Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing; others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
Proverbs 13:7
The other day I caught several episodes of a show called "Extreme Cheapskates" on TLC. In mine and Kevin's quest to save money, I was curious to see how others might be doing this, too.
As the title suggests, the methods of those profiled on the show are definitely extreme, which may be stating it mildly. One woman bought mattresses from a tag sale for $20, then covered them with sheets she got for free from a motel that was getting rid of them. She did this to try to save her relationship with her fiance, who was frustrated at her refusal to buy a bed, rather than use an air mattress. One man took his fiancee "out" to dinner by stopping in a parking lot and cooking eggs on the engine of his car. Not exactly what she had in mind. Another man took a woman out on a first date, giving her flowers thrown out from a funeral home, only eating the free chips and salsa at a restaurant, and taking her on a cruise on the free Staten Island Ferry. She was not impressed. Finally, a man obsessed with retaining the resale value of his home, covered everything in plastic, had no furnishings, and only lived in a walk-in closet. This man's marriage was ruined by his frugal behaviors. His ex-wife was visibly upset in her interview for the show.
The question that I had as I watched was Why are these people risking relationships just for the quest to save money? The only couple they showed who were not at odds over their money-saving methods was a man and woman celebrating 25 years of marriage. The difference was that they both adhered to the lifestyle. But, for all the others, one person was obviously alienating the other person because of this desperate need to save money. So, I wondered, too, what these people hoped to gain from saving money in such an intense way. Even though Kevin and I are not taking things to such extremes this year, I thought about what we hope to gain:
1. An appreciation for the basic necessities of life--food, shelter, clothing--and how God provides us with the resources for these things.
2. A reduced dependance on having things for the sake of things.
3. A renewed perspective on how to reuse, recycle, and save the Earth's resources.
and...
4. A strengthened relationship.
Kevin and I talk about what we're spending money on, how we are running the household, and how we can work together to achieve our goal of being more self-sufficient. This year of simply living would not have begun without an honest conversation about what the experience would entail. Most importantly, we would not have attempted this experiment had one of us been against it. Our marriage is far more important than any money we could hope to save.
Proverbs 13:7
The other day I caught several episodes of a show called "Extreme Cheapskates" on TLC. In mine and Kevin's quest to save money, I was curious to see how others might be doing this, too.
As the title suggests, the methods of those profiled on the show are definitely extreme, which may be stating it mildly. One woman bought mattresses from a tag sale for $20, then covered them with sheets she got for free from a motel that was getting rid of them. She did this to try to save her relationship with her fiance, who was frustrated at her refusal to buy a bed, rather than use an air mattress. One man took his fiancee "out" to dinner by stopping in a parking lot and cooking eggs on the engine of his car. Not exactly what she had in mind. Another man took a woman out on a first date, giving her flowers thrown out from a funeral home, only eating the free chips and salsa at a restaurant, and taking her on a cruise on the free Staten Island Ferry. She was not impressed. Finally, a man obsessed with retaining the resale value of his home, covered everything in plastic, had no furnishings, and only lived in a walk-in closet. This man's marriage was ruined by his frugal behaviors. His ex-wife was visibly upset in her interview for the show.
The question that I had as I watched was Why are these people risking relationships just for the quest to save money? The only couple they showed who were not at odds over their money-saving methods was a man and woman celebrating 25 years of marriage. The difference was that they both adhered to the lifestyle. But, for all the others, one person was obviously alienating the other person because of this desperate need to save money. So, I wondered, too, what these people hoped to gain from saving money in such an intense way. Even though Kevin and I are not taking things to such extremes this year, I thought about what we hope to gain:
1. An appreciation for the basic necessities of life--food, shelter, clothing--and how God provides us with the resources for these things.
2. A reduced dependance on having things for the sake of things.
3. A renewed perspective on how to reuse, recycle, and save the Earth's resources.
and...
4. A strengthened relationship.
Kevin and I talk about what we're spending money on, how we are running the household, and how we can work together to achieve our goal of being more self-sufficient. This year of simply living would not have begun without an honest conversation about what the experience would entail. Most importantly, we would not have attempted this experiment had one of us been against it. Our marriage is far more important than any money we could hope to save.