Pantry Challege Check-In

Hi All! I started my self-imposed "Pantry Challenge" last Friday. My plan is to go until next Friday,May 8th. You know what I have learned more than anything? I have not been a good steward of what God has given us--I have been frittering money away. This has become obvious to me when I am aware of how many times I would have usually bought unnecessary items over the last week. This challenge causes me to pause and say "Do I really want to spend $$$ on this or put it in our adoption fund?"

So far, I have saved over $200 in one week! An example--Instead of ordering pizza for Grace's birthday, we used pizza rolls that had been in the freezer (savings $30). I've made a menu from the items that are in my freezer and pantry, and truthfully, will be able to extend my challenge further than next Friday.

Another example, is that I ran out of my salon shampoo. Typically, I would have just gone out and bought another $20 bottle without thinking twice. But, instead, I found some unused shampoo, and although not "salon" quality, my hair is doing just fine!

So, in summary, I have been able to save a little here and there! But the harsh reality is--we spend money without thinking and sometimes in a frivolous manner.

This little experiment, besides helping us save money for the adoption, drives home the fact that we are just stewards of "our" money. AND, our family hasn't been doing a very good job of it as of late. So, this challenge is helping reinforce what we "knew", but were not putting into practice--That it's all God's money, and we are just stewards of it!

Let's see how we do in the upcoming week! Humbly, Paula