Desperately seeking Zen

Last night I was pretty upset when a blog I had been working on about my new "spending diet" suddenly disappeared off the screen. I think it was a sign that writing about not buying a $2 book or an H&M sweater is full of sacrifice is very insipid and not something to which most of America could relate in a time when many Americans are out of work, losing their home or trying to put food on the table. That said, I was distraught over technology taking my words away. So when my sweet, loving second child came in to give me a hug and tell me it would be OK, I did wrong thing -- I lashed out. "No TV for you tonight until you bring up that science grade." No matter that it was already 9:30 p.m. or that she simply wanted to distract me by offering to watch a "Friends" episode. She quietly disappeared to her room where 20 minutes later I found her teary-eyed to offer an apology. It was too late really. Her compassion had been met with hostility. She just wa...

Like many Americans, I recently realized that if you spend more money than you bring in through a paycheck you will go into debt. This is a new experience for me because 1) my husband is German and debt is really not part of his DNA; 2) I learned the hard way in college that a free credit card in the mail does not really mean free when you figure in the 19% interest that comes with it and 3) one can always justify a purchase if you try hard enough...especially shoes! The costs added up slowly...too much eating out, 6 months of karate lessons, political fundraisers, medical co-payments, unexpected tree removal after a storm, another mindless trip to Target and -- the most necessary expense we should have been saving for all along -- tickets to Peru. As the Visa bill climbed close to our limit, my husband and I discussed yet again the whole formula about only buying what you need vs. what you want. I figured it should be simple. The whole living frugally thing is an ironic in...