Have I really thought about what I buy? Do I need it or just want it? Is the need a real need or a rationalized need? This month the Toren family is going to have a “No Spend Month” challenge. To eliminate all spending will probably be impossible, but we are going to try to keep monthly budget to $600. Our $600 is for things like food, gas, Target, eating out, cosmetics, clothing, toys for the kids, and other areas where we spend money but wonder if we really need to it at that moment. The $600 will not include mortgage, student loans, child care, tithe, utilities, work expenses, and gifts.
The motivation for this is because Joe and a team are doing a series based on Richard Foster’s Simplicity. Some guidelines for simplicity were found at Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends.
Some guidelines from Richard Foster were:
1) Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status
2) Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you
3) Develop a habit of giving things away
4) Refuse to propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry
5) Learn to enjoy things without owning them
6) Develop a deeper appreciation of creation
7) Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes
8) Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech
9) Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others
10) Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God.
And so we begin our intentional walk of simplicity on May 1.
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