I used to buy anything and everything I wanted when I went shopping. I was working part-time, going to school, and indulging my every want. You can imagine the shock that I experienced when I was married and had to stop buying things for myself!

I struggled with “little” purchases when I would visit Target or Kohl’s every now and then. I told myself that this $10 top or book would not affect our budget much, so I would stick it in my cart and go on my merry way. As you know, that type of thinking is dangerous. Those small, insignificant purchases tend to add up over time to one significant deficit in the budget.

After the concept of spending cash only was introduced in our marriage, I realized that I was much more satisfied with having less than I originally thought was possible.

Here are 3 ideas that can help you be content with less:

1. Expect less.

Stop expecting to buy something every time you run an errand. I was so guilty of this before we switched to using cash. I would think that I deserved a little treat for having to get out and grocery shop or run errands. Direct your thinking towards expecting less.

2. Ignore the urge for more, more, more.

This is easier said than done in today’s society. We are constantly bombarded with different advertisements telling us that we need more. We have to retrain how we listen to or pay attention to such ads. When you become immune to advertising, you might find that your desire for more decreases.

3. Look at what you do have.

This idea is by far the one that has helped me get over my obsession with stuff. One way to do this is by verbally thanking our Creator for what He has given us. When I am more mindful of the blessings that I have been given, then I find that I am less mindful of my humanistic desire for more.

What tips do you have for learning to be content with less?

Tessa Hardiman is a wife, daughter, cat lover, bibliophile, novice runner, substitute teacher, and the Recreational Word Slinger. She blogs daily at The Recreational Word Slinger.

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