I have fought off this post for many many months. I've started to write it, edited and ultimately deleted it. But, since the topic keeps coming up, and it still weighs so heavily on my heart--it is time to get it out. Once and for all.
The following things are not meant to place judgement on anyone. I am not perfect, and I never will be. While I may strive for perfection--I know that I can never attain it. I can only be my best, which is good enough for me.
The original purpose of this blog was to document my debt free journey and my couponing adventures. Mostly for myself and my own accountability. It has grown far more than what I could ever have imagined. Not only has my blog grown, but I have as well. The past year and half of my life have been a complete and utter eye opener..and quite frankly I've never been happier. When we started FPU, we were spending atleast 110% of our income. Today we live on less than 80%. That is my choice. In conjunction with lowering our spending I have truly realized what is important in life (although I thought I knew it all along).
I want everyone to know that I choose to be frugal. And if you really want me to be honest about it, I think that everyone should be frugal. Could you imagine how different our country would be if every single one of us were frugal? If we all decided to take a look at the simple and finer things in life?
Life isn't about stuff, money, flashy-ness, vacations, cars, big houses, the newest fashions, and fancy bling-bling. The only thing about your image that matters in the long run is that you exude the love of Christ. This life is purely temporary. While I'm sure that God wants us to enjoy our time here, our purpose is to spread the Word and make His Kingdom grow. All those other things are temptations, put in our way to slow us in furthering His Kingdom.
Are you going to cave and let "your" money rule you? Or are you going to stand firm, spend deliberately and let God be your ruler?
Monday, June 8, 2009
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25 comments:
Very well said. I'm glad that you decided to post this. You have a great perspective and priorities. I agree with you completely.
Right there with you. Excellent post!
Right there with you. Excellent post!
Well said, and I am so with you. We are choosing to live below our means, and it's totally worth it to us.
Love this post. Thanks for taking a stand!
So true. I have been bragging about all the used stuff, coupon deals and recycling and repurposing I have been doing for years. Most people looked down on me until the recession hit. Now everyone is looking to save. It's not good that people are losing jobs and homes but it is good that people's spending habits and priorities have changed. Everything happens for a reason and I think God is trying to tell us something.
Thank you for being brave enough to write what I feel in my heart also.
Kristie
Love the sincerety of your heart!
I couldn't have said it better, I'll just have to link up to this post! :P But you're right, so very right. Thanks for taking it even further than "my choice" and talking about what's most important - God.
(Now why didn't I think about this post first?? :D)
It's always best to follow your gut when you feel something needs to be said. That's usually God nudging us to do something for Him.
Great job with the post. You said exactly what needs to be heard - and exactly what we all need to put into action! Kudos to you for speaking from your heart!
:) I wish I could post about how I'm choosing to be frugal. And someday, I'll be able to. Right now, it's less a choice and more of a have to for us. The transition from a big city income to a small town income hasn't been the easiest when the debt of a layoff and move across country last year is still haunting us. And with the constant tug in my heart to quit my job when I make half of our income (an income that barely pays our bills)... Yikes. I don't see our situation getting easier any time soon. I'd like to say that I would choose frugality in all situations but I can't possibly know that right now since it isn't a choice yet.
Though I do have to disagree with one word... I feel vacations are very important. God's world is amazing---I want to experience it. Of course, we've never spent more than $300 for a "vacation" so that can be done frugally too :)
But, great post! I just want some people to remember that frugality isn't a choice for everyone :)
Well spoken, great post.
Well written and I agree completely.
Thanks for posting this! Much appreciated! :) God bless!
Stumbled onto your blog while surfing....you make some great points. Isn't it amazing how many things we can learn by being frugal?
We've been completely debt-free (even paid off the house) since 2002, and I can tell you that God has really blown us away with His faithfulness since then. Enjoy this journey!
We are also choosing to be frugal and "living like no other so we can live like no other":) I think you are so right...our purpose here is to glorify our creator! We are to Love God and Love People. As moms, we are to raise godly children. If we don't want our kids to be materialistic, we should guard ourselves against putting too much emphasis on temporary "stuff". There was a time in this country when people prided themselves on frugality, ingenuity, self-sufficiency,and hard work...I sure hope we come back to that!
Great post!! So glad you finally posted it!!
Our goal right now is to be completely credit card debt free and we are within a month or so of accomplishing that!! Even though we still have debt, I feel that it is still a choice for us to live frugally. We could certainly spend more of our income and put less towards paying off our debt. However, we are aggressively paying off the last remaining credit card bill and it feels SO good!!
We don't want to be slaves to debt any longer!! We have one Master, one Father and that is God!! For too long we let material things get between us and God...NO more!!
I had this exact internal debate with myself this morning. We had a playdate with one of my dearest friends and her children this morning. Her backyard was just beautiful with lots of lush flowers that she had just bought and planted, several hundreds of dollars worth. I so longed to have a backyard like that. I certainly could go and buy the same flowers and produce the same "look" in our yard...but at what price? For us, the price is far to large! Like my friend, I would put it on a credit card and further build up our debt. Today I choose freedom over stuff!
And for us the great thing about living frugally is that we are actually enjoying life more!! We can plan for those vacations or family outings and pay for them responsibly and not incur more debt.
So true...am in complete agreement. :)
Excellent post! And the journey to a more frugal and simple lifestyle is an ongoing process. As you grow and shift your focus, you begin to learn how little you can live without, how little you actually need!
I very much agree. We started our journey (finally) at the beginning of this year and I've been amazed at how much the Lord has provided for us when we finally put our minds to NOT using credit cards. I certainly find that I want less too which is amazing for me since I usually want more stuff.
Thanks for the post and for the encouragement your blog has been to me :)
Well, you know what I think about being frugal!
I do know that I could have a lovely couch in my living room if we wanted to charge it (the one we have belonged to three other people before us, and we've had it for about 15 years), but a slipcover makes it all better.
I know that we could redo our kitchen on a loan, charge some beautiful decorations for our home, instead of the stuff I get at yard sales or thrift stores.
I know that I could go back to work and we could buy a bigger, fancier home.
But we too, chose to live this lifestyle. We choose it every day. I don't think I'm better than my friends that choose to use their credit cards for things they want.
We just choose to live a simpler life so that we don't have to stress about being in debt. We've been in debt, and it was very stressful. Once we got out, we wanted to stay out!
We've also chosen to have me be at home with our children all these years. With that choice came the choice to live on one income!
We do try and save up for vacations. It usually takes us about four years to save for one, but we do enjoy them when they come!
Beautiful post, by the way. Very well put. Money is tempting, isn't it! We just have to remind ourselves that this world is not our home!
We have a great time just hanging out at the house. After all, spending down time is more valued then being a loud movie theater.
We recently got a dog. My husband and I have such fun just taking him for a walk around the property.
It's time for all of us to remember more simplier times.
Great post and so true! We also have chosen to live below our means...we started earlier this year. For years we lived beyond our means and ended up with debt we are now working on paying off. Hard lesson learned but a lesson learned nonetheless! Our goal is to just have a mortgage loan and pay cash. Thanks for the post!
Well said! I am sooo guilty of "needing" the latest fashions, and stuff and all those things that I didn't really need. Now I'm payinf for it debt wise. I hope this comment makes sense. :)
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