Turkey... The meat of choice for most Americans on Thanksgiving. In fact, most of the year, my family only eats turkey in the form of lunch meat or ground turkey.
Until this week...
A few years ago my mom called me, upset, because my Grandma had run out of food. A family member had given her a turkey, so she had cooked that up and was eating it. When I asked my Grandma about it, she just smiled and said, "It was much worse in the Depression. A turkey then would have feed my whole family for a few days."
In my quest to save money and live off cash as much as possible, my husband and I have been trying with all we have to get our bills in order. When I go to the store, my budget the last several weeks has been extremely low. In fact, this week, it wasn't enough. We ran out of meals for dinner half-way through the week. I knew it was going to happen if money we are owed didn't come in. (I was really praying for those funds to show.) But, they didn't.
I have been following the Lord in tithing, trusting Him. Things are tight, but I keep trusting that He will provide, even when I'm not sure how.
I must confess here that it is very challenging to follow a wheat-free, low-carb diet with this budget. Carbs are cheap! I've been able to maintain the wheat-free, but I have increased my carbs because I've had no choice. Meats have not been as easily afforded. But God will provide.
Anyway, I was trying to figure out what to make to help our food stretch. Sure enough, in my deep freeze, was a turkey.
I don't know where it came from. Was it given to us last year and never used? I set it in the fridge to thaw.
Yesterday my home smelled like Thanksgiving. I was giving thanks, because we had meat to last us a couple of days!
Yes, our finances at the moment are that tight. We are where God wants us, even though it's hard. Sometimes God places us in hard places to have us lean on Him.
We will have turkey next week at my sister's house. My children may not be overly eager to eat turkey after it being our meal for a couple of days this week; but luckily, we will have a ham there too.
Cash living is challenging, but it leaves a deep peace in me as well. I know what money I have. I have it with me, and so I'm not worrying about my bank account like before. I only need to check it every couple of days to make sure the bills have been paid correctly (that the bank didn't mess up). The bills are getting paid. Tithes are getting paid.
We are broke, but there is a peace that comes from doing things the right way. Others may not have the same struggles, and think I'm just irresponsible. That's your right.
But I believe, with finances such a mess for people, that others have similar or worse battles. Some of you out there are neck-deep in credit card debt because you swipe that card when finances are tight. Now you owe too much, and have no clue what you even bought! You need a week of eating a turkey, counting your blessings because you have food.
From now on, when I see a turkey, it will be a reminder to me of God's provision. Just like Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day of thanking God for His blessings upon us (not for mass shopping, but that's another post), the turkey has become an object lesson for me.
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