This holiday season, if you shop for holiday gifts online, via Amazon, would you kindly use my Amazon Affiliate link? It will cost you nothing extra but I will earn a small percentage of your purchase! If you’re looking elsewhere, please use my Ebates referral link – I will get a small referral fee, and you can save money on something you were going to buy online already it can even be airline tickets or hotel reservations, etc.). Please!! And thank you!!
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been getting daily emails from Mrs. Frugalwoods of the Frugalwoods blog. Today’s email asked the following at the end:
When are you most content? When you are spending money? When you are spending less money? Can you be content with fewer material possessions?
The first is an easy one for me to answer – I’m content when:
- I am with my animals (The Herd) watching them all sleep peacefully, knowing they are safe and sound, and they will not go hungry, wanting for another meal.
- I’m writing (blog post or otherwise) and I feel like I’m “in the flow.”
- I’m reading a good book that I just can’t put down! (Check out my Helpful Books page for some of the most helpful to me.)
- I’ve just finished an awesome run or workout at the gym. I don’t smell like a rose but who cares?!
- I’m spending time in nature, feeling at peace and just “being.”
- I’ve just finished up a transcription or other type of project, or accomplished all the goals I set out to complete on a certain day.
- I help someone over the phone at work, and feel my inner librarian coming out, and they tell me I’ve been very helpful with all the information I’ve provided.
- I check my retirement accounts and see that the balance is growing! It’s hard for me to save right now with such a low salary, but I’m trying to sock away 7% into a 401(k) and $95/paycheck for my Don’t Touch (emergency) fund, my insurance premiums and travel/tiny house funds. (I just calculated that $95 savings amount to be roughly 13% of my after-tax salary!)
As you can see, I’m perfectly content to spend my time in activities that cost me very little, or nothing, and in some instances, actually earns me some money. Also, I can definitely be content with fewer materials possessions! When I moved from my Boston apartment to Utah, to live in the fifth wheel travel trailer, my car held everything of value I owned (and my animals who I don’t own as they are living creatures and my family). All except for one painting of a coastal setting, which I ultimately gave to my friend Michele back in Kanab. I just had this feeling that she was the right person to receive it and her reaction to it confirmed that.
These days, I don’t buy much. When I do, it’s usually something I have thought about a lot, such as my first Christmas tree since 2014. Someone told me that Hobby Lobby was selling all of their Christmas stuff at 50% off, so I bought a 4.5 foot tall tree and ornaments. It makes me happy to look at it, and I feel like it makes the house more of a “home.” When alone over the holidays, it can be very easy to feel down. Believe me, I know. And it’s small enough that I can put it up in a tiny house later on!
When do you feel most content? When shopping or indulging in retail therapy? Or some other type of activity – exercise, etc.? Tending to a hobby? Reading a book?
Please drop me a line below and let me know! And as always, thanks for reading, and if you think someone else would like or benefit from reading this post, please share it!
Chasing Simple Dreams 
How do you keep the cat’s out of the tree I have 5 cat’s & 3 dog’s in my herd if I had tree it wouldn’d last 5 minute’s after I got it up.
You know, Terry, I have always been very lucky. I’ve only ever had one dog that liked to sit under the tree and that was a yellow lab that my ex-husband and I had together. I purposely don’t use icicles for a couple reasons. One, we had them on our trees growing up, and I don’t like the look of them. Two, they would just be an invitation for the cats to play with and swipe at. Right after the photo I included in this post was taken, Callie did lean in toward it as if she was trying to smell it. But that was it. Again, I’m lucky and I know it!
I wish I could get so lucky but you know what they say about cat’s & there curiosity well mine have more than there share.
Are you kitties on the younger side? Mine are all older so they like to sleep. A lot. i do have one (Max, my diva) who does like to check out things – as he is the head of his household, he feels it is his job to know anything and everything about whatever enters his domain, human or otherwise. Just gotta be vigilant! (And i’m happy to hear you have even more pets than I do!)
My cat’s age’s is 1 at about 11 yr’s 3 at about 8 yr’s & 1 at about 3 yr’s . They all do like to sleep a lot or as I like to say they are charging up there batterey’s so they can prowl all night & as I said before they have more than there share of curosity & they do check every thing that come’s into the house especily box’s.
I love just sitting in bed and watching TV or a movie. My son loves for me to hold him and we watch movies together all the time. I am enjoying that right now because I know one day he is not going to want me to hold him. He is definitely my baby boy, but he will grow up and our relationship will change a little. I guess we will just have to golf together.
While I don’t have kids, I have nieces and nephews, and friends with kids, so I know about how the relationship changes as the kids age. When my sister’s oldest was young, he would sometimes just say, “Mommy?” to which she would answer, “Yes?” and he would simply say “i love you.” She knew that sometimes he was saying it to try to get his own way, but she said, I know it won’t always be like this, so I’ll take it while I can. 🙂 So yes, enjoy those moments and try to take snapshots in your mind in case a camera isn’t at the ready or would spoil the moment.