I didn't used to be a person who had a reason for doing things. Most of the time I did things just because others did or just because that was the way I was taught. But God blessed me with a hubby who is an "analytical thinker", and I suppose it has rubbed off on me over these past six years of marriage! With all of the changes I've made in the last few months, it's made me think about my recent choices in frugality and my motives behind it. Some of you may wonder what is the big deal of getting "deals", clipping coupons, etc. Is it really worth the time and effort? Does it really matter? Yes and yes. =)
1) I believe that the Bible teaches good stewardship. I ought to do the best I can with what God has given to me. (This principle alone applies to so many other areas besides finances!)
2) My hubby works very hard to earn the money, I don't want to "fritter it away" on just anything! If he works so hard to earn it, I ought to work hard to spend it wisely. I want to be a blessing to him.
3) Staying under my allotted amount for groceries (my budget is for two weeks) allows me a lot of flexibility. Many times I have come across grocery items on clearance, and had I not had the extra "wiggle room", I would not have been able to stock up and take advantage of it. Staying under budget also allows me to buy some things in bulk and save money in the long run.
4) Having some extra things in the cupboard from deals at CVS allows us the opportunity to give and be a blessing. It has been a lot of fun to give it away!
5) I love the word my husband made up a few years ago as a title for a message...."Stick-to-it-tiveness." Basically the character trait of having the diligence and discipline to stick to something! This is a big thing that so many people struggle with in life...myself included! But if I can teach my children basic "sticktoittiveness" by them watching and learning from mommy what it takes to have self control and follow a budget, than I believe it will have great reprocussions down the road for them. (I know I learned a lot from my mom!)
I would love to hear your thoughts on this! Do you have a grocery budget? If you do, what motivates you to stick to it?
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ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm constantly learning about being a better steward of all that God has given us. One thing that has helped me keep us within our grocery budget is using lentils and other beans/legumes more often. Meat used to really put us over, and often it wasn't the healthiest choice. So I now substitute lentils for meat in several recipes. One bag of lentils is about $1.25, and it provides the substance of 4 meals in our family! This has obviously been a great savings to us. :)