Where I Don't Want to Be

Thinking back on growing up and what I saw as "normal" around me and even looking at the current situation of some, I see where I don't want to be.  I'm not talking about location - I'm talking about lifestyle.  A lifestyle of debt.  It is one of the saddest things I've ever seen in my life as it holds its captors in chains, seemingly never able to be delivered.

The lifestyle where even though you are not rich, you can live like you are with credit.  A home is possible thanks to credit.  Vacations are possible thanks to credit.  New cars every few years are common because of credit.  However, because of credit, which ultimately leads to debt, you end up having to put needed clothing and shoes on yet more credit.  When the bad times come, frugality also comes with it, but it is short-lived and once times improve it is back to spending money you don't have.

Yet, when hard times come, no one wants to be reminded of how they didn't save, or plan, in the good times - they want handouts to help in their time of "need."

This is the lifestyle so many live in and one that tries to snatch ahold of me as I try to leave its clutches.  We were able to fully escape debt several years ago and we only have medical bills now due to my recent pregnancy.   We aren't planning on getting a loan on a home because we don't want to fall into the same trap of debt that we have seen others in who still owe it after almost 50 years.  It has been the noose around many people's neck that binds them for life - all for the sake of "owning" a home, of which they don't even own yet and may not own in their lifetime.

However, I'm finding that we are not saving as much as we should in the times of plenty and we have gotten too comfortable in the good times.  What I see in this debt lifestyle isn't where I want to be financially. I want to prepare, have a storehouse of sorts for times of trouble and follow the principles of the Bible using wisdom in our finances and even helping those that are truly in need.  This is something I constantly have to bring myself back to or I will get carried away during the good times.  Stop and take account of your life and live debt-free!!  You can still be rich living debt-free - in all reality, you ARE rich when you don't have others' money but your own.

Don't owe others money (debt) but rather owe others LOVE!  Isn't that the just of the scripture:

Romans 13:8

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Frugal Recipes Inspiration

I admit that since having my baby, I haven't been very frugal.  I have needed to be because my son's special formula and then paying off all the medical bills is costing us a lot, but my energy to plan or time to prepare everything has been almost non-existent.  It has caught up with us, so in order to pay off our medical bills in a year - we need to get frugal again.  This will be hard for me because I've been spending $100 or so a WEEK on groceries and that is because I didn't have time to plan.  I admit that having a baby really changes things - I mean REALLY changes things, but things are starting to calm down a bit around here and I feel I can work in the planning to get frugal again.

I've come across a few blogs and post to help me get back to it and I call these, "frugal inspirations:"

http://theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com/

http://baconinmypocket.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-we-dont-eat-dog-food-around-here.html

http://smithlive.blogspot.com/2011/12/monthly-meal-planning.html

http://marysdepressionerarecipes.blogspot.com/
http://marysdepressionerarecipes.blogspot.com/2009/10/dirt-cheap-meals.html

http://www.food52.com/contests/239

http://www.budget101.com/frugal/dirt-cheap-recipes-815/

http://pinterest.com/budget101/dirt-cheap-recipes/

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2009/10/13/100-delicious-dirt-cheap-recipes-for-the-starving-student/

If you know of any more frugal websites, blogs or post - leave it in the comments!