Thankful

Today in Club ROCK we watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The kids were given popcorn and a drink during the movie. I instructed them to find someone in the movie who wasn’t thankful. If you’ve never watched the movie it is a great example of how not to respond when someone does something nice for you.

As I watched the movie last week, I thought of times when I wasn’t gratedful. How many times have I neglected to thank someone for something they did for me? In Romans 16, Paul writes a letter and lists over 25 people he is thankful for and why. He is an example of what  we should do.

Here are some of the people I am thankful for and why:

1. My husband because he sees beyond my flaws and loves me anyway.
2. Gabriel, he loves life and loves to help.
3. Noah, he still gives me hugs and kisses.
4. Adam, he loves to pray.
5. My Mom and Dad, for loving me even when it was difficult.
6. Papa and Nana, for caring for me as if I was their own daughter.
7. My sister Kathy and her family for perservering even in hard times and not giving up.
8. Don, Abbye, Reagan and Rylee, so glad their close so we can share the good, the bad and the ugly.
9. Aunt Tesa for always buying me the coolest gifts when I was young.
10. Terri, my friend who has the greatest laugh.
11. Helen, being my friend through the years.
12. Those who volunteer in Kid’s ROCK, they are amazing and love to serve the kids and their parents.
13. Friends who love me even when I make mistakes and forget to say thank you.
14. ROCK Church family for their love.
15. My neighbors, who care about me and one another.
16. For Steve at Starbucks who always has a smile and is so friendly.
17. Jina, my hairdresser who makes me look good.
18. For other churches and their pastors in Wilmington that have heart for those who are not Christ followers.
19. Those who read my blog even when I am inconsistent.

I could keep going, but this post is already long. Tell someone thank you today.

Planning from bed

Today, I have been catching up on blogs and being lazy. The last few days I haven’t felt my best, but still trying to remain productive.

Yesterday, I ordered Christmas cards from Snapfish. What excited me is their cards are much less expensive than others I have seen and you can order them on premium stationery. To save money this year, I am culling my list.

Bought a couple of Christmas gifts and saved quite a bit by using Coupon cabin. This site is free! Love free!

My decorations will go up on Wednesday since we are not going to be at my house for Thanksgiving. I will be off all day. Can’t wait to put them up!

This year I am responsible for the turkey at Thanksgiving. Over the past few years Abbye, my sister in law, has made an amazing bird. I spoke with her about the specifics and will give it a whirl. For those of you who haven’t bought your Thanksgiving trimmings you may want to check out Food Lions circular. I saved a ton.

I want wisdom.

Solomon is noted as being the wealthiest king of Israel. When God said to Solomon, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon chose wisdom and God gave it to him.

When looking at our finances Bryan and I ask God for wisdom. If we are wise in how we spend and save then we have more to give.

Here are some practical ways that have helped me save money over 14 years of marriage.

• Coupons-when I only worked part time I really was into coupons. I still use them, but I don’t have as much time to clip and sort.
• Second hand shops for kids-when they were younger I bought most of their clothes at Once Upon a Child. Now they are at an age that boys clothes don’t last to hand them down.
• Old Navy-this store has been great for me to find the boys clothes. Be careful to buy only what you need.
• Grocery shopping-there are several ways of doing this. One way is to make a menu based on the sale of the current week. Check warehouse prices too. It’s good to have a couple of meals  you’ve made and put in the freezer for when you would be tempted to go out to eat.
• Crockpot- If you don’t have one buy one. If you need recipes for the crockpot email me at Jenmcgee27@yahoo.com.
• Mint.com-this amazing site is free! It is for budgeting and tracking your spending. It is very easy to use.
• Renegotiate contracts-check prices on insurance, trash, phone and cable services. I called our cable company this year and asked what was the best deal they had and it cut my cable bill by 20%.
• Wait-If you want something or think you need an item wait. Don’t make impulse buys.
• Shop online for Christmas-If you have relatives you have to mail packages to for Christmas check out online shopping. Many places offer free shipping.

Don’t feel the pressure to buy everyone a present. What if you bought shoes for someone who needed them in honor of a friend or family member or sponsored a child?

If you are in debt or don’t know how to manage your money there is hope for you. Check out Dave Ramsey online.