Overall, month 5 was relatively easy for me...now that could mean I took the easy way out or maybe it means I am already very cognizant of my "footprint". Looking back on the month...
~~I found a few things I will keep...reusable shopping bags, cloth napkins, not washing my clothes after every wear (I am turning into a "weirdo")
~~I found a thing that I am not such a fan of...using up the food in my freezer. My life is just too hectic to be rummaging through my freezer, finding ingredients, and then searching the Internet for a recipe that uses those ingredients. I know, I know....what a spoiled thing to say! However, if I am being honest, I don't want to spend tons of time coming up with recipes for dinner. My life is busy enough. So, if that makes me horrible....then, so be it!
Moving on to month six...7 places to spend money. At first, I thought this was going to be a breeze. However, I broke the rules on day seven (My friend and I had been planning dinner in January and things kept coming up...so, on Friday, February 7th, I ate at a restaurant that wasn't on my approved list). Despite this minor slip up, here are my seven areas/places where I will spend money this month...
1. Walmart...come on, you can get everything there...food, light bulbs, socks...it is just too convenient
2. Sheetz
3. Online bill pay...I can't be delinquent on my bills
4. Kids school...you know they do feed them lunch daily (I know...I could pack their lunches each day with things I purchased from Walmart...but hey, its my list and I am alright with them buying lunch)
5. Doctors Office...I have at least one kid a week visiting the doctor. I mean the front receptionists don't even ask my name when I walk in anymore...they know another Siegrist child is sick or is sporting a weird skin rash :)
6. Limited travel expenses....on a normal month, this wouldn't be included in my spending but my friend and I are traveling to meet with the ladies from the Global Orphan Foundation about our upcoming fundraiser on March 22nd. Therefore, I will need to spend at a few other places. I mean you can't sleep at Walmart!
7. Birthdays...we were invited to a birthday party for some dear friends--not sure I can pass a Walmart gift off (but I am going to try and be creative with something from Walmart but needed to cover just in case I can't make it work). This one is definitely a cop out but I need to give myself some wiggle room...the stress is just not worth it!
So, there you have it...my list. Since we are 13 days into this month, I have already begun to realize how quickly I stop and spend money without giving it a second thought. Considering the fact that I am in the throws of planning an auction/fundraiser for orphans in the DRC, Africa, this month is already quite convicting.
I will leave you with some quotes I liked in the book 7: A Muting Against Excess,
"Just because we can have it doesn't mean we should.
If they (the early church) found out one-sixth of the earth's population claimed to be Christians, I'm not sure they could reconcile the suffering happening on our watch while we're living in excess. They'd wonder if we had read the Bible or worry it had been tampered with since their time.
We made it acceptable for people to do nothing and still call themselves Christians..."
