Saving & Giving Challenge - Days #1 and #2

September has arrived and with it, the beginning of my Saving and Giving Challenge. 

The night before it started, I prayed long and hard about this challenge. God put this on my heart for a reason and I prayed to be open to the lessons that He is wanting to teach me and the blessings that He will show me over the next 30 days. I prayed that He would show me where to give the things I'm giving away and that He would walk with me when temptation comes my way and tries to nudge me off the path of this challenge.

 If you are doing this challenge too, I pray that God walks beside you as you go through your 30 days. That He gives you wisdom and clarity when challenged and peace when the answer comes. Let's do this together!


Day #1:
Started off the day by deleting all the coupon apps from my phone. Goodbye Joann's. Goodbye Michaels. Goodbye Hobby Lobby. I didn't delete Starbucks because I still have a balance on my card which I will use with discretion. I did try to cancel the auto reload, but kept getting an error message. Maybe that's just God's way of saying "I know it's Pumpkin Spice Latte season and I got your back." Maybe?

All the shopping flyers I got in the mail went straight into recycling....not even a second glance.

Dinnertime was hard.  It was a L....O.....N.....G day for me as I volunteered in the school all day and then assist with choir rehearsals after school.  We're getting home around 5:30-ish.  Normally, I would have just said screw it and go through the drive-through.  Not today though -- and it just about killed me.....because I was just too tired to cook.  So, I have declared choir Tuesdays as "Sandwich Dinner Night"......AKA "Kids....you're on your own.  There's the bread....have at it."

Amazing, though....how much I crave a McAlister's club sandwich when I know I can't buy one.


Day #2:
My original plan was to start purging my closet and dresser drawers today.  But in true, "My Marine Is Gone And I Turn Into A Major Lazy Ass" fashion, my house is a pit.  If I put another random thing on my kitchen table it will be lost forever......and the kids are using Wetwipes in lieu of showers and baths because I need to wash bathroom towels.  I decided that I had to change plans and work on my kitchen instead.....this was a duel-purpose mission....both cleaning AND decluttering/purging.

I reluctantly cancelled a coffee date with a friend.  I so enjoy my coffee time with my friend, so for me to cancel proved this was a serious situation.  I texted my friend to explain....and she, being a fellow military spouse, totally got it and agreed to reschedule.  So, I sent the kids off to school....put on workout clothes, made another cup of coffee, cranked up the worship music and dove in.

I spent 6 hours in my kitchen today.  I played the "But I could...." and "What if...." game as I took things out of the cabinet and debated.....keep it, toss it, donate it, or bless a friend.   I purged old dish towels and banished them to the rag bin.  I got rid of mismatched wine glasses, odd-numbered napkins, and 7.....SEVEN....muffin tins. We're a family of FOUR for heaven's sake.....not the Duggars! Why did I have 7 muffin tins?  I recycled cookie sheets that looked like they were at ground zero for the first A-Bomb testing.

I went through a basket of recipes that I had been saving to try during my monthly "try at least five new recipes a month" phase.  I tossed old coupons, sales flyers, magazines I'd been saving to read during my "free time".

The recycling people are going to love me on Friday.

But when all was said and done -- I pulled out newly matched fall kitchen towels, lit my pumpkin-scented candles and looked at my uncluttered kitchen table and looked forward to when my babies came home from school. We will now have a place to gather for an after-school snack and talk about the day.....a place to work on homework.....and to enjoy a family dinner. Uncluttered and very, very peaceful......

At least until My Marine leaves again........