raley family's farm

Frugal Living and "Alms giving"

Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.  Acts 10:4

Several years back, I read the book "Irresistible Revolution" by Shaine Claiborne (son Spencer says he is a pacifist hippie in dreadlocks, but I think he's cut his hair lately ☺).  The book changed my whole way of thinking.  It sat beside my bed for years, and I reread it often.  I still read parts of it once in a while.
In the book, Mr. Claiborne points out over and over what Jesus says about caring for the poor.  It seems God talks to me about that subject a lot.  I know there are different ways God has us to serve, and he is faithful to let us know.  I am still trying to know what he is saying, and how he wants me to play out this thing he talks to me about in real life.  He may be talking to you about something completely different.

I remember in that first couple of weeks after Bill died, the great fear I had of how I was going to support my six children still left at home, since we had no insurance and no savings.  I remember sitting on the bed and crying because I didn't know what to do.  That was a time when the impact of giving hit home hard.  That first six weeks, until Social Security began to come, the children and I had no income - except for the giving of others.  And give they did.  Into my hands.  Into my mailbox at church.  Into my mailbox at home. The church helped us pay for the funeral.  My three sisters helped with the funeral flowers.  People I had never met in person, but only knew from facebook and this blog, sent us money.  It covered every bill, and all the expenses that come when someone dies, and it's considerable.  I was overwhelmed with the goodness of God's people.  And I knew why God tells people to give.

Last year we visited San Antonio and went to eat on the river walk.  Afterwards, we walked along the river, and beggar's were everywhere.  A man begging for food for his child, another one with no legs, and one who was shouting he hadn't eaten all day.  Luke was crushed by the whole scene, and we talked about it for days afterwards.  I made him a promise that we would never pass another beggar without giving them something.

Which brings us to giving money, when you don't know what it will be spent on.  I remember my grandmother telling me once, "You just give, what they do with it afterward is between them and God."  While she wasn't talking about beggars, I think the principal still applies.  But the kids and I talked it over, and we made "Blessing bags" to hand out when we saw someone with a sign on the side of the road.  We put a small toothbrush and toothpaste, a little bottle of deodorant, a granola bar and two dollars.  Trouble was, we didn't see enough beggars, and the granola bars got yucky in the hot car, so we need to rethink, or leave out the granola bars!

I have also been trying to figure out ways for us not to spend so much money on ourselves, without the kids thinking they are deprived of the good things in life, although I think most of us in the world today have a problem with a feeling of entitlement.  We talked it over and decided we will not go to fast food restaurants so often anymore.  I told them, even McDonalds costs us nearly $40 for one meal, and that amount of money would feed us every meal for a couple of days or more from the grocery store.  So we have given up eating out except for rare occasions.  I promised them that didn't mean we wouldn't stop for ice cream sometimes or Sonic for a drink, but we wouldn't opt for a whole meal anymore.

Our dryer broke recently, and I have no plans to replace it.  Here in Texas, there aren't many days you can't use a clothesline, and I kind of enjoying hanging clothes outside.  I hang them, the kids bring in their own clothes and put them away.  We hang dresses and shirts and pants on hangers straight onto the line, so they only need to grab them, take them in the house and put them right away.  No need to throw stuff on a bed.  I read once that every load of clothes costs $1 to dry.  We should save $60 a month or so this way.
My only problem with hanging clothes on a line is lint on towels, but a friend suggested I buy flour sack towels, all cotton.  I did, and the problem is solved!

Be frugal.  Could you invite those friends to your house for a meal, instead of going to a restaurant?  Could you opt out of that expensive coffee?  (Especially Starbucks.  I won't go there again.  The owner told me not too, if I believe in traditional marriage).  Go to the library instead of buying books?  Shop at a used clothes store first?  Thrift store?  What's some other ways to save?

Stay home.  Don't run around.  How can we be keepers at home, if we are not at home?  It is amazing how much money you can save, just staying home.

Then, what do you do with your extra money?

The Lord will soon let you know!