Greetings Everyone,
When this idea came into my mind, I had no idea how it would go, but I knew it would be fruitless without a bunch of willing participants, so thank you all for jumping on board, even if you have forgotten how you spent your $20 or ran out of time to share your story-regardless, it was wonderful to see 24 of us in total say, 'why not?'.
I have to tell you, at some point, when it was closing in on December 1 and I had just a handful of stories provided and work was proving to be pretty overwhelming, I asked myself why I was such a fool to add something else onto the plate this year. But as the stories began streaming in and I began putting them all together onto the blog, re-reading several from quite some time ago and others as they showed up in my email inbox, the feeling of foolishness faded. Reading the different accounts on how the money was spent legitimately warmed my heart, whether it was money spent on others, towards a delayed purchase, adding to a collection, or just treating oneself to a well deserved special day.
I do recall that one of my goals from this project was to get to know one another just a little bit better and from my perspective, this goal was accomplished. So, again thank you all for not only playing along, but also sharing your stories so willingly.
And with that, enough from me-enjoy the stories below!
Participant: Jim
Benefactor: Carol
Jim's Story: His $20 must have been burning a hole in his pocket, because his story was shared in late February, far and away the first participant to share how they spent their money.
While visiting an antique store in Lamberton, MN, Jim spotted this classic John Deere model, priced perfectly. This addition brings his collection to approximately 45 model John Deere tractors, ranging from 1/8 to 1/64th in scale.
Participant: Kimberly
Benefactor: Jackie
Kimberly's story: I invited my college roommate from St. Thomas to accompany me to The Amsterdam Bar in St. Paul where we went to a "story slam", put on by the national organization, The Moth (which can be found on NPR). My friend and I listened to a series of stories relating to the theme "caught." In the end, the judges voted and someone will go on to compete against other story tellers.
There was a man in his 60's who shared a story that was particularly touching. As a kid he was always instigating problems, but there were never real consequences. Then while intentionally splattering ink on magazines on the floor, it got on his mother's new velvet chair. This was particularly concerning because his mother was single and this chair represented the fact that they were finally getting back on their feet. After days of attempting to cover the stain and ruining the piece further by trying to clean it, his mother made the discovery and cried herself to sleep. It was a turning point for the young man who then began to take on new responsibility for his actions. I suppose when written out the story doesn't seem so moving, but hearing it from that man on stage--it was clear how much he loves his mom.
Participants: Tim & Marianella
Benefactors: Jessica & Ariel
Tim & Marianella's story: While home for the summer, we took a day where we dropped the boys off at Chelsea's (thank you Chelsea!) and went to Rochester to do some shopping and enjoy a peaceful and relaxed lunch together at The Forager Brewery (and even though we weren't supposed to, talked about the boys throughout the lunch).
We pooled our money together and Marianella enjoyed her first glass of wine in over two years, while I sipped a nice craft beer. For lunch, we both ordered the Cubano sandwiches with a side of fries-quite delicious and filling. Afterwards, we were both so tired from the addition of alcohol to our unsuspecting systems, we had to go to Caribou Coffee across the street to wake ourselves up! :-)
Participant: Grandma/Mom/Terry
Benefactor: Cory & Paula
Grandma's Story: During one of the days that Tim, Marianella, and the boys were back this summer, we traveled down to Lark Toys in Kellogg, MN to show the boys the carousel, the llamas, and the toy store. I decided to carry on a tradition that I established while visiting this store (our last visit was two summers ago), which was to buy a book for myself to read. I chose Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread. I have yet to read it, as I've been saving it for the Christmas season, so I can't provide a review just yet, but the theme certainly caught my eye.
With the money left over, I saved it for one of my weekly outings to Cabin Coffee in Chatfield where I get together with Maggie, Dar, and Joan, which is always a highlight of my week.
Participant: Mary
Benefactor: Jewyla
Mary's Story: During one of our summer weekends in Okoboji, Brent's grandson Taylor came down with his girlfriend Audrey for a few days, which happened to overlap with her birthday. I decided to buy a small cake, a devotional, and some coloring cards and pens for her. While the relationship wasn't meant to last (they broke up a couple weeks later), I can hope that it brightened her birthday a bit.
Participant: Pat
Benefactor: Marianella
Pat's Story: The $20 was part of a larger contribution for purchasing bus tickets to a homeless family of four who were standing on a street corner after having just lost their jobs.
Participant: Katie
Benefactor: Grandma
Katie's story: When you contacted us about this project initially, I wasn't sure what I wanted to spend the $20 on. I received mine from Grandma so I wanted to make sure to spend it on something a little more special than a random item at the store.
Participant: Sean
Benefactor: Tim
Sean's story: With my $20 I bought a steering wheel cover for my vehicle (which was $15). When I first got the vehicle the wheel was kinda worn and had spots that were rough to the touch or in the heat it would be kind of sticky. I intended to get one often over the four years I've had it but always forgot when in stores and as a result avoided touching certain areas on my steering wheel. The cover is awesome and wish I hadn't waited.
When this idea came into my mind, I had no idea how it would go, but I knew it would be fruitless without a bunch of willing participants, so thank you all for jumping on board, even if you have forgotten how you spent your $20 or ran out of time to share your story-regardless, it was wonderful to see 24 of us in total say, 'why not?'.
I have to tell you, at some point, when it was closing in on December 1 and I had just a handful of stories provided and work was proving to be pretty overwhelming, I asked myself why I was such a fool to add something else onto the plate this year. But as the stories began streaming in and I began putting them all together onto the blog, re-reading several from quite some time ago and others as they showed up in my email inbox, the feeling of foolishness faded. Reading the different accounts on how the money was spent legitimately warmed my heart, whether it was money spent on others, towards a delayed purchase, adding to a collection, or just treating oneself to a well deserved special day.
I do recall that one of my goals from this project was to get to know one another just a little bit better and from my perspective, this goal was accomplished. So, again thank you all for not only playing along, but also sharing your stories so willingly.
And with that, enough from me-enjoy the stories below!
Participant: Jim
Benefactor: Carol
Jim's Story: His $20 must have been burning a hole in his pocket, because his story was shared in late February, far and away the first participant to share how they spent their money.
While visiting an antique store in Lamberton, MN, Jim spotted this classic John Deere model, priced perfectly. This addition brings his collection to approximately 45 model John Deere tractors, ranging from 1/8 to 1/64th in scale.
Participant: Kimberly
Benefactor: Jackie
Kimberly's story: I invited my college roommate from St. Thomas to accompany me to The Amsterdam Bar in St. Paul where we went to a "story slam", put on by the national organization, The Moth (which can be found on NPR). My friend and I listened to a series of stories relating to the theme "caught." In the end, the judges voted and someone will go on to compete against other story tellers.
There was a man in his 60's who shared a story that was particularly touching. As a kid he was always instigating problems, but there were never real consequences. Then while intentionally splattering ink on magazines on the floor, it got on his mother's new velvet chair. This was particularly concerning because his mother was single and this chair represented the fact that they were finally getting back on their feet. After days of attempting to cover the stain and ruining the piece further by trying to clean it, his mother made the discovery and cried herself to sleep. It was a turning point for the young man who then began to take on new responsibility for his actions. I suppose when written out the story doesn't seem so moving, but hearing it from that man on stage--it was clear how much he loves his mom.
Participants: Tim & Marianella
Benefactors: Jessica & Ariel
Tim & Marianella's story: While home for the summer, we took a day where we dropped the boys off at Chelsea's (thank you Chelsea!) and went to Rochester to do some shopping and enjoy a peaceful and relaxed lunch together at The Forager Brewery (and even though we weren't supposed to, talked about the boys throughout the lunch).
We pooled our money together and Marianella enjoyed her first glass of wine in over two years, while I sipped a nice craft beer. For lunch, we both ordered the Cubano sandwiches with a side of fries-quite delicious and filling. Afterwards, we were both so tired from the addition of alcohol to our unsuspecting systems, we had to go to Caribou Coffee across the street to wake ourselves up! :-)
Participant: Grandma/Mom/Terry
Benefactor: Cory & Paula
Grandma's Story: During one of the days that Tim, Marianella, and the boys were back this summer, we traveled down to Lark Toys in Kellogg, MN to show the boys the carousel, the llamas, and the toy store. I decided to carry on a tradition that I established while visiting this store (our last visit was two summers ago), which was to buy a book for myself to read. I chose Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread. I have yet to read it, as I've been saving it for the Christmas season, so I can't provide a review just yet, but the theme certainly caught my eye.
With the money left over, I saved it for one of my weekly outings to Cabin Coffee in Chatfield where I get together with Maggie, Dar, and Joan, which is always a highlight of my week.
Participant: Mary
Benefactor: Jewyla
Mary's Story: During one of our summer weekends in Okoboji, Brent's grandson Taylor came down with his girlfriend Audrey for a few days, which happened to overlap with her birthday. I decided to buy a small cake, a devotional, and some coloring cards and pens for her. While the relationship wasn't meant to last (they broke up a couple weeks later), I can hope that it brightened her birthday a bit.
Participant: Pat
Benefactor: Marianella
Pat's Story: The $20 was part of a larger contribution for purchasing bus tickets to a homeless family of four who were standing on a street corner after having just lost their jobs.
Participant: Katie
Benefactor: Grandma
Katie's story: When you contacted us about this project initially, I wasn't sure what I wanted to spend the $20 on. I received mine from Grandma so I wanted to make sure to spend it on something a little more special than a random item at the store.
In 2018, I started my blog LifeLoveandthePursuits.com which is focused around personal development, fitness, and overall a healthier lifestyle. I've taken on 2018 as a year to focusing on personal development while sharing what I've learned with others along the way.
After more thought, I realized that I wanted to use the $20 to buy a motivational sign to start an inspiration wall. I'm not exactly sure where the blog will lead or really what my end goal is with it all, but I used this sign to help keep me focused and motivated in knowing that it all has a purpose, even if I'm not exactly sure what it is right now.
Participant: Jessica
Benefactor: Chelsea
Jessica's story: My $20 allowed me to have two coffees and witness a murder.
Regarding the coffees: I went to Starbucks and bought myself one large coffee in Mankato at the college while chaperoning FFA students. Another time, I went to Caribou with Kimberly and bought myself another large coffee.
Now, about that murder-my students' spring play was a murder mystery. The first half of the play was the set-up of the potential murderer. There was a butler, cook, nurse, maid, grandkid, the sister, cousin, hillbilly gardener, etc... During the intermission the audience voted for who they thought the murderer should be and the second act played out the investigation and who actually murdered the rich old man, based on the audience's vote.
Participant: Jackie
Benefactor: Kimberly
Jackie's story: I have been working on making photo quilt blocks for gifts and wanted to find a way to make the ink permanent so the quilt could be washed without the photos fading. During my research, trials and errors, I came across a website where you can upload your own images and have them professionally printed on fabric (Spoonflower.com). I used the $20 to buy gel pens and markers which I use to draw various designs to upload to the site so I can order custom fabric. I've really enjoyed the process and hope to one day soon actually finish some of the projects that I'm using the custom designs for. Thank you Kimberly for helping me explore this creative design process.
Participant: Sean
Benefactor: Tim
Sean's story: With my $20 I bought a steering wheel cover for my vehicle (which was $15). When I first got the vehicle the wheel was kinda worn and had spots that were rough to the touch or in the heat it would be kind of sticky. I intended to get one often over the four years I've had it but always forgot when in stores and as a result avoided touching certain areas on my steering wheel. The cover is awesome and wish I hadn't waited.
The remaining $5 I put towards the game I play on my phone called Clash of Clans. I've played it for 4 years so far and using money helps you progress further. I don't put money into the game normally but thought why not, it's supposed to be for fun :-).
Participant: Stacey
Benefactor: Joe & Cathy
Stacey's story: So I know the rule was that one was suppose to spend the $20 on themselves, however spending money on myself never happens. So instead I took the $20 and put it toward taking the cute little princess in the included pictures on her very first camping trip. This sweet little girl would be Kailynn, who is the daughter of Nicole, Jenny's oldest daughter. Anyhow, thinking back to childhood and memories made with aunts and uncles made me remember when all of us cousins were little and we would come to Grandma and Grandpa's for the holidays. It didn't matter what you were doing but you always made it a point to spend time with us whether it was sledding, Easter egg hunts, going exploring, or whatever idea you came up with, just as long as we didn't play with your Snoopy stuff, cereal boxes, or other items in your room! Therefore because of memories I have I decided to keep the tradition going and make memories that Kailynn could remember for the rest of her life instead of blowing the $20 on something I didn't need!
Participant: Heidi
Benefactor: Shanel
On my "to do" list:
Heidi's story: I spent my $20 on three knitting patterns from some of my favorite knitwear designers. I'm very excited about the sweater. It is by a Scottish designer, Gudrun Johnston, who now works for Brooklyn Tweed, one of my favorite American knitwear brands. The hat patterns I mainly bought so that I could figure out how she does the stitches and then repurpose them in my own designs; however, the hats are also beautiful and I'll probably knit them for myself or give them away as gifts (the joy is in the learning and the making). I have used the stitch from one of them to make some Reader's Mitts. Knitting the others will likely have to wait until the new year as I'm finishing up some custom orders and holiday knitting.
Participant: Carmen
Benefactor: Jim
Carmen's story: During one of the weekends in Okoboji, I went with Brent and Mary to see a summer theatre production of A Sound of Music.
Participant: Shanel
Benefactor: Nicole
Shanel's story: I used my $20 for a quiet day to myself. I spent the morning at Scooter's Coffee drinking a turtle blender with no whip cream or espresso (it gives me an anxiety attack!) while reading a love story, one like a Hallmark movie! Two people meet during the first 2 pages and you know they are going to fall in love but it takes them 200 pages to figure it out! ❤
I then went to lunch at Qdoba's and had a chicken taco and tortilla soup (one of my many favorites)! I spent the afternoon quietly grocery shopping by myself and finished off my $20 by purchasing ingredients to make puppy chow! (Mmmm) Not the most exciting day or the most elaborate gift for myself but I enjoyed the peace and quiet and the day to myself!
Participants: Joe & Cathy
Benefactor: Katie
Joe & Cathy's story: We spent a little less than the sum of $20 on a book to help us identify the trees that are most common in Minnesota. Cathy, Jewlya, and I were cutting up a dead tree that had fallen out into the bean field of a neighbor who we rent 30 acres of pasture for our beef cattle to eat and roam around on. I can normally tell a species of a tree even after they have fallen and have no leaves left on them. This one had us all stumped-the trunk looked a little bit like a red oak which is very common here in central Minnesota. Very often when we see a large red oak that has died and/or fallen over it will be hollow as this tree was. But strangely enough the bark on this tree wasn't as coarse as red oak and the branches were different. They were more knarly and had considerably more small branches coming off it than I would see on a red oak. When we were cutting the wood it also did not have the typical red color on the interior as we see on our local red oak. I asked Jewlya several times in the last few weeks if she had decided what kind of tree it was. Jewlya has decided that based upon me wanting to know what kind of tree it was that I am a nerd. Clearly a nerd doesn't mean what it meant when I was her age. I really thought she would go to school and figure it out and come home and point out to me and her mother that she was infinitely wiser than us as per usual of her being a teenager and all.
But to no avail, so we decided to invest in the book. As per usual in my life it appears that whatever kind of tree it was, it is not in the book and I am just as stumped before the purchase. I find myself in this situation often. I get stumped and I look for the answer and it does not come easy. I spend some money looking for the cure but often it is not easily acquired. I continue to ponder it and usually when I least expect, the answer will come from someone or somewhere that I hadn't even considered. I guess I'm very blessed to have curiosity daily and be surrounded by family that has it as well. What a wonderful thing to want to know how, why, and when.
Participant: Heidi
Benefactor: Shanel
Heidi's story: I spent my $20 on three knitting patterns from some of my favorite knitwear designers. I'm very excited about the sweater. It is by a Scottish designer, Gudrun Johnston, who now works for Brooklyn Tweed, one of my favorite American knitwear brands. The hat patterns I mainly bought so that I could figure out how she does the stitches and then repurpose them in my own designs; however, the hats are also beautiful and I'll probably knit them for myself or give them away as gifts (the joy is in the learning and the making). I have used the stitch from one of them to make some Reader's Mitts. Knitting the others will likely have to wait until the new year as I'm finishing up some custom orders and holiday knitting.
Participant: Carmen
Benefactor: Jim
Carmen's story: During one of the weekends in Okoboji, I went with Brent and Mary to see a summer theatre production of A Sound of Music.
Participant: Shanel
Benefactor: Nicole
Shanel's story: I used my $20 for a quiet day to myself. I spent the morning at Scooter's Coffee drinking a turtle blender with no whip cream or espresso (it gives me an anxiety attack!) while reading a love story, one like a Hallmark movie! Two people meet during the first 2 pages and you know they are going to fall in love but it takes them 200 pages to figure it out! ❤
I then went to lunch at Qdoba's and had a chicken taco and tortilla soup (one of my many favorites)! I spent the afternoon quietly grocery shopping by myself and finished off my $20 by purchasing ingredients to make puppy chow! (Mmmm) Not the most exciting day or the most elaborate gift for myself but I enjoyed the peace and quiet and the day to myself!
Participants: Joe & Cathy
Benefactor: Katie
Joe & Cathy's story: We spent a little less than the sum of $20 on a book to help us identify the trees that are most common in Minnesota. Cathy, Jewlya, and I were cutting up a dead tree that had fallen out into the bean field of a neighbor who we rent 30 acres of pasture for our beef cattle to eat and roam around on. I can normally tell a species of a tree even after they have fallen and have no leaves left on them. This one had us all stumped-the trunk looked a little bit like a red oak which is very common here in central Minnesota. Very often when we see a large red oak that has died and/or fallen over it will be hollow as this tree was. But strangely enough the bark on this tree wasn't as coarse as red oak and the branches were different. They were more knarly and had considerably more small branches coming off it than I would see on a red oak. When we were cutting the wood it also did not have the typical red color on the interior as we see on our local red oak. I asked Jewlya several times in the last few weeks if she had decided what kind of tree it was. Jewlya has decided that based upon me wanting to know what kind of tree it was that I am a nerd. Clearly a nerd doesn't mean what it meant when I was her age. I really thought she would go to school and figure it out and come home and point out to me and her mother that she was infinitely wiser than us as per usual of her being a teenager and all.
But to no avail, so we decided to invest in the book. As per usual in my life it appears that whatever kind of tree it was, it is not in the book and I am just as stumped before the purchase. I find myself in this situation often. I get stumped and I look for the answer and it does not come easy. I spend some money looking for the cure but often it is not easily acquired. I continue to ponder it and usually when I least expect, the answer will come from someone or somewhere that I hadn't even considered. I guess I'm very blessed to have curiosity daily and be surrounded by family that has it as well. What a wonderful thing to want to know how, why, and when.
