money isn't everything; it just is

I've been organizing things. Like my m&m's this morning...and last night, I had to organize all the scrabble tiles that were sitting on my kitchen table. I just had to.... btw, I didn't realize that a scrabble set has 12 E's. That's the most of any letter. I remember organizing my dad's coin collection by year.

I think this re-emergence of my organization tendencies might be related to my recent concerns about my finances. I think I need to organize my budget a little better. Sometimes, I feel a little bit out of control, money-wise.

In the last month, I have casually happened upon two articles about families that tried to go a month and a week, respectively, without spending money. I read the month-long one first. Then a couple weeks later when I read the week-long no spending article, I found that it left a bad taste in my mouth. There is something very different about how each accomplish their "no spending" goal.

It seems to me that the first discovers what they really can and can't live without and changes their lifestyle accordingly. They are able to find ways to enjoy and survive life through their own creativity. The second makes seemingly no changes to their lifestyle... just tells everyone they are with, or purchasing services from that they can't pay or have to pay them 'next week'. One becomes self sufficient while saving money...the other just becomes a burden to all those around them. Which would you rather be?