A miscellany post! (and I need your input)

(can’t post without a photo, you know! And this produce IS sort of miscellaneous.)

1. Contentment Thoughts

The contentment series is officially over, but I had a couple of things I wanted to address and clarify because of some reader feedback. 🙂

First, when I mention looking at people who have less, I am not at all suggesting that we should take joy in the fact that they have less than we do. Looking at people with less isn’t about feeling superior (though certainly there are people who do that)…it’s about realizing what you have.

When we learn about people who are so desperate that they have to make mud cookies, we should ache for them and long to alleviate their suffering. And we should look at our leftovers or our beans and rice and think about what a luxury it is to have food. Other people’s suffering should help us look at our circumstances with new, more contented eyes.

Secondly, I don’t think contentment should cause us to stagnate or to stay in bad circumstances. Indeed, contentment is more about your attitude than about what you do.

As a for instance, Mr. FG and I are not fans of his work schedule. This Tuesday-Saturday thing is kind of a pain, especially when coupled with the super early bedtime and rising time.

To help me be content with this, I remind myself that at least Mr. FG has a job, that this job pays the bills, that having Mondays off can be handy because no one else does, that getting up early gives me quiet time before the kids are up, and that it’s awfully good we’re homeschooling because we can adjust our school schedule to match Mr. FG’s work schedule.

Does this mean we’re sitting back and doing nothing about the job situation? Nope. But it does mean that while the icky schedule situation continues, I’m not thinking miserable, discontented thoughts.

So yes…definitely work to change your circumstances if they need changing, but in the midst of that, still strive for contentment. Contentment is about finding a positive attitude in bad circumstances, not about embracing the bad circumstances themselves.

Also, I don’t think that my contentment principles really apply when we’re talking about personal growth. I don’t ever want to be content with my faults. I want to be always growing…I want to be more patient, more organized, more loving, more merciful, more unselfish, and so on. An “Oh well! This is just the way I am!” attitude isn’t what I’m going for. 😉

Ok! Hopefully that clears things up a bit.

2. I’m on BlogHer.com!

My Is homemade bread cheaper than store-bought? post is on BlogHer’s website, so if you missed it when it ran here, go check it out!

3. Coming next month: A productivity series

For a long time now, I’ve been getting emails and comments asking me how I do all that I do. And I’ve kept meaning to write a series about the things that help me to be productive, but I haven’t been productive enough to get that done (maybe I’m not such a good person to write this series after all!).

I’ve got a plan in place now, though, and barring some unusual event, every Thursday in November, I’ll share the things that help me to get my work done.

4. E-Book Input

I’m considering writing an e-book on a topic relating to frugality. I still think a real book is way too big a project for me, but I think I could handle an e-book (I think.).

The price point of this book would probably be around $5 because I want to make it super-affordable.

But, I also want to make it super-helpful, so I’d love to have your input on the topic choice. Here are a few ideas I’ve been tossing around, but do let me know if you’ve got some other great topic idea, and I’ll consider that too!

-Celebrating Christmas frugally

-Saving money on groceries (this would definitely focus on basic principles rather than on deal-hunting)

-Clothing children on the cheap

-Fast and frugal scrapbooking

I’ll make my topic decision based on what you guys want, so speak up! (and that includes you lurkers…come tell me what you want! 😉 We’re all very nice and we promise we don’t bite. ). I really want to make sure that I’m pouring my efforts into the topic that will serve you the best.

Today’s 365 post: Colors after the rain