My Journey...Part 6

Stephen has me wrapped around his finger!=) The other day he said, "I love my Mommy." I then said, "Why do you love your Mommy?" And, in his usual, darling way, Stephen responded, "Because she's the SWEETEST Mommy!" How precious! He's already my little charmer!=)
Back to Proverbs 31...Verse 18 says, "She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night." The virtuous woman keeps good tabs on all she does (and, as we talked about earlier, does a little night work!). She understands that "in all labour there is profit." Henry calls her management of things "prudent," which means wise or thrifty. I love the adjective thrifty! It just sounds so smart and fun!=)
Proverbs 31:14 says, "She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar." On this verse, Matthew Henry writes, "She brings in provisions of all things necessary and convenient for her family."
*Do I provide necessary things for my family? Yes, most of the time
*Do I provide convenient things for my family? No, not like I should; It's more of a "get by" mentality, which is totally not what my family deserves; It's hard balancing this with frugality.
The virtuous woman knows where to shop. If she can't make what she needs or find it where she expects to, she knows where to get it.
*Do I know where to get what my family needs? Yes; Wants? Sometimes
*More importantly, do I know where to get the best deal on these things? Occassionally but not consistently
Proverbs 31:16 (I told you there were a lot of verses in here about finances!) says, "She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard." In other words, she's a wise spender. When purchasing things, she asks herself 2 questions: 1-How will this help my family? 2-Is this a wise investment? Her shopping is screened by these 2 questions, and in return, she saves her family money.
The other neat thing about verse 16 is the phrase "out of HER EARNINGS she plants a vineyard." The Proverbs 31 woman doesn't go into debt to get what she needs. She spends out of what she has; out of what she has earned; out of what she can spare. It's not necessarily about how much something costs. It's more about deciding if it's worth the time she put into making the money.
Someone once explained the concept this way: If I get paid $20 an hour at work, then go out to eat for $20, I must ask myself if that meal was worth an hour put in at work. Sometimes, yes, it's worth it, especially when spent with family. Other purchases, however, probably wouldn't measure up. I hope that makes sense. My spending changed when I understood that concept. It's more of my time that I'm "spending" as opposed to my money.
I'll try to finish this up tomorrow or over the weekend. The next section talks a little about her home, clothing, and preparation for the future. There's SO much to learn!=)