Welcome!

I'm excited that you have decided to join me on the journey of "Frugal Living for Generous Giving". My hope is that I can share some thoughts, ideas, and encouragement for how we can save our pennies in order to benefit others. Please catch that little detail... it's not minor, it's central. We're saving so we can be giving generously.

How did I ever get started on this? Well, I've always been a "saver". I'd rather save money than spend it. I like to have a rainy day fund, and I like to have a plan for emergencies. I have lived on a budget for years, and don't mind it at all. In fact, I can live on a rather tight budget and be okay. However, something changed when I got married 2.5 yrs ago. I married a "giver". Andy loves to give. It can be money, it can be gifts, it can be anything he sees that someone else needs - he gives! He is SO generous. It's something I love about him. It's a great gift that God gave him. It's also a gift that began to highlight how selfish I was. Andy didn't mind giving until we had nothing left. I, on the other hand, preferred to keep our rainy day fund and just not be quite so generous. After all, it's not expected, is it? Well, it didn't take long for me to learn that telling Andy not to give was like cutting off his right arm. It's part of who he is (a wonderful part of him, I might add...) and I realized that I was hindering what God wanted to do in and through him. I needed a change of heart. I asked God to help me bless rather than begrudge this integral part of who Andy is, and He has. What joy I have found in giving freely to others!

As we started on a track of more unity in our desire to give (and as my joy in this area grew), I began to wonder how we could find more to share with others. The answer seemed obvious - either earn more money or spend less. Well, earning more isn't a viable option right now. Spending less didn't seem to be either, until I did some further research.

And thus began my intensified journey into frugal living. I use a combination of shopping strategies, store sales, store rewards, coupons, rebates, freebies, and other little tidbits along the way to help keep our costs lower. At the same time, we're taking steps to become debt free (check out www.daveramsey.com) so that we can free up money that would otherwise be used for interest on loans.

I am no expert. I know very little, but what I do know, I want to share with you. If you have comments or thoughts along the way, please leave them here. I'd love to hear from you.

(A note to my Canadian readers... While it's easier for me to find and post info that is relevant to US residents, I'll do what I can to keep a little Canadian content on here as well. )

Let the journey begin!