Mu husband and I, as a friend recently put it, have gone through about 5 years worth of life changes in the last 14 months. Needless to say, it has not always been easy to handle. My husband has lost his job twice in the last 12 months, we've been married, and had a baby. Being a young married couple is hard, but throw in having two older step kids, having to find childcare, and having their mom move about 35 miles away from where you live makes it harder, especially when you are making that trip 4-8 times per week.
Jason and I often wonder how we've managed to get through the last year without losing our home or a car, managing to keep the kids clothed, managed to keep food on the table, two cell phones, etc etc. I realize many of you have not had to worry about those things or haven't in a long time, but for those who have, you can certainly relate. Luckily, we both have great families that have really helped us muddle through. Its nice to have people you can count on, but its also frustrating at times, knowing that you need other people's help. Going through periods like this are very hard, but they also build a lot of character (hey, looking at the bright side!) It really makes you realize what you can really live without. For instance, we haven't had cable since 2009. I know, I know. But we have streaming Netflix and a converter box which allows us many channels for free. Now, I couldn't imagine spending $200 a month on cable!
I think its hard sometimes, watching other people be able to purchase new cars, or get their hair done every month, or get to shopping all the time. Its a constant struggle with "why God?" and wanting to be able to have expendible income so we can buy stuff we want to buy. We've both been in a place where we had money and I am sure we will be there again. Obviously, God has some plans for us, some lessons to be learned, and some character to build first, and that's ok.
I will tell you that it helps us teach the kids that you don't always need "stuff" to be happy. Ultimately, having limited means requires some creativity in the entertaining department. It also requires doing things together that have us being very interactive with each other, so its nice to spend quality time. I wanted to list some of my favorite cheap things we've done as a family of four that cost little to no money.....
1) Going to the park. This is definitely one of our favorites, cause it also involves being active! We usually bring a picnic lunch and a kite, or a ball, or anything and just spend the day hanging out.
2) We love going to the movies, but seeing new releases in a new theater is ridiculously expensive. Honestly, even if we had the money to spend, I wouldn't do it regularly anyway. Unless it was a movie that was worth it. For example, seeing Avatar 3D. A new release for a family of four would cost us roughly $60!! So we just go to one of two dollar movie theaters close to us. They show new releases but they are just an older theater. So, a trip to Kroger to get some dollar candy, a drink to share, and a movie for four of us costs less than $20.
3) Game night at home is something we don't do all the time, but will every once in a while. Jason loves to make popcorn, so we just grab a bowl each, get in our pjs, and play.
4) We found our rec center has some cool stuff to do for cheap. The indoor pool (and they do have an outside pool with water slides) costs $3 for kids for the day. Not too shabby!
5) We swim during the summer. A lot. Every day. Since we have an apartment, its nice to have access to a pool!
These are just the top five, but you get the picture. Yes, Jason and I are not able to take trips, we didn't get a honeymoon, we don't buy each other lots of presents, and we don't get many nights out (even before the baby). Our money almost always goes to stuff we need and not stuff we want. But, I think we are very happy, regardless. I in no way wrote this to say being financially blessed isn't a great thing, because it is. God wants us all to have things we desire! But if you are going through a growing pain, like we seem to be, just know it will be ok, even though that's a fact that is sometimes easy to forget!!
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