* When cooking, make two of the same dish and share one with another family.

* Make relationships a priority in your life, and invest as much time and energy as you can into the lives of other people, knowing that people are what matters most.  Eliminate unnecessary stress from your life to free you up to focus on relationships.  Start each day with prayer and a plan for getting things done.  Exercise to increase your physical energy.  Plan meals ahead of time.  Assign age-appropriate chores to your children.  Turn off the television and use the time you save to invest in relationships.

* Create a household budget that works for you and enables you to live within your means.  Make sure it allocates at least 10 percent of your income toward tithes and offerings and at least six percent toward gifts (Christmas, birthdays, etc.).

* Remember that you're God's beloved child, and ask Him to help you view yourself as He sees you.  Know that, while you can't control your circumstances, you can choose to respond to them in positive ways.  Take time to laugh, take naps, and have fun with friends.

* Give regularly and generously to your local church, but don't forget to also support charities who do vital work in your community and throughout the world.

* Ask God to replace your own ideas of who you should be with His vision of who He wants you to become.  Then keep that image in mind as you strive to share with others.

Adapted from Shop, Save, and Share, updated edition copyright 2004 by Ellie Kay.  Published by Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, Mn.,  www.bethanyhouse.com. 

Ellie Kay is the author of several books, including Heroes at Home, How to Save Money Every Day, and the New Bride Guide.  A speaker and national radio commentator, she is a graduate of Colorado Christian University with a degree in the management of human resources.  She and her husband, a career fighter pilot with the U.S. Air Force, have five children and make their home in New Mexico.