Grocery Shrink

Right after we got out of debt, my husband received word that they were transferring us to Indianapolis, Indiana and renting us an apartment so he could open a new department in that branch.  It would be for about a year and then they would transfer us back. It sounded like a fun adventure.

We gave notice on the house we were renting and our landlord quickly found a new renter to move in as soon as we were gone.  I set aside the bare necessities for living (one set of dishes, one pot, one set of towels etc.) and packed the rest up into a storage unit. Not too long after, my husband’s work changed their mind. The move wasn’t going to work out after all.  And just like that we were homeless.

The West view from their porch

Even though we had 3 babies, my in-laws invited us to come and stay with them until we could figure something out.  Their house was a charming 1920’s bungalow with only one bathroom featuring a cute cast iron tub. For cleaning up after coming in from the fields, there was an open shower in the basement.

The plumbing in the house was old (and plumbed backwards so the left handle was cold water and the right hot ) The bathtub faucet dripped.  My mother-in-law put a bucket under the faucet and then used the water to water her plants, or to get a head start on the bathtub filling when it was time.  It just dripped once every second or so, but if we didn’t watch the bucket it would overflow in just a few hours. She couldn’t keep the bathtub stopped up all the time to catch the drips or by the end of the day we’d have a tub full of cold water and not enough room to add hot water to warm it up.

When I look at our finances I catch myself saying stuff like, “And that’s not even a drop in the bucket.”  Meaning, we could save a few dollars here or there, but it won’t make a difference.  That’s wrong.  A few cents or dollars here and there if found CONSISTENTLY and at increasing frequency will fill a bucket in no time.

Leave a comment and give us some ideas. Where can you find a drop for your bucket?

P.S.  Keep in mind that if it costs more than you save by driving too far to get a special deal…that’s not saving anything.  If you cancel a membership or subscription that is saving you money than it costs you (like a Costco membership or a Grocery Shrink Plus subcription #shamelessplug ….. then that’s going backwards too.)  Take some time and look at the numbers so you can make your decisions with wisdom.

photo credit: Saine

Lately at Sunday School, the pulpit, normal conversation …  discussions about the rich have been more frequent than usual.  Most of the conversations have been about the evils of wealth and the scriptures that talk about how hard it is for a rich man to get into heaven.

In all of these discussions, no one talking about the wealthy considers themselves to be wealthy.  Wealth is relative.  Someone who has more than us, is wealthy.  Someone who has less is not.  And it almost nearly follows that someone who has more than us is evil and someone who is “poor” is more righteous.

When you think about who the rich are, you might consider that over 50% of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day.  Over 80% live on less than $10 a day. Things like indoor plumbing, electricity, elementary school, and clean water are reserved for the world’s top income earners.

At our house we also have the internet, a washer and dryer, central air, a piano, and a car.  I’m thinking we might be part of the wealthy.  The fact that our budget discussions include whether we can afford music lessons and school tuition—not if we know where our next meal will come from, seals it.  You might as well stamp “filthy rich” on my forehead.

I didn’t know the rich young ruler personally, but I’m guessing if you put his possessions and mine side by side, I’d have more stuff.   He went away sorrowing because he didn’t realize that all his stuff really wasn’t his.  It was God’s.  God gave him a large share to manage for Him and when He asked to be able to use it, the young man couldn’t let go.  Christ’s point was that no one can keep all the commandments.  No one can earn his own salvation, it’s not humanly possible alone.  It takes God.  It really wasn’t a discussion about the evils of wealth at all–that was an example of the many ways we can stumble.

Teaching against wealth building is a dangerous thing.  The most reliable way to build wealth is to manage money properly: Avoid debt, live on less than you make, save monthly, invest conservatively.  Building wealth requires hard work, patience, self-control, humility, self-denial, sacrifice. These are all things we should have in our lives.

It is never more righteous to be a HOT IRRESPONSIBLE MESS with our money.

When we have wealth we can DO great things with it.  We can give, fund missionaries, build relief shelters, support adoptions…anything!  Wealth gives choices.

Because we live in one of the wealthiest nations on the planet, we are likely to have some rich people discussions.  Such as:  Should I buy organic?  How can I afford supplements?  How do you budget for college? Does cleaning with vinegar really work?  Understand that someone who doesn’t know where their next meal would come from would find these discussions ludicrous. It would be even more shocking how we can tear each other down over things like homeschooling, gluten, chevron, and high fructose corn syrup.

There may be times in our financial journey that our income barely covers our basic needs–shelter, food, clothing. In order to make progress we have to get a little crazy and do without some “necessities” like heat, toilet paper, organic food, and paleo ingredients.  In the scheme of things, we’ll still be living better than 80% of the planet.