Concluding Remarks

Well, I'm tired of blogging about money. At least for awhile. But it seems like I have a lot of random thoughts about this frugal living thing that are rattling around in my head. I'm going to try to lay them out. Then, I promise I'll be done.

First, here are a few things I wanted to buy this month, but DIDN'T:

1. A new toothbrush for Eva. The flattened out bristles are doing the job, I think. Her new dentist will give the final word on that tomorrow.
2. Eric's special hair goup. Instead he has been taming his locks with a random selection of leftovers in the closet.
3. Lovely, natural, gentle soap from Trader Joe's. In it's place I found an old and highly perfumed bar of Irish Spring in the back of the closet. Yes, I've been a little itchy.
4. Zip-lock bags. I usually try to reuse plastic bags a few times anyway. My kitchen sometimes looks like a laundry mat for garbage when I'm washing them, but oh well. This month I ran out of new ones, and have not bought more.

Second, a few things that I am rethinking for future months:

1. My $45 haircuts. They happen once every three months, but seriously! That is half of our entire budget this month. You might not recognize me (or at least my hair) next year this time. Goodbye vanity.
2. Cable TV/Internet. I don't think we'll really get rid of it though. We have a super good deal, thanks to Eric's diligent sleuthing. And I would slit my wrists if I had to blog on a dial-up connection. Truth be told, we watch TV once a week. Wish we could get rid of the TV and keep the cheap, fast Internet.
3. Revoking Eric's credit card rights. No, I am not a money dictator jerk. I thought it and he said it, all at the same time. It is way too easy to drop cash on lunches at work, and I almost always pack him something to take. We're thinking about a cash allowance for work day expenses, but we're not sure how much is reasonable. Now, don't even get me started about tall mochas :).

Here's where I wax philosophical. I've been thinking about why I do this. In fact, does money even matter? I've concluded that it does. Back to the sermon series that got me going with this in the first place...how we spend our money reflects where our heart is. Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Where can we put our "treasure" that truly reflects our heart? Something to ponder individually, I suppose.

Also, the girltalkers have been blogging about the Proverbs 31 woman. "She does him good..." Proverbs 31:12 refers to her husband. As much as I've painted Eric as the spender lately, budgeting and being a wise steward of money is something he is very passionate about. So, I know that this is an area where I can serve my husband and do good to him. And it does me good too. Win/Win situation, folks!

Well, these are my thoughts for now. And as promised, I am ending this tangent. Thanks for asking so many questions and encouraging me with your comments. This has been a fun adventure for this mama!