Friday, May 8, 2015

We ATE The Hammered Dulcimer!!!


WHAT?  We ATE the hammered dulcimer????  Could that be true? How would we eat the dulcimer? With ketchup? Mustard? Maple Syrup? Hmmm.....

You see... a few years ago, we heard a man playing the hammered dulcimer and it was beautiful! What amazing talent was displayed. Since several of us in our family play musical instruments... piano or harp, especially, my husband said that if he learned to play something, he would like to play the hammered dulcimer.

So, we started to hunt for one on Craigslist... I watched for months... and finally we found one... almost an hour away from our home.    We went to look at it and ended up buying it....  my husband started practicing.  After some research, I made a "cheat sheet" to lay under the strings on the dulcimer and show what the notes were and to make it easier to play, since the dulcimer is not set up the same as a piano.

He practiced and started to play a song or two in a simple manner and it was surprising how well he did. I was sure that with practice, he would do very well. He seemed to enjoy playing and he had hoped to keep practicing, but life got busier and he played less and less. Finally, after a couple of years, we decided to sell it since he never used it at all. My daughter and I used it a little, but our main interests are piano and harp, so we didn't want to keep it for us.


 We posted it on Craigslist and after a few months, it sold...  and it was so nice to take it off of the cabinet it had sat on for so long. Since it wasn't ever used any more, it had become a nuisance to just take up the space on that cabinet... after all, a hammered dulcimer is rather large and a bit oddly shaped.

A few days after we sold the dulcimer, my husband was headed to the store for me as we had unexpected company coming, but I was out of grocery money. Since we had company coming, it was necessary(we would have made do with something else, but having the extra from the dulcimer helped) to get something for a company meal and he took some of the money from the dulcimer, to buy those groceries (no, he didn't spend it all). I wrote about that trip and in that post, I said I would explain at a later time about where I got the money for that shopping trip- I am doing that here... The original post is :
Saving Money-Part 2-Grocery Shopping




What a blessing it was to have the money from that dulcimer for groceries. Prices have gone up quite a bit on groceries and I have been having a hard time buying what we needed, so selling the dulcimer eased our budget a little.

In the past, we have "eaten" a china cabinet and a few other items. :)  No, we didn't have to chew the wood...  or get splinters in our tongues, and we didn't use ketchup, mustard or maple syrup, but still... we "ate" the hammered dulcimer and the china cabinet.... and more. The item had been converted to cash... and the cash used to buy food, which we ate. :)  There have been times when money was especially tight and we would look through the house to see what we could sell to bring in money to pay a bill or to buy groceries. It has been a while since we did that, but it still works.

Years ago, when our #2 son was small and had so many medical problems, it was a regular practice to go through the house and sell something to buy groceries... we just didn't have any money and the supplies needed for our son's care were very expensive. God provided in different ways... and one way He provided was by using those things we had in our home, but could do without. We would sell something and pay a bill... or buy groceries.

If money is tight for you, maybe taking a walk through your home and looking for something that is unused could be beneficial. Maybe it is a china cabinet... or an old unused toy box... or a baseball card collection (yes, my husband sold his during that time years ago)... maybe some jewelry... an extra car... a stereo... computer..... cell phone.... kitchen items.... other things.  God does meet our needs... and sometimes He already has... we just need to let go of something.  Is there anything odd that you and your family have "eaten"?  I would love to hear about it in the comments. :)  Thank you for visiting.










28 comments:

  1. Well your title certainly got my attention! I thought, what is our Creative Joy doing now? lol! However, after reading through your post, I realized, we have "eaten" many such things ourselves! We had an old dishwasher that I used when we first married, that was portable, and we could swing it around to the sink when it got time to do the dishes. After a while, I got tired of it, and realized that we really didn't need it (it had been given to us), and decided to sell it, and guess what - indeed the money was spent right away on diapers and food for the children. God supplied! I like your way of saying that God provided - that we "ate" the dishwasher, lol! Wonderful thought Joy, and one that has certainly been true in our family. Blessings to you today!

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    1. Oh, Spicing, your comment made me smile! :) It is a funny way of thinking of things, but a few years ago, I remember selling a china cabinet and then having to use the money right away on needed groceries, so I told the family that we "ate" the china cabinet. The idea "stuck" and I realized that this is a wonderful way to free up money. I like that you "ate a dishwasher. :) Thank you so much for visiting... nice to hear from you. :)

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  2. That was just a great post. I enjoyed it and it also had some real 'meat' to it, well a Dulcimer anyway. Very good advice.
    God certainly does supply our needs.
    Kathleen
    Fridays Blog Booster Party#5

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    1. He really does supply our needs... and many times, our wants also. It is so funny, the things that God can use to teach us a lesson... even like "eating" a dulcimer. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  3. Great post - God always provides, even if it is through the sale of our belongings. He wants us to be creative and see what we have that He's given us - often the solution is right under our noses (or in this case, on your cabinet)! Thanks for sharing at Tuesday Talk!

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    1. Yes.. that's exactly what I wanted to have come across! :) My family jokes that I sell things quite easily. There are some things I keep... and plan to keep, but many things sort of come and go. It was a lesson from the Lord years ago... not to hold onto things as tightly as I was. :)

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  4. You are always full of good advice, dear friend. I greatly appreciate you sharing your wisdom and tips with us. Thanks for sharing with Roses of Inspiration. Hugs!

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    1. What a nice thing to say! Thank you... I do enjoy sharing what God has allowed me to learn. :)

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  5. What a great story! :) Not exactly what I had in mind when I read the title. :)
    Sarah
    www.sarahefrazer.com

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    1. Thank you... it is an odd title, but accurate, in a sense. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  6. Great story! I've quite a collection of instruments that I've brought home over the years. Theres' the 6 stringed banjo, the 2 lap dulcimers, the banjo uke, the bowed psaltry(my latest find), 2 two autoharps, the 4 guitars and the numerous recorders and whistles! Phew! That's a lot! But I'm going on a missions trip to Italy next month so some of them will be sold at a flea market. I guess I could say, "I"m flying my banjo to Italy!"

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    1. I LOVE it! That is great and yes, it sounds like you are flying that banjo to me. :) I hope you have a wonderful trip... and I love how God provides through these things that are laying in our homes. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  7. Prices have gone up so much, it's really hard to make my budget fit like it used to. Although I don't have anything as exotic as a hammered dulcimer to shore it up. Thanks for posting. Hello from Mostly Homemade Mondays.

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    1. Most of my selling items aren't that special... or expensive, either. :) Sometimes, it may be a lamp, or a trinket that sells for a couple of dollars, or some clothes, or a few dishes, or some books... :) It is hard to make the budget stretch. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  8. I love the way your wrote your story, good to be ale to sell things that are not needed anymore. Your right, we should look around, we probably all have things we dont use that someone else could enjoy while our budgets do as well.

    Thanks for sharing on the OHMHGWW this week, always glad to have you stop by!
    Have a great week!
    Karren

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    1. Thank you.... it does seem like we have things we can move out and let others have... and enjoy the cash and what it can buy. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  9. great perspective! Love your post! So glad you shared it with us over at Country Fair Blog Party! We LOVE having you link up!
    Jan

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    1. Thank you... it seems that such a connection can really help to make a point. :) Thank you for the great blog party. :)

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  10. A great post! Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. Hope you will join us again this week.

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    1. Thank you... I will be returning to your blog party... and I do enjoy attending. :)

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  11. This is great and I am glad that by selling this instrument you were able to afford more groceries. We too are finding it quite tight at the moment, but Praise the Lord we sold 6 piglets this afternoon and the cash will come in very handy to knock a few bills out. Thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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    1. It is so wonderful how God provides... whether through a dulcimer .... or piglets. :) It does help to have the cash. Thank you for visiting.

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  12. This has got to be one of the best titles for a blog post that I've ever seen!

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    1. Your comment made me smile.... and laugh!!! :) Thank you so much and I am glad you stopped by!!!

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  13. What a fun post and I love your title! Thanks for sharing @Vintage Charm!

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  14. Hi Gentle Joy,
    Thanks for bringing your post to last week's Blogger's Pit Stop.
    Janice, Pit Stop Crew

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