less waste and more fun

Lately I have been trying to be more careful to not be wasteful. With money, for one, but also with things. I realized in the last few months how much money I was wasting on buying odds and ends that either weren't really necessary or that I could buy used rather than new and save not only some money but also prevent used things from getting thrown away and new ones from being made unnecessarily. I started realizing a few months ago that although I'm always a very careful shopper and use all kinds of great strategy, there are lots of things that I have bought that I simply don't need, no matter what kind of bargain I may have conjured up between sales, coupons and gift cards. The problem was mainly my attitude towards shopping. I think I have been almost addicted to it and use it as one of my greatest sources of entertainment. I really enjoy shopping... for ANYTHING, whether it's clothes, groceries, or something Casey wants me to pick up from the hardware store. So in the last few months I have almost completely cut out shopping other than our basic necessities. It has been such a fun time! There is something very freeing about not having everything you "want". It really makes life more exciting. Casey and I have really enjoyed reminding each other to be careful and less wasteful. And we still do get to do fun things... we just don't agree to whatever it is we feel like doing, just for the heck of it. Last Saturday I went to some yard sales and had a blast. I got loads of clothes and shoes for Maggie and Caleb.. some of the cutest clothes they have.. and I spent exactly one ten dollar bill. It was awesome! My favorite part so far was showing Casey our personal credit card bill for last month. It was the smallest it's been since the year we got married, before babies and all :)