Two Interesting Thoughts of the Week

I've been saying to myself, quite a bit lately, that I am tired of money being so tight. We are paycheck to paycheck like never before, and it tends to ware on us. Of course, it is no one's fault but our own that we live like this, but it sure seems a WHOLE lot harder to get ahead than it is to fall behind. Using the credit card is easy. Painful, but easy. Paying it off is not easy.

But I was walking through the house this morning and was overtaken by an entirely different thought. I love this house! And if living here means money will be tight for the first year, that's okay. I would rather be here and pinching pennies than crammed in that apartment with cash to spend. It's not like I would be spending that cash on anything life saving. This week, if we had an extra 20 dollars, we would go on a hunt for LA Confidential and buy some ice cream cones. I'm pretty sure I'm going to survive without those two items.

Money is tight but that doesn't mean that life isn't good. It means that life is transitioning. We are adjusting. Eating cheaper meals and buying more off brands. In fact, today was our first major shopping trip at Aldi. If you've never heard of Aldi, you're not alone. They have only been in the US since the mid 70s and have only been in my hood for a year or so. But it is a cheaper way to shop. They limit the items that they carry so that you pay for "food, not frills". And most of the brands there are not things you have ever heard of. But it is all good quality items. Some people hate it, but today, it saved us a lot of money. We are still going to run to Kroger to get a few things that we couldn't get today, but I feel good about it.

So my point is, I'm going to stop complaining about being broke. This is just a stage in our life. And frankly, I think it's healthy that it is getting us into a "spend less" mindset. We need that.

The other interesting thing that happened this week is that I started my period yesterday... several days late. I went to work yesterday deciding that when I left I would either be buying tampons or a pregnancy test. It was Tuesday that I looked at the calendar and was surprised by my lack of "monthly cycle" as Brett likes to call it. And to my utter astonishment, my initial reaction to the thought that I might be pregnant, was absolutely thrilled. I actually shed a tear or two. I was so happy thinking that I might be carrying our first child. All day, every symptom that added to that suspicion made me smile.

The next day was another story. I got paid and our balance went from almost nothing, to a good amount, to almost nothing again after I paid some bills. We just can't afford a baby right now. But a month and a half after turning 30 and admitting to myself that I wasn't ready for a baby, and being worried that at my age, if I'm not ready now, then I don't know if I ever will be, God has changed my heart and I know now that a baby (or two) is what I want. So we aren't ready, but it is absolutely time to get ready.

On that line of thinking, there are two major things that need to happen. I need to get back to a healthier lifestyle of good food and exercise, and we need to trim our debt. We have been thinking and talking about both of these things. We have made serious progress towards getting into a spend less, pay off debt, and save mindset. Now it is time to start moving my big butt.

I'm feeling really good about all of this. Today is one of those days that God's blessings feel so humbling and overwhelming. I am so in love with my husband, and positive change seems not only possible, but just around the corner. Maybe I will go for a walk tomorrow =-)

I'm off to get ready for Nikki's wedding! Hope you are having a great weekend!