Attitude of Gratitude - Day 11

Today I am SO thankful for my church family. I had a really fun girls night out tonight that helped to refresh my spirit as a Mom, Wife and Woman in general. I prayed so long for a church home with people who love the Lord and love the fellow member's of the church and I've hit the jackpot with ours! What are you thankful for today?

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 10

Today I am grateful for God's Mercy and Grace. Because somedays, every day, I fall short, need to be picked up and made new. I am so thankful for this verse and promise:


"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness"
Lamentations 3:22-23 (New International Version)

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 6

Today I am really thankful for my family. I know, everyone says that, but I've met some pretty wonderful people who are still waiting on a husband or for children and I am really aware of just how blessed I am that God would give me such abundant blessings in the 3 men in my life. So many of you have suffered loss when it comes to your spouse or your children and my heart has been recently burdened for those of you that have. If you are still waiting and praying for a family of your own or have lost your family in this life, keep your head up high and know that God has a plan and purpose for your life, bigger than you can even imagine.

"I love the Lord, because he hears me; he listens to my prayers" Psalm 116:1

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 1

Thanksgiving is exactly 3 weeks away - can you believe it? On a previous giveaway I asked y'all to tell me one way you had been blessed as an entry. I enjoyed reading those SO much! They brightened my day each time I read them. Want to know why? Because positivity is contagious! For the next 21 days, I'm going to list something I'm thankful for. It may be something that takes 2 lines and it may be something that takes 2 pages, It may be very serious or silly, either way, I'm going to focus on my blessings. Want to join me? Leave a comment telling us what you are thankful for today and bless the rest of us in the process!

Day 1: I'm thankful for Maxwell House Lite. I have been nursing my youngest so I can't have the full throttle stuff, but Maxwell House makes an absolutely fabulous Lite blend that rocks my world each morning. So here's to you Maxwell House, you have no idea how thankful I am for you each morning - ha!

Giving

I can not tell y'all how many times I have heard or read, "What in the world do you need 10 sticks of deodorant for?"  Stockpiling doesn't always make sense to people- it didn't make sense to me at first either. 

A big reason to stockpile is that it saves families a lot of money in the long run.  I understand, to an extent, the tendency to buy what is needed at the time and then buy a replacement when that item runs out. The problem facing those of us wanting and needing to save money is that the thing is rarely on sale when we need it. 

The blessing of building a stockpile is that it allows us to take advantage of sales at their peak so that when you do run out of the item in your cabinet, you can just shop in your own "store".  It's almost like buying peace of mind - going to a storage closet instead of having to physically go to the store, hope that there is a coupon, and pray that it fits into your budget.  It's buying for tomorrow instead of today.  For example, If you get 10 toothbrushes for free, chances are another sale will come along before you run out of them.

Want to know another great reason to stockpile?  To give to others. There are so many items we can get for free almost every week through couponing.  Naturally, these items may not meet our families needs but I guarantee you they meet somebody else's.  Maybe you don't allow processed food in your house, but  how wonderful does a can of spaghettios taste to a child in need? 

We have a very strict budget in our house with very little wiggle room outside our budgetary guidelines for monetary giving.  Thanks to stockpiling and using coupons we don't have to have extra room in our budget, just some extra coupons.

This past week I received an email about two teenagers in need of some basic hygiene supplies.  Those items can be so expensive and so, naturally, they could not afford them right now.  I have been couponing and playing the drugstore game for about 2 years now and we have a very adequate stockpile going.  I was so thankful for that stockpile when I got this email.  I often joke that I get a coupon high when I save a ton of money at the store, but truthfully, I do.  It's a rush and I really enjoy the experience, but it has nothing on the feeling you get when you can use those resources to bless someone else.

I've actually been on both ends of the deal - when I was 37 weeks pregnant with our first child, my husband lost his job and did not get a new full time job until 9 months later! It was a very stressful time, but thanks to the genorosity of family, friends, and our church we were able to make it through.  I don't know where we would have been without the love and grace of those willing to be givers.

Maybe you don't need 10 sticks of deodorant, but someone does.

Thanks to Amber over at Southern Illinois Money Savers for giving me the opportunity to do this post :)