In Defense of Frugality
When I came home with a $50 white dress adorned with a pin of buttons and lace, my mother questioned but didn’t press. The dress paraded to church and a banquet then hung in the closet collecting dust for years, a reminder of ten hours work poured out for a button broach.
I am not frugal because Oprah says I should be or because the economy is weak. I inherited the tendency, and my first impulse purchases completely converted me. Why work so hard for things that won’t last? Styles change. Things fade. I started shopping at garage sales and thrift stores. I became a scavenger.
It’s not as bad as it sounds. Our old house is nice by my standards. Our home will never grace the pages of a decorating magazine, but we are more than comfortable. In fact, we have an abundance of things. So many things that we crammed the station wagon with bags and boxes to haul away.
My husband still only works part-time. We do need to increase our income, but not so it can slip away in a quest for more stuff. The list of desires is long. We wait, and ideas come to bring resolution. Creativity seeps out, and we make do. Patience is stretched, and we grow…thankful.
Frugality is always a virtue. Without frugality none can become rich, and with it few would be poor.
Do we consider frugality a virtue? I think not. Else why would I struggle so to pull these words out? Why would I cringe to share my enjoyment of cast-offs? Why would I hesitate to share the ways God has blessed?
Living within our means is not a platitude. It must be done. Almost every day I hear someone fearful for their security. Others are struggling because they’ve been laid off. I hurt for them, with them. It is a difficult path. I walk trying to focus my eyes ahead and ignore the lure of silver buttons tempting me to buy, buy, buy.
Everyday it gets a little bit easier and easier to live with out the shiney things. I’m trying to teach my children to understand they don’t need everything to have fun or feel complete. I enjoyed this post!
Renae,
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about frugality. We too try to live as frugal as possible…and yet, like you, we have been blessed with many things. The Lord always takes care of His own, abundantly! Here is one of my favorite sections of verses:
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed.” Psalm 37:23-26
I find it interesting that it says that the righteous are “ever merciful and lends” and so his descendants are blessed. It is in giving (like the Lord!) that we and our families are blessed.
The Lord is so awesome!
Excellent post, Renae. The Lord calls us to be good stewards. I have to admit that I’ve not done as well as I ought. This is an area that I need to significantly improve upon. The desire is there, but the actions haven’t quite followed suit. Thank you for the lovely reminder. :D
Rana,
I think it is all too easy to find our worth in the things that surround us, but our value is intrinsic, given to us by God. External things will never satisfy the deep desires of our souls.
And creating things with our own hands lends itself to a rewarding kind of fun. (A subconscious idea put to words by my mother-in-law during her visit.)
Karen,
Yes, I’ve quoted that verse to myself when I start to worry. We may not have all the things we want, but we have everything we need and so much more.
Thank you for sharing the connection with giving. We have a calling to love our neighbors, and sacrifice holds a mysterious joy.
Dianne,
I think we can all improve on the being responsible with the blessing God give us. Even while touting frugality, I realize my spending quirks. Books, scrapbook paper, art supplies…At some point, I can have more than enough of even those good things, right? (Even though I’m still not quite convinced.) :P
There are so many ways to be good stewards. I don’t think everyone has to rummage through junk like I do. ;) I enjoy the hunt, but I have friends who look for sales or buy good quality so it will last. There is grace to follow our own conscience…
And on occasion, we just need to celebrate. Throw a party, buy something extraordinarily beautiful, or whisk your family away on a vacation. We’ll be doing all of the above when Dylan gets a full-time job! :D
I inherited the frugalness that I enjoy today, from my parents.
I didn’t know it growing up, but we weren’t middle class. I thought we were rich. We raised all our own meat for the freezer, veggies, etc. The only things my mother bought at the store were paper goods.
Thanks for sharing what is really most important.
I love this post, maybe most of all. Of course, the topic of frugality is very near and dear to my heart. As another commenter mentioned, it’s really about good stewardship. I save so I can share, I stock up so I can pass along. I honestly see finding a really good bargain to be as much a part of God’s provision as if He were to increase our income. God is faithful by whatever means He chooses.
(Also, are you coming this way for the book fair this weekend? I have no plans to go to the fair, but if you’re in the area, I’d love to meet you for coffee. Let me know…)
Stephanie,
My experience as a child was similar. I never noticed where we fit on the economic scale. I remember Christmases when there weren’t many presents under the tree, but we always had food. I remember snapping peas for hours while Mom filled the jars…
Amanda,
Thank you for your words of grace.
Did you know thrift comes from the root word thrive? That gets my brain whirling. I don’t think I’m done with this topic yet. I cut out a lot and copied it into another post to finish processing.
And YES! I am planning to come to the book fair on Saturday. It would be wonderful to meet you!
Thrift comes from thrive – very fitting! I feel like I thrive in my household when it is neat and organized, but like I am suffocating when it is not. ‘Stuff’ is weight we carry around – purging it is always a load lightened for me. Thrift and owning less just seem to go hand in hand – don’t ya think?
Great post Renae! You know me – I love frugality! There is such a sense of accomplishment in the things that make one frugal; canning, gardening, second-hand finds, using what you have, refraining from buying ‘stuff’, etc, etc…
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This is a journey, I think. Most of us have to re-train our brains and habits.
We buy used and on sale and try not to buy things we really don’t need. It is hard, isn’t it?
We have gotten rid of truckloads of clothing I had saved up and other things we just don’t need at all.
I read a post a couple of years ago that changed my mind about “stuff”.
This was a great addition to the Carnival.
http://jacquedixon.com/?p=3843 Thanks!
:)
blessings~
i am sooooooooooo far from frugal its not funny LOL
Mandi,
It’s so nice to see you around again!
Yes, I think you are right. It has been easy for us to collect too much stuff. When I started working on weekends, I realized how much money I spent at yard sales. I could afford the things I bought, but I was still spending money.
Jacque,
Definitely a journey. And some steps are harder than others.
Do you know what the article was that you read? Can you please share more about it? I’m sure we all have “stuff.” ;)
Jenny,
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I might be on the far side of cheap rather than frugal, so keep in mind there are many applications of frugality, enough for every conscience.
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