Frugal (part 1)

Beorn has said I should write a book about how to live on next to nothing, since I seem to have brought frugality to the point of high art. I think I will leave the book writing to the authors in the family, but the idea has made me ponder how I am able to do what I do. So, I will share some of the ideas I have had and the things I have learned.

Probably the most important thing to enable you to live on a small income is paying tithing. We faithfully donate 10% of all our income to our church (even when it's just $5 for something sold on Craigslist). I know that that is the reason we are able to live on such a small income. Because we are faithful in paying our tithing, the Lord opens the windows of Heaven and things always work out. Somehow we have enough. The money (or the opportunities to earn it) always comes, I find what we were needing/wanting at an incredibly good price or for free, people offer service seemingly "out of the blue"...

We had to take a homebuying class in order to qualify for the downpayment money from the City. As part of that we had to do a one-on-one budget session. I have had a budget our whole marriage. I have record of it too. I didn't need to be taught how to budget or why it is important. So, they told me to just bring a copy of our budget for the lady to look over. And that poor, sweet old lady... she tried to make my budget balance. That was a task I gave up on YEARS ago. I used to agonize for hours at the end of each month, trying to make the money in and the money out make sense. It never would. I would go over the books, redo my math and stress and stress because the numbers just didn't add up. Adding up the receipts, we spent more than we made. But... there was money in the bank and we had no debt. It just didn't make sense. Finally, I had to just shrug my shoulders and thank the Lord for our tithing miracle. I've never balanced my budget since. I look at how much money will be coming in and set our budget as close to that as possible and diligently work to stay within that budget. Then I never ask how it is that the barrel of meal never empties. We are blessed. That is all I can say.

So - number one: live a life of faith and return to the Lord his tenth.