My Story . . . at 30!

So, today I turn 30. I have to be honest and admit saying that makes my insides churn just a bit. Forever, I have thought 30 signified the end of being young. Now, I am 30 and I don't feel any differently than I did yesterday or last month or last year.

It's interesting that we are wrapping up not just a year but an entire decade, and people feel it necessary to look back oer that time and list their regrets and the things they want to differently in the next year or decade or 30 years.

I don't feel that way. I don't have a list of regrets. I don't have a lengthy to-do list. I've accomplished a lot of the goals I set when I graduated from high school. I have a college degree. I even have a Master's degree. I have been married for six years. I have two crazy but wonderful children and another on the way. We own a beautiful house and two cars. I stay home with my children and don't have to work. My husband and I have taken several very nice vacations since we've been married, and even gone on a two week mission trip to Africa last year.

I am blessed. I have done so much more than I would ever have even dreamed of. So what does that mean for the next 30 years? What is God going to do next?

The answer is I don't know. I didn't know what He would do in the last ten years, and I don't have a clue what the next ten will be like. My goal is just to be available, to be willing and to determine that I will NOT stop learning and growing.

Right now, I know that God has given me a gift and a burden that seem to go hand in hand. Since I quit my fulltime job in June 2007, I have put considerable time, effort and energy into bargain shopping. The amount of stuff I have earned, gotten free and purchased for a steal is definitely a blessing from God. Then, we visited Africa and I was convicted that even though we live fairly modestly for a family in our community, we are blessed beyond imagination compared to so many in this world. And, so I began to channel my money-saving efforts into raising money for those who need it more than we do.

In August of this past year, I spoke to my MOPS group about how they could begin to save money. I gave them five quick ways to cut their bills in the next month:

1. Know HOW you spend your money!

I think most people would be amazed, if they stopped to look, at how quickly the little expenses all add up. Very quickly a family of four can spend hundreds of dollars a month on eating out or Starbucks, going to the movies, etc.

2. Eliminate any unnecessary expenses.

Each family's definition of "necessary" will be different. For us, there were two non-negotiables when I quit my job - the Internet and some form of DVR or TiVo. I just felt like I would feel cut off from the outside world and would always be tempted to finish what I was watching instead of saving it for a more convenient time. However, we have not had cable or satellite tv in almost three years. So examine your budget and see what you truly NEED and what you could learn to live without.

3. Make sure you are getting the best deal.

Once you have established what items you must have, make sure that you are not paying more for them than you should be. Always compare prices. Call and ask for a discount. Don't be afraid to switch companies to save $10 or $20 a month - that adds up over the course of a year.

4. Shop clearance and off-season. (Use coupons whenever possible.)

This has been the biggest change I have personally made. I hardly ever pay full price for anything anymore. I search the Web. I wait until it goes on sale. I use coupons. I start at the sale rack and usually plan ahead about one year. For example, buying my Christmas paper, ribbons, and bows at 90% off during January is invaluable when Christmas season rolls around. My children's clothing is purchased the same way. I estimate the sizes they will be in and buy during the end of the season before. Where we live in Texas, most of the winter clothing goes 90% off in April and I buy for the upcoming winter at those prices.

5. Don't compare yourself to others.

It's really easy to get into the mode where we think we have to have something - or our children have to have something - because our friends have it or our children's friends have it. That's not what God has called us to. He's not going to ask how many outfits our child had or what kind of car we drove, but He may very well ask us how many other children we clothed and what we did for others with the car He gave us.

It has been amazing to see how God has used this challenge. One of the ladies in our MOPS group was able to give over $400 to a local crisis pregnancy center. Some of our ladies have donated to missions . . . some have adopted children through World Vision, some have helped meet the needs of struggling families - whatever it is that makes their heart beat harder when they think about it.

So, this is what I find myself called to in my thirtieth year - loving, encouraging, growing, stretching, learning to follow even when I don't know exactly where the path leads. Can I tell you it comes with more tears than I ever expected, but I have faith that on the other side of it there is tremendous reward. I may not see it now and that's hard for this concrete, black and white minded child, but I can't wait until I get to Heaven and I meet the children who lived and the servants of the Lord who were able to reach others and the teenager who learned God was real because His people helped put food on the family table or clothes on their backs.

If you should meet me along the way, and it's one of those many times where I can't seem to remember where my focus should be, feel free to remind me . . . for even when I don't act like it, I know my God is not done yet.