No Spending: an Update

To recap: I began a "no spending campaign" at the beginning of lent (it's hard to say I gave up spending money for lent because this is more of a personal challenge, not necessarily a sacrifice the Lord was calling me to... and I'm using the time frame of lent for my challenge). I've got a little over two weeks left and I have (brrrrrrrrm!) $1 left from my $25 budget. Yikes! This is hard.

Here's where I spent the money:
$5 on a train ticket to LA
about $6 on donations
$2 for tip at a restaurant (contributing to a group)
Hmm... $13 somewhere else. Seriously, I don't remember!

Another mini failure: I committed to not manipulating others into buying me stuff during this time, but I must confess, I did it. Sorry, Brittany. She was happy to buy me a smoothie and a doughnut, but I should have had some backbone! (Sigh) Grace covers that.

So what have I learned? I've learned that if God is not calling me to something, he won't necessarily give me the means to fulfill my own personal goal when there are other, more pressing needs around me (though I have felt his grace and his caring heart in this). I am going to finish. Not out of a stubborn place, but because in the end, I did commit this to the Lord. I have learned that not spending money makes your bank account go up. Wonderful! I actually did not think of that factor very seriously at the beginning of this endeavor, but my bank account thanks me. I have learned that when spending isn't an option, choices are much simpler. Lastly, I have learned that the desires of man will never be satisfied! I've already got a mental list of things I want to buy (present for baby Levi, paint for my room, Starbucks on Easter...). I guess I'm ever in the process of learning contentment.
I think the next item I need to delve into is coffee... when I look into my heart, I think the Lord was gently encouraging me to give up coffee for lent, but I just did not want to! So, I need to do it for a season, even if it's not lent. Giving up this little luxury could help me look toward the cross, which is what sacrificing is all about.

I feel a bit ashamed at the end of this post. Usually, I blog about a fun experience or idea, but not usually a failure. Now, I wouldn't call my fast from spending a complete failure, but I can declare that there were better things I could have given up. Nonetheless, this has been a learning experience and I intend to finish strong. I've got $1 left, no manipulation in sight, and about 90 miles of gas to go! Thank you for reading along in my self-imposed, God-assisted journey.