Frugal Fridays: Grass-fed Frugal

3 September 2010 · 0 comments

in 50s Housewife: Fun with Food and Frugality

I recently watched Food, Inc. Wow.  More on that later (lots more), but suffice it to say I’m making a few changes to my standard of frugality. This includes an experiment. Yes, eating fresh, local food is more expensive. But, I wonder if we cut out all the “empty” foods we buy, if we could manage to include lots of organic, local food, meat from local farmers, etc.  So this month I’m conducting this experiment. We usually spend $200/month on groceries, and while I know that will be busted, I’m curious by just how much.

My first three “frugal” fresh purchases?

1. Grass-Fed Organic Beef on sale for $3.99/lb. today only at Whole Foods.

2. Fresh-caught wild Alaskan Salmon on sale for $6.99/lb. this wknd only at Thriftway.

3. A few free-range chickens ($2.85/lb.) grown locally in Mulino from the family-run Deo Volente Farm.

So my question is, is it possible to eat fresh, local, organic food without breaking the bank? I honestly don’t know the answer, but it’ll be fun to find out.

*Your turn: Please share your frugal tips for supporting local farmers, buying organic and seasonal?  I know some of you out there are experts, so please share the wisdom!

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Welcome.

1 September 2010 · 0 comments

in Uncategorized

Welcome to the Sacredness of the Mundane, a little space to inspire us all to wholeness. As whole beings, created in the image of God, all of life is infused with sacred meaning and purpose. We refuse the divided and defeated life of a sacred/secular duality.  Instead, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).Diapers or devotions, laundry or liturgy, weight loss or worship. The details of life are the whispers of a Savior. I invite you to wake up to this sacrament of living, for there’s an epic adventure waiting in the midst of your mundane. Bring your kids and car keys, your wounds and hopes and dreams. A quotidian revolution.  Because everything matters.

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September Rain and Leaving a Legacy

1 September 2010 · 2 comments

in 50s Housewife: Fun with Food and Frugality,My name is Mommy,Sacredness of the Mundane

Yes, there are a few things missing.  Over the past two weeks my blog has been hacked twice. My dear husband has worked countless hours retrieving my stuff from the ether, but this time it appears not all can be recovered.  So, we’re figuring out a better system of backing things up, finding a new web host, and I’m reminding myself there are more important things in the world than my little corner of space. But I do love this little space!  Yesterday the final FrugalLivingNW article posted, so head on over and check it out.  We talked about Leaving a Legacy, and because I’m trying to leave a legacy of actually playing with and spending time with my children, I don’t have the time today to write a post on The One who Left a Legacy. I suppose you can figure it out, yes? No one’s legacy has been more significant than Jesus Christ’s.  Because He left a legacy of grace, we can leave a legacy of thankfulness.  How can we simply be thankful today?

Today I’m celebrating the first day of September by roasting yams and carrots from the garden, baking bread, and making a huge pot of tortilla soup. (I also built a pretty spectacular geo-trax train track this morning, but I hate to brag.)   I’ve noticed that it’s all too easy to complain about the early rain, so how are you choosing to enjoy these first fall droplets? I’ve decided this year I’m investing in some super cute rubber boots. My kids have ‘em and I think I should too!  Soggy toes are a sure way to dampen one’s spirit, so I have my eye out for a deal.  They may not be hot off the runway, but I think clompin’ along in skinny jeans and rubber boots sounds just fabulous.  Then I’d be able to join Dutch jumping in the mud-puddles.

How will you choose to rejoice in the coming days of fall?  What are your favorite fall rituals you can’t wait to enjoy?

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The One Who Gave Generously

30 August 2010 · 0 comments

in 50s Housewife: Fun with Food and Frugality,Devotional Thoughts

*Visit FrugalLivingNW for the corresponding post.

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I had a full morning.  I traveled to Romania, Moldova, India, Uganda, Mozambique, Mexico and finally back to New Orleans.  When I arrived back home and held my healthy, clean, beautiful children, it was all I could do not to burst into tears.  I walked through my home, taking in the beauty, the luxury, the comfort. And as soon as my kids went down for naps, I got out my laptop, pulled up the Patterson Family Budget in Excel, and began brainstorming ways to reduce the amount in 14 categories in order to increase the amount in one category.  That one category? Giving.

As I mentioned in the FrugalLivingNW article, one of the keys to giving generously is to expose ourselves to real need.

My morning’s world travels were just that. An exposure to real need. In reality I just visited the Real. Life. Exhibit in Tigard, Oregon, a multi-sensory exhibit by Medical Teams International that allows people to see what real life is like for children exposed to disaster, conflict, and poverty.  From the unthinkable terrors of the “Lord’s Resistance Army” to the hopeless destitution of Romanian orphanages to the perpetuating poverty of those who live in the garbage dumps of Mexico City, this exhibit is a powerful reminder that we live in a world in dire need of Christ’s hope.  And, they are making a difference through showing the love of God in tangible ways–disaster relief, medical services and training, and medical supplies distribution.  They are giving generously in every way.

And they are simply following in the footsteps of the One Who Gave Generously.

Of course, Christ is the supreme example of one who gave generously.

He gave His life.  He gave us life.

When we look at Christ and look at the world it really becomes quite simple.  When I look at Christ I see that love held Him on the cross.  He gave His life for me.  In response I joyfully offer my life to serve Him.   When I look at the world I see pain, suffering, disaster, poverty.  I see that these are people for whom Christ died.  If I am a Christian (literally a “little Christ”), and He died for these people, certainly I go without a Latte for these people.

I mentioned in the FrugalLivingNW article that Americans spend $3 BILLION on chewing gum, a non-nutritive substance.  Add to that $26 BILLION on soda, and $18 BILLION on coffee.  Visiting this exhibit reminded me that it is SO easy to make a difference. We just have to do it. And the powerful truth is that when we serve these people we are serving Christ Himself, the One who gave His life, the One who gave us life. Want to hear it straight from His mouth? Consider His words:

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Matthew 25:31-46

Does anyone else just want to weep when they read that?  Every time I read that passage it brings me to my knees. Read it again.

The Gospel has implications for social justice.

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warm and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” James 2:15-16 (italics mine)

If the world is ever going to listen to our message, they must first be absolutely convinced of our love.

Friends, we must continue to be diligent about exposing ourselves to real need.  I’m the first to confess that every month when the Voice of the Martyrs magazine arrives I want to hide it under the sofa. My flesh doesn’t want to be reminded of the suffering around the world. I’d rather curl up on the couch with Real Simple and learn new tricks for organizing all the stuff I have.  But every time we let our hearts to be cracked a tiny bit, we allow God to flow through the broken places and touch people with His love and grace.

In the FrugalLivingNW article, we talked about giving creatively. Here is a phenomenal way to take your family through 14 days of creative giving.  We just started this, and it’s such a fabulous way to teach children, encourage compassion, and stimulate creativity in ways to give.

There are so many wonderful organizations that are making a huge difference in the lives of those affected by poverty, disaster, conflict.  Please take a moment and look at some of these, or consider others you may know of.  I pray that we would not be guilty of pinching our pennies only to find we missed the whole point all along.  I pray we would never be guilty of  an empty blessing, “be warm and filled…”–without handing over our coats and our bread.

* Do you have creative ways to inspire your family to giving?  Please share!

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The One Who Spent Wisely

25 August 2010 · 0 comments

in 50s Housewife: Fun with Food and Frugality,Devotional Thoughts

*Visit FrugalLivingNW for today’s coorresponding post.
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I must admit, I doubt Jesus was a bargain shopper.  I doubt that he went from booth to booth in the open-market, haggling over the price of a loaf of bread. In fact, he was known to just send his disciples into town to get bread so he could get some ministry done while they were gone (John 4).  I doubt that he specified which brand to buy, or asked for exact change when they returned.
Why? Because Jesus was not consumed by the things of this world.  He exhorted his disciples not to strive for the food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which He Himself gives (John 6:27). So, I doubt Jesus would want us to ever stress for a moment about scoring the greatest bargain deal. But I do think He would endorse us learning how to use our financial resources for the greatest good possible. In other words, I do think He’d want us to spend wisely.
Consider how He did this.  On a light note, here are some grocery budget tips from the life of Jesus:
  • He fasted for 40 days. Now that would save some money!  See how well that goes over with your husband: “Sorry, honey there’s no food in the house. We’re not going to eat until October.”  Hmm… In all seriousness, though.  Jesus was not consumed by food. SO MUCH of what we buy is to satisfy our need to munch, not to provide real nutritional benefit.  We’ll talk on Thursday about the 6 billion dollars that Americans spend on gum.  If we just cut out all non-nutritious items, I think we’d be amazed at how our spending decreases.  Similarly, Jesus showed us that man does not live by bread alone.  Meaning, we would be wise to learn to turn to God before we turn to food. Had a bad day?  Skip the candy bar and pull out God’s Word.  Even last night, as I was trying to write a post, I felt frustrated that nothing was coming out right and so I found myself super craving cookies. Isn’t that crazy? I realized it was because of stress that I was craving, not hunger. I skipped it and stuck with the post and was so thankful for the results.  I don’t always make the right choice, but if we did this more often our budgets (and our waistlines) would thank us.  When we go without, just a tiny bit, we allow God to show us that He, not food, is our master and sustainer.
  • He stretched food. Now, I understand that taking a few loaves and fishes and feeding 5-10,000 people is a miracle that we are not likely to duplicate.  But, I do believe that we can pray for God to bless and break our food and multiply it to feed many mouths for his glory. I have been amazed over and over how God multiplies our food when I actually let Him.  That means making a choice not to hoard, but instead stretching yourself in such a way that you actually have to ask for God’s stretching power.  So many times I’ve decided to challenge ourselves and try to make it one week longer in my monthly grocery shopping (like this month, I’m currently 10 days past “grocery day”!). Without fail I’ll be surprised by Jeff bringing home leftover pizza, or our church food ministry sending home some expiring food that they didn’t want to go to waste, or someone inviting us over for dinner, or unearthing something unexpected from the freezer.  Now our goal in this isn’t to be cheap and miserly so that we can hoard money–I certainly don’t think God will honor that heart. But what if we really did lift all our food up to Him and ask Him to stretch it all for His glory? We might view food in a different light–as a sacred gift.

And on a more serious note, consider the way He spent His time and His energies (because as we saw in the FrugalLiving article, how we spend our time and energy is just as important as how we spend our money):

  • He knew when to hold back. Jesus is an excellent example of boundaries.  When ministry was busy, He often went alone to a secluded place to pray.  Jesus knew when to give and when to get alone.  That is giving wisely.  In the midst of our busy schedules and bargain hunting, we must know when the wisest thing is to shut the computer, forget the deal, and get alone with God.
  • He didn’t waste. A tricky exhortation is Matthew 7:6 where Jesus tells us not to throw pearls to pigs.  In other words, don’t invest your time and energy in people or endeavors which will be fruitless.  Now this is tricky, of course, because we don’t always know. But the principle is helpful, and as we ask Jesus for wisdom, He will help us to discern when what we’re spending our time, money, and energy on, is in fact a worthwhile investment or or when it’s a foolish waste of our precious resources.  Sometimes for me all it takes is a step back, a quick prayer for wisdom, and a dose of perspective to see whether all the time spent bargain-shopping is really worth the time and energy. Life is short. Let’s not waste a minute of it.
  • He fulfilled His civic duties in light of His spiritual duties. Jesus paid his taxes (Matthew 22:21). However, He calls us to something far greater than simply handing over our income tax.  He asks for our whole life, given over to Him.  We are image-bearers of God, so we are His.  When we spend our lives wisely for His glory, we simply fulfill what we were created to do.
  • He got ticked when religion was corrupted by commercialism (Matthew 21:12). This is a serious warning for today’s church.  If we reduce Christianity to the buying and selling of religious goods and services, using spirituality for one’s own material gain, we are certainly not spending wisely, and reducing God’s house to a den of robbers.  This is probably another topic altogether, but worth noting.

Bottom line?  Spending wisely is using all that we have for the glory of God.  It means stretching our food so we can do more with what He’s given us. And what is the more that He’s calling us to do? More on that Thursday as we look at how Jesus models giving generously.

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*How has the life of Christ inspired your spending habits?  How do you make every cent count?  I’d love to hear.

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