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Gratitude Journal- Week 1

 


Throughout the month of November, I make a point to slow down and take stock of all the blessings I have received throughout the year.   It amazes me each year how many blessings I have received.      


The largest change in our family’s lives this year was moving to another area and needing to secure positions again.    At first this was very scary because I was giving up my position and my husband’s new position was chosen for quality of life and not financial gain.    However, I was able to secure a position before the school year.  We are extremely grateful for our positions and work hard to provide value to each of our employers. 



Since we are both working again this year, we didn’t have to significantly cut our expenses.  However, we are still mindful that others are not as blessed as we are.    We try to give back to our community through donations to the food banks, Goodwill and Toys for Tots.    

 


In addition, the uncertainty of our economy still is in the forefront of our minds, so we are continuing to make conservative decisions regarding our spending and doing a lot of research prior to purchasing large ticket items.   At this point, we have pushed off picking up large ticket items and focusing on investing in our new home.   We needed to have our trees thinned and our chimney reglazed. However, one thing we did invest in this year is our health.    We are making a point to eat lower processed food and exercise more.  This has increased our grocery bill, but we have planned for this. 

 


Finally, we try to take advantage of various opportunities that come before us throughout the year.   This may look like taking advantage of sale items and stocking up until the next expected sale or picking up free items.   The free items may be single servings or full size products.    Although we moved into our new home late in the planting season, we did plant a few tomatoes which provided tomatoes for us over the summer and a several cups of tomatoes to use in soups and stews.   


How have you been blessed this year and what are you doing to create blessings for the future?


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