Every email my friend sends from Africa contains her signature quip:
From a distance it looks like an adventure … up close it is filled with challenges.
Isn’t that always the truth? It’s easy to look on the lives of others from afar and simply see the adventure. The success. The end-result. But making meaningful changes in our lives involves far more than adventure, right? It involves challenges. Obstacles. Hard things. The key is looking honestly and realistically at these challenges and still believing it’s worth it in the end.
We all would probably agree that “living with less” is a worthy goal. I doubt that any of us made “buy more, consume more, eat more, spend more” a New Year’s Resolution this year. We all want to live on less, but statistics show that few of us really are. Americans are spending more, weighing more, and consuming more than ever before. Where is the disconnect? Could it be that we romanticize this “living with less” lifestyle, making the reality of it so surprisingly disagreeable that we jump ship before making much headway at all? … {Find the rest at FrugalLivingNW…Thanks for reading!}
3 thoughts on “A Realistic Look at Living on Less”
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Kari, that’s a very good read. I love that you point out that it’s worthwhile to expect challenges. It reminds me of John16:33, something said by Jesus that I try to take seriously. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Sounds like challenges should be expected, yes?
I also appreciated your quick list of the benefits. Personally, I decided years ago to try to avoid debt. Lenders end up owning lives, and that seems undesirable to me, so I’m careful to rein in my magpie tendencies and not grab lots of shinies. It is worth it. I do not have all the nicest and newest things, but I have what I need (more than, really), can save money, and am free to give in a way indebtedness would prevent.
One thing I have sometimes found challenging about a more simple lifestyle is that it can be isolating. American culture is one of consumerism, and I am not a very good consumer, I’m afraid. I evaluate purchases differently than people I know, and “buy buy buy” doesn’t always communicate well with “save save save!” I’ve garnered so many confused looks by asking folks, “Why you buy that?” It’s as though I’m speaking a foreign language!
Rebekah, I think this is such an important point you bring up and I’d love to explore it more. We find the exact same thing. It IS hard because spending/consuming is a CULTURE here, like you said. When people get together, they usually consume something or spend money. So you’re right, it can be so hard to maintain fellowship, relationships, without partaking in the consumerist culture.
As much as possible Jeff and I simply invite people into our home, for many reasons. Then, we try to balance our resistance to consumerist-culture with a genuine love and do-anything desire for the Kingdom. Paul did anything and engrossed himself in culture to win souls. Oh for the wisdom to walk this each day! To not critique culture or flee from culture but to CREATE a kingdom culture.
Thanks for listening to my ramble. Love your thoughts! 🙂
“Why you buy that?” Goodness me, I am speaking a foreign language! You know, I wasn’t even thinking so much of events where people gather purposefully for socializing (though you’re making very good points about it!), but even just casual conversations with coworkers or friends. Not being a consumer tends to set me outside of trends. I don’t run out and buy a new wardrobe because the styles have changed. I don’t grab the latest smartphone because of its slightly improved bells and whistles. I have no idea which actors and actresses are currently in the ascendant and which of their movies are on the must-see list. This is all fun stuff, but to my way of thinking, it’s hardly essential to my life. It’s not essential to my goal of living a life where I have done my best to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. 😀 Drop that into a casual conversation about stuff we buy as a reason not to participate in the buying frenzy, and what I’ve found is that some people have no idea what do with you. You both suddenly realize that you can’t relate.
Inviting people over is a great idea. I love doing that, especially with really good friends. I’ll go out to dinner or coffee with folks, but I’d rather make ’em coffee. One of your friend Dawson’s sisters could vouch for that, and probably even for my love of a good ramble!
Yes, not to critique or flee, but to create. Why focus on the negative? Is that not even what Paul told us to do in his letter to the Philippians? “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Very much enjoying this, I am, but I probably ought to go tend my own blog a little now. 🙂 Thanks for the ramble!