Lessons from everyday life.

Today is payday. Not technically, but it is the day that our electronic paychecks get sent to our e-mail accounts to let us know how much our paychecks are going to be. So, today is the day that I work on the budget for the next two weeks. I have to say, this hasn't been so bad. I definitely like doing a new budget for every paycheck vs. monthly. I can add/subtract money as needed. One realization I had is  that we need a bit more money in the entertainment pouch. The other day I made Sam really nervous by saying "this isn't sustainable!" in reference to the empty entertainment pouch. He thought I meant in reference to this whole Dave Ramsey escapade. Needless to say, I wish I would've gotten his face on camera for you all to see.

I won't go into numbers. I'll leave that for Sam. I think he's planning on updating the total we owe, monthly. What I  wanted to share was a couple lessons from everyday life. Those things you randomly notice about your life that you love and hopefully thank God (or whomever you choose to thank) immediately for them. Those things that just make you feel like this is what you're supposed to be doing.

There's nothing better than cloth diapers on the line. Except maybe baby clothes (so cute).

First, if you don't have one already, I highly recommend a clothesline. Frugalista says: this is definitely cheaper than using your dryer (which I did learn is sometimes the #1 household appliance for guzzling electricity). Mostly though, it's calming. I love the way I feel when I'm hanging up laundry. It's quiet, simple, smells of crisp fall air are everywhere. It's a multi-sensory experience. It just feels right. It's a nice change from the mechanization of life. Everything we do seems to involve a "device." (Not to say this is all bad. I do love my iphone.) Just saying, it's nice. (An added bonus, sunlight helps fade stains and is a natural white brightener... especially important with cloth diapers!)

Second, we're building a deck. Those of you that know Dave Ramsey's philosophy, you know that the first step is taking your savings (except a small emergency fund) and putting it into that darned debt. We decided to put some into a house renovation and then put the rest into the darned debt. This was decided for a couple reasons:

1. Our house is currently 762 square feet. The deck will add about 450 square feet. We believe this will help us reach our goal by giving the illusion that our living space is larger than it is.
2. It was previously a muddy mess. It needed some type of solution.
3. Decks are nice in the south. You can pretty much be outside on them 9 months out of the year. It WILL get used.

Lastly, I just wanted to share some pictures of a hike we went on a couple days ago. Not really a hike, just a chance to be outside and enjoy the weather and changing colors.

I just love the way this moss was blanketing this log. Lovely.

What have you learned from living lately?