STOP SAVING ME SO MUCH MONEY

I was in a conversation yesterday about false economy. The idea that in saving money you can go broke or die.

Can saving too much money kill you? Yes.

• I know people who will not see a doctor on a timely basis because they want to save money.
• I know people who will eat risky foods (dumpster divers) to save money.
• I know people who live in cold damp houses and are sick all the time because they want to save money. (or too hot in the summer)
  
• I know people who won't repair a faulty furnace and die of monoxide poison. (this almost happened to me). I was saving lots of money and almost died of it.
  
• I know people who drive an unsafe vehicle because they don't want to repair it for financial reasons. How many people die for lack of spending $300 needed dollars.
  

This is a big deal to me because:

My own father and mother were killed 48 years ago driving a cheap truck with a load of oats on it and there have been suspicions that it was a "Money Saving" truck. Bought cheap. Good enough. Not perfect but it ran. UNSAFE. Transmission failed, clutch failed, brakes failed. Flying down the hill with 30 tons of grain at 100 miles per hour I'll bet their last thoughts were "boy are we ever saving money as we orphan our 3 children and put them in financial legal jeopardy".

That accident killed not only my parents but several other people. It was a horrible tragedy. WHY? Saving money. They saved so much money on that truck it killed them. (and others)

I used to have this nice lady, Teresa who worked for me. She suffered from false economy. When we bought filing cabinets we had to buy them twice because the ones she bought were so darn cheap they didn't work at all. Price was her only motivation.

Same with desks, chairs. Bought cheap then bought right. If we had bought good value the first time, even high quality used, we would have had something. We didn't. So we bought twice. I finally said to her, "Stop saving me so much money". I'm going broke buying everything twice.

I believe buying right means buying good. If you buy a vehicle that is such a piece of junk that it requires constant repairs you aren't saving money, you are being bled by false frugality. We had a sump pump go out this morning in our house. We are about to buy another. I will spend extra money for one that has a longer duty cycle, more robust system, bigger motor, oil cooled. If I "Saved" money I would get to replace it again twice as often and run the risk of water all over the floor. That would be dumb. Cheap can be dumb.

I don't really understand the allure of cheap. I know this, if you buy cheap you get cheap and you rob yourself of the joy of abundant living. Living like you were on welfare by using the cheapest products available to save a few bucks is on the edge of insanity.

In ministryI have tried to help homeless people by taking them to the grocer to buy groceries and other essentials. It's always amazing how they are driven by the price tag and the volume. When I ask, "what about getting a little better quality" they moan about the price. When upon further examination they discover as I point out to them that it costs almost no more to go first class they are amazed. They live better on the same money. The dollar stores are a haven for the poor. They have a poverty mindset and live below their potential chasing an elusive bargain. I bought a bottle of Ketchup recently at the Dollar Store. I was there with my wife. I asked the clerk how much the Ketchup was. He looked at me funny. Everything's a dollar he said. So I bought it.

We went to our local grocer later. Same bottle, same brand 79cents. People seeking a bargain getting ripped off. They know you are cheap and laugh all the way to the bank.

Few bargain hunters really bag actual bargains. Not every coupon you clip saves money. The big lie is that Sams Club is cheaper. It's not. They just sell you more of what you don't need. Sometimes less price = less value (by a lot).

Those who live with a spirit of poverty possessing them are no better off than those who are actually impoverished. Oh, they have money, but they live like virtual paupers. It's like reading, those who won't read are no better off than those who can't read. Same difference.

I had an aunt who was famous for driving 80 miles round trip to save $3 on groceries for the week. When quizzed about this she protested "I was going to go anyway". It wasn't true. She was going for the chickens, so she could buy some shoes. But she was going to buy shoes so on the way she bought the cheap chickens. Self defeating philosophy.

That's like the guy who says I have lots of time on my hands so since my time is worth nothing I'll do this. This Aunt was so cheap she used coupons to keep even with her own husband in "Sharing the Cost of living". He own husband. How did all this end up this way? How did we become so addicted and deceived by the almighty dollar? I am convinced that in life and in spiritual things riches are deceitful above all else.

LAST EXAMPLE:

My Aunt Dolly died and we buried her over the weekend. She died penniless.

Over the same weekend Sam Walton's Billionaire widow died.

They both took the same amount of money to the grave. None. They both took their last breath in the same way. Neither woman's last years were improved or dis-improved by the amount of money they did or didn't have.

Spend it and enjoy life a little. Read the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. Maybe you can get over your false economy. And for God's sake spend it so you are safe and comfortable. False economy is no economy. Or, you can always send it on ahead. Lay up for you treasures which are in heaven. Send some on ahead. You can then spend some here to make yourself comfortable.