Why not buy more?

I have been sick for a few days and today was the first day I had any energy. I felt pulled to go to the thrift store to find a treasure. A moment later I realized "I don't NEED anything". Don't misunderstand me, I am not a shopper. However I love finding treasure in a thrift store, garage sale, or junk shop. My husband and I have a love of early 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture. However it has become pretty popular and is not as easy to find now. So the thrill of finding one of these treasures still pulls me in. Yet still I knew we didn't need anything.

So I decided to cook instead. I did not have a plan for any particular meals, but I had a fridge full veggies, fruit, and leftovers. And a pantry full of staples. So I got out my favorite cook book "Cooking More with Less" and went to find a staple recipe. A good staple recipe will let you substitute ingredients to make it your own. I took the Garden Veggie Casserole recipe and substituted leftover Fajita meat and leftover blue corn chips along with veggies and made a Fajita Casserole. Then I proceeded to make homemade Chai with spices and black tea I had on hand . We had some cheese and pasta so I made Mac and Cheese. Then I took all the fresh veggies, canned beans, frz veggies, and some frz chicken from the freezer and made a big pot of Chicken Veggie Soup.

I feel most successful when I create something wonderful out of something we have. I love to make things better. My strength lies in the kitchen and rearranging, my husband it great at repairing, painting, and modifying objects to make them come back to life. He is also wonderful at taking plants and flowers from the yard and making me beautiful natural arrangements. Many people shop or go out to eat to escape a dirty house or because they are just to darn tired to cook. This is the case for me sometimes too, but more often than not I try to make my home a a place I want to be. Cleaning and rearranging your house is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make you feel better about it.

The older I get I have decided I would rather purchase something of quality that I love, than to purchase several items because they are cheap. Last year I cleaned my closet and I do mean clean. Half of what I owned was given away or taken to the second hand store, even the clothes I have held on to until I lose those last ten pounds. FREEDOM! It felt great. I could see what I had and mix and match more. At Christmas I purchased a few quality items (with money given to me from family) and now I feel like I have plenty to wear, and I own much less!

The moral of the story "When you don't have a lot to take care of you feel less weighted down". When you waste less you spend less and for most people that is necessary in this economy. As I see my friends lose their jobs and have to cut down, I want to get out of debt and be able to live with the freedom of knowing I can make it without more stuff. A quest I never tire of.

Namaste,
Courtney