Frugal Soldiers

I've noticed a lack of fervor in mass on the part of my two boys. In the past, I've drawn on their warrior sense, exhorting them to fight against the Devil's temptations to slouch and moan throughout the consecration. And, surprisingly enough, it's worked. I certainly don't harp about the Devil and his wily ways all the time. But, every once in awhile, I think it's good to remind them that there is an actual battle going on right here at home. A spiritual battle, but very real nonetheless.

This week, I have my own immaterial battle to wage. And I suspect many of you moms out there wage this exact same battle every week or so. It's called "making do 'til payday." We have done our shopping, met our obligations, and now we just need to put 'er in neutral and coast.

And I look on it as a challenge. A battle to be waged against the bastions of consumerism*. No, we will not be stopping by the golden arches or calling on the pizza man for dinner this week. The clothes shopping that needs to be done for fall? That can wait until the weekend. I will not step foot into a mall or bookstore until Friday morning at the earliest... Our outings this week will be confined(? what an ironic way to describe it) to the lake, and the library and maybe to visit some friends. All of our meals will be homemade, with no wasting, and much school will be done, especially in the evenings with DH.

And you know what?

I bet we'll have an awesome week of it, too.

:)


*A tangent to this would be a discussion of how freeing it is not to go to mall-hopping on the weekends... not to be constantly needing new things. Always looking at things you don't have makes for a very dissatisfied person. I prefer a trip to the lake.