Times are tough right now, for most. I get it. It does seem though every day our current recession (or not a recession??) is getting more personal, and I feel like I am the lemon being squeezed to the last drop and then some. Before I go on, I must say we are very fortunate in these times compared to many. I have a job with insurance and it is one I love, that I believe in and leaves me with an invigorated confidence that I am living up to my values and applying my gifts. John has created a job for him self where he is able to help people live healthier lives, grow their own food, and helps his clients become more self sufficient and ecologically sound.
And, I recently got a pay cut of 2.5%. And our insurance raised it's rates making our premiums go up, again. And our insurance now has a deductible of $300 per person. And, that does not cover the hospital fees, or surgery fees making our out of pocket medical expenses this month $580 so far. I look at the articles on the top 20 ways to save money, then I search for the next 50 ways because we are already doing all of that.
Last night, though, we had the opportunity to make lemonade, in our time of sqeeziness. It is cold now, and our wood stove is STILL not installed and we need to cut our gas bill down significantly because of the other bills. So we put a small efficient heater in our room and had a camp out with all four of us. It was sweet to be close to Isaac as he recovers, and have Emerson lean over and give his brother a kiss and a well wish. When Isaac cried out in the night, I could reassure him in a moment's notice.
Yes, we would love to be making more money, or for prices of things to quit going up. Yet last night I was thankful to see the beauty of being squeezed in the four little black eyes that closed around me and greeted me as the sun rose.
aw Karon- that made my eyes get misty- it is a gift to be able to see the bright side in the midst of difficulty- the perspective that gratitude gives really does bless & empower us- thank you for taking the time & effort to record & post- you are an
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I think there is a point where you really can't do much more. You are already downloading whatever coupons you can find for the healthy foods. You are making stuff from scratch. You are shopping at thrift stores and not eating out. I have a link to a woman in Israel who is penny pinching to the extreme but she is doing stuff like reusable toliet paper,no cell phone, foraging, no dryer for clothes, never throws a scrap of food away and has the tightest food budget and meal planning I have ever seen. She has no room for a garden or animals. She is also very young and so are her kids. She gets away with it because she is very idealistic.
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