Day Thirty-One: 31 Days to Becoming a Frugalista – Live Well While Spending Less
This series will soon be available as an ebook – watch for it and get all the great tips, secrets and ways you can DREAM big too!
Are you good at keeping secrets? I guess I would have to say that I am, because I’ve had a secret I’ve been keeping to myself for quite a few months and have been waiting to share it with you all. I know you will want to celebrate with me, but I had to create the right atmosphere to share it in.
Dream Big
You see, the 31 Day series was about finding ways to save money, learning to live well by spending less than we need to. Some of us need to learn to spend less because we just don’t have it to spend. Others want to learn to spend less in order to create more to share with others, plan for a vacation or dream for something even bigger than that.
Well, we {my hubby and I} have fallen into all of those categories at different times in our lives. We’ve needed to cut back to make ends meet, we’ve saved for special family trips and we’ve had dreams and goals to place in front of us as a target and incentive to cut back and be smart with what God has given us.
I stated earlier in the series about creating a budget, that it is often easier to cut back on expenses when you have a goal in mind. It can be a large goal or a small one, but a special ‘spark’ in your heart you can be reminded of every time you sacrifice and make a choice not to spend. We’ll we’ve had a BIG goal in mind for several years.
I am a true Pacific Northwest girl and I love the ocean. The cloudy days are just fine for me and the sound of the waves crashing the beach is soothing to my soul. It is sweet refreshment for me. Five years ago this very month my husband and I visited a cute community out on the Washington coast, Seabrook and I fell in love. I knew that I wanted to own a little slice of heaven in this heartwarming community and began searching and praying for ways to make it happen.
I began to coupon like nothing else, saving bits of money. My hubby and I set up a pretty strict and confining budget in order to save, but it was okay, because I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. To do without in order to find a way to fulfill a dream was good. It was hard and often I didn’t quite understand if it was worth it. We were thrown a lot of frustrating curve balls during the past few years, and I often felt that things would fall apart. I didn’t understand if we would ever get to the point to see our dream come to fruition. I am sure you can relate, we’ve all had rough spots, challenges and feelings of defeat.
Obedience
We’ve been obedient to things that God has asked, even when we didn’t see the plan or understand. We are living day to day amidst circumstances that we could never had dreamed we would be, but we are doing it all for His Glory. He knows our hearts……He knows our desires.
Mama’s I happy to share with you all that because of so many twists and turns and His incredible grace, we are building that little slice of heaven out in that wonderful community we fell in love with 5 years ago. I wish I could take you step by step through how God orchestrated this amazing feat, it was easy to see His hand everywhere along the way – from the timing of a particular lot for sale, to funds turning up just in time, so all the little tid bits that have had us exclaiming in near unbelief.
His Grace
It is small {the bottom floor is a garage, it may look big, but it is not!) but it has the most incredible view, where I can wake every morning to stand in awe of His creation, His unfailing love and His grace and redemption. I cannot tell you how my heart is filled to overflowing, not just because of the house, but of those I’ve met along the way, the trust we’ve had to put in God and His plan and all of you who’ve allowed me in your life. You see, it would not have been possible without this little place called, The Confident Mom.
Yes, the saving was all great, and we couldn’t have done this without it, but we needed a bit more. My desire to help moms has blessed my life so much, but the fact that God has blessed me in such a way to allow me to have an income doing what I love to do is almost unbelievable. I cannot thank you all enough. I wish I could have each and every one of you come for a weekend and celebrate with me. We will be using this little ‘nest’ to refresh our family, but it will also be a place to bless other families with as well and that is even more exciting. I can’t wait.
So I ask you this…..what is your goal, your dream? Have you let it slip or do you feel you don’t have time to think about it? I encourage you today to sit down and ask God to give you inspiration to dream, to think of the impossible. I never thought I would be writing here and sharing with you all that we were able to have the ability to purchase this little get-away haven – if I never have had true understanding of how God works and blesses us, I certainly do now.
I feel like the luckiest daughter in the world!
What is your dream and how can you begin making small steps toward it?
Photo Credit -MSGS Architects
