As stupid as it sounds, I just didn't realize how much girls eat! It didn't take long to realize that having two teenage daughters exposed our budgeting defects in a frightening way. With a family of three, we had been able to pretty much wing it when it came to grocery shopping, meal planning, etc. Something had to change.
This book has been a Godsend! Dana and I are reading it together and it has already made a huge difference in getting our spending under control. The chapter on how to grocery shop is revolutionary. It's all common sense stuff, but the degree to which we had become automated mass consumers, wasting huge percentages of our God-given resources, is astonishing. I don't exaggerate in saying this is the most important book I've ever purchased.
I've been so convicted lately in grasping the fact that we are teaching our children how to live, and chances are very high that they will make decisions about their lifestyles based on what they see their parents do.
Thus, I've taken to teaching Christian some vital life skills! He doesn't care if his clothes come from the thrift store. No sense on spending 15 dollars on a pair of pajamas anyway because he refuses to wear a matching top and bottom! 
And, he has no idea that I traded his old plastic slide and toddler bed for his new/old clothes! We're also trying to nurture his interest in non-electronic forms of recreation. Becoming slaves to the whole video and computer entertainment world comes with a price to pay in more ways than one.
At the seven month mark, we are a family. Nearly all of the strangeness has gone. It feels almost natural, and now that we're getting a grip on the financial shock of clothing, feeding, medicating and educating two teenagers, we are confident going forward. Dana's already talking about another adoption! 
