In light of yesterday's post, I decided to put some action behind the words that I wrote.
I have wanted to rearrange my bedroom for a couple of weeks, but I honestly really didn't want to deal with all the "stuff" I have. I knew that rearranging would mean that I have to go through some things, throw stuff away, put stuff in piles to give away, and I just wanted to avoid it all. But last night I buckled down and decided to rearrange, reorganize, and go through all of my stuff.
A couple of realizations:
1) I have a lot of clothes, but I'm good about wearing all of them. I've given myself until the end of the year. Whatever I don't wear by the end of the year goes.
2) I have way too many books and DVDs that I'm never going to read or watch again. I should probably get rid of 90% of those things.
3) Most of my stuff is in really good condition.
4) I have absolutely no clue how I accumulated all of the junk I have.
5) I used to have a shoe collection that could battle Paris Hilton (or some other random celebrity that shops a lot). I really don't have that many pairs of shoes anymore. I can't figure out what happened to all of my shoes...?
My night ended with a nicely organized room with much more space, one large bag of trash, one large bag of give-away clothes, and lots of items listed for sale online. I've decided to sell 90% of my books and DVDs. I've listed them on half.com, mainly because it's the easiest way I could think to keep up with what I have and what I've sold.
I'd like to think that I'm doing some sort of "online garage sale". If you would like to buy something from me, just let me know. You can make an offer to me directly to me through Twitter, Facebook, or email, or you can buy it from half.com. Either way works. All of the money that I make on this stuff will go toward something important (a mission trip, my Compassion International child, or something else along those lines)!
Here's the link to my half.com store: http://shops.half.ebay.com/jessicaleanne850_W0QQ
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Frugal vs. Cheap; Saver vs. Spender
There's a big difference between being a "frugal" person and being a "cheap" person. In my opinion, a frugal person is smart with their money. They know when to say, "No, I do not need another pair of boots today," and they have savings as a cushion for those just-in-case situations. On the other hand, a person who is cheap is someone who would never buy the boots, or any shoes for that matter, unless the only other option was to walk around barefoot.
In the last two years or so, I've done a lot of thinking about this frugal vs. cheap topic. Recently, I was presented with option of two other financial categories to contemplate: Saver vs. Spender. I grew up in a house with parents who were pretty frugal. My two sisters and I didn't want for much, but my parents were savvy spenders and good with their money. My dad always had a savings account that had enough in it, and we always seemed to be comfortable. Every Sunday my Dad would tithe to the church and he and my mom have always had a heart for giving to the less fortunate. Now that I'm on my own and financially responsible for myself, I'm learning that I probably should have appreciated my parents and their good financial sense a lot more than I did while living under their roof. All of these things, balancing how much to spend, having a heart to give, disciplining myself to save, and knowing how much is enough really just make my head spin.
Even though I had not really prayed for help with this, God is sovereign and he knows what I need. The church I attend has been going through the book of 1 Timonthy. After listening to a few sermons from this book on the topic of materialism and then talking through these sermons in small group with friends, I've realized that I have a lot of stuff, and a lot of things I have got to get rid of. I also realized that I don't really know how to do all of those things that I admire my parents so much for, like figuring how how much to spend and disciplinging myself to save.
For the last three weeks or so, I've been pondering a few questions. I've asked myself, "What excess do I have that I should get rid of?" I've gone through some of my stuff and set aside things I need to sell and give away. But, usually when I get rid of things, it's fun because it makes room for new things. I don't want to do that this time, because that would obviously defeat the purpose of reorganizing my mentality on materialism. Which brings forth another question, "Are there things in my life that I could cut out that aren't necessarily material possessions, but that take up a lot of my time, money, and energy?" Yes. The answer to both of these things is definitely "YES!"
The bottom line is that I obviously have things that I need to get rid of, and I obviously have things that I could cut out and save money on. But why? Why must I get rid of things that I've already paid for, and why must I cut out things that I spend money on now to save more? These are the root questions to this whole money topic. Whether you're someone who is frugal or cheap, or you're someone who enjoys spending or saving, the question for all of us is not, "What can I do better?" or "What do I need to fix?" The question is "Why?"
I've been praying through this, and it's been difficult. The answer is convicting, and I'm sure there's much more to it that I haven't wanted to even see yet. But, here's the answer (so far): I must give things away and quit spending as much because I find joy, dependence, and security in the stuff and my money rather than in Christ. Why does Jesus tell a crowd during the Sermon on the Mount not to be anxious about what they will eat or wear (Matthew 6:25-33)? Because he calls us to be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 says, "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world."
Even though I'm new at all of this I've realized that by my own doing I can be a frugal person and I can spend wisely while saving too. I can be a giving person. I can be a joyful person and find dependence in my stuff or in my money. But what would happen if I threw all of that out the window and just found contentment in Christ? What would my life look like then? What if we all adopted the mentality of contentment in Christ? What would the world look like then?
In the last two years or so, I've done a lot of thinking about this frugal vs. cheap topic. Recently, I was presented with option of two other financial categories to contemplate: Saver vs. Spender. I grew up in a house with parents who were pretty frugal. My two sisters and I didn't want for much, but my parents were savvy spenders and good with their money. My dad always had a savings account that had enough in it, and we always seemed to be comfortable. Every Sunday my Dad would tithe to the church and he and my mom have always had a heart for giving to the less fortunate. Now that I'm on my own and financially responsible for myself, I'm learning that I probably should have appreciated my parents and their good financial sense a lot more than I did while living under their roof. All of these things, balancing how much to spend, having a heart to give, disciplining myself to save, and knowing how much is enough really just make my head spin.
Even though I had not really prayed for help with this, God is sovereign and he knows what I need. The church I attend has been going through the book of 1 Timonthy. After listening to a few sermons from this book on the topic of materialism and then talking through these sermons in small group with friends, I've realized that I have a lot of stuff, and a lot of things I have got to get rid of. I also realized that I don't really know how to do all of those things that I admire my parents so much for, like figuring how how much to spend and disciplinging myself to save.
For the last three weeks or so, I've been pondering a few questions. I've asked myself, "What excess do I have that I should get rid of?" I've gone through some of my stuff and set aside things I need to sell and give away. But, usually when I get rid of things, it's fun because it makes room for new things. I don't want to do that this time, because that would obviously defeat the purpose of reorganizing my mentality on materialism. Which brings forth another question, "Are there things in my life that I could cut out that aren't necessarily material possessions, but that take up a lot of my time, money, and energy?" Yes. The answer to both of these things is definitely "YES!"
The bottom line is that I obviously have things that I need to get rid of, and I obviously have things that I could cut out and save money on. But why? Why must I get rid of things that I've already paid for, and why must I cut out things that I spend money on now to save more? These are the root questions to this whole money topic. Whether you're someone who is frugal or cheap, or you're someone who enjoys spending or saving, the question for all of us is not, "What can I do better?" or "What do I need to fix?" The question is "Why?"
I've been praying through this, and it's been difficult. The answer is convicting, and I'm sure there's much more to it that I haven't wanted to even see yet. But, here's the answer (so far): I must give things away and quit spending as much because I find joy, dependence, and security in the stuff and my money rather than in Christ. Why does Jesus tell a crowd during the Sermon on the Mount not to be anxious about what they will eat or wear (Matthew 6:25-33)? Because he calls us to be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 says, "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world."
Even though I'm new at all of this I've realized that by my own doing I can be a frugal person and I can spend wisely while saving too. I can be a giving person. I can be a joyful person and find dependence in my stuff or in my money. But what would happen if I threw all of that out the window and just found contentment in Christ? What would my life look like then? What if we all adopted the mentality of contentment in Christ? What would the world look like then?
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