Lessons From a Little Forced Frugality

A week an a half after my escrow refund check from Taylor Bean and Whitaker bounced, my budget is finally back to normal. I still don’t have my escrow refund, but we’ve transferred enough money from our emergency fund at Capital One 360 Savings to put our budget back on track.

The last 12 days have been really difficult, having money, but having no access to it. We were forced to cut our spending to the bare minimum, but even though that was hard, I walked away with lessons that are priceless.

I am Rich in Resources

Despite the fact that we were living for a week as if we were in poverty by United States standards, the fact remains that compared to the rest of the world, we are quite wealthy, even without immediate access to money.

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I were studying about the Dani tribe in New Guinea in the 1960s and 1970s. We read about their primitive housing, their lack of medical care, and their diet of mainly sweet potatoes. And the truth is, this is pretty typical of people living in third world countries.

Even though I couldn’t readily go to the grocery store last week, I had a pantry full of food. It wasn’t the most exciting food in the world, but we had a variety of food, and I was able to make some creative meals. We were well nourished, which makes us more well off than many, if not most, people in the world. I pray I never forget how blessed I really am, even in difficult times.

I am Rich in Relationships

By the end of last week, most of my family had heard about our predicament. Yes, my family reads my blog, so there are no secrets. My mom and her boyfriend went shopping and stocked our refrigerator. My dad and his wife brought over fresh blackberries. A friend sent an envelope of coupons in the mail. And our neighbor, who had no idea what we were going through, blessed us with an abundance of tomatoes and peppers from his garden.

In addition to the physical blessings from friends and family, I was on the receiving end of many prayers, which I cherish a lot. There’s nothing like a difficult time to make you realize how many people care about you. Yes, I’m blessed with great relationships.

My Faith was Challenged…and Strengthened

Have you ever walked into church and listened to the message, only to realize that your pastor is preaching on exactly the thing you’ve been struggling with? That’s what happened yesterday. The lesson? What happens when God doesn’t answer you the way you think He should. Boy, could I relate!

Before the escrow check fiasco, we were already facing a tight month. When the escrow check came in the mail, I praised God that extra funds had come in exactly when we needed them.

But then the check bounced. Though my faith in God himself was not shaken, I have to admit I did wonder what He was up to and how we would get through the month.

I was faced with the question: Would I still trust God, even if He didn’t answer my prayer the way I thought he would? My conclusion was yes. I would.

And in the end, looking at the budget without the escrow check, I see that we’re going to be OK. Not spending any money for a week helped our bottom line a great deal. And in the process, we got to see how God provided for us through family, friends, and a little forced frugality, and we learned to appreciate the many blessings that we have.

The lessons I learned this week are of much higher value than a $1000 escrow check.

Photo by acopperpenny.

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