What does debt free look like, and feel like?

I know the majority of us grew up understanding that we should never go into debt. But was it modeled for us, by our parents? Were we taught how to be money savvy in grade school, or more importantly, in high school before leaving home? Was it modeled as a country by the government ! Certainly not. I can only hope and pray my friends have been able to escape and prosper debt free within their marriages, and even as single individuals, because we did not escape the attractive snare of "consumer debt" from the beginning! Parents told us, credit cards are bad, so be careful...but wait, you need them for everything, to buy a new or used car, house, or home appliance! But it is the American right to own everything before it is paid for, isn't it?! Or at least this is the basis for our generation after high school and college, and we jumped in with both feet! Almost 10 years later, we are still trying desperately to pay off those cards we have had debt on for the last 6 years...don't get me wrong, we have paid off entire cards, and we have stopped falling for getting a new card to transfer a balance, to take advantage of a zero percent interest rate for a set amount of time. But  dang IT. It is a game. Why are we surprised  that our government can't keep their spending on a budget when how every American shops and lives in this country is encouraged to be "by and on a card"?! We have learned our lesson the hard way...spending the first 8 years of our marriage strapped to credit card debt...but as we slowly gain victory over our battle with the American Bulge of  consumerism, we continue to learn, and grow wiser...and most importantly, teach our children how to smartly avoid what we weren't physically taught! However, I do wonder if the world will be the same when they come of age? I have a sinking feeling that debt is not going to be their choice to pay...or the fact that the freedoms we have today will even be around for the choosing, for them? We can only pray, and learn what we can do to keep our freedoms for them, in the coming future. I fear our current national lethargy, physically and the way everyone spends their money currently, whether with credit or cash, is killing and crippling our nation. We not ONLY need to be wise about our debt, but purposeful with WHERE we shop!! Do we realize WHERE our money is going every time we spend money at a chain store or restaurant?  It goes to THAT company, but not our community! And do you know WHY it is MORE expensive to BUY local than with those chain giants? Because OF THOSE chain giants. Local can NO LONGER compete with dollar stores or Wally Worlds. Why do you think so many Americans are out of jobs? Because no one can either afford to start their own business...AND the community refuses to SUPPORT their own small businesses! FRIENDS, it is time to get  back to supporting our local businesses, and consider boycotting the chains. Just think...if we decided to buy ONLY local MEAT...not JUST because it is grass fed, but because it doesn't come from the east coast, we could be supporting the resurgence of local BUTCHERS, and bread from local bakers...SUPPORT THEM! Not Safeway. AND if we choose to find local toys, or support a friend who can make them, vs. Target or Wally World, we are keeping the money in OUR community!!
However, we, I too, am guilty of this as well...it is a LIFEstyle change, and a hard one...we still have a membership to Sam's Club that we can't seem to shake, because the vinegar, and contact solution and toilet paper are crazy deals...and I haven't found a budget friendly replacement yet...but I am trying desperately to move in that direction so I can BIN Sam's Club for GOOD!
Do we realize that if we all PURPOSEFULLY started to put our money where it matters, even on local organic food, if we all did this, the prices we BECOME more reasonable? The prices are high because these farmers can NOT compete with the all mighty dollar of CHINA's Wal Mart...does no one realize that China is very close to owning America?? Why can't we all take a small stand with OUR money, while a bit of it IS still our money, and make local choices with it? Then, even if we are, or are not completely debt free, we could start to feel free again in this country, because we will be making the actual choices of where our money goes. BECAUSE, every time we shop at a chain store, they are making the decision for US. We too are slowly moving away from chains...Sam's Club is the last one for us to break-up with, and it IS hard! But we can do ALL things through faith and hard work. IS not our children's future worth it? Do you want your children's future to be working AT wal-mart distributors so that WE can send things to CHINA? Because that is the direction this nation is heading in, every time we shop at those stores, we are putting money into another country, because everything that comes from China, is a drop in their money bucket, not ours. SO, please pray, consider carefully where your money is going, and join with me to continue to strive to change our shopping and consumer habits!
We have committed to "make Christmas" this year, which is SO very exciting, not only for our budget, but for the fact that we are going to make EVERYthing, and this Christmas is going to be more enjoyable for it!
I would LOVE for friends and family to join this commitment,  it is a FUN yet challenging one...and what is life without challenge:?]
Check this out!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/160924714044053/
ALSO, Friends of Flagstaff's Future is always pushing, shop local, from now until December, and we are going to support them as much as possible, especially since our family HAS a local business.
Could be one of the many reasons shopping local is so close to my heart!
www.skyislandroasters.com
Here is their link to check out, and support, and to keep on your minds during the upcoming holiday season, SHOP LOCAL, to keep YOUR money LOCAL...while WE each still have the freedom to do so...this freedom is changing, as our dollars continue to make Wally World, Safeway and Target more powerful with each and every thing we buy from them!
http://www.friendsofflagstaff.org/

Of saving money and spending a bit of it too:]

OH, it has been so long since I have taken the chance to write this blog...between coffee deliveries, family in town, cleaning, cooking, garden duties, I could go on and on...but finally...as Leenah sits on her potty, taking her morning duty and reading her little Bible, I decided HEY, I can't wait to share some closed loop cycles I have found for the house among my DUTIES! hehe Besides enjoying some different recipes, which I will have to share later, I am super excited to share some silly things I have discovered, will help us save money! First of all...tissues...who needs 'em? Besides visitors and hubby? Hubby just wanted me to get rid of an abundance of white socks because he has slowly been getting himself nice wool socks...so after being OH so tired of buying cardboard tissue boxes IN plastic at Sam's Club, and tired of paying $20 bucks every few months for 'em. I decided to try the socks in place of tissues...Leenah just happend to have horrible allergies the week I started this "experiment", and those allergies, I seemed to have the next day, so we went through like 40 socks in two days! I just washed 'em with the rest of the laundry, and they were fine...they felt BETTER than the paper too! I loved it, AND, I am still using the cardboard tissue box to keep the socks in. Even though hubby is not convinced and thinks I am extra crunchy, I am very proud of myself, and I am sure he will eventually;] join in on blowing on a sock soon enough;] hehe. OK, so there is the 1st closed loop life cycle for a household need. What is the next? Well, since I have been making our laundry soap, I have been enjoying using Ivory soap bars...shredding them and combining them with baking soda and borax (though I am moving away from Borax, now realizing it IS quite toxic, and it's one less thing I want to keep in the house!) And, since I have switched our bathrooms from liquid soap, to bar soap, once the bar soap is super tiny, instead of throwing it away, I stick it in a baggie, and once I have enough little pieces of those soap bars, I will shred them and make them into laundry soap! WAL-A, another closed loop life-cycle where NOTHing will be thrown away!! yea!!
I had a third, but what do you know, I can't think of it right now, will have to add it along with a recipe with the next bloggy. BUT, I do want to share some of the plastic free items we will be investing in within the next few weeks. The nice part about this is that Beau is SUPER excited about these items because they are stainless steel and look very "cool" to him. They are a 3 tiered Tiffin Box of stainless steel for his lunches (I am excited about this!) And stainless steel ICE CUBES! hehe. And....stainless steel straws...will also be purchasing some stainless steel silverware to carry in my purse, or in his tiffin box, along with the steel straws, to use when we are out and about, as well as for the random picnic or hiking trip! It will be fun to just have it there so we don't have to use the plastic options. Want to know where I am getting all this super cool manly stainless steel? Here is the link! http://www.thetickletrunk.com/
Although, saddly, this is a Canadian company, NO American store is selling these stainless steel options as of yet...the other exciting thing, is that they also carry glass and stainless steel air tight containers, and all stainless steel storage bowls for food. Again, Beau is super excited to slowly start getting these over the next year, into our kitchen, because he HATES my current plastic free set up of glass bowls and ceramic plates to store food in order to stay away from the PVC ladden plastic wrap...so at least we are moving in that direction together, of how to continue to slowly wipe plastic out of our kitchen and away from our food storage!
Ok, must go feed the duckies and make a kale salad for hubby's lunch! Talk to you all soon, very soon;]