Surprises

I like to read blog entries about tips for saving money.  I try to be frugal in as many ways as possible and it's always fun for me to read what others do in this area. 

One of the things I have had to learn as an adult is that I can't always get what I want, when I want it.  Don't get me wrong.  I was no pampered girly-girl growing up.  My parents put me to work as soon as it was legal for me to work and I was responsible for buying my own clothes, paying for my own entertainment....I enjoyed it and found I was naturally thrifty and able to save money for big purchases.  The only problem with that was that it was all about me.  I bought MY clothes, paid for MY movies, records/tapes/CDs.....my, my, my!  Since I was single, I didn't have to worry about anyone else's needs and was able to get what I needed, usually when I needed it.

Fast forward 20 years, and now here I am with a family.  *I* want things for MY family.  I can still make it about me.  What a gift!  ;-)  So I've had to learn to discipline myself to chill out and not run to the credit card when there's something I think the kids, husband or our house needs to have and instead of debt, I've discovered God's blessings. 

I normally hate surprises (I always read the last few pages of a book before I'm done with it), but lately I've been asking God for them.  I mean, who could resist, when God delivers things I've been praying about in such fun ways?

Last month I was sitting, waiting for my pal to arrive at our local homeschool bookfair so we could cruise around and look at all the stuff that we've tried and rejected.  She was running late.  Not a biggie.  I'm one of those geeky moms that carries around her recent craft project, so I pulled mine out of my bag and kept myself occupied.  While I was sitting there, a friend from our support group walked by, we saw each other, and she joined me for some conversation.  We chatted away, and I told her about how excited I had been to go to the Sonlight booth to get a hands-on look at the new Language Arts guides.  I told her that I was going to buy one level for each of my kids that are schooling.  Her oldest is about the same age as my oldest and she said, "Why don't you just take my daughter's L.A. guide?"  It was tempting, but I told her that I really needed to go ahead and buy it because I would eventually use it for the other kids. 
She said, "No, TAKE it.  We're not gonna use it after all."
"TAKE it?????  Let me pay you for it!"
"No!  Just take it.  I'll be glad to get it off my shelf."

I was SO excited!  Our budget has been tight this summer because we have been paying our OB, who expects to be paid in full before the baby is born.  When I finally worked out what I needed to order for the kids for school, we didn't have the cash on-hand for me to buy everything yet.  I had to wait a few weeks.  But it was agony.  Even after schooling for so long, I still get excited about new curricula, and couldn't wait to place our order.  I was tempted to go ahead and order everything on our credit card so I could get it ASAP, but I asked God for patience and prudence.  And because I waited, God blessed me with a savings of $35 on our Sonlight order!  How's that for frugal???  ;-)

Last weekend, we were chatting with our next door neighbors who are loading up to move to Vegas.  They gave us one of those bike trailers.  You know, those thingys that you put your toddler in when bike riding?  I have wanted one of those for months, but we just couldn't afford it.  Not even from our neighbors who were selling one in a garage sale.  Like I wrote, it's been just plain tight around here this summer.  Whenever I would think of it, I would shoot a prayer up to God about it and he answered us through our other neighbors.  What's so funny is that they don't even have kids.  Their youngest is in her 20's.  They bought the trailer for their three yipper doggies and never used it.  Woohoo!  I would have never thought that God would have answered my prayers for this trailer thingy through these particular neighbors.  But God knew what they had sitting in their garage!  ;-)

My husband and I have had so many stories like these during our marriage.  God has been so faithful to us.  Reminds me of the verse:
For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
      Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8