Why I’m NOT Saying Goodbye

I could probably write a book about all the lessons I’ve learned and the personal growth I’ve experienced over the last 8 years of my life (in fact, maybe I will one day). But today I want to share with you where I am today, and why I am still here (if you aren’t familiar with how I got here today, you can read it here and here). I hope you don’t mind me getting a little personal here. 

cathy bio picture

Today I want to tell you about MY WHY.

You see, in July when Monica told me she was ready to sell the company and move on to new adventures in her life, I had to make a decision. I could either sell the blog along with her, or I could buy her half.

Can I just tell you that this was a HUGE decision for me? I’ve never had to make a decision like this before. After I heard the news I was completely weighed down. This was my livelihood. This is what feeds my family. This is what I’ve done the last 8 years. I felt heavy and burdened with this choice I had to make. And I only had a week to decide. For nearly two days I felt a huge burden on my shoulders. Pain, confusion, stress, anxiety, worry, doubt, guilt, fear, discouragement were just a few of the emotions I went through.

decisions

Guess what though… God is an amazing orchestrator. You see, just one week prior a good friend of mine recommended this ebook to me. I had started reading it a little before Monica told me her news. After nearly two days of feeling heavy, I remembered this book and quickly grabbed it and started reading some of the chapters for a second time.

Then I got on my knees.

Keep in mind, I had been praying these first few days. But this time it was different. For the first time I stopped wondering about what I wanted and asked God what HE wanted of me. I pushed out fears about our financial situation, I pushed out worries about what would happen to the team of women that work for us, I pushed out the thoughts of the amount of debt I would go into to buy my business partner out, and I pushed out the thoughts of what my extra work load would look like. All those negative feelings weren’t helping me. I knew that if I sought out God’s plan for me, all those other things would work themselves out. Can I just tell you that within an hour of changing my mindset and REALLY going to God, in a seeker’s position (rather than a problem solving position), I got my answer. I can tell you today that I know without a doubt that THIS is where I’m supposed to be. It was actually a really special experience. And any time I go back to that place of fear, worry, and feeling burdened, I just bring myself back to this answer. I simply can’t deny His love for me and the answer I received.

adversity 3

I’m still discovering exactly what His plans are for me and for Fabulessly Frugal. I don’t know if it’s to help me, to help you, or to help one of my team members (I suspect it’s all of the above), but THIS is where I need to be. And man oh man, getting here was a challenge, but I could not doubt my answer, and I knew he’d provide a way. How He accomplished that is another story in and of itself (remember that book I need to write?).

I have learned a LOT these past two months as we’ve navigated this entire partnership buyout process. I stepped out of my comfort zone. I accomplished things I never dreamed I could. I got vulnerable. I’ve been cheered on, educated, rejected, questioned, supported, and most importantly, I’ve grown! My children supported me as I locked myself in my office writing business plans, projections, contracts, and so on. My husband became my ROCK. He was my biggest emotional supporter. In fact, our marriage is stronger because of it! #bonuswin

I’m most definitely a stronger person today than I was just two short months ago.

cathy yoder family pic 2016 minus one kid

So what’s my WHY?

  1. This is where God wants me (see above)
  2. Pay it Forward – over the years I’ve overcome a LOT of personal challenges (health, weight, negative self talk, depression, discouragement, just to name a few). It doesn’t seem right to keep all I’ve learned inside. In fact, I think God took me down these paths so I can have greater empathy and compassion for those who are in the thick of it. I am here to support, uplift, encourage, and teach others.
  3. I love helping others.  This may sound a lot like #2, but for me it’s different. Regardless of what personal growth I’ve had, helping others is in my DNA. I can’t help myself. I love helping and serving others and this is a huge way to do it. Not only do I provide an opportunity for women to earn income while working from home (I LOVE doing this!), I get to continue to offer a free service to others. It is my hope that your life is somehow blessed from any portion of FabulesslyFrugal.com!
  4. I’m teaching my kids. I love being an example of a hard working mom who, despite the demands on her time, makes her family a priority in her life. I am no longer guilt driven. So no, I’m not volunteering in each child’s classroom every week like I always dreamed I would. And there are times that I have to miss one of their games. But I’m there when it matters. I have those meaningful conversations with my kids. I’m there when they get home from school. We work together. We play together. We snuggle together. We pray together. I’m grateful for this unique opportunity Heavenly Father gave me to teach and love them.
  5. Living Clean and Strong – If you ever attended a Fabulessly Frugal coupon class back in the day, you may remember me sharing how in 2011 there was a sale where I purchased 164 boxes of cereal for about $12 (remember those days?). Well, back then, cereal was a staple in my home. I honestly believed it was good for you because it was “fortified with vitamins and minerals”. I remember my chiropractor telling me how bad it was for me. Well let’s fast forward to 2014, when I DID give up cereal and processed foods… My life is BETTER because of it! I will continue to share my health transformation and coach others to do the same. My own 60 pound weight loss in 9 months is a story I will be sharing soon as well. My life has improved in numerous ways because of this change. And I have a secret for you… it’s not just because I now wear a size 3. In fact, that has very little to do with it!

What’s next….

We will all miss our friend Monica. She and I balanced each other out so great, and she became one of my very best friends! I will always look back on our years together with love, appreciation, and gratitude. We learned a LOT about being business women… it was something we had never intended on being, but God brought us down this path for a reason! We have many wonderful memories and accomplishments that I will forever cherish!

join cathy and monica

But now, here I am. Leading this team of women all by myself. At times it’s overwhelming! But I have to say that I’m excited, invigorated and re-energized! Thankfully, I am blessed with a strong team of advisers, managers, and authors. And we all have a common goal… to help YOU live healthy, wealthy, and wise!

In the coming weeks and months you will see some improvements on Fabulessly Frugal. The one I’m most excited about is an awesome blog redesign. We will post a TON of online deals for you each day, but you’ll be able to easily navigate them and find the deals that only YOU want to see! Why are we still doing the deals? Because we all LOVE shopping online and saving money this way! Rather than you searching for the best deal, we’ll have them all right here for you. This is just one way that we’ll help you be more WEALTHY… so you can make your dollar go further! We want to be one tool you use to help yourself be financially free! 

Fabulessly Frugal Logo

But we’re more than about deals now. We’re about making YOU better. We want to uplevel YOUR life, if you allow us to! We want to help you be WISE – so that every day you come away knowing more. We want you to feel like you’ve learned something that benefits your life. It could be something as simple as trying a new delicious recipe (that is kid AND mom friendly!), or maybe it’s a tip you learned when you read how I use chores to keep my kids motivated. OR maybe you were able to glean something after reading top 10 commandments for my kids social media use. You’ll also see more personal content from me… about things this mother of 8 does. You’ve loved my tips on how to get rid of the boy smell in your bathroom, and my tips for making cold lunch great, along with cheap date night ideas (and why it’s so important to make them happen), and of course the DIY cleaning recipes. I’ve got posts coming soon about my trick for teaching kids how to swallow pills, how I manage household chores (and how even my 2 year old is helping around the house),how I keep my life organized, and more! The little tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years (and continue to learn) as I balance my family and working a full time job from home WILL continue! We’ll also have more of our popular DIY tips! We are on a mission to help you be one wise mama!!

copy my weight loss planAnd for those of you who want to change your HEALTH, I’ve got something for you as well! I am committed to helping you be HEALTHY in all aspects of your self care! Like I mentioned above, I will continue to teach and coach others by helping them overcome sugar and carb addictions. I will share how overcoming these addictions and incorporating clean eating and regular consistent exercise have not only helped me shed pounds, it changed my mental and emotional health (I can prove to you that’ll help you too)! The changes I have made have helped me overcome so much and I’m excited to share the details with you. In the mean time, you can sign up to attend a webinar about a fitness challenge I will be coaching that starts on Sept 26th.

One other way you’ll see my helping you live Healthly, Wealthy, and Wise is by providing an opportunity for women to create an income while working from home. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s one of the things that I absolutely love about Fabulessly Frugal. I’m excited for the new opportunity I have to be a business mentor and health coach to anyone who is ready to jump on our team! Again, it’s not easy. It’s challenging in fact (I love challenges now by the way), but the rewards of hard work pay off! And the fact that you can earn money while working from home is a major bonus (if you want to learn more about how I can coach and mentor you in making money from home, please email me at seekingwellness@fabulesslyfrugal.com).

Lastly, you can count on me to always be REAL with you. I will NEVER claim to be perfect. In fact, I’m far from it! Just because I have 8 kids, and own a website, and have lost 60 pounds, doesn’t mean my life is peachy. I’ve had some hard stuff to go through. But I am passionate about sharing my story and what I’ve done to overcome challenges and self imposed limitations. 

In the meantime, I invite you to stick around! If you don’t follow our facebook live videos yet, then do so by going here to our facebook page. Check out this picture to see how you can turn on live video notifications. I’ll be doing them a few times a week soon! 

how to turn on live video notifications

Follow me on instagram, where I will resume posting my favorite fashion deals of the day (getting real here… I had NO time to do this during the buyout process!). There are also some other fun things in the works that I can’t tell you about quite yet (hint: some of these things involve some sweet giveaways). Stay tuned!

thank you

So, I thank you. I thank you for being my virtual friend. Thank you for saying hello to me if you see me at Costco, Fred Meyer,the Y, or wherever! I love it! And I thank you for coming to Fabulessly Frugal. For sharing our content with your friends and family, and for clicking on our links. That’s how you not only help support my family, you also help provide an income for the women who work here on the blog! I thank you for your loyalty, your love, and your support! If there is ever anything you want to know about, or a blog post you think we should write, leave a comment below, or feel free to email or text me! cathy@FabulesslyFrugal.com or 208-907-6457

 

 

Comments

  • So glad you are still here!!!

  • Beautiful story Cathy. I can’t wait to see what you create in the years to come. It’s been awesome to see your transformation and passion.

  • Hang in there thru this transition-without a partner you will be in control of the business now-trust your instincts, you have a huge impact on other women as a business owner and leader!! So excited for you!

  • I missed the post about Monica last week, but saw this pop up on Facebook (pros and cons of disconnecting from social media!). How exciting for both of you to be embarking on a new chapter in your lives doing what makes you happy and fulfilled. Good things come into our lives when we listen and follow our hearts. Good luck to both of you. Im excited to see what changes come about on the site!

  • Congratulations! “But now, here I am. Leading this team of women all by myself.” You are not alone in this you have an entire community of people looking forward to the daily email and you have faith, family and friends. One thought, while the content focuses on “moms” why not also look at single dad’s who are also looking for help and foster parents — the family members who may have never birthed a child but have now stepped up. Maybe it is just enlarging the definition of “mom” — not to diminish the thought we have in our minds but to be even more inclusive. Best wishes and I look forward to the new content, too.

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