It is time to grow a bit more in the area of frugality. Way too many soul-soothing stash enhancing purchases going on lately with the stress of the move. At least I recognize what is happening and am willing to try to curb it. Time for some more projects to get finished out of supplies I already have on hand. Time to keep track of where those dollars are going and make sure I am planning ahead for events and needs. New school uniforms are only a few months away now....that is a scary, scary thought!
I have finished more projects lately than I have ever finished before, so that is good. I am finishing my second crocheted bag this week and am able to give some really neat gifts this month. I won't talk too much about them yet because one of my readers is a recipient! So some of this stash enhancement has been for direct use and cotton yarn is NOT cheap. Each bag has over $25 worth of yarn in it! I wasn't able to catch the sales like I wanted to this time around, but I will know from now on that I have to wait for them to be on sale.
And time to quit going through the drive-thru at Starbucks and out to lunch. Time to get in gear and prepare most of the meals at home. I figure that the hour I spend preparing a meal for my family is an hour that I earn about $40 because we sure can't eat anywhere for much less than that. When I realized that this week, it kind of took my breath away. And the hour that I would spend planning my meals for the week and making out my shopping list (if I actually stuck tighter to it) would be worth even more. All for doing things I know how to do. Making money putting systems that I have already developed into place. Hmmm....
I wonder why it is so hard sometimes to do the things that I know work well for me. Sometimes I just forget what they are. Sometimes I am stressed and just have a hard time getting started. Sometimes I almost sense a bit of self-sabotage going on but I am not sure why that is the case. Why would I not want to succeed at these things? These are the things I have been pondering this week. It has been a week to be reminded that material goods are not going to ever make me feel better. Now the process of working creatively makes me feel a lot better, but the stash enhancement doesn't. Strange balancing act to control. Oh, and that idea of being in control, when will I realize that is such a joke? But still I continue to keep striving to "have it all together" or to "stay on top of things." But here is what is weird, I know I feel a whole lot worse if I am not prepared. If there are no groceries and no plan, it is instant icky. If the house is wrecked inside and out, I hate to be here. So a certain amount of control keeps me sane. But how much is too much? Hmmm......
I have always dreamed of having a buddy that would act as my personal trainer and remind me to get back on track and to get moving in the right direction again. But I have always had to gather the gumption to inspire myself or to turn to online friends and forums that focus on such home and organizational planning. Usually I do pretty well. But a move can knock the rug out from under me even though I know it is coming. I know how to deal with it. I know it will soon be over. But this one seems to be a different kind of challenge for me. I am growing in a different way because I am not allowing myself to think that the majority of the packing and planning are my responsibility. I am learning to work as part of a team called my family. It is a very good thing. But I have to admit, it is a bit unsettling for me, too. But we will all be better off in the end. I just wish moving day would come soon!
Off to finish the i-cord I need to thread through the top of my new bag! Finished the handle last night. Maddie is vying for this bag, but I kind of like it myself! We'll see who ends up with it in the end. I might need to sell it this week! LOL! Then neither one of us would feel bad about the other one not having it! I think I decided it didn't need to be lined. I can save that beautiful fabric for another bag. The way it curves in at the top has me puzzled about how to construct the lining and it is very tightly crocheted. But then it won't have pockets. Another thing to Hmmmm.....
