We're coming to the end of December, and I've been praying, thinking about, and preparing some for these 30 days of simplicity in January. Here are a few things I'm preparing to do-
I regularly track our spending monthly, so I will continue to do that and will be able to see how much we're saving in January by cutting back and cutting out some things. One woman who previously did this exercise put notes in a jar detailing the amount they were saving ie: $20 for pizza night out that we didn't do, $10 for book that I didn't buy, etc... She tallied the notes up at the end of the month to see what their family had saved through abstaining from some buying and then gave that money to help build the Kingdom.
Another way of preparation for me is that I've planned out a menu and grocery list for the month of January for our family. That way I know what I'm heading to the store for this next month. Groceries is an area for me that I overspend in often and would like to rein in through some discipline. I've been amazed in December at some of the "hoarding" thoughts that have occurred when I'm at the store ("I could load up on this and sit pretty well through January" etc...).
I plan to pray and journal through the experience, and I plan to be learning from all of you as you share your journey. I'm also reading a small little book called Celebration of Simplicity by Joyce Meyer that has been so good for my heart.
And you? Any words as we prepare our hearts and lives for these 30 days of simplicity in January? (which by the way, I believe we should have probably made 31 days to complete the month! :) Please share under "comments".
May God grow our hearts to beat like His.
Laura
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Hi everyone! Alice and I (Laura) are discovering how this blogging works. Earlier today, I posted an invitation to all of you to join us in this simplicity experiment, and Alice then placed a post that followed the invitation but came out on top. So, it might be helpful for you to scroll down and read my other post first and then Alice's next. Thanks! We'll get the hang of it! :)
Laura Hoy
Laura Hoy
Why simplicity for me?
For me (alice), there are multiple reasons why our family would try this 30 Days of Simplicity experiment:
1. I know how easy it is to get caught up in our consumeristic culture and we need some intentional ways to get untangled from all the messages that tell us real life can be found in "buying stuff." I think a 30-day fast, of sorts, could help us get out from under the weight of our "BUY MORE!" society.
2. We have too much stuff. Like Laura said, we lose sight of what's important when we are drowning in our stuff. Shoot ... I can lose sight of the other side of the room! In some way, making literal space in our home might help us make figurative space in our heart and soul for God, for others, for generosity.
3. Others don't have enough ... and we want to help more. The simple truth of the matter is that if we spend less, we can give more. Period. We can give more to God's work at Orchard, to House of Hope, to Bread for the World, or Feed my Starving Children. I want to see how little we can spend for 30 days to see what simple habits we can include in our "real life." Maybe by changing a bunch of little things, we can free up more resources to give to God's work in our world.
4. I want to teach my kids that we are more than what we can buy. I want to teach them that we have more than enough. I want to teach them to be full of gratitude, instead of just full of desire for more. In some ways they are way ahead of me, though ... so I may just find that they end up teaching me these things!
I could write more about the slavery of debt, about my desire to have a more compassionate heart, about learning to be more obedient to Jesus' radical teachings about money and stuff ... but I think the 4 reasons I just wrote are enough for now.
The Shireys are going (to try) to cut our grocery spending by 1/3. We hope to buy nothing "new" for the month. No clothes, books, junk food. No dining out. No once-a-day "biggie" Diet Cokes from Wendy's (ouch). Nothing other than necessities.
We hope to do some purging, too ... to transport some stuff from our home to Goodwill. We will purge catalogs and magazines that make us want to buy more stuff from our shelves. We hope to eat the food we have in our pantry and freezer until it is all gone. We hope to give away clothes and shoes and coats that we aren't using. You get the picture. We'll see how it goes ...
One last thing ... we also want to make this a month of gratitude. So, we'll do some writing about that along the way, too. A month of simplicity AND celebration. I think God might just smile on this!
1. I know how easy it is to get caught up in our consumeristic culture and we need some intentional ways to get untangled from all the messages that tell us real life can be found in "buying stuff." I think a 30-day fast, of sorts, could help us get out from under the weight of our "BUY MORE!" society.
2. We have too much stuff. Like Laura said, we lose sight of what's important when we are drowning in our stuff. Shoot ... I can lose sight of the other side of the room! In some way, making literal space in our home might help us make figurative space in our heart and soul for God, for others, for generosity.
3. Others don't have enough ... and we want to help more. The simple truth of the matter is that if we spend less, we can give more. Period. We can give more to God's work at Orchard, to House of Hope, to Bread for the World, or Feed my Starving Children. I want to see how little we can spend for 30 days to see what simple habits we can include in our "real life." Maybe by changing a bunch of little things, we can free up more resources to give to God's work in our world.
4. I want to teach my kids that we are more than what we can buy. I want to teach them that we have more than enough. I want to teach them to be full of gratitude, instead of just full of desire for more. In some ways they are way ahead of me, though ... so I may just find that they end up teaching me these things!
I could write more about the slavery of debt, about my desire to have a more compassionate heart, about learning to be more obedient to Jesus' radical teachings about money and stuff ... but I think the 4 reasons I just wrote are enough for now.
The Shireys are going (to try) to cut our grocery spending by 1/3. We hope to buy nothing "new" for the month. No clothes, books, junk food. No dining out. No once-a-day "biggie" Diet Cokes from Wendy's (ouch). Nothing other than necessities.
We hope to do some purging, too ... to transport some stuff from our home to Goodwill. We will purge catalogs and magazines that make us want to buy more stuff from our shelves. We hope to eat the food we have in our pantry and freezer until it is all gone. We hope to give away clothes and shoes and coats that we aren't using. You get the picture. We'll see how it goes ...
One last thing ... we also want to make this a month of gratitude. So, we'll do some writing about that along the way, too. A month of simplicity AND celebration. I think God might just smile on this!
Why try some simplicity?
I think for me, it's a focus issue. The more I want to focus on Jesus, the more I'm realizing that it helps to get rid of some of the clutter that keeps me distracted. The more I declutter and uncomplicate, the more time and space I experience in my life for things that matter most. And I want more of that. Especially in the financial realm. I want to be able to free up some more financial resources to be used for God's work in the world. But all of this takes some intention and a lot of practice to help break out of some lifestyle habits that I've formed.
So, let's practice together. You're invited to join in this 30 day experiment in simplicity. For the month of January, we're simply going to practice making some choices that help to free up some time, space, and money for God. I anticipate some great learning in the process, and everyone involved is welcome to comment and share their experiences on this blog. We're not going to set the parameters for you and your family. You will need to pray about that and do that yourselves. If you're like me, God has given you an idea of what encumbers you.
For the Hoy's, we're going to cut our grocery/household items budget by 1/3 in January. And we're going to refrain that month from eating out and spending money on outside entertainment. We're also going to refrain from buying clothes, books, or any other unnecessary stuff. As for gift buying, we have some to do in January for birthdays, but we're going to be intentional and smart about not adding more clutter to someone else's life. We're also going to place some intentional practices throughout the month that help us become more globally aware and help us to practice gratitude.
If you're planning to take part, please feel free to comment on this post and come on board! Let's be open to what God has to teach us as we fast some from excess, noise, busyness, and consumption in January. And know that the ultimate goal in this simplicity experience is that God would grow our hearts in love for Him and for our neighbor! Looking forward to journeying with you-
Laura Hoy
So, let's practice together. You're invited to join in this 30 day experiment in simplicity. For the month of January, we're simply going to practice making some choices that help to free up some time, space, and money for God. I anticipate some great learning in the process, and everyone involved is welcome to comment and share their experiences on this blog. We're not going to set the parameters for you and your family. You will need to pray about that and do that yourselves. If you're like me, God has given you an idea of what encumbers you.
For the Hoy's, we're going to cut our grocery/household items budget by 1/3 in January. And we're going to refrain that month from eating out and spending money on outside entertainment. We're also going to refrain from buying clothes, books, or any other unnecessary stuff. As for gift buying, we have some to do in January for birthdays, but we're going to be intentional and smart about not adding more clutter to someone else's life. We're also going to place some intentional practices throughout the month that help us become more globally aware and help us to practice gratitude.
If you're planning to take part, please feel free to comment on this post and come on board! Let's be open to what God has to teach us as we fast some from excess, noise, busyness, and consumption in January. And know that the ultimate goal in this simplicity experience is that God would grow our hearts in love for Him and for our neighbor! Looking forward to journeying with you-
Laura Hoy
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
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