I thought I needed it?!

Ever find yourself realizing that you didn't know you wanted IT until you saw IT?
Ever find yourself discovering that you never did use IT even after you bought IT?

Who needs it?!

No bones about the fact that I would rather be toiling in and boiling from my garden than standing in line to pay at the grocery market. 
No doubts that I prefer the individuality of handmade over the implications of commercially made.
No two ways about it. If I can grow it, make it, mock it, or manage without it, I prefer it.

I like to think of myself as the frugal minimalist employing the will of a realist 
in my efforts to persist in resisting the urge to splurge. It is not always easy.

Newspapers are stuffed with colorful flyers filled with products and great prices for every season.
TV commercials run on relentlessly extolling the virtues of everything for every reason.
Cocky claims ridicule our intelligence by claiming to be valid justification for the whys of what we want.


 We shop for savings but value the prospects of bagging the real deal- happiness.
 All we have to do is shop guilty free.
 The more we shop, the more we save. The more we spend, the more we get paid!? 

Who needs it?
The End of the Impulse Shopper Great LINK HERE

In the interest of sparing my hard earned money
and in opposition to credit card interest and profitability,
I make a LIST and do my very best to stick to it.

 List making is an essential tool for living on a budget.
There were many days as a (Domestic Engineer) and very busy Mom
to four young Sons that I could hardly remember my name
 let alone recalling what I needed at the market when I got there.
 Pushing two buggies (one for groceries and one for children alone)
 around the market without a list I admit, found me to be lost!

If I am not in the market for it, I forget it. Toss the flyer in the fire...
The result of looking through any number of the flashy flyers could result in my desire to acquire
not only debt but also the guilt that often accompanies an unplanned purchase.
I take great pride in arriving back home with only that which I went for.  

Teach your children well

Impart wisdom by example. 
Seek freedom in the truth
of being honest with self.



The originality of living simply 
does not require keeping up 
with everybody else. 

 I am often surprised to hear my boys recalling memorable moments of their childhood.
 I don't hear them extolling the virtues of the expensive hoody that I would annually splurge on
 or hear of the benefits of a luxury toy they received from a friend or relative, whom for a special occasion had afforded IT.

No, rather I hear them speak fondly of meaningful moments in their lives
 that typically included their brothers, their Dad and I.  
There is no mention of what was worn or of the toy that they toted
 it's all about the experiences they recall from a life of love and it's comical commotions. 


 Ingenuity sparks creativity.
Creativity begets originality.
Originality beckons individuality.
Individuality incites integrity.
Integrity grows opportunity for individual ingenuity....

Who needs it anyway?


 No bones about the fact that I would rather be toiling in and boiling from my garden
than standing in line to pay at the grocery market. 
No doubts that I prefer the individuality of handmade over the implications of commercially made.
No two ways about it, if I can grow it, make it, mock it, or otherwise manage without it 
I prefer it.

 I do see a need however for a little more FREE Time.
Free as in not occupied otherwise and Free as in not being out of pocket for getting IT.
 Free time to be with the need to be free!

I challenge you to finding five FREE things to do with your family (or yourself) this week. 

#1. Head to the Beach where there are many treasures to behold.
#2. Head out on a walk to the local park.
 Can you name the people in the neighborhood houses along the way?
#3. Pack your lunch, your skates and your mitts and head off to the local outdoor skating rink.
A local game of shinny may be just what you need.
#4. Pack up a blanket and a thermos of cocoa too before heading to an outdoor, evening airing
 of a favorite family movie. Gratis the local community center.
#5. Head out on the highway with a recycling bag to see how many cans you can collect in an afternoon.
How many of the wild flowers and weeds that you find can you name?