Frugality and Gratitude

As I've been thinking about frugality, I've come to my own conclusion that frugality and gratitude are meant to go hand-in-hand. If I'm not grateful for the things I come across cheaply or even free, I can easily start to feel "entitled" to those things instead of "enriched" by them. That attitude should carry through whether it's a good deal on groceries that I'm blessed to find or a free box of clothes from a kind friend. I think of all the people who have so generously given us hand-me-downs of one kind or another. If my attitude was one of entitlement rather than gratitude, I'm sure the hand-me-downs would stop knocking at our door pretty quick. Hand-me-downs like

a doll house that has been played in nearly every day for the past year, usually with miniature dolls, but occasionally with the life-size versions as in above photo

a kitchen-aid mixer that I never knew I needed until I was given one
an adorable bubble car that makes walks to the park with three kids more manageable
free family entertainment exposing my kids to all sorts of new adventures - yes Claire even kissed it
and customer appreciation days at local farmer's markets with free slushies and balloons for kids and free roasted homegrown corn for adults

As I think of all the things we've been given, I hope that the giving doesn't stop with me. Lisa was a good example of that to me a couple of weekends ago when she said she had given away a lot of her baby clothes after baby number 2 (I think #2) and I asked why she had given them away if she knew they were going to have more kids. She said because she didn't want them sitting around going out of style if other people could use them. Light bulb for Carol: you don't have to save it all up just in case you might use it 4 years down the road. If someone can get use out of it, pass it on. Thank goodness for all the wonderful people who have already learned that principle and have blessed our lives because of it.