As you may have noticed if you follow me on social media or watch my Facebook Live videos, I’ve been doing a lot more deal-shopping recently.
I feel like this Year of Rest has impacted me in so many different and powerful ways — some very personal and some very practical. One of those practical ways it has impacted me is in helping me to clarify what I love, what I want to invest my time in, and what I want to be sharing here on this blog.
In all honesty, as this blog grew, life got so full of good things. Things like speaking opportunities, travel opportunities, writing opportunities, interview opportunities, partnership opportunities, etc. These began crowding out my time to do things I loved — like deal-shopping, menu-planning, and cooking.
Between the business growth, my team’s growth to accommodate the business growth, and trying to juggle everything and still make my family a priority, a lot of my former loves had to take a backseat.
I just couldn’t do it all. And I had to choose between spending my time growing a business and keeping up with the demands or shopping deals, finding markdowns, menu-planning based upon what’s on sale at the store, freezer cooking, and making things from scratch.
I struggled with this because the whole reason I had this growing business in the first place was because I was known for being so frugal and finding such great deals. So it felt weird to let go of some of my frugal practices or hand them off to Jesse in order to focus more time on the business.
Truthfully, I missed it. I missed the days of being able to just leisurely stroll the store seeing what markdowns they had. I missed being able to tinker around in the kitchen. I missed getting to make some of our favorite recipes. I missed getting to share those things here on the blog, too.
And I know many of you missed these things, as well. But you’ve been patient with me as I’ve struggled, grown, floundered, learned, experimented, and fumbled along.
For that, I say thank you so much. Thank you for sticking around here with all of the changes and ebbs and flows. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for giving me the space to experiment, the space to try new things, the space to stretch my wings and stretch myself as a person.
I took the first 6 months of this year to do a lot of pondering, sitting, thinking, processing, and letting go. With all my heart I can say that deciding to cut way back, to say “no” to almost everything new, and to downsize just about everything when it came to the business, was one of the greatest blessings to me and to my family.
I have joy and peace that I’ve not experienced in years. I feel so much calmer. I feel so much happier. And I feel so much more settled in who I am, what I’m called to, and who I’m not and what I’m not called to.
Many people have asked me what my plans are for the rest of this year and how I see the Year of Rest playing out and changing my life.
Well, I plan to spend the rest of this year similar to how I’ve spent the first 6 months, with a few exceptions. As I’ve had space in my life to breathe and try new things, I’ve also had space to start doing some of those things I used to do that I’ve missed so much — like deal-shopping, shopping the markdowns, menu-planning, and freezer cooking.
And I’ve enjoyed it oh so much! I realized that even though our income is in a different place now and we aren’t on a beans and rice budget, I get so much fulfillment from finding great deals, planning a menu based upon the markdowns, and cooking healthy and yummy food for my family.
So, all this to say: while Jesse is still going to be doing some of the cooking and grocery shopping (because he discovered he really enjoys it, too!), I’m taking a lot more of it over again (because I’ve missed it so much!). Which means that there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing a lot more of menu-planning, cooking, and grocery shopping posts around here again. 
I’m excited to feel like I’ve “come full circle” in sorts… getting back to my roots and back to some of the foundational parts of what this blog was founded on in the first place.
I don’t regret the journey it took for me to get here. I’ve learned so much along the way.
I’ve learned that fame and success aren’t where the joy is. I’ve learned that blog numbers and income numbers don’t equal happiness. And ultimately, I’ve learned that I find a lot more fulfillment in the quiet, small, simple spaces of life.
I’m not going to run from stages or platforms or opportunities if I feel like it’s in line with my priorities, but I’ve stopped chasing after more. Because, at the end of the day, I’ve discovered that I already have enough… exactly where I am.
