Many questions have been circling in my mind these days, and one of those questions is how to enjoy live and support dreams on a budget.
We all sacrifice time, energy, and money for dreams. Our dreams vary. Some may sacrifice for a great vacation, a summer home, a special celebration, a new outfit, a college education, a job you love, or a creative project.
Like all of a life's pursuits, there's a balance to be had here. Those who never live life, but continually work for the future may sacrifice too much, and those who only live without any eye on the future, may not have the chance to attain the kinds of dreams that truly empower one's life. And we are all called in different ways for different reasons. Just recently I sat with friends as we discussed our futures, and one lamented that she wasn't interested in an area of life that the rest of us were interested in, but clearly her life is called in a different and equally important way. There's little room for judgement when it comes to where we are headed and why unless our acts and choices demean and hurt others, then judgement is appropriate.
So back to the important question, how can you enjoy life and also sacrifice for those long term dreams?
First, there's a lot we can live without. We don't need lots of new clothes, fancy furniture, extraordinary house renovations, expensive entertainment, and special dinners out all the time or even that often--these are things you can minimize to few items and costs.
Then there are the the little things you buy, the items that are so often thrown out during a big clean-up, we know what those items are and we don't need them.
And as far as entertainment, there's lots of local entertainment that's free or low cost. You can sign up for museum passes, use discount cards, attend community events, and engage in creative activities that are entertaining. Sometimes you can even get a new job that is both fun and adds to your income--once my husband and I worked at a farm over the summer. We were paid in veggies and flowers which was terrific and mostly fun too.
My husband and I are working towards a dream right now which is to give our youngest child a good education. We were able to support our other two sons through college, and now we want this son to have the same chance. This means altering our lifestyle a bit so we can pay the bills, but we want to have fun and move forward too.
I imagine we'll utilize library passes and books, make the health club a second home, visit local nature preserves, ride our bikes, entertain at home, and devote time to our professions during these college years--years where we'll support this latest dream.
What dreams are you working towards? How has that changed the way you live and what you do? This is a question I'm thinking about and welcome your ideas.
We all sacrifice time, energy, and money for dreams. Our dreams vary. Some may sacrifice for a great vacation, a summer home, a special celebration, a new outfit, a college education, a job you love, or a creative project.
Like all of a life's pursuits, there's a balance to be had here. Those who never live life, but continually work for the future may sacrifice too much, and those who only live without any eye on the future, may not have the chance to attain the kinds of dreams that truly empower one's life. And we are all called in different ways for different reasons. Just recently I sat with friends as we discussed our futures, and one lamented that she wasn't interested in an area of life that the rest of us were interested in, but clearly her life is called in a different and equally important way. There's little room for judgement when it comes to where we are headed and why unless our acts and choices demean and hurt others, then judgement is appropriate.
So back to the important question, how can you enjoy life and also sacrifice for those long term dreams?
First, there's a lot we can live without. We don't need lots of new clothes, fancy furniture, extraordinary house renovations, expensive entertainment, and special dinners out all the time or even that often--these are things you can minimize to few items and costs.
Then there are the the little things you buy, the items that are so often thrown out during a big clean-up, we know what those items are and we don't need them.
And as far as entertainment, there's lots of local entertainment that's free or low cost. You can sign up for museum passes, use discount cards, attend community events, and engage in creative activities that are entertaining. Sometimes you can even get a new job that is both fun and adds to your income--once my husband and I worked at a farm over the summer. We were paid in veggies and flowers which was terrific and mostly fun too.
My husband and I are working towards a dream right now which is to give our youngest child a good education. We were able to support our other two sons through college, and now we want this son to have the same chance. This means altering our lifestyle a bit so we can pay the bills, but we want to have fun and move forward too.
I imagine we'll utilize library passes and books, make the health club a second home, visit local nature preserves, ride our bikes, entertain at home, and devote time to our professions during these college years--years where we'll support this latest dream.
What dreams are you working towards? How has that changed the way you live and what you do? This is a question I'm thinking about and welcome your ideas.