By nature, I'm not a shopper. I do give Abba glory for His provision and am grateful for the creativity in which He has blessed me, but I hated shopping long before I was a servant of the Most High. Perhaps He blessed me with the gift of improvisation, because of my disdain for shopping. At any rate, most of the purchases I do make, are business related, so it's mail order, internet, or auction. Even though it's not a mall or brick and mortar, it's still shopping.
I've caught on to something that I'd like to share, though. When I place an order, it seems within 24 hours I'm offered a coupon for something I just purchased, but the coupon has a very limited time frame. I have a recent example and I'm so thankful I listened to Abba as I was placing my order. I'm getting ready to make new catalogues for The Land of Goshen, so new color toner was in order. I was going to purchase all four colors and a new drum, as it's gone long past it's paper count. I felt a check in my spirit as I was adding toners to the cart, so I removed all of them except the one that actually tripped the warning on the printer. The order was large enough to qualify for free shipping, but just the basic replacements. I knew it would get me through label making, but not completion of the catalogues.
True to form, with my order confirmation, I received a coupon for 20% OFF of my next order of toner, but . . . the offer was only good for 3 days. Tricky, they are! So, having removed most of the toners off of the first order, I then proceeded to place that order and saved quite a bit of money in doing so. Internet shopping has sort of become like a sport. I've also learned to do a few google searches for specific items, a couple days before I actually intend to make a purchase. And the coupons roll in.
I am not thrilled with being tracked and I'm certainly not agreeing to a great deal these days, but I have determined to make the best of the situation. If Google chooses to track my product searches, and retailers pay to track my cookies or whatever happens, I can't change it; but I can work with it and let it work for me.
Showing posts with label purchase. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purchase. Show all posts
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Unexpected Supply
Usually when unexpected funds come into my hands, I put them away for safe keeping until a need is made known. About two months ago, some unexpected funds came into my hands, but at that same time the words I'd heard through morning chores back in April came into my spirit. Considering the source of the funding, I knew Abba was reminding me of my mission. In less than a week of this gifting and reminder, thoughts began pouring into my head, at very unexpected times.
Without going into dollar amounts here, I'd just like to share the opportunities for practical preparation that have arisen in the time frame of two months. I check craigslist with fair regularity in the farm and garden section. I was down to one guinea on the place, when I noticed a brand new listing. That wasn't just any listing, however. Upon arriving I noticed the solar panels, which opened the door to all sorts of interesting topics. I learned a lot that day and took home a pen of guineas which are growing nicely with the last brood of chicks from the incubator. As a matter of fact, in purchasing the guineas, there were several sizes of keets, and I was able to choose keets the same size as my chicks. They are growing together and getting along famously. Guineas are wonderful for natural tick control!
The reminder to take the plunge and purchase reusable canning lids came to mind quite intensely, and they arrived in days. This is a real test of faith for me, in that I've never used them before and next year the land rests. What is being preserved now, needs to be preserved properly, as there will be no garden planted next spring. So far, so good! Whether it's a collapsed economy or no buying and selling without the mark, there is a day coming in which organic homesteaders will need an alternative to disposable canning lids.
In the meantime, the hay has been abundant and I was presented with a wonderful opportunity to purchase it, in volume, and delivered straight from the field to this place. The cost per bail was great, but it needed to be done when the opportunity was presented . . . Praise Abba, hay for the winter is already in place.
In the late summer, I always survey the herd and try to add some new blood, while that option is available. I had already planned to purchase a new buck, but there are now three to choose from . . . At least one, possibly two will be gone by end of breeding season, but it will certainly offer the opportunity to keep many of the kids next year. Also added are now three 2 year olds, and two doelings. All of these new additions are headed in the direction of spotted, streaked and speckled . . .
The nudge, then became strong to make a significant move toward complete independence from the grid. Now, here's where I may sound like the prosperity mess, and I don't mean to. I'm not roughing it until I have to. I have my wringer washer, but I am still using an automatic and I'd like to continue to do so. I can cook over a fire, but I like my electric stove for now, and I have a wood-burner, but the heat pump is nice. So, in figuring my daily use of electricity, an order was placed for a wind turbine that will meet that "current" use. There was a great savings on solar panels as well, so that was a sizeable purchase, and yet, I still had funds . . . There was a certain symmetry to using an unexpected "windfall" to purchase a turbine for wind power.
I was literally prepared myself, budgeting, and had been planning to use my own funds for these projects; although it certainly would have taken longer than two months! In all the years of ministry, I've never had a problem with using my own funds for a project, as it all belongs to Him. I've been very blessed in ministry to never have solicited donations. By that same token, He has always provided what is needed and more, for what He's called me to do. Even when I do use my own funds, He's the One who has provided! I smile as I think, the time of the gathering must be getting close, as all of this is going into place so quickly.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of G-d; II Corinthians 3:5
Without going into dollar amounts here, I'd just like to share the opportunities for practical preparation that have arisen in the time frame of two months. I check craigslist with fair regularity in the farm and garden section. I was down to one guinea on the place, when I noticed a brand new listing. That wasn't just any listing, however. Upon arriving I noticed the solar panels, which opened the door to all sorts of interesting topics. I learned a lot that day and took home a pen of guineas which are growing nicely with the last brood of chicks from the incubator. As a matter of fact, in purchasing the guineas, there were several sizes of keets, and I was able to choose keets the same size as my chicks. They are growing together and getting along famously. Guineas are wonderful for natural tick control!
The reminder to take the plunge and purchase reusable canning lids came to mind quite intensely, and they arrived in days. This is a real test of faith for me, in that I've never used them before and next year the land rests. What is being preserved now, needs to be preserved properly, as there will be no garden planted next spring. So far, so good! Whether it's a collapsed economy or no buying and selling without the mark, there is a day coming in which organic homesteaders will need an alternative to disposable canning lids.
In the meantime, the hay has been abundant and I was presented with a wonderful opportunity to purchase it, in volume, and delivered straight from the field to this place. The cost per bail was great, but it needed to be done when the opportunity was presented . . . Praise Abba, hay for the winter is already in place.
In the late summer, I always survey the herd and try to add some new blood, while that option is available. I had already planned to purchase a new buck, but there are now three to choose from . . . At least one, possibly two will be gone by end of breeding season, but it will certainly offer the opportunity to keep many of the kids next year. Also added are now three 2 year olds, and two doelings. All of these new additions are headed in the direction of spotted, streaked and speckled . . .
The nudge, then became strong to make a significant move toward complete independence from the grid. Now, here's where I may sound like the prosperity mess, and I don't mean to. I'm not roughing it until I have to. I have my wringer washer, but I am still using an automatic and I'd like to continue to do so. I can cook over a fire, but I like my electric stove for now, and I have a wood-burner, but the heat pump is nice. So, in figuring my daily use of electricity, an order was placed for a wind turbine that will meet that "current" use. There was a great savings on solar panels as well, so that was a sizeable purchase, and yet, I still had funds . . . There was a certain symmetry to using an unexpected "windfall" to purchase a turbine for wind power.
I was literally prepared myself, budgeting, and had been planning to use my own funds for these projects; although it certainly would have taken longer than two months! In all the years of ministry, I've never had a problem with using my own funds for a project, as it all belongs to Him. I've been very blessed in ministry to never have solicited donations. By that same token, He has always provided what is needed and more, for what He's called me to do. Even when I do use my own funds, He's the One who has provided! I smile as I think, the time of the gathering must be getting close, as all of this is going into place so quickly.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of G-d; II Corinthians 3:5
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