Ok guys, I found the perfect pair of "big girl" pumps, which I've been on the hunt for, for forever. T.J. Max gets me every time with their cute stuff, brand name, more affordable options. I mean, you name it, they have it (our T.J. Max is connected to the HomeGoods store, so it really feels like one, GIANT, wonderland). I'm there to just check out their on-sale furniture (Shout out to my fellow bargain-hunting-new-homeowners!), and I make the mistake of moving to the shoe area. Can we say Trouble?!
What do I discover, but a gorgeous pair of Calvin Klein black pumps, with a little gold detail on the heel. They fit my foot beautifully, they looked adult, and I could walk in them.
$40 bucks. YES they were $40 bucks. Talk about a nice deal...sigh.
[It's important to note that I also picked up some necessary household items during this trip, so my bill was more than $40...].
I left that store going, "Ok, spent a little more than I planned during this trip, but it's ok! Got stuff I needed, finally found the perfect shoe..."
At this point you're probably wondering where the whole, "Steward Well" fits...
Unplanned, unscheduled, unexpected (fill in the desired synonyms for SURPRISE here), hits in 2 small but painful waves.
First - a lawn care treatment that I didn't sign up for (another shoutout to new homeowners). My parents and I are the landlords of the property. They prefer that we do the lawn treatments to keep the property in good shape. I agree. But still, it's an unexpected expense that I, who happen to be paying utilities for the equivalent of 3 people and rent for almost 2 people (thanks mom & dad for catching that 3rd "person"!) was not planning on in the budget. (Also, that happened to be my 'splurge week' where I'd gone to a concert in Detroit - MUMFORD AND SONS so worth it - and got dinner/paid 1/2 of gas...etc etc etc. All of which was planned for/budgeted for).
Second - I somehow managed to back my car in to the garage and take out (really, I DESTROYED) my driver side mirror. How this happened is still a mystery to me. I always back in to my garage, parking spots, etc...I do recall that I was feeling particularly foggy in the head that day. Could've been the loss of sleep was catching up to me...but still...I wasn't going fast (in fact I was moving quite slow) or anything! So now we add the extra expense of the repair work and replacement piece(s) - won't know until the end of this week how much that'll be...
What follows is me doing the "responsible" thing. I took the shoes back to the store. Yup. That want-need was not a need-need, and I just couldn't (and honestly, no regrets!) justify keeping them when I knew what was coming my way financially.
Loving money[a] is the first step toward all kinds of trouble. Some people run after it so much that they have given up their faith. Craving more money pushes them away from the faith into error, compounding misery[b] in their lives! - 1 Timothy 6:10
I choose to believe that God has already blessed me for that stewardship.
Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, “I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip[a] on your life!” - Hebrews 13:5
It's been a few days since I started this post, and in that time I have had a small (well not so small to me...) blessing come my way. The landlords (aka mom and dad) paid for the remaining 3 lawn treatments. That's a couple hundred (extra) bucks I don't need to worry about finding where I'm going to dig it up from. Yes, there are still a ton of things up in the air, and yes I'm still spending pretty intentionally (sounds better than frugally). BUT He has my back in the big and small, always.
I have been so fortunate to have grown up (and still experience) the love and support of my parents. They have made it a point that my brother and I experience living as adults (experiencing handling finances & real life situations), whilst making sure that we know we have a safety net.
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.—1 Timothy 5:8
Listen closely, live intentionally, and always aim for honoring Abba.
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