The secret of enjoying life...on a budget

I was reminiscing (ok, having a pity party) about our life only a year ago.  We didn't have a child, we were living it up large and could afford mostly everything we wanted to do.  I thought how our life has changed and what had changed about it.  Of course I would NEVER trade Jaxon for the world, and we absolutely LOVE Montana, that being said our lives and our bank account has definitely changed dramatically.  Most of our financial problems are due to dumb choices like; having credit card debt, student loan debt and two car payments.  Now I'm a stay at home mama and that adds to the strain.

SO! How does one enjoy life on a shoe string (or floss string) budget?  Here it is, the secret weapon:

Be content with where you are and what you have. 

DH and I felt so convicted because we had become whiners caught up in stinking thinking.  Here we are with a beautiful healthy baby and money to pay the bills and we were being total schmucks!  The secret to enjoying life is to be content with what God has blessed you with.  Did you know that most likely all of you that are reading this are in the top 10% of the worlds wealthiest people?  Think about that.  90% of the world does not have what you have.  Shocking....and yet we whine and complain and look at our neighbors grassy yard and become the same color of that grass because we can't stand that someone has it better than ourselves.

I decided that for the next week or so that I am going to write how to live (and enjoy it) on a budget.

A final word about being content:  Being content is a spiritual and emotional thing.  Often I find myself having to brain wash myself and start counting my blessings.  Being content is looking at your paycheck and saying: "Thank you Lord for my paycheck" NOT "Wow, my paycheck sucks."  Being content is looking at what you have and saying "Thank you Jesus that I get to enjoy these things."

Here is Webster's definition of content: "Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied."

Work on being content and you will be able to have more fun, do more with what you already have and you will definitely be a more joyful person.

 All this content piggy has is mud and he LOVES it!

M.