The 3 P’s: Foundations of Frugality

Using the 3 P’s, has helped me stay within my budget.

I have found that thinking in a special way helps me save more money than the average person. I can sum up that
thinking in 3 simple words: Planning, Patience and Prayer.

1. Planning: Whether it is what’s for dinner, what the kids will need to wear for the next season or what to give for Christmas, birthday’s, or mother’s day, it’s best to have a plan well in advance. This gives you time to give your best, and also to look for what you want at the best price.
2. Patience: When you decide you want or need something, act like a grownup. Don’t buy it on the spot. Shop around, read reviews, ask questions. Being willing to wait will save you thousands over the course of a year. Pushy sales tactics create a sense of urgency and panic in the buyer. They want to make you feel if you don’t buy now, it will be gone forever. Walk away from those kinds of situations!
3. Prayer: I serve a God who created the universe and it all belongs to Him. If my little boy needs shoes, it is a small thing for God to provide them for us. God doesn’t want us to fear or worry, but to trust Him. I can’t tell you how many times we have had a need, I have prayed about it, and found just the thing at a garage sale even though I don’t stop at them very often.

The stove we are using now is a great example of my using all 3 Ps. We knew our stove was old, and would need to be
replaced soon, so we built a small category in our monthly budget to save for it (Planning).

When our old stove caught fire and died, we didn’t have nearly enough money to buy a new one. Instead of running out and putting a stove on credit or using our beloved emergency fund, I decided to use other ways of cooking (hot pad, crock pot, microwave) until we could earn the money we needed (Patience).

I made it a matter of Prayer. After several months without a stove (and eating well just the same, though much more difficult on me) my mother found just the thing at a garage sale for $10! It looked practically new and worked beautifully. She called me and said “Do you want me to try to talk them down?” I answered back, “NO!” Just pay her the ten dollars and praise God with me.

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