Car Fast: Week 1

A few weeks ago I read The Cheapskate Next Door by Jeff Yeager and if you'd talked to me in these last few weeks, you'd know that it changed/ruined my life.  Ruined my life in that I now know how much more money I could be saving by not doing things like buying toilet paper.  Don't worry, while I still refuse to buy paper towels, cloth toilet paper is too far for me.  Though Yeager does focus a lot on different ways to spend less money, his real point, at least for me, is not about money at all.  Being a cheapskate is a way to increase our happiness by focusing more on and appreciating more what we already have rather than constantly shopping for and thinking about what we don't have.   I have decided to become a cheapskate.  I want to be happier (not that I'm unhappy to begin with).  I want to appreciate the things I have; to focus less on what I "want."  As such I am adjusting one of Yeager's suggestions and will be having a weekly car fast--that means one day a week, I will not drive my car anywhere.  Not only will I save the gas money and the money from whatever store I was just going to drop by and pick up one thing and then leave the store $50 later, but I will be forced to enjoy what I already have.  

Today was my first weekly car fast.  And it was perfect.  Seriously so much less stressful than getting the kids ready and in the car and all the yelling and nagging and rushing that that involves.

We started the day off pretty normally: breakfast followed by morning chores.  Except that today instead of me yelling and nagging Rex to get his chores done, I did mine and let him and Alice do what they wanted.  Rex voluntarily got out his writing binder and practiced writing while Alice did her favorite thing--roll around on the floor with her blanket and pacifier.  And I even did the breakfast dishes after breakfast instead of after dinner.

 Eventually, I convinced Rex to get dressed and we headed outside where I raked up a giant leaf pile for the kids.  Alice was not as interested as I thought she should be.  She kept crying to go back inside so I brought out a blanket and books for her to look at while Rex played in the leaves, which satisfied all parties involved.

 We also had a snack outside, more leaf jumping, lunch, then I read Alice some stories and she took a nap.  Then Rex wanted repeat some of his activities he did at Joy School this week, so we did that.  I didn't take any pictures of that because I didn't want to interrupt the moment.  Remember I was enjoying what I have.  Then stories with Rex, shower and nap for me while Rex watched TV.

After TV time, Derick came over and we went back to our leaf pile.

 Then we did a leaf stained art project, which again I did not take pictures of because...well I got a stressful phone call from a potential renter.  I mean, I was enjoying the moment not yelling at my kids to hush.

Next, the kids helped me make pizza before I caught they actually playing together (and overhead Rex repeating the conversation I'd had with the tenet on his broken cell phone).

Last, the kids took a bath, more renter stuff hit the fan, we read some stories, I rocked Alice to sleep then cuddled with Rex for a bit.  All in all, minus the renter stuff, I loved my first car fast.  I actually spent time playing with my children and have a blister on my thumb from all the raking to prove it.  Looking forward to next week--so join me for a weekly car fast and spend a day just enjoying what you already have and not thinking about what you're going to buy next.