Costco Date

Today was a very good day. Jen and I traveled up to Costco after a nice inexpensive breakfast at Alterra, a great little splurge which set the table for a big savings day.

We've been struggling financially but we got some coupons from Costco in the mail and wanted to use some of our meager savings to make some purchases there to prepare for leaner times which might be ahead. We planned ahead, set a budget of $200-300 based upon our budget. We left having spent $307, and having saved $42 in coupon savings for things we actually can use above and beyond the exceptional savings which Costco provides.

We found organic chicken and ground beef, staples in fruit and veg, excellent deals on frozen fish, lunchmeat, and sliced cheese. We had a coupon for Jarlsberg, a Norwegian cheese which is a luxury item, but which was a fantastic deal. We got some toiletries which we needed, and stocked up on the basics in bulk. This is great, since we just finished remodeling a storage area in our hallway to store stuff. So now we can have a nifty place to stack bulk paper products, etc.

We're getting organized, simplifying our lives, and coming up with a new normal. That's been tough at times, but today we felt very rich in blessings and provision. We even got a break on our membership renewal, which would have cost $50, but cost 17 because of a dividend issue from 2010.

Jenni needed new contact lenses desperately, and our vision place really overcharges us. I was looking for a different option. Anyway, I noticed the great prices for contacts at Costco and Jenni had the vision place fax her perscription... which meant she got six months of contacts (which she will stretch to a year) for $55. That was a big savings over our old place.

Little blessings like this really make me happy. It was clear that in all things today the Lord had blessed us. There were little reminders of how good God is to us, personal moments of connection.

I know that it doesn't pair with good theology to think of God intervening in our lives in magical ways like this. But experiences of this sort do serve to inspire me. I believe that God does communicate with us in still, small, personal ways if we are listening or looking and listening for those things.

Today I felt as though my ears and eyes were opened, and God broke through my inadequacy. That was needed, and is greatly appreciated.

Ephesians 5:20 reads... " always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."