I’ve heard many words to describe someone who isn’t too eager to let go of their money. Some that immediately come to mind include, Cheap, Tight and Stingy. These all have fairly negative connotations to them, and usually insinuate that the person is ungenerous. Slightly more flattering words (if you can call them that) could include to be Frugal, Thrifty, or Careful. People described with these words tend to display a savvy approach towards their spending.
But what is the reason behind these ways of thinking? During my college years I had the opportunity to work one to two days a week with my dad. My dad has a Window Cleaning round, so it was a great opportunity for me to work flexibly around my college hours. In terms of what I was going to to with the money, that had already been decided. Some would be to pay for my phone, whilst the rest would go towards driving lessons, and eventually a car. Well, car insurance… It seems that 17 year olds still can’t be trusted on the roads so much as to have yearly insurance which costs more than the car itself. Anyway, those two things made up the bulk of what I were to spend my money on. Referring back to the words I mentioned at the start of this post, I think I was known as more of the frugal type. I didn’t see the need to spend money if it wasn’t going towards something I really wanted.
As far as myself enjoying the work, well, it was a job. I can’t say I’ve ever been much of an “Early Bird”, so waking up at 6:30AM to be out the door by 7AM was not particularly amusing. I think what made matters worse was that my dad didn’t have a problem waking up at those hours. In fact, this seemed to be the time of day he had the most energy, so you can imagine that our personalities didn’t quite mesh like the fibres of an elaborate Persian rug in those moments… Then you have the rainy days mixed with the cold; dipping your hands into a bucket of hot soapy water to wash the windows was quite refreshing, but only for a few seconds… The cold wind would quickly make sure that you wished you had your hands wrapped around a freshly brewed cup of tea instead, of which my dad would get plenty from his customers. It was the arrangement that my dad would do the upstairs windows whilst I would do downstairs. I realise that for me this is quite a favourable position to be in. However, my dad would make sure that I wasn’t having it too easy. The arrangement didn’t favour houses with conservatories, so whilst I carried on, some customers would invite him in the house, and he would often sit inside with a hot drink whilst I worked my way around a glorified greenhouse… That aside, it certainly taught me how resilient my dad is. Outdoor work isn’t to be taken lightly, and it showed me how much he must care about us to have been doing this full time over the last 25 years.
So, with all this in mind, it seems reasonable to suggest that the money I earned from this work should be put towards something worthwhile. After all, a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it, atleast as far as I was concerned. In fact, before making a purchase I would often think about the cost in terms of hours of work. So, if a pair of jeans is £30, that would equate to 3 hours of work. That was a hard pill to swallow, and often resulted in refraining from most spending.
But, you may be thinking… One of your goals is to buy a car. A car allows you to get to places you might not otherwise have been able to get to, and go for jobs that you otherwise would not have been able to apply for. Buying a car is a noble venture, so you’re doing something worthwhile.
Indeed, whilst those things might be true, they certainly weren’t the reasons why I wanted to buy one. As a kid I would spend hours at a time on a car simulator video game. It was that game that built up a database of cars in my mind; useful knowledge when me and a friend would sit on the roadside to compete with who could guess the incoming car first as they drive towards us. This leads up to the day of turning 17, when I can finally get behind the wheel of a real car, even if it turns out to be a Fiat Panda, as was the case. Car insurance really is a bummer…
To this day I’ve only owned two cars, but one common theme I’ve noticed with most of the material things I buy, is that the excitement is short lived. I realise this is a common trope. We often hear it in the form of “Money can’t buy you happiness”, and if you ponder on how your life would look with a cheaper or lesser alternative, you might agree that it wouldn’t have a considerable impact.
Or, would it? You see, the items we’ve considered so far, I think most people would agree could not result to have any meaningful impact in someone’s life. The mum with her extortionately priced 4 wheel drive SUV which hasn’t so much as touched anything but reasonably maintained suburban roads, may drop her children off at the same school as the parent with their modest family hatchback. I think it’s reasonable to say that with all other factors being the same, the two families can enjoy the same way of life.
So, what “way of life” am I referring to? What constitutes toward supporting a healthy, meaningful life? I can’t speak for others, but the idea of a “Culture War” over recent years has personally prompted me to consider what I truly value; and in regard to how I use my hard earned cash, what a more meaningful way could be considered than to build up and support those most close to you.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1st Corinthians 13 vs 4-7
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