Living economically

In this season of belt tightening and looking back with a tinge of regret at the excesses of the last few decades, it might be a good time to reconsider some once highly esteemed advice and former examples.
One of the first colonies, Jamestown, Va., nearly failed from lack of food because the settlers expected servants to do all the work needed to grow and gather food. After months of problems, the colony elected James Smith to be the president of the colony.
Smith instituted a rule based on II Thessalonians 3:10 stating that “he who does not work will not eat.” In a letter written in 1608 to Sir Isaac Newton, Smith wrote, “I had to stay strong and keep the men disciplined.” Historically, and from letters of settlers, it is noted that the colony survived because of his strong leadership and that rule. No one said everyone liked it or praised him for it, but the settlement which had been dying began to thrive and grow under his leadership.
Smith’s policy is something to consider in this country where immigrants willingly embrace the hard, manual labor that citizens decline to do, choosing instead to accept government checks with nothing expected in return.
During the Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted several programs such as the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) which helped re-forest America, constructed more than 800 parks nationwide and upgraded state parks, updated forest firefighting methods and built a network of service buildings and public roadways in remote areas.
Until 2008, this country saw much spent on goods, services, electronic equipment and over-priced homes. Our spree of spending broke our personal and national banks. The Internet, newspapers and magazines now overflow with advice on learning to live on less, taking “staycations” and recycling goods.
The time has long passed to re-think the shopping trip as did one husband before his wife left for the mall with no specific purchase in mind.
“Why are you going? All you will do is see things you don’t have, have never thought about having and suddenly think you need and must have them.”
Impulse purchases have filled our homes, storage buildings and county dumps to overflowing. Their production, use and abandonment contribute to the world’s pollution. A recent “Time” article mentions the sharp increase, since the recession, of clothing purchases and the glut on landfills.
With the rising personal debt escalating out of control, consider the Biblical maxim of Romans 13:8a, “Owe no man anything except love …”
Without going into the aspects of the exception of debts caused by medical emergencies or the purchase of an affordable house, look at each purchase with the question, “if you can’t pay for it right now, why are you buying it?” A well-maintained, used car will transport one to work as readily as does a brand new, high-end vehicle of any make. In the past, a modest two or three bedroom home provided adequate family shelter for thousands of families. Then the building boom tempted us with more space, bigger homes and more space to fill with more clutter.
In a similar way, massive ad campaigns have whetted our appetites for calorie-rich junk food, while robbing us of nutrition and ready cash. If you like your snacks and treats, stop and consider the savings in cash, let alone fattening calories, if you replace yet another meal at a restaurant or a big bag of chips with an apple and homemade sandwich.
If you are overweight, you are overspending on food. If we would cut back on the calories, not only would we reduce the need for more food, we would also reduce harmful atmospheric emissions and get the Green Earth folks off our backs.
If we would cut back on spending to support our obesity, we would also avert developing high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, shortness of breath and all the medical interventions necessary to correct them.
The cost for preventing many illnesses and their accompanying pharmaceutical costs can be a cheap as a 30- minute walk and choosing to eat less food so that the body returns to a more ideal weight range.

 

We have enjoyed our excesses until we have become loaded down with weight, debt and unwanted junk. Let’s choose to enjoy life more with less, work for what we have and reap the benefits in our pocketbooks, our bodies and our communities.


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