Spending update

You may have noticed (or perhaps not) that I've updated my spending wisely section on the side of my blog. It's hard to write in the numbers, knowing I'm being held accountable for how I spend.

I've been learning quite a bit about spending over the last month. Even more so, I've been learning a lot about myself. I've had many conversations with Patrick about this "fast" and we've discussed a lot of things that have come from it.

I was reading the other day and was convicted by a verse in Colossians that says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (vv. 2-4) I had to stop and ask myself, honestly, if I was setting my mind on things above or on earthly things. I wanted the answer to be things above, but when it came down to it - I want earthly things so much more.

What a hard truth to swallow. As much as I desire the Lord, my flesh is constantly waging war against seeking Him first. The moment I committed to doing this "fast" I began thinking of all the "things" I "needed". I don't really need new tank tops. Sure it would be nice to be cooler, but thats why I do laundry twice a week. :) Also, the verse says "Christ, who is your life". Oh my soul! Talk about conviction in how I'm living.

Two things came up over the last few weeks that caused me to seek the Lord, talk with Patrick and examine my heart. The first thing was going to a clothing donation center at a local church. This particular area is only open twice a month. At this time you can drop off clothes and/or shop for free. To me, it made sense to get some new tank tops and a few pair of shorts. They were free! However, after processing this with Patrick I concluded that this fast wasn't just to save money. It was mainly to change my thinking, my habits and my desires. Sure the clothes were free, but I didn't need them and they would have added up to one more thing to wash, fold and find a place for.

Another thing was this: I needed shoes for work. To work at the coffeeshop, I need to wear closed toed shoes. I have a pair of shoes that I can wear, but I've been working a lot and they were getting messy. I talked with Patrick and he reminded me that I was doing to fast not to save money, but to learn to spend wisely. I did a little online browsing and prayed about the shoe need.

I felt like it would be a worthy investment, since I would wear the shoes often, and a wise spend after I prayed about it and sought Patrick's advice. I stopped by Payless and tried on a few pairs of shoes. I found two pairs that I liked. One cute little red pair that looked great with the outfit I was wearing and another black pair with arch support, ventilation and comfort. Oh, what to choose. I decided to go with the black pair even though they cost more because of the quality and comfort. They met my needs without breaking the bank.

I was pleased with this experience. I felt like I really learned how to consider my options and seek the Lord to use our money. I like the shoes, too.

Also, I've been very mindful of our grocery budget and our Target budget. It's going well with both and I'm glad to see how I'm growing in this. It's stretching me and causing me to consider, strongly, before I buy. As hard as this has been so far, I'm really grateful for the lessons learned already!