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For today's post, I wanted to share but some of the many things I am thankful for that I have in my life.
My Thanksgiving List
1. I'm thankful for my health, because, having ill friends, I realize health is a commodity that is more precious than anything else. I'm thankful that I was born with no physical handicaps or other medical problems, and I'm thankful that I don't get ill often, and when I do, it's usually quite manageable. My health helps me save money, because I have the ability to do frugal things that some other ill friends cannot.2. I'm thankful for my husband and my children. My husband, Mike, is a great partner in life, my best friend, and the person who understands me and loves me, even with all my quirks. I'm extra thankful that Mike and I are on the same page regarding finances, and realize what a blessing that is. Mike puts up with my doing wacky things to save money (like not buying toilet paper since last April, pre-washing our cloth diapers in dirty dish water, and solar cooking) and is flexible enough with his eating for me to experiment with different frugal foods, even if occasionally they don't come out perfectly.
I'm thankful for my kids, Lee and Spike, because they're such pleasures to be around and amuse me with their endless antics (the best frugal entertainment!), and are the sweetest, most lovable kids in the whole wide world!
3. I'm thankful for having been blessed with an abundant amount of energy and very little need for sleep, which helps me function much more efficiently than most and allows me to have very productive days (see a sample of A Day in the Life of Penny). I realize that not everyone has enough strength as I do, so I am appreciative of this quirk of mine every single day.
4. I'm thankful for you wonderful readers. Before I started this blog, I was just a lone frugal person out there in a sea of spenders, trying to make my voice heard and be seen as "normal". With your help, we've built a community of people from all different walks of life that are there for each other emotionally and even physically, giving support to us trying to get by on very little money and encouragement for people who are frugal, even if they don't need to be.
In addition to making some great friends via my blog, I've also learned a tremendous amount from you, like when Hannah commented that I needn't sterilize my diapers in the wash, which allowed me to lower my electric bill a lot by lowering the temperature on my diaper washes. Commenter Beanna83 taught me that I can water bath can without any special equipment, thus saving me the outlay of money on equipment and allowing me to preserve foods that I bought cheaply. Commenter Nathalie linked to a great pattern for fabric menstrual pads, which were terrific and worked better than what I had been using until then. You readers really and truly enrich my life!
5. I'm especially thankful for one last thing, that I want to share with you all----
My Fantastic News
From when I was a little kid, I wanted to be a writer. I loved words and playing with them and forming them in endless combinations to make art with words. When I got poems published for the first time in fourth grade, and the second time in eighth grade, it encouraged me to write more and more.
At first, I wrote poetry, then fiction, and I started writing non fiction once I was married. I tried getting published, but every article I wrote just got rejection after rejection. It burned. Bad. I mean, I thought I was a decent writer, but after all those nos, it got me doubting myself.
As a final effort, after my last rejection, I started this blog for the purpose of proving that I could write, that people were interested in hearing what I had to say, and that all those who'd turned down my writing were absolutely wrong.
You wonderful readers gave me the feedback and encouragement to keep writing, to share what was on my mind, and really helped me feel good about myself. Thank you!
The best news of all though, is that via my blog, I was approached by the editor of an international publication and asked to be a steady columnist for them. The topic- frugality! I was absolutely psyched, and agreed to it even before I found out how much they'd be paying me.
Fortunately, its enough money to provide us with some breathing room in our budget and to be able to pay off debt faster and save up to buy a house one day.
My favorite stuff about this is that a) I have most of the topics I'd write about already thought out about because I've written about it prior on Penniless Parenting. Even though I need to write these articles again, I've already done almost all the research necessary and have organized my thoughts. Because of this, I can write my column and edit it without needing to spend too much time, allowing me to still be a stay at home mom, provide income for our family, and still have the time and energy to do what I need to run our frugal household.
b) I love writing, and this gives me even more reason to write!
c) I love frugality (no, really now, Penny! We never would have guessed!)
d) I love being able to share my ideas with as many people as possible.
e) Oh, and best of all, this is the kind of job/career where a college degree fortunately is semi superfluous.
So yea, really great news here. So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend!
I'm sorry, but I won't be able to share where I'll be published; anonymity and all that are still important to me, but I was bursting with excitement for so long and finally decided to share it with you!
So, how was your Thanksgiving?
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend?
Have you ever been published?