It Worked!?

A couple of weeks ago I posted about this book, Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life.

I had really only skimmed through the book before and had said I was going to get back and read it more thoroughly, but I haven't really had the time. Or maybe the inclination. I've been doing pretty good de-cluttering this week.

One of the things I had read about in the book when I looked through it earlier was the theory that Money Flows.  It flows in and out, like a river into an ocean of abundance. It can't flow into a cluttered home or mind. You have to take the physical action to get the flow going.

The author talks about how the secret to prosperity is giving. "Norman Vincent Peale said that giving is the secret of the law of abundance. “To receive the good things of life, you must first give.” It is part of the natural flow of money. It flows into your life and you let it flow out. More flows back, 10 times more than you give. Jesus proved this with the loaves and the fishes and countless other teachings."


He told how when he went to church, he could only squeeze out a dollar for the collection plate, and that hurt. He said his minister told him to not tithe anything he couldn't give with a glad heart. That she would rather someone give a dollar gladly, than $100 grudgingly, But, she said, you get back what you give. You get back 10 times what you give, so if you only want $10 back, give a dollar.  He said he put in $2, and a few days later he received a check in the mail for $20!

I'm not a big believer in Cosmic Woo-woo, but at the same time I like to think I'm not completely closed-minded about stuff-that-can't-be-explained.
I am a dis-prover - not sure if that's a born personality trait or one I picked up on when I started working on my family genealogy - but most of the time when I think I've seen or felt something or something odd happened, I will generally try to think of an explanation for it. At the same time, I know I've seen a ghost (spirit, whatever), there's no doubt in my mind, so I can't even try to explain that one away to myself.  There's been a couple of other instances that I'm about 99% sure had to be some sort of cosmic woo-woo stuff.

I discussed it with Ryan, my middle son, because he is thinker and can reason things out. He also doesn't think I'm a nut-case, lol. We have a lot of pretty good discussions.
Anyway, he thought it over and said, Well it probably wouldn't work if you knew you were giving just to try to get something back.
Which is probably exactly right.

Besides, as it stands lately, I'm not able to give away money - or at least not without grudge.  Our finances have been crap recently, and I can't figure out why.
I'm not that great with math and numbers, so the way I know we're on track is if there's a general certain amount in our checking account. But here lately our account balance has plummeted, with no apparent explanation.
There's been no unauthorized spending or withdrawals, no real out of the ordinary expenditures. Not even Christmas shopping. I bought my Kindle, and a laptop, I thought that explained it until I realized both of those things were charged on my Amazon store card, and I haven't paid but one payment of $39.90 so far.

The fire dept check goes in the bank on every other Thursday night. The doctor's office check goes in the following Tuesday, then the ambulance checks are issued Friday of the same week. Strange as it sounds, it was almost like the money was coming in as quick as we could spend it out.
Then, it wasn't.
I can't figure out what's happened.

Anyway. As I tend to do when there's a problem I can't deal with, I'll tackle one that I can deal with. Which, lately, has been my Cluttering problem, and my desire to get my livingroom fixed before Christmas.

If you remember from my post of last Thursday, it was some Wish list requests that got me to feeling generous and wanting to go through some toys and stuff to see if I had some things to give to help someone.
Didn't start out so great, my first give - the train items - weren't given with an easy heart.
However, that same evening, a lady that I met several years ago through a local message board, posted that her son's cellphone, class ring, and car keys had been stolen, and did anyone have an AT&T cellphone they weren't using.  I had one, which I was keeping in case one our phones breaks before upgrade time (has happened several times) but when she asked, I didn't even think twice. I even drove to meet them halfway across the county to give them the phone.
For no reason or ulterior motive, other than it seemed like the right thing to do.

Later that evening, J texted to say he'd been offered not one but TWO shifts on the ambulance next/this week.

At the time I still hadn't thought anything about the giving-getting connection, since I had a lot on my mind with the toys and the livingroom work.

The next day, on Friday, I felt good picking out some of the toys to send to J's partner's little girl. Along with the rest of the toys I let J donate to the thrift store, I also sent a lot of my booty from my shopping deals. Most of the stuff is stuff I don't want and just want out of the house, like a massive amounts of vitamins, feminine itching cream, probiotics, homopathy medicines, etc.
But one thing I had a lot of, went out of my way to get, and even spent some of my own money on (sales tax) was a large amount of Children's Advil medicine.  The week of Thanksgiving they were on sale and earning me a dollar profit after coupons, but only like .35 after sales tax, which wouldn't be worth my time driving around to other stores buying up the stuff only to donate. This week they weren't on sale, but was still giving the reward, so they ended up costing only sales tax after rewards.  Usually I won't pay sales tax on something I know I or someone in my family (a lot of times not even then, ha ha) won't use.
But my kids had been sick the week before/of/after Thanksgiving, and I was feeling compassionate, knowing there were other sick kids out there and their parents were spending their money on cigarettes and beer and makeup and stuff rather than medicine.
I know this thrift store gives food and items to people in need, so I feel good that this medicine will get to the kids who need it.

While J was gone to take the stuff to donate, I heard my next door neighbor outside and went out and called to her because I had collected up a bunch of Dark&Lovely free-after-coupons hair relaxers this week that I intended to see if she wanted. She did, and while I was there I asked her if she could use any body wash and toothpaste. She could so I came home and bagged her up several things of body wash, toothpaste, deodorant...seems like there was some other stuff because there were 5 bags in all, but I can't remember what all else I sent to her.

That evening I opened the mail to find a $340.00 check from where we overpaid the Oral Surgeon for Ryan's wisdom teeth surgery in September!
(They still owe us another $410.00, too!)

So what's the explanation - coincidence, or cosmic woo-woo?
And will it work anymore if I'm thinking about what I'll get back while I'm giving?

I'm not sure that part will apply anyway, because my brother-in-law came up today and I sent them home with a bunch of stuff, and also sent a lot home with my son. I wasn't even thinking about getting anything in return. Then again, I wasn't altogether thinking about helping them out, either. I was more glad to be getting rid of it out of the house. Still, other than the Children's medicine, getting rid of stuff out of the house has been my main point the whole time, and that didn't seem to matter....IF this is a case of cosmic woo-woo after all.