..but what you do with what you do have.
An outgrown girl’s dress can become a nice shirt. An old video game system can be repaired for hundreds of hours of fun. A romantic dinner can be had at home instead of at a pricey restaurant. By focusing on what you do with what you have, with your blessings, you’ll live a happy life, not to mention a frugal one.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was turning over the kids clothing from summer (and spring) to Winter (and fall). I won’t kid you, it was a lot of work and took me a good part of the day to have everything transitioned, packed and unpacked. However, it really helped me focus on all of the things that we do have, such as enough clothes to stay warm this winter. And while my daughter doesn’t own the cool wardrobe from Justice, and my youngest will just have to somehow fit into the snow bibs that are two sizes too small, I could look around at the bounty and know that we are blessed.
Making the most of what you have is one part appreciating it all and one part being able to adapt and get creative. For example, since those snow bibs only come halfway up the chest, I can extend the straps to make them work. My son’s legs will still stay warm and dry, and his coat and boots will cover the rest until I can find a pair that is larger at the local thrift store or clearance sale.
We are so conditioned, myself included, to look at life in terms of what we need and how quickly we can get it. This is a modern phenomena. Folks generations back would not be able to fathom “running to the store,” unless it was for some small daily luxury, like a newspaper.
My challenge to you (and to me) is this: The next time you think about what you don’t have (for me this week it was the fabulous vacation a friend was taking), turn it around and focus on what you do have (for me–a chilly weekend to have hot chocolate, freshly popped popcorn and some Christmas movies).
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