Self-Hosted Perils and What Not

My word, but it seems like I have been gone from All Out War for years! I think about it all the time and I’ve meant to come back and post so many different things, but I’ve just been insanely busy!

I know, I know, it’s easy to say we’re busy, but I think I’m honestly telling the truth 🙂 We are up first thing in the morning, getting one off to work, another started on the music he’s working on for the day, and then into homeschooling. Over the course of the day, we’re like a well played pinball machine, bouncing around from homeschool, to freelance writing, to walking the dog, to feeding the other pets, to dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning and half a million other little things that can steal our time before the man of the house arrives home.

Before you know it, I’m feeling like a rung out dishrag and ready to throw in the towel for the day!

Freelancing has been come and go the past couple of months, but it’s starting to pick back up again. Which is why I thought I should go ahead and post here while I have the chance. Never mind that it’s well after midnight and I have to be back up soon, I just had to check in!

For those who might be interested, my new website is called Scribbles & Sustenance. It’s still somewhat under maintenance, as I am currently working with a great graphic artist on artwork and decals for the site. But by all means, if you’d like to see it for yourself, just go here. You can even subscribe, if you’d like. I am just now getting my email newsletter campaign up and running, so no more than one email a week 🙂 And no spamming allowed!

It’s been really exciting, getting to work with all the tech people and learning new things, but it’s all a bit over my head really. Well, I suppose I should say it’s REALLY over my head. I don’t know the first thing about coding and frankly, I don’t care to start learning it! On that note, however, I am so thankful for the guys at TMD! They are around the clock angels, and I’m so glad they’re there. Lord knows I’ve worked them to death, lol.

Well, I just wanted to pop in with an update. I’m still out here in cyber space and haven’t fell off the edge just yet! For those who pray, keep me in your prayers, that my new site would take off like I want it to eventually.

And as always, I appreciate each and every one of you so much more than I’ll ever have words to say.

Be blessed! Have a great day!

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Busy, Missing You and Wondering…

I realize I haven’t been posting for awhile. I didn’t realize things were going to get so busy and hectic. Between writing for clients, homeschooling and taking care of “life as usual” around the house, I’ve hardly had time to do much more than breathe and sleep!

I’m not sure how many of my readers are aware of the fact that I recently went self-hosted and have transferred all the old content here at All Out War over to my new home on the web, Scribbles & Sustenance, but that’s what I did towards the end of February. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but somewhere along the line, I felt…I don’t know…maybe “cheated” is a good word??

Or, rather, maybe I just wasn’t ready for the wide world of self-hosted platforms.

I’m not saying I’m wanting to give up on that. Quite the opposite. I want to make more of a go of it now than I ever did, I’m just not sure how to go about it. I hear so many people talking about “finding your niche” or telling me I need to “narrow things down a bit”, when really, I could just open it up even more than I have it now and still be happy, as far as myself goes.

Maybe I don’t want to hedge myself in? Maybe I like being the jack-of-all-trades that I am. Of course, that may not net me a successful “business” or whatever, but writing is all I really want to do anyway. I always thought I would be writing fiction, but here I am, busy as can be ghostwriting nonfiction articles almost as fast as I can type them out!

I guess the one thing I miss most of all is the views and comments from all of you! I really miss that! I only have a precious handful of subscribers over there, and to be honest, that fact alone doesn’t give me very much in the way of motivation to write. I think to myself, “Well, who’s going to see it anyway??” and so lots of stuff I want to write, doesn’t ever get written.

Maybe I should just write them anyway? “Write it, and they will come,” lol.

I guess 🙂

I would like to get some feedback, if any of you would feel so inclined as to visit staceylynnwells.com and check out the layout and maybe even subscribe while you’re there 🙂 Really though, just some feedback on the look would be awesome.

Anyways, I guess I’ll trudge on and see what happens. I am getting lots of views, so maybe I’ll post something worth commenting on at some point.

Thanks all!

Pricing Guide for Web Copywriters (Pressed)

Having worked a great long while for what is known as a “content mill”, I had no idea pricing was this high. Of course, not having a degree will often thwart the possibility of actually getting these numbers, but once I have a few years of experience under my belt, what then?

I just thought I would put this out there for anyone who may not know.

 

Curious what to charge your client for web copy? Use this handy pricing guide and never worry about under or over-pricing ever again.

Source: Pricing Guide for Web Copywriters

I Finally Did It! Brand New Website!

Well, folks, I finally took the plunge and decided to go to a self hosted site! I’m super excited, but I have literally worked my butt off getting everything lined out this whole weekend. There’s still SO much to be done, probably a million things I haven’t even thought of yet, so…

I would be super honored if any of my readers would be kind enough to head over to my new blog, check it out, and provide feedback. Especially those who have their own self hosted site.

Some of the biggest changed include the fact that I have categorized everything a bit differently. Now I have certain posts for certain days. It doesn’t mean that I will post each and every day, though I wish I had that kind of time, but just that you can expect certain things to pop up on certain days of the week.

I have also added a pitch for my freelance writing career in my home page. This will hopefully be a place that I can send potential clients who want to know more about me and my writing style and possibly something else later on. I’m not even sure if I’m doing it right, just playing everything off the cuff right now.

Anyway, if you happen to click the link above and visit, as I said I would simply ADORE any feedback you would like to send my way. To say that I’m in experienced in my own website is quite an understatement.

Thanks so much!

How I Came To Be All Out War

When I started this blog, it was during a time of severe turmoil in my life when I really didn’t think I could hold on much longer. If there WAS anything else that could go wrong, I knew that it probably would, but what I DIDN’T know was whether or not I could come through it with my sanity…

Or my life.

I intended to be completely anonymous and pour out my heart and soul, troubles and woes, the whole nine yards. Someone had given me the idea that since I was a writer, and had been pretty much all my life, that it would be a type of therapy for me. And so All Out War was born.

I’ve said it before, that I am a very private person. I do not put things “out there” for anyone to see, think about, process, hold over my head or try to use against me. Well, that’s what I tell myself. In reality, it may just be that I have trust issues. If there’s one thing that Daddy taught us growing up, it was “Never trust anyone. No one. Do that, and you won’t be hurt nearly as much”.

There’s a whole story in and of itself there, as my Daddy went through a lot of things in his life, the half of which I’ll never really know, I’m sure, as he and Mom were older when my little sister and I are born. He lost his own father when he was only thirteen years old and had to help move the body. There was much death in his life, most of it he witnessed far too close and far too painfully.

But Daddy is the strongest man I’ve ever known.

It may also be that I’m such a private person because I’m that type that not only carries my own hurt, but the hurt of others as well. While I may not cry as much as most people do, my heart breaks all the same. Many times I’ve sat, stony faced, in situations where my guts had been reduced to ashes and rubble. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned to deal with some things a little better, and some things a little worse.

And that’s where All Out War was born. That place that said, “GET OUT!” to everything I’ve ever harbored that has ever killed me inside a little. All the things that I’ve ever tucked away in that “hurts too much to talk about” folder waaaaaaaay back in the back of my mind.

On the upside, though, I’ve already gotten out a lot more than I thought I would, in my own way. Even in vagueness there is a kind of solace that can bring a great deal of relief. And I’ve experienced it a time or two.

So. The is how I came to be All Out War. Where it goes from here, I’m not sure, but hopefully to a place of “normality” for a change. A place where I can move on and maybe even help others who have been where I have been. Isn’t that one of the things that God would have us to do with our valley’s and trials? To learn, thank Him for His grace in having seen us through it, and use it to help others? Surely those things we’ve gone through aren’t just for us, are they?

And maybe, THAT, is what it’s all about…being able to use the hurt, the trials, the heartaches, the “been there, done that” stories to keep someone else from having to wallow as long as we have? Maybe.

We’ll see…

It’s A Matter Of LIFE and DEATH!

There is something that has bothered me for a great while now. And it’s hard to explain, especially to anyone who isn’t a Christian, but I will try.

I spend most of my time at home. No, no, that’s not what bothers me 🙂 I gladly accept my position because I know that this is where God has placed me and I love it. I work from home and try to make it a place that’s worth being in for my family. I’m not the world’s best at cleaning house, but I’m not bad 🙂 While there are occasionally dusty picture frames and stacks of laundry that needs to be put on hangers, there isn’t anything you could consider “dirty”, thank God, that’s just how it is.

No, the thing that bothers me – first and foremost – is the fact that there isn’t a church anywhere near that I can go to. Now I know, believe me I know, that that is a loaded statement. I’ve had momentous debates on this subject with a good many people. And of course, everyone has “the perfect church that I should attend”, so they say…

Now, let me stop there for just a moment and say a few words about that. Because it’s something that really takes up a great deal of my prayer time. I often pray and ask God to show me, I mean really show me the Truth, yes, with a capital “T”, because I do not dare want to walk down the wrong path and into a teaching that will pull me further away from His will for my life, further from His Truth, or further from the true Church.

The biggest problem I have with many of the churches that I have attempted to go to is their blatant disrespect for God’s Word. (While the only one I’ve found that I feel right in attending is too far away to go to on a regular basis.) Not that they flaunt these things, and for the most part, I’m not really even sure they realize it, but many churches have a great deal of practices that go against the Word of God. They have put man’s doctrines and traditions in place of God’s and I don’t feel comfortable with it. Even Jesus spoke about it…

Matthew 15:8-10 (KJV) ⁸ This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. ⁹ But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

And again…

Mark 7:6-8 (KJV) ⁶ He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷ Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Ok, in this last one, I think Jesus is saying look, you’re putting more emphasis on men’s tradition for the washing of dishes than you are my Word! I wonder sometimes, how many people are truly cast out, or don’t feel like they’re good enough to go to the “House of God” strictly because of these traditions of men?

I have an acquaintance that was telling about how someone told her that she was going to hell for using instruments along with her voice to worship God. Where is this in the Bible? What commandment is she breaking? How has she cast away the grace of the work of the cross by worshipping and singing with instruments? Thank God this did not cause her to lose the footing that she has in her faith in God, but she is in the minority, I do know that.

There are a lot of people out there, with an undying devotion to their “church” (notice the little “c”), who are very quick to tell people that what they are doing will send them to hell, but how much time have they put into prayerful searching of the Scripture? They may really believe that what they are saying is true, but does that release them from the obligation to speak with love to their brothers and sisters?

Now I will add here, that I do believe there is truth in knowing a tree by the fruit it bears, and there are different ways of talking to different people about what they might be doing wrong. The book of Jude says to have compassion on some, making a difference, but some, save with fear, pulling them from the fire (chapter 1). There are certain things that are wrong and can in no way be made right, and the only thing a person can do is repent and turn from that sin, and if we, as believer’s, aren’t willing to tell someone where they are, they may never even know. But that’s not exactly what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about the traditions of men that pass in churches for absolutes from God – which there are, make no mistake. Jesus said that all of the laws of the prophets hang on two commandments: Matthew chapter 22, to love the Lord thy God…and to love thy neighbor. I’m paraphrasing, of course, but if Jesus says everything can be summed up in this, what do we do with information like that?

Some of the major things I’m hung up on, that I just don’t feel I should be, and that I feel are desperately hindering my walk with God and my carrying out what He wants me to do, give me a lot of grief. I see how the Word gets twisted and how it can be misleading. I realize that, and it grieves my spirit and my heart immensely. It hurts me that each and every denomination believes that THEY are the ones who are right, and everyone else is wrong. Even if the only difference is whether or not they take the Lord’s supper every Sunday, or certain Sunday’s, or not at all.

I have always said that if it’s “in there”, meaning if it’s in the Bible, then I believe it, and if it’s not, I don’t. But there’s a little more to it than that, as it should so happen. Paul talked about a “local church”. Do we even know what that is anymore? I live right across the street from a “certain denomination” but I can’t bring myself to go there, because of their beliefs and how I feel like they think they are the only ones that are right and there is not other way to Heaven. AND I HATE FEELING THAT WAY!! That’s what it all boils down to!

I don’t want to stand on a soap box and tell everyone what they should or shouldn’t be thinking, and I don’t want to assume to know exactly what the Bible says about every little thing that we should do in a service, or in a particular venue. I DO, however, want to be assured in WHAT I BELIEVE, enough to stand up and say why. The Bible says to always be ready to give a reason for this hope that is within you. And that’s what I want to do.

But…

I feel that if I stand my ground on MY beliefs, then I will have to understand why someone else’s belief’s are not accurate, or as dire, etc., etc. I know, that’s probably as clear as mud, but it’s the dilemma I find myself in at the moment. I am certainly no scholar of the Bible. I do not know Hebrew, Greek or Arabic, so I cannot read from ancient texts as Jesus did, and many who came after him. I can’t read the writings of Paul and others, who wrote the Truth after having been with Jesus and knowing first hand what it was all about. So I have to go by these translations, which is another thing the church fights about…

Why is one better than the others? I have been a staunch supporter of the King James Version all of my life, having been raised that way and gone to churches who adhere to that belief. And I still read from it but I can’t help but wonder…why? What started that? It was the 1599 Geneva Bible that accompanied many of our ancestors over here from England before the birth of our country. The Geneva Bible was the first true English translation of the Bible, so why isn’t IT the one that was chosen? The circumstances surrounding the writing of the King James Version are very shady, so I have to wonder if I can really trust it for deep study in searching for THE Truth.

Having said all that, I will also add that I DO believe, with all my heart, that the true and living Word of God can rise above any malicious thought or intent of man, which I believe is what happened with the King James, so I’m not AS worried about that. BUT, the fact still remains that if a person reads another “version”, some well meaning Christians will tell them how wrong they are and might possibly even tell them it will keep them from Heaven. I’m not sure I believe that… even knowing that these newer version do, in fact, leave out many verses and words that change the meanings of whole thoughts in the Bible. And I will NEVER adhere to the belief, as one of the newest Bibles attempts to say, that God was a “she” or worse, a non-gender, or gender neutral being. The Word says – no matter which translation you get your hands on, save for that one new one I’m talking about – that God is our FATHER. Plain and simple.

I also get all balled up about many of the things that make people say, “Well, that was only in the Old Testament” or “Well, that was because Jesus did it, and we can’t,” or “Well, those things went out with the apostles in the Bible…”

I know there are things in the Old Testament that we aren’t bound by anymore because the Old Testament was the place where LAW ruled. Law was never meant to save us, but rather to be a rod by which to measure the fact that we will never be good enough to attain God’s Mercy on our own. That’s why there was a sacrificial scapegoat which the priest brought out, and basically that animal took all the sins of Israel upon itself, per God’s Law, and was sent out into the desert to die, thus making atonement for the sins of Israel for the past year. BUT, Jesus became our “once and for all” sacrifice when He came to Earth in the flesh and died on the cross for the sins of each and every one of us. When he arose, he made a way for us to escape, by paying the sin-debt Himself, in our place. Once we accept that free gift of salvation and the finished work of the cross, His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness and we become joint-heirs with Christ Jesus, and no longer citizens of this world, but of Heaven.

Another example is the Levitical law that forbids certain foods. This was abolished when God showed a sign to Peter who was praying one day before going to preach to the Gentiles (Acts chapter 10). Yes, there are many dietary and health reasons not to eat pork, catfish, shrimp and so forth, but I do not believe that doing so will send a person to hell. May God correct me if I am wrong, which is my prayer about everything that I believe…that if it isn’t the Truth and the WHOLE TRUTH that He would show me and reveal it to me and allow me to share it with others.

So what are some other things that separate churches? What makes one church different from all the others? What makes one church “right” and the others ALLL wrong?

• Taking the Lord’s supper on the fifth Sunday?
• Washing one another’s feet?
• Baptizing the THE NAME of Jesus?
• Praying to Mary and the saints?
• Wearing modest clothing?
• Women covering their heads?
• Women remaining silent in church?
• No playing of stringed instruments?
• Speaking in tongues?
• Believing in the gifts of healing, tongues, etc.?
• Believing in the anointing with oil?

There are literally hundreds more. Some are trivial, some are not, but they all separate the Body into buildings that are sometimes right across the street from one another! If we can agree that some things are tradition and some are not, then why can we not all worship in the same building and still be allowed to worship in the way that we have worked out with God? What is to be our measuring stick? And can we use that stick without eventually turning it into a rod of discipline on our brothers and sisters?

Perhaps I’m way off base, but I have felt in my spirit for a long time to write this so may the Lord forgive me if all I’ve done is stirred up dissent! I really, truly am only searching for what is right, what is from God, and what is the most important matters. I pray I am not hung up on a single “tradition of man” that would make Jesus speak to me the way he spoke to those in the quotes above.

Father, I only want to serve You, and follow your commandment to tell others about You. I only want to follow Your Truth and NOT the traditions of men. Open my eyes, open our eyes, that during these trying days when our heart’s almost fail in fear, that we will be strengthened by Your Truth and Your promises, for it truly is “good news” worthy to be shouted from the highest hilltops. And forgive me, Lord, if I have ever led anyone astray with my own depictions and versions of what I think Your Word says. Grant me the eyes to see and the ears to hear what you would say to the Churches. I will not fail to give you the glory, the praise and the honor and I ask it all in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Proverbs 18:21 … Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

My First Blog Award Ever!!

I’ve been a bit absent from my blog lately. It seems that when I make the most resolve to write daily, that’s usually when things will pop up, more often than usual, to keep from doing that. I have been incredibly busy lately with homeschooling, writing for clients, fall-cleaning (much like spring cleaning lol) and trying to get things together for my son’s upcoming birthday party. So my day runs from about 6-7 am until about 11 pm, if I’m lucky enough to get in bed at that time.

So imagine my surprise when I checked my notifications this morning and found that I had been nominated for this award!  I was nominated by Second Time Blogger – to whom I give a HUGE THANK YOU! I appreciate so much that you thought of me and my humble blog 🙂

And I do suggest you go and read her posts. She has an amazing blog with some amazing photographs to go along with them. You’ll surely enjoy!

There are some rules for the award. They are:

• Thank the person who has nominated you.
• Share the versatile blogger award on your blog.
• Share seven random things about yourself.
• Tag 10 bloggers with less than 1000 followers and let them know they have been nominated.

 

Now, let’s see if I can come up with seven random things about me 🙂

1. I speak just enough Spanish to get myself in trouble.
2. Honey graham crackers are my favorite snack.
3. Even though I’m an introvert, and somewhat of a hermit lol, I absolutely love to have dinner parties and feed everyone.
4. If I can cook a whole meal using nothing but cast iron, I will.
5. I play guitar, bass, mandolin and keyboards.
6. I cry in church. Every time. No matter what.
7. I still get crazy butterflies in my stomach every time I look at my husband, even after 19 years!

Shew! That isn’t as easy as it looks, lol. I never was much on talking about “me”  🙂

Now for the 10 bloggers I’d like to nominate, in no particular order. These are blogs I read on a regular basis and you probably will too, once you check them out.

1. Reflections of Life!: Renae’s blog will challenge you to think and to move. Jump over and visit her page today, you won’t be disappointed.
2. In A New Place: A homeschooling mom who blogs about an array of things, always in an uplifting way.
3. Romans KJV: A Bible study blog, focusing on the book of Romans, with insight and commentary. A great read.
4. the obligatory eccentric: Rachel’s blog is an excellent and interesting read, every time.
5. Awethentiq/BlessedBeyondRecognition: Pete’s posts will definitely give you something to think about, and each post is interesting and unique.
6. mommamcculloch: These posts are very real from a very real girl.
7. A Writer’s Journey: This is a writer’s blog, and you’ll enjoy the read from here.
8. Life According To Kelly: You’ll find some great recipes on Kelly’s blog, as well as a few other things.
9. My Extended Weekend: Another blog with recipes that will make your mouth water! Check it out.
10. Swamp Yankee Style: A great blog with DIY projects, recipes, thrifty tips and much more.

So there you have it 🙂  I do hope you will check these blogs out, as they are all worth the trip. Again, thanks so much to Second Time Blogger for nominated me. And I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed day!!

The Excitement Never Ends

Back to the prompts for today! This looks like a fun one, so we’ll see how it turns out. At my age, life has settled in to the point that there’s not much that makes me truly giddy, in the I-feel-like-a-kid-again way, and thinking about this prompt now, I realize that I quite miss it! I wonder what happened…?

The prompt is: Tell us about the last thing you got excited about — butterflies-in-the-stomach, giggling, can’t-wait excited.

The last thing that got me truly excited was our recent trip to historic Bardstown, Ky. We had planned it for weeks as a getaway for the entire day, just to sight-see and have fun, while at the same time, involving a great deal of places that would bring life to Abby’s recent lessons in US government and history. We were all excited, to be exact, and planned it down to the last jot and tittle.

I remember a few days prior to that Saturday, I had started making mention of it several times each day. I think the family got tired of it 🙂 but they never let on if they did. It had been years since we were there last, so I guess some of the excitement stemmed from knowing what was there and all the things there were to do and see. We visited historic buildings,

Wickland, Home of Three Governors

St. Joseph’s Church, the first and oldest Catholic Church in the state, supposedly.

Back courtyard of the old jail, where the “bars” were made into the building, of the same stone.

A one-room school house used in the early 1800’s.

a pioneer graveyard,

as well as old country stores and we took as many back roads as we could.

The trip was, indeed, wonderful. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to utilize the campground and stay a day or two, but that wasn’t feasible this time. As the day drew to a close, we wound up taking “the long way around” and went through a few more back roads with a little more history. We wound up going through the town where Jimmy was born and he was able to point out many landmarks and tell stories of yesteryear as he remembered them.

Yes, that was something that really made me so excited that it took a day or two for the excitement to wear off. It went from “I can’t wait until we go!” to “That was such an awesome trip”.

What does it take to make YOU giddy?

Where Has The Time Gone?

I can’t believe I’ve let this much time get away from me! And so quickly after deciding to write on the prompts every single day. That gets a big fat “BOO” from me. But, in my defense, I have been incredibly busy.

First of all, there is homeschooling, which is going well. With this online curriculum, keeping up with everything is easy, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Papers to be graded that aren’t done online, essays to read and grade, math review and supplementation, entering information in my grade book… it all adds up and takes a great deal of time, but it’s oh so worth it.

There’s also the freelance writing that I do, and thank God my client list has grown a bit these past couple of weeks. Not by much, but enough to keep me writing on a regular basis. I try to write a bit in the mornings, before school, and I usually write until about 11 pm, after which I fall into bed like a sack of potatoes 🙂  !!  But again, it’s worth it. Having clients that have regular work for me to do, are incredibly easy to work with and communicate with and have reasonable deadlines are a God-send, which is an understatement in this business. I’ve actually had to turn down several interviews and a job proposal this week because my calendar is full throughout the remainder of the next two weeks!

These two things alone take up most of my time during the day, and I don’t really factor in all the other things that I do like housework, cooking, laundry, gardening and dealing with the dog 🙂 although the latter can sometimes be more than I bargained for! She’s a pickle and though she’s very independent, when she wants attention, she finds a way to get it! I find out something new about the Husky breed almost every day 🙂

So, just in case anyone was wondering, I’ve not dropped off the edge of the world, I’m simply learning how to juggle everything that I have going on. My Mom always use to tell us, don’t get too many irons in the fire. Well, sometimes it’s unavoidable, but I know what she meant.  I’ll manage 🙂

And of course, as always, thank you so much for having a read. Be blessed today, my friends!

And The Award Goes To…

If I hadn’t made a commitment to do ALL of these prompts, I probably would leave this one off for sure 🙂  I am not even remotely a person that thinks about myself and certainly not in a celebratory way…

You are receiving an award –- either one that already exists, or a new one created just for you. What would the award be, why are you being honored, and what would you say in your acceptance speech?

Ugh…

Well, let’s see. I guess if I really had to get an award for something, it would be my frugality, HA! So let’s see how this plays out, shall we?

The award would be a $1000 gift certificate for one of our local discount/salvage grocery stores. (No, that certificate doesn’t exist in real life haha) And I am being honored for being overheard in our local grocery saying, as I so very often do, “I’m not paying that much for <said product> when I can get it so much cheaper at the discount grocery!”

I can get staples like flour, corn meal, dry beans and rice at about one fifth or less of what they sell for at the major grocery chains. Even with coupons, the discount grocery’s prices are, hands down, unbeatable. I can get canned foods for over half off the lowest grocery store price, and so on. I just can’t allow myself, even during the times when we have plenty of money for it, to pay those kinds of prices when I really don’t have to. And to be honest, I don’t see why anyone else does it either. Maybe if more people shopped where the prices aren’t ridiculous, the ridiculous prices would come down?

My acceptance speech would be…

“I would like to thank whoever is responsible for driving the price of beef to between $4-9 per pound, pork to $3-5 per pound and chicken thighs and legs to $2 or more per pound. It is that kind of increase that drove me to being able to find out about the discount groceries in the first place. Without you, I never would have known that I could get the same amount of protein and not even NEED meat. And even more so, that the price of those kinds of protein are massively less in comparison.

“Thanks is also in order to whoever came up with idea of the discount grocery in the first place. I haven’t done any research and I don’t know all the behind-the-scenes facts, but I know that I appreciate you all more than you will ever know. Especially the girls at the checkout who are cheerful even if the person in front of me was having a bad day and took it out on you. You see to move right along and not let it keep hold of you.

“And finally, to all of those who told me about the discount groceries and where they were because Lord knows, without word of mouth, they’d be the best kept secret on earth 🙂 ”

Not a very good prompt today, but I guess it was all in fun. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, which is why I didn’t mind playing along.

However, I am reminded of a prize much more worthy of attaining. It is the only one that matters to me, and that fact will not change. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:14

I hope everyone is having a good Saturday. As always, thanks for stopping by and have a blessed weekend!