Shabbat Reflections

I do my best to not blog on Shabbat since it's my down time but I'm really excited for a few things.

1) It's almost time for our NO SPEND MONTH

2) I took my last university exam on Thursday ... pray that I passed.

3) We're becoming really creative.

I'll expand on each of the reasons I'm excited.

1) Earlier this /month, I set out a goal to not spend unnecessary money in February. People are CONSTANTLY telling me that life will only get harder when we have kids. As irritating as this is to hear - ON A DAILY BASIS (seriously, people, keep it to yourselves) - it lit a fire under my tush to start reigning in our finances NOW before we have kids.

Craig and I like to spend money - which is a problem. We spend money on things that are irrelevant - like packets of oatmeal that are WAY too expensive in Israel; and powdered soup that tastes disgusting and is overpriced at 13 shekels for a package when the real deal costs less than 10 shekels to make for more soup with less icky stuff in it; or even fabric deodorizer that we buy when filling a spray bottle with hot water, 3 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and a few drops of scented oil will do the trick.

Catch my drift? We're trying to get into the habit of cooking and making our lives cheaper BEFORE having kids. Working hard to make these things habits will make things easier in the long run.

2) School has been a big worry of mine. It's been a LONG strange trip and I'm glad to see it finish. I was not always the best student but it's relatively hard to be on your A GAME when you're working a full time job and going to school full time as well. While my tuition may seem "cheaper" than college tuition in the US, it's not always so much "cheaper" when you have $10K in debt to the US government and you work Israeli wages and pay more for an apartment in Israel than you would for a larger place in Michigan. Seriously.

I'm happy to be at the end of this long road. It's taught me A LOT about myself and what I am capable of doing. I've seen myself grow over the past few years and I am in love with who I became. This school taught me to set my sights on a goal and achieve it. I got to know my professors fairly well and I know, when the time comes for me to move on to my MA, I'll have some nifty letters of recommendation. Thank you, IDC, for teaching me to use my brain.

3) Given that we're trying to save money, Craig and I are becoming more "creative". I've started using old t-shirts to make interesting pillowcase covers. Our meals are becoming more festive and colorful (and he's even eating more veggies... which is amazing). I've even taken to using my phone's Couch 2 5K program for my workouts - which actually lessens my financial burden since I don't have to go to a gym. This country is not the cheapest country to live in but I can buy an a$$ load of fabric for next to nothing if I want to make a new duvet. Veggies are relatively inexpensive if you know where to buy them (i.e. - the local fruit guy... who we call Moshe) which makes cooking vegetarian food options much cheaper and much more flavorful.

This Shabbat, I've given a lot of thought to the life that we lead. We're good people who call our parents regularly (sometimes too much, sorry Dad) and are having fun on this crazy road we've taken. Personally, I'm incredibly grateful for the life that we lead because, someday, when we're millionaires - we'll be able to pocket most of our money because I'm still gonna be pretty stingy... I mean, creative.

What are you thankful for this Shabbat? Do you have any tips for how to save money?