spending fast

Hi friends and family,

The 4 Webbs are 1 week into our month-long spending fast. We haven't spent a single dollar on unnecessary basics like groceries and gas and bills. Guess what? We're still alive and doing fine! You never really know what you're capable of until some changes are made and a little pressure is applied.

We don't have a desperate need for money so no need to get your Paypal account ready for a donation. Quite the opposite, in fact. This is just a type of shocking the system so we can see how efficiently the 4 Webbs can live. We are finding ways to spend less for two reasons:

1. So we can give more. There are a lot of needs in the world and We're not going to let the government give our money away to whomever they want. It's a sad day when the government has to step in and force us as a nation to be generous in our giving.

2. So we can prepare for buying a house sometime in the far, far distant future. Eventually we will get another house and we want our expenses and lifestyle to be in line with our priorities.

Sounds fairly simple as a concept, but I'm interested to hear about others who have voluntarily chosen to spend zero discretionary money for some length of time.

I'm finding that personally I have become more creative. Instead of buying new toys for Easton and Layla I put a blanket over some chairs in the living room to build a fort. We had a blast playing hide and seek, chasing dinosaurs, and imagining it as a castle we live in. It's been years, if not decades, since I've had to be imaginative in a child-like setting.

As a side note, Easton is getting so big I'm starting to have difficulty lifting him out of his deep crib. My sore back is not only attributed to getting old, but he is noticeably heavier and taller every single week.

I weighed them for fun on the scale because Layla stepped on it for fun. Easton is 27 lbs. and Layla is 26 lbs. I have no idea what that means for the average or percentile so don't ask. It seems weird now not to have all those details because Kendra was being measured and tested every single week during the last few weeks of her pregnancy. I knew that would not continue for the rest of Easton and Layla's lives after birth, but I also didn't expect only an annual checkup and that's it. I'm not complaining though because both of them are extremely healthy and that is a such a huge blessing.

Tonight before bed time I did my normal routine. Part of that routine is to get on my knees, open my arms and say to each of the twins, "I need a hug and a kiss". Almost every time they will run up to me and give me a big squeeze and pursed-lips kiss. When Layla gave me my hug and kiss she put her hand on my face and said, "your beard is rough. you need to shave." and then without missing a beat she put her other hand in my curly, matted hair and said, "and you need a haircut also." She is right on both accounts, but I was blown away by her forthright honesty.

When Easton gave me a hug he said, "Can I touch your belly button?" Thanks, uncle Casey... :) When we were visiting NorCal he would let Easton and Layla touch his belly button and push it like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. He would make a Homer Simpson-like noise, "Doh!" and the twins would laugh and laugh. He obviously missed uncle Casey and wanted to relive the hilarious moments from when we spent time with him earlier this month.

I'm looking forward to seeing my camera battery in the mail tomorrow. Hooray for pictures!

See you soon!