For today’s Thrifty Thursday post, I would like share how I made seed starter pots out of recycled newspaper. I felt there is no need to buy those fancy pre-made starter pots when you can make your own for much cheaper and greener.

We are attempting to create our porch garden for as little as possible. So far we have spent $8 ($5 on seeds and $3 on starter dirt bricks). We are using plastic tubs that we already have as our main planters.

I used the instructions in this article to create cute little pots :) The great thing is that when transplating time comes, you can put them directly in the soil, so no worries about disturbing the roots of your seedlings. I plan to plant on Sunday or Monday. (P.S. Here is a handy article on how to know when to start your indoor seedlings).

All you really have to do to make these is first, mix up a little flour and water paste (mix 1/2 cup flour with water untill it is gooey but not runny). Then lay out your newspaper and roll it one turn around a glass that is about 1.5 to 2 inches wide (I just eyeballed it and then measured to check, because I didn’t read the glass suggestion until later). Thirdly, drizzle your paste mixture in on the unrolled paper and roll again, until you reach the end of the paper. Let the rolls dry overnight and then cut them in to approximately 3 inch sections. Here are the pictures of the process:

I also plan to use egg cartons I have been saving if I need more space. It is amazing how much “trash” is actually reuseable :)

This post is the seventh post in a series entitled Keys To Unlocking Great Relationships. Read the previous entries in this series here.

Today, I would like share a lesson I have been learning this week. It relates to acceptance and gratitude. A few events this week have caused me to realize how grateful I am for the people in my life and how much they teach me everyday. My husband is an ever-present example of patience and unconditional love for which I am eternally grateful. It is so easy to get caught up in the business of life that we forget to be thankful for those around us, and the lessons they teach us everyday.

He is also teaching me how to accept the things I can not change, while also encouraging me to act on the things I can control. Now, I just need to work on having the wisdom to know the difference :)

All that to say, I want to encourage you to be on the look-out for the teachers in your lives. Life may not be perfect (often it is far from it), but it is usually better than we think. Let’s encourage each other to take the time to look for the little blessings that surround us.

“There is no evidence to show that money is directly related to happiness or intellect. Studies have found that happier people generally: express gratitude on a regular basis; practice being optimistic; engage in frequent acts of kindness; savor joyful events, and practice forgiveness” -Web MD (thanks for sharing this Loren)

(This post was also inspired by this article)

Friends, I am so sorry I did not write yesterday, things got busier than expected, and we had dinner date plans to celebrate my husband’s birthday :)

For today’s post, I would like to share a quick preview of a topic I hope to write much more about: awareness. I know I have mentioned this before, but for me so much of my health journey has been about learning to be aware of where my resources are going especially my time and money. For example, I have increased my awareness by incorporating a budget into my lifestyle.

The concept of awareness also relates to my food and exercise. I am aware of how much food I am taking in? Am I aware of how my lack of exercise is affecting my health? I am area of how much water I am drinking or how many fruits and vegetables I get each day?

I plan to write much more on this topic, but for today, I just wanted to challenge you think about areas of your life that you could increase awareness. It is so easy to fall asleep and start making choices out of habit and convenience. Where do you need to be more mindful? I would enjoy hearing your thoughts in the comment section. I would love to offer posts and resources based around your needs and interests,

Today’s post is short and sweet. I just wanted to pass on a couple of quotes that served as much needed reminders for me this morning:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Although this doesn’t always feel true, it is true none the less. I am thankful for a Savior who longs to give me rest.

“Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself”
-Mahatma Gandhi quotes

Today’s Thirfty Thursday post is inspired by an issue of The Tightwad Gazette (a monthly newsletter circulated in the 1990’s about frugal living written by Amy Dacyczyn). My friend Terry had saved all her newsletters, and graciously shared them with me. I am so excited to read through them and find all kinds of interesting information to pass on to you. I suspect this will be one of many Tightwad Gazette inspired posts.

A concept Amy wrote about in the edition I was reading today was:

Active verses Passive Savings

She explained that saving money, is just as much about what we DON’T do as what we DO.

We are saving just as much money by cutting down on eating out as we are by making more items from scratch. This concept was really encouraging for me, because I often feel like in order to save more, I must do more. This can feel very overwhelming, and the reality is there are only so many hours in the day.

She also explained there will be seasons in our life where you are being more actively frugal (when you have more time) and seasons when you must rely on the passive frugality you have made a part of your life style.

This concept was so enlightening and encouraging. It challenged me to think not only about what I can do to save, but also things I can not do to spend less. These ideas also relate to my “true cost” discussion earlier in the week. I want to learn to incorporate both passive and active frugality in my life in order to be an effectivel steward of both my time and my money.

I hope you find these thoughts beneficial, and I would love to hear your opinions in the comment section.

One more thing for today, I would like to share a picture that I promised in last week’s Thrifty Thursday post about using old magazines to make homemade bows. These were my first attempts:

I am pretty happy with them, and I think it is very much worth the short time it takes to make them. Why buy bows new when you can make them out of something you already have? The more I learn, the more I realize going green and saving money really are two peas in a pod.

This post is the seventh post in a series entitled Keys To Unlocking Great Relationships. Read the previous entries in this series here.. Today’s post will be a continuation of my thoughts from last week, stemming from my review of Dr. Henry Cloud’s “Changes That Heal.”

This week I would like to discuss our desires and how they impact our relationships. Dr. Cloud explains that we are responsible for our desires. This concept really challenged me in light of my newlywed status. I realized I often hold my husband responsible for things that are ultimately my desire thus my responsibility.

Let me give an example. Susan’s desire is to have a beautifully landscaped yard. She asks her husband to spend his weekends working on the yard. The only problem is Susan’s husband does not desire to have a beautifully landscaped yard. He just wants an average but well-kept yard. Thus, he begins to resent Susan incessantly pressuring him to work on the yard.

This situation would be different if Susan’s husband had also expressed a desire to have a beautifully landscaped lawn, but he did not. He wants to love his wife and help her with her desires, but he is feeling over burdened by all the responsibility for the yard.

I must note that, this concept of desire must be balanced with the truth that we have responsibility to those we are in relationship with. We are called to live selflessly, and to give our time and energy to others. However, we should be giving out of a grateful heart, and not out of feelings of obligation and resentment. If we have a clear understanding of who owns the desires, we can learn to give appropriately without taking on too much responsibility. Also, if we learn to own our desires, we can learn to ask for help in the proper way.

For example, since a beautiful lawn is actually Susan’s desire, she should take the bulk of the responsibility for making that happen. It is more than appropriate to ask her husband for help but she should frame it as a request, not an expectation. She could ask by saying “Honey, I know you are really busy, but would you be willing to spend an hour or two helping me out with the yard on Saturday? It would really mean a lot to me”

One more thought on this example, another possibility is that they both desire a beautiful lawn. In this case they should share equal responsibility for the work it will take to achieve that goal.

Now I would like to give you a couple of ways to practically implement this concept to improve your relationships:

1) Identify who owns the desires in your stuck places.
Do you find yourself repeatedly arguing about the same things? For example, do you often find yourself saying:

“I want _____ to be different, or I wish ______ was or was not happening.”

If so, think about who owns the desires that drive those statements? If you discover that your desires drive them, is there a way you can take ownership of those desires? Or, is there a way you can ask for help by phrasing the request as an invitation rather than an expectation?

If you discover that the desire that drives those statements is a shared goal, you may need to share that you are feeling over responsible for the work it is going to take to achieve that goal.

2) Set goals with your spouse in order to clarify shared desires

If you have a set of goals that you both desire to achieve, you can better evaluate your wants and responsibilities. If a frustrating situation occurs you can go back to your goals and decide if the desire is yours, his, or a shared responsibility.

I hope you find these concepts as helpful and powerful as I have. Even though I have framed this concept in the context of marriage, I feel it is applicable to many other types of relationships. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!

Today, I want to share a secret with you….. I have a problem……

I suffer from emotional tunnel vision.

Even though it is not a diagnosable disorder, it can have disastrous consequences. When I start to pursue a goal, I can often lose sight of everything but achieving that goal. I am willing to make sacrifices, and I have a “Whatever It Takes” attitude.

The only problem with this type of tunnel vision, is that this type of living is rarely sustainable. In some ways, I think all humans suffer from this problem. We tend to vacillate between extremes, and we frequently start a goal with unrealistic vigor. New Years resolutions are a perfect example of this phenomenon.

However, I have good news! I belive there is a treatment for this disease and it is:

Learning to calculate “true cost”

True cost can mean different things depending on if you are evaluating an item or an experience. Let me explain. For an item, true cost is the amount of time, energy, and emotion that must be added to the monetary price of the item. This definition is most relevent for deciding if couponing, rebates, and made-from-scratch items are worth it. For example, is making homemade bread really cost effective considering the extra time and energy I must exert? Is it worth saving the $1 a week? We must also add in the environmental and health impact variables such as, making my own bread reduces my intake of preservatives and my carbon footprint by reducing my usage of packaging.

This definition is also helpful in evaluating how effectively we are using our time to make extra income. For example, is the thirty minutes I spent filling out surveys worth the price of the reward I will earn?

Another way to conceptualize “true cost” relates to long-term goals or experiences, such as paying cash for a house or seeking an advanced degree. For this, you must decide if the amount of pressure and loss you will have to endure, is worth the amount of gain you will receive. This is especially relevent to time sensitive goals such as getting out of debt in a year or losing weight. Often, when we try to achieve things quickly, we increase the amount of stress and sacrifice we must experience. It is imperative that we think about the effect these decisions will have on our relationships, health, and quality of life. If we go into a season of sacrifice with a full understanding of the impact, we will be better prepared to handle the challenges that come our way.

Here are some excellent resources I have found related the subject of true cost:

1) Here is a great article on moneysavingmom.com specfically about her journey to paying cash for a house. However, it provides valuable perspective for anyone trying to achieve financial goals.

2) Here is a free downloadable spreadsheet for tracking your grocery savings. If you are into spreadsheets, you will love this.

3) Here is an excellent guest post by Carolina Clipper that offers an awesome downloadable spreadsheet for calculating the cost of made-from-scratch baked goods. The practical tools section of her site also has many more great downloadable resources.

I think this is a very powerful yet often overlooked concept. If we are better able to calculate the true cost of our decisions, we will be able to invest our time, money, and energy in the most strategic and effective ways. Understanding the true cost of our choices will lead to
wiser and more informed decision-making and planning. This in turn will lead to a more balanced and healthy life.

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!

Wanted to give quick update:
Today Swagucks.com is turning 3 years old. I wrote previously about Swabucks here, but basically it is a site that rewards you for using their search engine and participating in their online community. Since joining four months ago, my husband and I have redeemed rewards worth over $25 with very little effort. It is a great site that rewards you for doing things you would already be doing online. Again, to learn more check out my previous post here.

Today is a great day to sign up because they are offering all kinds of bonus codes as a birthday celebration. Also, you get 30 points just for signing up! Join here!

Yesterday I was reading a devotional on 1 Corinthians 13:13 which reads:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I have heard this verse a thousand times, thus honestly, I had pretty love expectations for the devotional. However, the author posed quite an interesting question: Why is love the greatest attribute? He explained many reasons, but the paramount two being that God is love (1 John 4:8) and that Jesus sums up the entire law by instructing us to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-39).

I was challenged by these thoughts, and realized how quickly I lose sight of the truth that love should be the ultimate aim of my day. For the next week, my goal is to wake up everyday and ask myself three questions:

1) What is one thing I can do to love God toady?

2) What is one thing I can do to love others today?

3) What is one thing I can do to love myself today?

Yesterday, I answered these questions by spending some extra time in prayer.The question focusing my myself may strike some as selfish, but I am firm believer that if we do not take time to care for ourselves, we will never be able to adequately love others.  

I want to be more intentional about loving. The world we live in is longing for the love that only their Creator can give, and I want to reflect that love to myself and others.

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. ~Mother Teresa