In the spirit of all the list making that I have seen lately, I have been thinking of things that I have to be thankful for, partly because this is thanksgiving week and partly because it helps me to focus on what I do have as opposed to my financial frustrations. Here are a few in no particular order:
1) 4 healthy children - I was having coffee with friends last week listening to them talk about kids with seasonal allergies, food allergies etc. and thinking how glad I was that we did not have to deal with any of that (to say nothing of people dealing with their children having life threatening diseases). My DH and I have four very healthy children who maybe see the doctor once a year for something viral etc. if even. Boy are we lucky in that regard.
2) My dogs. I have two mastiffs and they are my major self-indulgence. They are definitely more expensive to feed and care for than a smaller dog would be but they give my whole family such love and joy that they are well worth it.
3) A frugal upbringing. My parents were both physicians so we always had money for whatever we needed but we were never spoiled. For example for Christmas we were allowed to ask for one "big" gift (which in the 70's topped out in the $20.00 price range) and also got some smaller stuff. It made you think about what you really wanted and would really use cause you didn't want to "waste" your request.
4) A fair amount of intelligence. I have a good memory and pick up concepts quickly. I think how much harder it must be for people who do not have either to be as frugal as possible as easily. I am not saying they cannot do it, just that it would be a much harder process. For example I can stand in the store w. a coupon and quickly determine if it will give me a better unit price on an item combined with a sale than the same generic/store brand item. Just makes the whole saving money stuff easier when you can quickly make those calculations yourself.
4) A safe warm home to return to each day and in which to raise my kids. You would never find my house in a magazine photo shoot but it is clean (relatively) and plenty large for our family. Each child has their own bedroom, we have a finished basement and a nice size yard. I laugh when people talk about buying their dream home. I tell them in all seriousness that my dream home is one with no mortgage. Right now we have built up a lot of equity in our house and are on target to have it paid off in 10 years of so.
5) My health and my DH's health. Both of us are healthy and in decent shape (we could both stand to lose a little weight).
6) A love of learning and acquiring new skills. I am not afraid to try new things so I have learned over the years how simple it can be to paint, do simple decorative painting and wallpapering, sew, quilt etc. I have replaced sinks and garbage disposals, installed ceiling fans and done other things that I never would have thought I would be able to handle. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing something yourself. (But I also know when to call in the professionals if needed.)
7)My DH. He drives me crazy more often than not but I figure if we have put up with each other for over 20 years we must be well suited. (Not that I possible do anything that drives him crazy!)
Things to Be Thankful For
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