One way to save money is to give up various "extras". You can do it to save money because you need that money for the things you need. And, you can do it when you don't really need to; in order to have more ability to bless others. In light of the earthquake in Haiti, folks are all thinking about we can/should do.
I don't believe there is something inherently good about living a life of denial or extreme simplicity. But, we should be living sacrificially. We should be willing to regularly give something up for the sake of another. For our families, for our church family, for our friends, for our neighbors, for strangers, for the fatherless. Our time, our money & stuff, our emotional energy.
The apostle Paul exhorts us to bear each other's burdens.
I am sure I am going to ruin this quote a bit, as I can't find my book to look it up... But, I read Tim Keller's book, Ministries of Mercy a couple years ago, and he had a great quote from Jonathon Edwards. Edwards said that, if we are really bearing each other's burdens, that requires us to feel burdened. Once I read that, it was so obvious. But, somehow I hadn't thought of that before. If you are helping someone, but never really inconveniencing yourself, you aren't really bearing their burden.
So, applying that to my budget, it is good for me to give up stuff that I want and will miss. Not for the sake of self-denial. But, so I can use that money for someone else's need. Something specific that we are trying to save our money for is adoption and the care of orphans around the world.
Here's the money saving sacrifice that I have begun. I know to some (most, all?) of you it will seem so ridiculous that I even did this... And, it is not really quite burden-bearing to give it up, just a small sacrifice.
We used to have a glass of wine nearly every evening. Or perhaps a cocktail or some sort of adult beverage.
The dollars can really add up. We can use those dollars every month to help support on orphan home. The plan is to do that through World Orphans. Check it out & let me know if you want help us support a home!
20 comments:
Great post Erin! I've often thought about "why" we save money, is it to be able to buy other stuff, add to savings, etc., or to use that "extra" to bless others, to give more away than we would have otherwise done. It's funny how the more you give away, the more you seem to have, you know? Which reminds me, I've got some giving to get to right now! Thanks!
Oh, you can't find the book because it is sitting on my desk... I have been meaning to return it to you! :)
That quasi-quote is really good. It is making me think quite a bit right now...
Yes, Erin...this is great. But the first thing I thought was...Erin and Scott probably drink 10x what I do. HAHA. I love your posts lately. Very inspiring.
Loved this post, Erin! Its so very true and we do live more luxuriously than we need to.
About a year or 2 ago when we were having a hard time making it (financially) we cut out things like chips, ice cream, extravagant fruits, beer, crackers, etc... it was eye opening to us how much food we ate and didn't *need*. It was just the fancy extras.
I love what Sara said too - the only motivation for a Christian to make more money, should be so that we can live within our means (debt free) and bless others MORE. I love that.
Jason and I recently gave up Internet on our cell phones and I have to admit, returning to the "old fashioned" way of living has been wonderful. It was hard to get used to... but its been wonderful and that alone saved us $50 a month! Scary.
Faith - 10X?! Okay. We did. Hopefully not anymore. Ha!
Kristy, glad you have the book! I'd been wondering what I did with it!
Stef,
I am not sure if that was what Sara was trying to say. I won't presume to speak for her. But, that is just what I was trying not to say! I don't think the Bible teaches that we should live without nice things. I think we have the freedom to enjoy good things & celebrate & savor His material blessings. I am grateful for God gifting me with so much. I don't think we need to live on only what is truly needed in life. Many things are "fancy extras", the type of home we life in, our car, Starbucks, personal computers, T.V.s, & on & on & on. I don't think it is wrong for a Christian to have these things. I didn't mean to say that at all. And, we still drink wine here. Just not as much!
Erin, I think this was well put.
Here's another thought to toss in the bucket...
My hubby takes great delight in pinching pennies with me for our own family (not to the exclusion of sharing with others - I'm just saying) so that we can a) save for a home of our own & b) afford the medical treatments necessary for us to [possibly] have kids. We find that it is delightful to make sacrifices for others -- including our own [future] family.
And as for enjoying nice things -- I totally agree with you. We are not gnostics or ascetics or anything! We are free to enjoy the good things God has blessed us with, and His blessings are good. I am very anti anti-materialism. Yes, I realize that was a double negative. :) But I think God is into material, tangible things. Things that require the use of our many senses.
I've been starting to post some excerpts from "Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl" on my blog -- have you read it, perchance? A thought-provoking little book on how God *delights* in blessing us with extravagant things and over-abundance... and how we, as His image-bearers, should delight in the same.
All things in moderation, of course. :)
But ooooh yes, the blessings of Starbucks and cell phones and freshly cut flowers -- they simply remind me of God's great goodness.
And they can work simultaneously in reminding me to bless others -- picking up an extra Starbucks for a hurting friend, making some phone calls for long-distance fellowship, or sharing half of my flowers with the elderly couple down the street.
Even little things like that.
So anyway... you've got many ladies piqued today with interest. Thank you for that.
Again. :)
And thanks for your prayers right now. (((hugs)))
I don't think I said that's what Sara said. If I did, I didn't mean to. I was just expressing what Jason and realized when we needed to cut back for our own reasons. It was eye opening to see where we were spending money that we should've been saving or paying off debt with and instead we were splurging on the extras and then maybe making excuses for why we couldn't help in one area or give as much back to God. That's all.
I took Sara's comment to be that as Christians, our motivation to have more money should be so we can bless others with it, even more than before. Not that its *bad* to have nice things (I recently posted about it and even said that in my post) God gives lots of good blessings and I don't think we should look on those things as ungodly to have. I think the saying "everything in moderation" is a great one to follow.
Jason and I cut those things out of our expenses because we literally *had* to. It was all we could do to make it by every month and it was shocking to us how much money it really saved us in the end. But we don't currently live under such tight measures. That was just for a season.
We do enjoy ice cream and such now... but in moderation, as you said :)
I'm thankful to God for His blessings (even the "extra" ones He sends) but I never want those things to take a higher place in my heart than God or His people.
Peanut. Yes! Saving for your own family (& future family) is important & wise. (The story of Joseph in Egypt?) I want to be better at that. I am glad your husband is already going strong on that.
I have read some of your quotes from Nate's book, but haven't read it. Maybe I will. It sounds good!
Stef, I think there are good & godly reasons to try to make more money, other than giving it away (though that is very important). One being what Melissa mentioned, saving it for your family & future family.
okay, I'm sorry. Apparently I've been implying there are NO other reasons to save money, other than to give it ALL away. I didn't mean that at all. I do think it should be a huge reason for why we want more. To be able to give more freely, to be able to save for our children's future and not leave them with piles and piles of debt and to enjoy "extra" blessings that money would provide.
None of us should be online griping about the fact that God's not giving us more money. I assumed none of you were doing that when you post about penny pinching. I've always understood these posts to be about using what God DOES provide, as best as we can and being faithful stewards of what He has given us. If He's not blessing our husbands with jobs that make lots of money, then we need to stop living like He is. That's typically where people (including the Arnolds) get themselves into debt. Living beyond our means.
But I think as Christians, our motivation for wanting to make more money (aside from not wanting to always live like poor people) should be so that we can give back, adopt children (as you and Scott desire to do) and bless others in time of need! We can't bless others when we're in debt, spending money we don't have. We shouldn't be adopting children if we can't provide for the ones we have.
So that's why I said our only motivation should be so we can bless others with it and give more.
We first have to bless our own families with what we bring in... then we should desire to bless others.
I'm not sure if that gets what I was trying to say across better. I feel like I'm being clear and not speaking heresy, but maybe I am and I'm just clueless to it.
I hate leaving such long comments, but I guess I needed to in this situation, to better explain myself.
also, who is Peanut?? You've mentioned that name twice and I can't figure out who you're referring to as Peanut.
Just wondering...
Peanut is aka Melissa Joy. Just a childhood nickname!
...hey Murf, have I mentioned that I love it when you call me Peanut?? Makes me warm to my toes and gives me a smile. :)
And Stef, I think you're clear. I know a few people (and, Lord bless them for their efforts) who want their family to live so far *below* their means so they can give *so* much to others - that it ends up being a detriment to their own children. And sometimes I think people do go too far with that.
But I do agree with you: we should want to get so that we can give to others, so that we can get more again so that we can give even more. I think that's a godly principle. Who the "others" are, and how they are prioritized, is important to me (and I know you get that). Tithe (aka God and His Kingdom) comes first; then our own family (and yes, living within our means while enjoying the good things God has given us; but also not living so far below our means that we neglect to *truly enjoy* the blessings God gives us); then our Church family & other Christians; then the world/nations.
Anyway... hey Erin, are you blog-logged yet? lol.
Hey Melissa, thanks. That's so sad to me that you know people that would put their kids below others and outside missions. So sad.
I can't say I've ever actually known professing Christians that do that, but i don't doubt they're out there. I have a few friends that have chosen to completely live without things they don't absolutely *need* to survive on. So even a lot of furniture that we would typically use, they do without; end tables and such. They don't hang decorative things on their walls or anything like that. I think its different (okay, fine... I think its odd) but I can't point out where its "Wrong" just because its not how Jason and I have chosen to live. And they've never acted like the way we live is wrong.
I do think God's truth is absolute, but its applied to each of us where we are, personally.
We're each at different stages of grace and God is teaching each of us various lessons that aren't always going to match up with one another. One family might think its fine to tithe 10% while another has been convicted to tithe even more. Its between them and God.
We know a lot of couples that don't go on dates together, the husband never buys flowers for the wife, etc... I've never looked down on those people. I don't think those extra things make a marriage better, necessarily. I happen to love them, but it doesn't mean Jason and I are more godly or more happily married because of it. And, people often have good reasons for why they chose to do the things they do.
...hey Murf, have I mentioned that I love it when you call me Peanut?? Makes me warm to my toes and gives me a smile. :)
And Stef, I think you're clear. I know a few people (and, Lord bless them for their efforts) who want their family to live so far *below* their means so they can give *so* much to others - that it ends up being a detriment to their own children. And sometimes I think people do go too far with that.
But I do agree with you: we should want to get so that we can give to others, so that we can get more again so that we can give even more. I think that's a godly principle. Who the "others" are, and how they are prioritized, is important to me (and I know you get that). Tithe (aka God and His Kingdom) comes first; then our own family (and yes, living within our means while enjoying the good things God has given us; but also not living so far below our means that we neglect to *truly enjoy* the blessings God gives us); then our Church family & other Christians; then the world/nations.
Anyway... hey Erin, are you blog-logged yet? lol.
okay, I'm sorry. Apparently I've been implying there are NO other reasons to save money, other than to give it ALL away. I didn't mean that at all. I do think it should be a huge reason for why we want more. To be able to give more freely, to be able to save for our children's future and not leave them with piles and piles of debt and to enjoy "extra" blessings that money would provide.
None of us should be online griping about the fact that God's not giving us more money. I assumed none of you were doing that when you post about penny pinching. I've always understood these posts to be about using what God DOES provide, as best as we can and being faithful stewards of what He has given us. If He's not blessing our husbands with jobs that make lots of money, then we need to stop living like He is. That's typically where people (including the Arnolds) get themselves into debt. Living beyond our means.
But I think as Christians, our motivation for wanting to make more money (aside from not wanting to always live like poor people) should be so that we can give back, adopt children (as you and Scott desire to do) and bless others in time of need! We can't bless others when we're in debt, spending money we don't have. We shouldn't be adopting children if we can't provide for the ones we have.
So that's why I said our only motivation should be so we can bless others with it and give more.
We first have to bless our own families with what we bring in... then we should desire to bless others.
I'm not sure if that gets what I was trying to say across better. I feel like I'm being clear and not speaking heresy, but maybe I am and I'm just clueless to it.
I hate leaving such long comments, but I guess I needed to in this situation, to better explain myself.
I don't think I said that's what Sara said. If I did, I didn't mean to. I was just expressing what Jason and realized when we needed to cut back for our own reasons. It was eye opening to see where we were spending money that we should've been saving or paying off debt with and instead we were splurging on the extras and then maybe making excuses for why we couldn't help in one area or give as much back to God. That's all.
I took Sara's comment to be that as Christians, our motivation to have more money should be so we can bless others with it, even more than before. Not that its *bad* to have nice things (I recently posted about it and even said that in my post) God gives lots of good blessings and I don't think we should look on those things as ungodly to have. I think the saying "everything in moderation" is a great one to follow.
Jason and I cut those things out of our expenses because we literally *had* to. It was all we could do to make it by every month and it was shocking to us how much money it really saved us in the end. But we don't currently live under such tight measures. That was just for a season.
We do enjoy ice cream and such now... but in moderation, as you said :)
I'm thankful to God for His blessings (even the "extra" ones He sends) but I never want those things to take a higher place in my heart than God or His people.
also, who is Peanut?? You've mentioned that name twice and I can't figure out who you're referring to as Peanut.
Just wondering...
Loved this post, Erin! Its so very true and we do live more luxuriously than we need to.
About a year or 2 ago when we were having a hard time making it (financially) we cut out things like chips, ice cream, extravagant fruits, beer, crackers, etc... it was eye opening to us how much food we ate and didn't *need*. It was just the fancy extras.
I love what Sara said too - the only motivation for a Christian to make more money, should be so that we can live within our means (debt free) and bless others MORE. I love that.
Jason and I recently gave up Internet on our cell phones and I have to admit, returning to the "old fashioned" way of living has been wonderful. It was hard to get used to... but its been wonderful and that alone saved us $50 a month! Scary.
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