When is Enough Enough?

Due to my recent call for blogs from readers of this blog, I recently started reading A Quest for a New Perspective, and I am loving what Gene is writing there.

In a recent post called “When is Enough Enough?” he said this:

When is enough enough?

I have a hard time answering that question. Do you?

We have a perfectly good smartphone but we “need” the latest edition because it provides a few more features that make it a little bit better than the one we have.

We have dozens of shoes boxed in our closets but we “need” another pair.

We have plenty of clothes hanging above our shoe boxes but we “need” more.

We have a 50″ TV but we “need” a 60″.

I deal with these thoughts and temptations everyday. I’ll bet you do too. It’s the society we live in. We always seem to want more whether we really need it or not.

Head on over to A Quest for a New Perspective to see how Gene finishes this post.

My wife and I have struggled with these questions for a long time, and here are some of the steps we have made over the past couple of years to cut down on expenses and free up some more money so we can be generous toward others. Though these steps are not for everyone, here are some of the things we do:

• We don’t have cell phone service (Hard to believe, I know. But it’s true.)
• We don’t pay for a land line phone (We use Ooma, and LOVE it. You buy the device, and then never pay for telephone again. Just pay taxes… about $3 per month).
• We canceled our cable TV (It’s all garbage anyway).
• We almost never go to movies (maybe 1 per year).
• We rarely go out to eat (maybe 2-3 times per year).
• We don’t buy coffee at the stores, but brew our own at home.

We figure that between these six things, we are saving hundreds of dollars each month. I mean, just add up how much you spend on these six items every month, and then think about what you could do with all that extra money! I don’t share these things to boast or to guilt you into something you “should” be doing. No, these are things you can do if you want.

Following the challenge from Gene, what are some areas in your life where “Enough is Enough” and you can put aside the money you would have spent on the “upgrade” to use for the Kingdom of God instead?