Post Black Friday

It's still Friday, but no longer black out and my shopping is done, at least for today. I was only gone a couple of hours and my stops included just Kohl's and the grocery store. I'm really not much of a shopper. I've never really enjoyed it much...plus, I'm out of money. Like a lot of people, I don't have much to spend this year. Thankfully though, I don't have a whole lot of presents to buy either and most are bought now.

My husband and I don't have a credit card. We agreed not to use them anymore about three years ago. Not having a credit card makes me think more about what to buy...what I can afford and still pay all my bills. It really comes down to what do I need vs what do I want. It's tough at times, but it's been good for us...for me especially, because I'm the one that does most of the shopping and takes care of our finances. I probably relied on the credit card the most. It's so easy to use them. It feels almost like you're not spending money, but then the credit card bill arrives and you realize how much you did spend. I was sometimes shocked by it, but then it's easy to nickel and dime it...meaning put small things on the card until it's a bigger bill than you expected and can truly afford. And if you have more than one credit card like we did...Ugh!!! I'm glad that we are out of that monthly cycle and now without any credit card debt.

When big problems come up, like auto issues, it is scary to not have a credit card, but it's forces us put our trust in the Lord. So far He's helped us through the tough times, and I know He will again in the future. With that said though, we still have to handle our finances wisely and try to save money so that we do have a back up when needed. Saving can be difficult though. Seems like every time we get a little bit in the bank, something comes up and the money is again gone. I guess that's what it was there for though, but I'd really like to have a big enough savings that it doesn't get used up every time something special comes up. When that happens, it puts up back in the scary place of possibly no backup when the next trouble arrives. But that's when we again need to put our faith in the Lord, knowing He will provide for us as always. He is our true backup.

So instead of using a credit card and then monthly giving our extra money in interest to others, we are in the cycle of trying to spend wisely as we build a savings and then trusting the Lord to help us when that money is gone. And right now that money is gone, so my shopping is too. :-)

Though Black Friday is over for me, yours may have just begun. Whether you're shopping, back at work, or busy doing something else, I hope you have a wonderful day, and that you too are trusting in the Lord to help you when times are tough. He is there for all of us!

As for me, I'm putting my pajamas back on...it's 8am and time for my nap! :-)
Peggy