March Recs | spending freezes + self-control

obedience begets obedience.

Here’s something that will humble me. Early this year God convicted me regarding my spending habits. I came face to face with my lack of self-control and the fact that I was acting in a way that took advantage of my husband’s kindness. Ultimately, I realized I was dishonoring God.

So, like a million other people in America, I started the year with a spending freeze. I avoided watching influencer videos. I deleted the Amazon app from my phone and asked my husband to keep me accountable. I had him order anything we needed so that I wouldn’t be tempted to rationalize buying a new face cream or lipstick in order to get faster delivery.

I worked hard, and it was hard. There were so many things I had to say no to—books, clothes, face serums, and more. I was so used to just buying whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. And I was really good at justifying my purchases. By the end of January, I felt like I had done a great job. But we still didn’t save a dime. It was demoralizing. After all that work? When am I gonna be allowed to buy stuff? I thought. Clearly, I hadn’t learned much. I had been counting down the days until I could shop again. Reluctantly, I continued my spending freeze.

In February, we decided to make a lot of changes as a family. We cancelled subscriptions, stopped all mid-week grocery runs, and cut back on getting take out. We put off any purchases that could wait and I searched for less expensive options for necessities. I took account of all the little unnecessary things I felt I needed and when I ran out, I didn’t buy any more. At first, we all felt the shift of living with less. The boys whined about getting less snacks and my husband and I whined a bit too at times. But now, only a little over a month later, we are pretty much used to living this way. When March came, we realized all our hard work had finally paid off as we moved money over to our savings account. Shockingly to myself, I opted to continue my spending freeze. And I’m not even sad about it.

I’m still learning and growing in this area and I’m sure the temptation to overspend will be something I fight as time moves forward, but I’m thankful for the way God is changing my heart.

Maybe it’s weird to share all this but the point is, self-control begets self-control. Enduring begets enduring some more. Obedience begets obedience. The more you fight the temptation to sin (whether it’s frivolously spending money you don’t have or something altogether different) the stronger your muscle for resisting becomes.

—Brittany

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These words though:

“Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees.” — Andrea Burke

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PREORDER Lost Gifts here.

Recent Articles, Essays, + Poems:
I’ve Been Watching Trees
The Magpie
Don’t Scratch the Itch
According to Statistics I Should Be Dead
I Shared My Story of Spiritual Abuse
We are Dewdrops

From the Archives:
Earthly Healing is Fickle on the blog

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Most of my reading time has become research for the book I’m currently writing so I’m not finishing many books. Hence the short list.

Books I Finished:
Gospel Mom: How to Make Biblical Decisions and Discover the Mom God Created You to Be by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler
This one was a wonderful audio book to listen to while doing housework. Lots of encouraging and convicting reminders for moms.

Current Reads:
30 Poems to Memorize (Before it’s Too Late) by David Kern
The Lord of Psalm 23 by David Gibson
Murder in the Alps by Sara Rosett
Wool Omnibus (Silo #1) by Hugh Howey
A Bit of Earth by Andrea Burke

What I Recommend:
Song: The Gardener by Sarah Kroger
Podcast: This Knowing Faith Episode
Substack Newsletter:

O. Alan Noble

Articles, Poems, and Essays I Liked:
The Women Who Disappeared by

Brianna Lambert

Don’t Use Sin in Scripture to Excuse Your Sin by Ashley Anthony

What I’m loving lately (*some affiliate links):
- DripDrop is my favorite electrolyte drink and they just came out with some new flavors that I love.
- I started learning watercolor recently and realized my cheap brushes weren’t gonna cut it. I found these affordable ones on Amazon and they are wonderful.
- Our boys broke the mirror in our bedroom (and all the boy moms shook their head in solidarity) so we had to buy a new one. I was pretty happy to have a reason to buy this beautiful modern style mirror.
- I dug through my Pinterest in search of this Coconut and Ginger Red Beans and Rice recipe. It had been a while since I made it and it is definitely coming back into rotation.

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Life Lately:

1. You might think I’m crazy but I’ve been preparing for my Spring garden since mid-January. It’s not been going quite as well as I’d hoped. I had to plant my ranunculus corms (and one anemone corm, as the rest all disintegrated) while it was snowing in order to save them. This was the moment I crossed the line into psychopath flower lady.

2. My tulips are starting to pop up from the ground!

3. One of my favorite recent watercolor paintings. I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it.

4. I’ve been lightly exercising consistently for over a year but in the last 3 months I’ve been more focused on building strength and getting enough cardio for heart health. I never thought I’d say this but I’m starting to enjoy it.

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I’d love to hear about you! Are you longing for spring like me? Do you like to grow flowers? Tell me in the comments!

May you treasure Christ ever more. <3

Brittany Lee