We're Rich!

With Garrett in grad. school and myself only working a few days a week,

we are living in what most young couples experience as the "poor years".

Potatoes, carrots, celery, ground turkey, rice, beans, and homemade bread are staples because they are inexpensive.

We live in a little apartment that requires constant repairs. 

I make my own cleaning supplies and have made a bottle of dish soap last two years.

Most of the clothes I buy come from thrift stores, Target, or Wal-Mart (don't judge).

Thus, these are supposedly the "poor years"....

.....yet Garrett made the comment the other day (and I completely agree)

that rarely do we actually feel "poor". 

Of course we do without many luxuries

but we have a comfy home, yummy meals, a little bit of food storage, and even go on an occasional date!

And Little Miss lives the rather posh lifestyle with an overflowing closet of cute clothes and plenty of toys.

I'd like to say our comfortable lifestyle--despite our "student" status--is thanks to our meticulous budgeting.  

While good budgeting may help some, I think the real reason we're able to survive (or rather thrive) on so little is thanks to a loving Father in Heaven who always blesses us with what we need (or even want!) exactly when we need (or want) it.

For example:

EVERY piece of furniture in our apartment (besides our bed mattress) was either given to us or found in the dumpster.  Sure, most of it is falling apart, but it's better than nothing!

Every toy in Kenadie's Corner was either given to us or found at a garage sale for $2 or under.

Not long ago, a friend gave me a nice, hardly-used sewing machine (something that would not have even made our budget list for a few years)!

I have never had to buy any clothes for Kenners because of generous friends who have given me all their cute hand-me-downs.

Just as we are about to run out of clothes for Kenners (that girl grows like a weed),

a friend gave me all of this:

Most of the clothes are Baby Gap, hardly used, and absolutely adorable.  

Kenners is outfitted for another year at least!

I recall my parents once saying that their days of being "poor" with a young family were some of their happiest,

and I can now kind of understand why.  

How can we be sad, frustrated, or gloomy about our circumstance when we have food, shelter, clothing, health, family, and our faith? 

What more do you really need to be happy?

And come to think of it, having more money or material possessions will never change any of those things,

so I guess that kind of makes us as wealthy as any billionaire out there.