I am reminded again that it is little things that end up being a big deal.
It's January, so a great time to reassess health issues, especially weight. As I live into my 40's it has become apparent to me that it will take more of an effort than it used to to remain at a healthy weight. In some of my research, I learned that simply overeating by 200 calories a day is enough to add 10 pounds to one's body over the course of a year. 200 calories could happen just by grazing on little bits of food between meals! I am learning it is the little, daily choices that add up ... and end up having much more of an effect than a few big choices that happen occasionally. Little things + Time = Big Deal!
I am also finding that little things make a big difference in my spiritual life. Choosing to pray while I drive rather than just listening to NPR, refusing to turn on my computer prior to greeting God for the day, going to bed on time so I'm not grumpy and sleep-deprived. Little things + time = BIG DEAL
Same is true when it comes to financial simplicity. I am finding that little choices, lived out over time, are what can truly make the difference, without making us feel constantly deprived.
A couple pictures of that:
1. I returned some Christmas items ... and made a conscious, little choice to not "troll" for after Christmas sales! What a sense of freedom! To walk into a store, return an item, get credit back on my credit card and just walk right past all the other signs that said, "80% off!!!" I felt powerful and free. That was good!
2. I am making a conscious, little choice to use up what we have in the fridge and pantry rather than picking out cool menus and buying more stuff. This "plan new menus and buy more stuff" plan would usually cause large amounts of food in the back of the fridge to go bad and cause me to throw it out. I never really thought of that as $$ going down the drain ... (duh), but it was! We've had good food every night this month and no one feels deprived. At the same time, my grocery bill for the month is still well under $150 thus far. A record, I think.
3. I am making a little choice to not see grocery shopping as one more opportunity to throw random things into my cart that strike my fancy.
4. I am turning the heat down, turning lights off, throwing fancy catalogs in the recycling bin before I even look through them and get tempted ... you get the picture.
Little things ... I think they matter more than we think. Over time, they can turn into a really big deal.
Tell us about some of your "little things ..." We're curious!
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5 comments:
I am helping Dennis prepare for his Philipine's trip. I wanted to send something small along for Mary. (Small due to room available around a flight simulator). I asked her is she had access to recent Focus on the Family, Dicipleship Journal, or ladies magazines (Some are available for 10 Cents each at the CF public library Book Nook.) She said she could read them at the library, but "magazines are great to give to some of the pastors, pastor's wives, or just local Filipino friends. They think American magazines are gold." To think I have all this "gold" sitting around my house. It is humbling.
Bonnie
Over time I have let little things pile up and become a big deal - piles of paper, unorganized "stuff" I have swept into boxes and baskets to get off the countertops and stacked in our bedroom. Now I often can't find things and have to go digging. So, my goal is to work on it in the opposite direction...making a conscious effort not to pile new clutter but deal with it immediately and slowly dig out the old piles. I'm purging, filing, getting organized and feeling better with each thing that gets tackled! Now if I could just do this without getting interrupted every five minutes. I also would like to tell the mail carrier to stop visiting my house and the teachers to stop sending papers home with my children!! :)
Bonnie,
Great perspective on the "gold" of magazines ... I hope that Mary and her friends in the Phillipines love what you send! Great reminder that little things (to us) are often big (to others)!
Heidi,
Keep up the good work, but have grace for yourself! Someone said cleaning your house while you have kids is like shoveling snow in a blizzard! I love cleaning out, too ... but have learned after 17 years of parenting that part of wisdom is also knowing what to overlook.
All that said, go for it!
Simplicity is more than just spending less on groceries ... it's also about having less, and having less clutter to distract us.
May the God of big and little things give us all the grace to continue with this experiment! Now, off to bed!
alice
I am reminded how true that all the little things plus time are a big deal. I misplaced an important paper and with clutter around I am wasting a lot of time looking for it. Not good stewardship and another motive to declutter.
Bonnie
Rather than immediately recycle those unwanted magazines, when you could cancel your subscription, or opt out of receiving them. As a college student its fun to sign up for magazines filled with things I can't have, or don't need, but with a small mail box and a constantly changing address, I made the decision to only subscribe, or sign up for magazines and newspapers that I would read. Its great to recycle, but why get them in the first place?
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