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our family has been budgeting for a little over five years now. we use our own simplified version of the dave ramsey cash system. this means we budget every little penny we spend down to our toothpaste & underwear & place each category of cash in a separate envelope. once we run out of money in our envelopes for the month, we are forced to stop spending.

 we feel a lot of freedom in budgeting this way because we can predict what our expenses will be & we allot money for those monthly costs. it is also a way for us to save up for trips & projects that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to do if we didn’t budget & save money. 

when we first started budgeting, i carried around a thick stack of white, paper envelopes with a rubber band wrapped around them. it was a hassle trying to go through all of my envelopes when paying the cashier at a shop & the envelopes had to be replaced often. once i was fed up with that system, i purchased a cheap cardboard coupon organizer. that system wasn’t my favorite either because the cardboard didn’t last all that long & the money slipped out of the sections easily. i was stumped until i came across the miss money bag wallets on sara’s blog. i connected with sarah about a year ago & soon after had a handmade cash envelope wallet of my own that i have carried around since.

sarah was generous enough to surprise me a couple of weeks ago with a new wallet sporting some new & improved features. i am over the moon for sarah’s wallets. they’re easy to use, very practical & they make the cash system actually cute. a huge upgrade from my stack of white envelopes & rubber bands. her wallets feature separate “envelopes” with an adorable little label on the front for writing each spending category. the new wallet design also has an awesome pouch with a zipper sewn in to make carrying around change easier. there are several pockets in the front for storing your debit cards, business cards & license. i also keep a little notebook in the back pocket for writing down lists of what i might need from the thrift shop or grocery store.

sarah contacted me not too long ago & asked if i would be willing to host a miss money bags giveaway for one of her wallets on my blog. i jumped at the opportunity because the truth is- her shop is one of my very favorites on etsy. i love her personal aesthetic, attention to detail & craftsmanship.

so, would you like a miss money bags wallet? we’re hosting a giveaway of either a bifold wallet or cash envelope wallet of your choice!

all you have to do is:

1. follow miss money bags on facebook or instagram @missmoneybags

2. comment below with one way you save money & your email address

i will choose a winner this upcoming monday, september 16th, at 8:00 am. 

happy day, friends!

love,

natalie

p.s. sarah is offering 20% off to natalie creates readers! simply enter the code “NATALIECREATES20” to receive your discount from her shop! yay!

this post has me stumbling for words so just bear with me as i sort it all out! 

this weekend luke & i did a little road trippin’ to tulsa. he dropped me off at the be crafty workshop hosted by three truly lovely ladies- lesley, amanda & allison. those sweet ladies spoiled us! the food was incredibly good, the crafts were so much fun & the swag bags (thanks to a whole bunch of amazing artists & crafters!) were amazing.

the workshop was hosted next to a handful of the sweetest shops. i had heard so much about made so it was fun to finally step inside & soak up all of the handmade goodness. 

my running buddy & bff, kara, has her necklaces in made. they were crazy popular during the workshop… so thankful to call her friend!

after the workshop, luke & i headed toward vintage market days, a very well-crafted vintage & handmade market in the heart of tulsa.

this weekend was exactly what i needed. it was such a gift to spend quality time with a handful of women i truly admire & live out a part of my life that brings about such joy.

but in all honesty, throughout our trip, my heart & mind were on syria. i felt a heavy heart of guilt.

 i debated writing about this part of our trip because it is such a sensitive topic, but i’ve always hoped that this little blog would be a place where i could invite honesty in both myself & my readers. my hope has been that we could discuss things that brought us joy, but also the things that stopped us in our tracks & stirred us up inside.

so, as luke & i were driving to tulsa early saturday morning with npr buzzing in the background, we began to discuss the incredible heartache in syria. when luke dropped me off, i put on a smile & had a truly amazing time with an amazing group of people in an amazing workshop.

 as we all began crafting, though, thoughts began to surface. guilty thoughts. thoughts of mothers grieving over lost children while i painted. thoughts of homes torn apart & wives without husbands as i went about my lovely saturday visiting handmade shops & vintage markets.

i feel so incredibly blessed to experience such privilege in a world of tragedy & sadness. i often question what i am supposed to do when faced with this truth so many borders away while i fluff my home & craft. the only part i can make peace with is that we must remain thankful for what we’ve been given. though i should do what i can to alleviate suffering abroad, i can’t allow myself to feel guilty for the blessings in life that i enjoy. perhaps that’s the hardest part. i just wish such blessings for everyone to take part in the things that fuel their passions & light their fires. 

so i replaced my guilt for the things i cannot control with a heart of thanks for experiencing these unearned daily joys. my heart still feels that stirring, but i know that i’m called to not take these privileges for granted. a thankful, convicted heart.