Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri
Katy is represented by
Rachelle Gardner at
WordServe Literary
Read more Katy at
LateBoomer.net
Recent Posts
- Soul Train
- Live Out Your Dream And Discard The Box
- Tears In A Bottle
- From The Young Mom I Once Was, To You
- I Can’t Help Falling
- What A Difference Ten Years Makes
- The Next Best Thing To Robert Redford
- The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
- Where Have All The Years Gone
- Fun With Kiki Cullen
- Stuck On Mom
- Ten Years Later, Our Girls From Northern Ireland Remembered
- The Thrift of Grief
- Job Security
- The Party’s Over
Syndicate
E me at katy @ ngenius.com
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I’m pretty sure that Doug and I have unlimited credit available at our disposal.
When you get to be our age, if you’ve managed your financial life reasonably well, you too will be allowed (and encouraged!) to owe everyone and their mother upwards of eleventy gazillion bucks.
Gee. Aren’t we special?
I’ve mentioned that we’re cutting back on hundreds of non-essentials so that we can funnel a ton of funds into Kevin’s last year of college. What I haven’t exactly made clear is we don’t have to do this.
There is NO WAY we have to curtail our “lifestyle” in order to finance his education! We’ve got 0% offers out the wazoo, several more arriving EACH DAY. We could easily—oh, so easily—put the whole amount on a card, putz around with the payments for 12 months, and then transfer the remaining balance (which would be large, if our lifestyle remained intact) to a new 0% offer. Lather, rinse, repeat.
But after a while, it just feels wrong. Not the 0% offers. Not even the lather, rinse, repeat. But the lifestyle. The entitlement mentality.
Don’t misunderstand. I am so grateful for everything God’s given us. Doug owns and operates a successful web design firm (http://www.ngenius.com), and we both love the opportunity to work based from our home.
But this experiment we’ve undertaken to trim expenses, cut fat, plug leaks, and spend more responsibly has really opened our eyes. In the past month, we’ve spent a grand total of $22 on any type of restaurant food—eat-in or take-out. Plus a total of $6 for two separate coffee dates at Panera’s, where the wifi’s free even if nobody knows your name. The enjoyment that we got out of spending that $28 consciously was so much greater than if we’d spent ten times that amount without a second thought.
We feel closer than we’ve felt in a long time. Our shared determination and common goal to stop living so high on the big, fat hog—even though we can—has fired our imaginations until now we’re curious with wondering just what God might have planned for us next.
Sometimes, it’s so much fun to be followers.
Go often enough and the people at Panera WILL know your name. AND they’ll come to know that you prefer the skinny straws. They’ll even eventually remember that no lid shouldst EVER come between you and the whipped cream on your IC mocha when it’s presented to drooling you. (I’ve heard…) ;)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/29/06 at 08:22 PMkaty - it is so encouraging to read of how your are changing your lifestyle - in a culture of entitlements and consumption, how refreshing to read of people who are tired of excess “stuff” and doing something about it. i love it! i just wrote of this issue today and after reading this entry about personal responsibility (or proper stewardship?), i had to add a little plug for your site since you are on the path of living lean. it’s awesome, and i encourage you and doug to stay the course! be blessed.
Posted by joshua on 07/30/06 at 02:53 PMYou continue to inspire me.
Posted by Donna on 07/31/06 at 08:20 AMJen—Oh-oh! We will hold Panera’s down to once or twice per month, and hit different locations. If they ever know my name or my order? I’m OUT of there!! :)
Joshua—What you blogged was cool! Here’s something I never imagined: That anyone would every link to me as an example of someone attempting to be a good steward over God’s gifts! Thank you.
Donna—Some days, I just make myself tired! So I’m glad to have such a nice effect on someone! You’re sweet. :)
Posted by Katy on 08/01/06 at 02:32 PM
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