There's a balance to be struck between living and saving, all in the name of good stewardship. And even as I type this, struggling for a more appropriate word for spending, I lean towards conserving and tucking away those extra bucks for something more need based.
Living in the Bay area, I find it amazing that we can make decisions about purchasing a home upwards of a million dollars, based on a 15 minute staged tour. Agents herd us through like cattle, disguising significant wear and tear, magically transforming inadequacies into character. Sure, we do our homework before promising to plop down the bulk of our savings in one fell swoop, but it is usually with some imagined pressure from other customers willing to make the same rash decision. So people do this everyday here in this area, but after the loans are funded, escrow is closed, and the title is recorded with the county, what's reasonable to sink into your new, old house?
I'd like to think I've never been an intentionally wasteful person, though I have made my share of financial blunders. But I still struggle with what it means to be a good steward of the monies God has given me. I often have mixed feelings about getting a raise, because to whom more is given, more is expected. We've purchased a house with the option of living under one income, so will less be expected? Okay, so maybe that's too legalistic a perspective, but now how tightly do I hold to the smaller resources that aren't so easily replenished on a biweekly basis?
No wonder He has so much to say about finances in that book of His...
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