Showing love 20 frugal ways

How often do you show your husband you love him and are glad he is there? How about your kids?

I used to think I did not have the money to really show them, or him. I would see things I knew that he would like but did not have resources. Sometimes it would be a way to decorate, or a special gift etc. However, it does not take money, or very little, to show your love and give reminders everyday of your love. We need it and so do they!

I would like to list special ways you can show your man you are there for him and you are still in love with him.

• leave little notes, in the shower, his lunch (kids lunch) under his pillow. You can make cards on the computer or by hand or just a quick "I love you" on a scrap of paper shoved in by his book mark in the book he is reading, at his computer etc.
• On the same note, (hehe, not literally, pun there) you can leave something you like about him, appreciate or thank him for. ( I appreciate how much you tell me you like my cooking, or how hard your work for us, etc)
  
• If he usually comes home from work and wants something to drink, have it ready for him.
• Have his socks, underwear etc dug out of the laundry basket so he does not have to dig when he is getting dressed. ( my kids are grown now, but I remember how it was getting all that done with 5 kids around, but pulling them out for him to dress in the morning makes a big difference.)
• Ask him if there is anything special he would like for dinner. Let him choose from what is in the house.
• hug him often
• kiss him often
• be playful... you know what I mean!
• give him peace when he wants to read the paper for a few minutes. He needs his unwind and switch gears time, then let him know about your day.
  
• Don't be a big spender so he has to worry about paying the bills!
  
• Be frugal
• Men do not talk like we do, they give a brief version and that is it. Show him you are interested in what he says, ask questions, but do not "nag" at him.
• Thank him for all he does, not a "thanks for everything honey" but a "thank you for changing the light bulb for me, I could not reach it. You are my hero".
• Make him your hero and tell him. Men need to know that.
• Have a honey do list, but do not nag, and when he does it praise him and let him know you appreciate him.
• Let him know you appreciate him (even if he did not do it) if he feels appreciated and loved he will do more for you and the family.
• Save your loose change and take him out for a meal or a dessert or something special.
• Tell him you love him again, and again and again!
• Tell him you would marry him again
• get the cat out of his favorite chair before he walks in the door.
  

These are just some ideas that do not cost money. You probably have more and I would love for you to tell me in the comments!

What? You do not "feel" this way about your husband? Start finding small things to thank him, etc. Do it just because he is your husband. Eventually you will feel it and he will change as you change. It is cheap, frugal and very mighty!

For more frugal ideas go on over to Biblical Womanhood!

Choose your gifts wisely

This came across my email today and I thought I would pass it on. I guess because my husband's name is Rick I thought it was funnier than it probably is.

MISSING HUSBAND

Rick was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him 'Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in less than 6 seconds, AND IT BETTER BE THERE!!'

The next morning Rick got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, and brought the box back in the house.She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Rick has been missing since Friday. Please pray for him.

For the love of your husband

Today is Works for me Wednesday and I want to share something that really works, not just for me, but for most wives.

Some time ago I wrote about honoring your husband and how today's women seem to have a problem in that area. Yesterday I was reading some of the blogs I normally read and went to Real Life's post "All Husbands are idiots..." It is not what it sounds like and really worth reading.

As I read her post I was thinking about what works for me. I am in my second marriage, both to wonderful men. My first marriage was for 29+ years and ended when death parted us. I am now married to another man who is a gem also.

While I can't take the credit, because I feel God is the one to get all the credit, I can tell you some things that I do and do not do that I know makes a difference. Both husbands have told me so.

• I praise my husband. He has many good features that are worth praising.
• I talk positive about him to others. My talk is uplifting, letting others see his good qualities.
• No negative talk to others. If i have had a problem that I did not know how to handle I sought out someone older and wiser and one that had enough wisdom and sense to not hold anything against my husband (and to keep their mouth shut!). This has almost never been an issue, but in 29+ years of marriage there were a few times where I was dwelling on negative and could not see it.
• It is ok to tell funny stories, if they are not degrading. We have some funny things that happened that could be told in a negative way, but yet do not have to be. For instance, and my husband would tell you this one himself if he were writing, he has a bad throwing arm. We live in Texas and sometimes there are rattlesnakes in the pasture. He was crossing the pasture to look for a cow that was down and saw the snake in the path. Rick decided to hit it with a rock. He threw, missed, threw missed, and so on until he had this nice fort built up around the snake. That snake was peaking out the hole, sticking it's neck out, then its tongue out and hissing at my husband, then ducking back behind the fort. I had to go out to the pasture with a shovel to kill the thing. (He did the killing, eventually). My hero! We laugh, but I could make that into something really negative and put him down to someone.
• I try to make dinners he likes, get him drinks when he is working hard and such little things to show my love.

My list goes on, but by doing these things it keeps my mind in a positive frame, shows him I love him and keeps us close. It also works to make him want to live up to what I think of him. He changes as I change and it works for our good.

I would like to ask that if there are those reading who have blogs that promote and are in line with what I am doing here (please read my purpose) that you send me an email using the contact on the sidebar. I would like your blog name. I would like to get other links for blogs and resources that are in line with my stand and desires. Thanks

This works for me! For more works for me ideas go to Rocks in My Dryer.

Happy Valentines Day!

I hope you are having a great day! While I know that valentine's day is not the same as your anniversary or birthday, it is a special day to honor those you love, especially your spouse.

Today, I am thinking about how blessed I am to have the man I have in my life. He is my love, my best friend and my blessing.

Today, I am thinking about what an honor it is to be his wife and to be the helper God made for him.

Today, I am thanking God for this privilege.

Today, I am praying I can be all I am to be that he may be all he is to be.

Today, I am also thanking God for the 8 children we have together, their spouses and the 18+ grandchildren. (+ because there is another one on the way!)(scroll down the link).

Today I am thanking God for my readers. I am so glad for each and every one of you!

Happy Valentine's Day Y'all!

What if you were Mrs. Noah? (part 2)

If you have not done it already, please go back and read yesterday's post, it should be directly below this one. Today's post may not make as much sense to you if you do not read part 1 first.

Noah is now making good headway on his ark, but Mrs. Noah still has something to say. I imagine if it happened today there would be all kinds of complaints, I mean a huge ocean liner being built in her yard with no water anywhere? What could that husband of hers be thinking. Why would God tell him to do such a thing.

I am sure by now, after 50 years, her "honey do list" was getting pretty long.

Mrs Noah: Dear, How many times in the last 50 years have I asked you to fix the leak in the shower? Or get that stack of wood off my flowers? or take out the trash? And then there is this old looking living room, why can't we get it painted? I wanted it done 25 years ago and all you do is work on that ugly thing in the yard. What do we need it for anyway? 50 years you have been at it and I have not seen one drop of rain yet!

Noah: That is because the ark is not done, we do not want it to rain yet. And, why paint the living room? It will all be destroyed anyway. Now darling, stop nagging! God gave me this job and I intend to finish it. He is going to destroy the whole world and we are the only ones going to be saved. It is up to us to follow His orders so that we and the animals can all be saved.

Mrs. Noah: Yeah, about those animals! Do I really need to be locked up for only God knows how long with all those animals? Monkeys swinging all over and kangaroos bouncing around? And how can anything be out of those giraffe's reach?

Noah: Dear, God has it worked out. We need to obey Him.

Mrs Noah: I have had it with all this, there is no way you are going to get those animals in, you are not hearing God, He would not tell you to do something so illogical!

And on and on she goes as poor Noah tries to follow God. 50 more years he has to listen to this stuff.

Finally, God tells him to get his family and the animals into the ark. God sends the animals and Noah gets them in, two by two of some and more of the clean animals and birds. They are marching in and out pops Mrs. Noah again.

Mrs. Noah: Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

Noah: Yes, now get things together we are boarding next.

Mrs. Noah: I am not getting on there with those things, no, no, no!

If this happened today, would Noah be getting his family in the ark. If you were Noah's wife what would you do?

Noah's wife obeyed God. We find no where that says he had to fight his wife about doing God's will. I believe she was a submissive, Godly woman. She may have given her opinon, but Noah had the final say.

If your husband wants to follow God in an area you either think is crazy, or not what you want to do at all, are you willing to be the type of wife God expects?

Search your heart and pray you can be what God wants.

Honor your husband

I seem to have "forgotten" something in the vows. Honor. It is a word we do not use towards our spouses. We use it for soldiers (unless we protest the war) we use it for kids "honor your father and mother" but do they know what it means? Usually we are telling them to make them obey. We want companies to honor our coupon, or a sale, or their return policy. But what does it really mean and what does it have to do with our spouse?

Again, I go to Mr. Webster:

synonyms honor, homage, reverence, deference mean respect and esteem shown to another. honor may apply to the recognition of one's right to great respect or to any expression of such recognition . homage adds the implication of accompanying praise. reverence implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion, or awe. deference implies a yielding or submitting to another's judgment or preference out of respect or reverence .

Reverence? Honor? Me? To him? yup! Some may be smugly thinking "man I am glad I did not have that in my vows." Problem is, it is what God expects of us also.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5:33

You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 1Peter 3:7

Honor all people, ( yup, your husband is a person!)love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17

You know what I found? I would go to church women's meetings and most would start with gossip, from there it would go to the bad things that their husband does. This would then be gossiped by the rest of the people there. Everyone would "help" by telling them what they should and should not do because their husband does such and such or else it was like a "who can top this" time where people the women would really get going about how bad their husband is. My husband was pastor of five churches over his 30 years in the ministry. I would go to the women's meetings and end up trying to change it and finally giving up and not going any more. It was supposed to be a church women's group, or women's missionary group and was just a gossip and husband bashing with some Bible and how to help the missionaries in between.

Then there are the women who down their husbands, in public and to their face. "I told you not to do that" or "why do you always..." etc.

Honor? Respect? Reverence? I think not!

Think about things you say to and about your husband. In honoring and respecting him you are also honoring and reverencing the Lord. It will have a major impact on your husband and for the Lord. It is not the way the world thinks, but it is the way God wants us to live. Like love, it is not a feeling, it is a decision to do, an action. Not because we may want to, but because it is right.