Before I discovered minimalism and connected it to my faith life, I would often make purchases based on who I wanted to be in the future. I wanted to get outdoors more, so I bought hiking boots, a tent, and camping gear. I wanted to present myself as more put-together,
It’s no secret that marketing and advertising folks use psychological strategies to get us to buy more stuff. One of the ways they do this is something called price anchoring. What is Price Anchoring? Price anchoring is when a price for a product is shown with higher prices around it,
Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for [God] has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 When I was a child and into my teen years, my family didn’t talk much about money. I grew up
We are now into the Christmas and holiday season– and for better or for worse, gift giving is often a part of celebrations. Simple gift giving can be, well, a gift. When consumables, experiences, charitable giving, or limited material gifts that have been mentioned as wanted or needed are given,
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don’t sing,Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass,Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass. If that looking glass gets broke,Mama’s gonna buy you a billy-goat. If that billy-goat
Many years ago, I was facing a potential promotion at my job. When I saw the salary offer, I had a hunch that it was lower than it should have been. I sat down with a trusted co-worker, who had similar work experience and credentials as I did. I asked
My family experienced a laundry emergency last month. When we moved into our current home back in October, we bought a new washer and dryer to replace the appliances that had been there since the house had existed (around 20 years ago). The dryer wasn’t drying so well anymore, so
Recently, we went to visit my parents with Baby Theo (and his bottles and diaper bag) in tow– a regular occurrence now that we live much closer to them. When it was time to feed Theo, my Mom took the bottle out of the fridge and pulled out the same
Last month, our lives changed with one phone call. After a long and involved process, my husband Will and I found out from our assigned social worker at the adoption agency that we were picked by the birth mother to adopt a baby boy! He had just been born two
In August, my husband Will and I went on a cruise with my parents. These family trips used to be a tradition (happening about every other year), but because of personal schedules and the pandemic, we hadn’t been on a trip together in five years. On our last trip five