Frugal January

I think we're starting a new tradition. We have No-Sugar November (which, let's be honest, was Less-Sugar November this year) and All-Dessert December (not really a tradition, but an accurate description of our behavior). Now we're starting Frugal January. 2013 was a big year for us Sloans, in many great ways. A new baby, a new job, a new state, a new house. But it was also the most expensive year in our marriage by far. So at family council tonight, as I was planning outings we could do for the rest of the week to finish off the holiday (Chick-fil-A! Fort McHenry!) and projects we could do on Dave's days off (buy a vinyl mat for our dining room area! Order new family pictures and finally put together our family picture wall!), Dave suddenly shook his head and said, "I don't want to do anything that costs money. We should designate this month Frugal January."

This made lots of sense to me. We've just spent all this money on Christmas presents for the kids and each other, we just bought a minivan for me--heck, we've just bought a house for our entire family. We should stop acquiring things for a while and learn to use and enjoy the things we already have. So the vinyl mat for the dining room area? That's not a necessity--I can wipe up messes under the table and polish the wood floor and wait until February for something that will be more convenient. Chick-fil-A is very fun, but the park is free, with just the cost of some extra time for bundling everyone up. In the meantime, I have a new smartphone that I really don't know how to use to its full capacity. I have a sewing machine that Mama gave me and that I have yet to really use, though I have projects piling up next to it. I have new scriptures that Dave gave me for Christmas that are begging to be taken out every night for some reflective reading. Everything else can wait.

And don't I have a wonderful husband for thinking of this?