Share, Share, that's Frugal!

Do you ever think about the joy that comes from sharing a meal with others? The conversation, the laughs, the encouragement, the yummy food- I love it all!

Because I live so far away from my family, I tried very hard (especially the first year) to have my 5 younger siblings come and visit me and Dave in PA! We had a blast!! Trips to Philly, trips to NYC, trips to Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster, dinner out, shopping sprees, and lots of late night chats! Sharing and seeing the joy on their faces was so much fun!

The same is true with living the frugal lifestyle. Okay, maybe not daytrips to NYC and Philly, but you know what I mean, the sharing part!

This year, I moved up the food chain...I mean, the seniority ladder at work and was able to move to dayshift! WAHOO! A huge answer to prayer! But, that also came with the cost of parking in the city and a slight pay cut. Two things that were not accounted for in the budget! So, I revamped the budget and began looking into transportation ideas:
Take the train= too much variability in my schedule to make it on the train home in time.
Drive= $13 a day to park and a 6 block walk.
Carpool= don't work the same schedule as my friend all the time

What to choose??? Well, thankfully, my coworker and friend who lives 5 minutes from me only works part-time, so we share her parking pass! I pay her less than half of what it would cost me to park and I only have a 3 block walk! PERFECT! And, on the days we both work, we carpool together! Makes for a lovely ride in and out of work after long, hectic days!

Another way I have found to share this year to help with the frugal lifestyle is couponing for others! Since you usually have to buy a larger amount of product to get the coupon/sale price, I decided to see if others wanted the same products as I did. I do all the work (which I would do anyway), go shopping, and they pick up the items from me and pay me what I paid for it. I don't pay as much for a good deal and someone else gets to share in the same deal too...without all the work!

So, whether you are sharing meals with friends or carpooling to work, sharing is caring...and frugal!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go!

People ask me what I do. A lot. And as soon as I say, "I am a nurse," a whole new level of conversation begins- their medical history, their mother's medical history, and their great aunt Phoebe's medical history. It's great!! No, really, it is! Then the next question they ask is, "What kind of a nurse are you?" And as soon as I say, "I am a NICU nurse- I work with babies." The "ahhhs" and "oohhs" and "You must LOVE your job!" begin. And for the most part, they are right. However, there is a reason I say I am going to "work!"

WORK can be a bad four letter word. Like, "You have to WORK for your food"; "You have to WORK for your education": "You have to WORK for what you want." But you know what the great thing is about work?? It doesn't have to be a bad four letter word.

 From a young child, I always knew I wanted to work with babies. I thought I wanted to be a Labor and Delivery nurse until junior year of nursing school when I watched as each sweet baby once delivered was whisked off to the nursery and I was left with...well, we won't go into the details. So, I got rid of that idea. Then, during my senior year of nursing school, I came across this place called a NICU- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit- and I was in awe. Not only did I get to work with babies, but I was also able to apply all my nursing knowledge that I had learned during 4 years of intense schooling, unlike working in the newborn nursery where the knowledge base was very specialized. I was hooked. After graduation, it was off to the NICU I went. 2 years later that is.

 I started my career off in Adult ICU and although it was a great learning experience, it was not where I wanted to be. But, I did my best. I worked hard running to do compressions as an elderly woman's heart stopped; yelling for help as I held a 200lb woman in the bed who was convinced that we were holding her captive; crying as I watched three different families lose a loved one in the same day; proving doctors wrong as I worked to care for people they said wouldn't make it and are here to tell about it today- I worked hard. Did I love every minute of it? Nope. But I did my best and stuck with it.

Then, 2 years later, my dream job opened up and there I was in the NICU. Still doing compressions; still saving loves; still holding little one's down for IVs and blood draws; still crying as families lost precious little ones; and still doing my very best. I love what I do!

Do I always want to go into work? Nope. Am I was always happy and chipper when I get home from work? Nope (you can ask my husband!). But, I go to work with a good attitude, work hard, and try to find the blessings in every day.

Work. It is how we make a living. It is how we get out of debt. It is how we make this world go 'round. We were created to work. Work is part of who we are. Work can happen anywhere! Behind a desk, in a field, in a home, with kids, without kids, in a hospital, in a school, anywhere!

As you go to work tomorrow, remember that because of what you do today you are impacting what happens tomorrow! Choose to do your best and stick to what you have set to do today!